Jade Falcon wrote:

Installing/setting up software. I hate that part.

Same here. Building Win9x was fun and challenging the first dozen or so times in the late 90s. Now it's just a boring chore. I'm sure we've all perfected our own individual methods for setting up the OS, but aside from drivers it's pretty much the same from system to system.

Thank the computer gods for disk imaging software!

Buggy drivers
setting up windows 98
Installing updates for windows 7, 8.1 (My god when does it end)

Oldskoolmaniac wrote:

Installing updates for windows 7, 8.1 (My god when does it end)

No kidding. Updating a fresh install of Win7 is just awful nowadays. I've found that installing KB3083710, KB3102810, and KB3161664 manually can help get Windows Update working much faster. However, you might want to uninstall KB3083710 and KB3102810 after you've got your updates. Some folks consider those to be bad GWX/Telemetry/Spying updates from MS.

You could always try this if you trust the source:

Win7 Pro x64 with updates through June 2016.

Installing cooler on Socket A processor, installing LGA processor in socket LGA775. Setting up 486/early Pentium board and sound cards there.

KT7AGuy wrote:

No kidding. Updating a fresh install of Win7 is just awful nowadays. I've found that installing KB3083710, KB3102810, and KB31 […]
Show full quote

Oldskoolmaniac wrote:

Installing updates for windows 7, 8.1 (My god when does it end)

No kidding. Updating a fresh install of Win7 is just awful nowadays. I've found that installing KB3083710, KB3102810, and KB3161664 manually can help get Windows Update working much faster. However, you might want to uninstall KB3083710 and KB3102810 after you've got your updates. Some folks consider those to be bad GWX/Telemetry/Spying updates from MS.

You could always try this if you trust the source:

Win7 Pro x64 with updates through June 2016.

Never use Windows Update just after you just installed SP1. WU is broken at this point.

I use WSUS offline : LINK, and it gets most of the job done (+ it's A LOT faster than Win. Upd.).
After WSUS is done, I use Win Update to search for things it missed (which may be important to my particular config).

I also heard M$ released complete "batch patch" for Win 7 : LINK
But here's a bombshell : It works with IE6 or IE7 only 😒

I have enjoyed reading responses.

One thing you got me to thinking was drivers, loading, imaging. I will share what I know (you probably already do) about Windows 98 Imaging that I learned while deploying/maintaining computer labs in the early 2000's.

We developed one image with Ghost... one. It supported every lab we had with differing hardware in each. It works like this. Load Windows on blank machine, install all drivers, install utilities and software, when happy with it clone computer (we used good ole Ghost 8.0). Now, use that image on a different set of hardware and this time just install all the drivers, clone computer, repeat on a different set of hardware. What you end up is a clone image that will load the correct drivers for any hardware you previously installed on. Made keeping labs up and running a breeze. I haven't done this in years but I will probably take the time to do it. Load one computer with a BX chipset, Install drivers, then install every video card and sound card I have before using that clone on a differing chipset. Pretty soon I will have a clone that will do anything. There is just one thing I cannot remember for sure because this was the time we were transitioning to XP and I was handling clone images for both. I'm sure we had to do this for XP but not 100% sure if we had to for 98 and that is changing the IDE controller drivers to "Standard Dual PCI IDE Controller". If you do then after cloning you can change the controller to the proper one.

I made myself an automated answer file. Apart from acknowledging the licence key, it's a start and walk away affair 😀

For my Windows 98 graphics benchmarking project I do use images using Acronis.

I enjoy installing drivers though, so that part will remain a manual thing for me.

Errius wrote:

Old systems are flaky and fragile and once they work "well enough" you should leave them alone. The urge to constantly change things is more trouble than it's worth.

^this

As others, the problem is to keep the finished system without changing it again and again. I usually switch from 386 to Athlon TB again and again and again. 😁 But my 386DX-40 actually costed a lot of pain to build and repair (burned tracks, homemade led freq, 16MB 60ns 4x4 simms, built from zero, so that system is there closed.

I'm a tinkerer, so the hardest thing is finishing a build. When there's nothing else I can do to it. I always stay within the intent of the build and tweak it until it fits the theme as best as possible, but when that's done it's also kind of a sad moment.

Hardest part: Testing out all components purchased from 2008 till now if you have a lot stuff laying around.. and sourcing old updates from windows 95 / 98 / 2000 / xp and also drivers.

Iam really not in my comfort zone when there is limited space to test the stuff out.. I really want to, but something holding me.

KT7AGuy wrote:

No kidding. Updating a fresh install of Win7 is just awful nowadays. I've found that installing KB3083710, KB3102810, and KB31 […]
Show full quote

Oldskoolmaniac wrote:

Installing updates for windows 7, 8.1 (My god when does it end)

No kidding. Updating a fresh install of Win7 is just awful nowadays. I've found that installing KB3083710, KB3102810, and KB3161664 manually can help get Windows Update working much faster. However, you might want to uninstall KB3083710 and KB3102810 after you've got your updates. Some folks consider those to be bad GWX/Telemetry/Spying updates from MS.

You could always try this if you trust the source:

Win7 Pro x64 with updates through June 2016.

So make life easier, keep an update repository and then integrate the updates into your install media every month or two.

My Install Disks are all currently

XP Pro SP3 with SP4 Unoffical Current to 6/16
XP Home SP3 with SP4 Unofficial Current to 6/16
XP Pro x64 SP2 Current to 4/14
Vista x64 Current to 5/16
7 x64 current to 7/16
8 x64 Current to 7/16
10 x64 current to 7/16

It just requires the ability to slipstream, and for that I like to use DISM for newer Windows or Nlite for XP ones.

for me the hardest part is using them once they are built, I'll build one get it working, install all my games and software, then i dont use it 🤣

Robin4 wrote:

Hardest part: Testing out all components purchased from 2008 till now if you have a lot stuff laying around.. and sourcing old updates from windows 95 / 98 / 2000 / xp and also drivers.

Iam really not in my comfort zone when there is limited space to test the stuff out.. I really want to, but something holding me.

for the updates have you considered the Unoffical Service Packs for 95/98/ME/2000/XP

They work wonders and with the 98/ME/2000 Unoffical Service Packs you can limit your updates to only the main updates. I keep those handy on the FTP for when I get done installing a retro windows

There really isn't a single thing I can consider being the hardest but lots of little things that change during the build , each build is completely different and has its own unique chalanges so I think its best to make a list of the top 5 things that effect every build

1. Getting modern hardware to play well with old hardware for the first time:
ex Sata in a P1 era machine, using a Sata Card
ex Overcoming HDD limitations, 512mb, 500meg, 32gig , 136gig etc

2. Actually finding hardware

3. Settling on what components you want to use and for what task

4. Coming to terms that some things will just not work the way you want them to regardless of how much time you spend trying to make them work.

5. Settling for the parts you have VS overspending on the components you want.

Edit: 6. More speed vs software/game compatibility.

Allocating SPACE and TIME. 😊

When it doesn't go to plan, I want THIS video card with THAT motherboard, but they have other ideas.

When the system stops working, I enjoy building it but once its done its done and sometimes I simply want to play a game but if its been sitting unused for however long its not uncommon for a attention seeking device to mysteriously just stop working and demand to be fiddled with.

Making sure that the components are stable.

Finding the time to tinker around with the hardware and software.

I've got a room full of 80s and 90s (and some early 00s) hardware, and I used to spend as much time as I possibly could playing with it all after work and on weekends, but recently it has been exceedingly difficult to find the time to do so 🙁 After a long day at the office, nothing quite relaxes me as much as building a 486 or something like that.

Ah well, such is life!

nforce4max wrote:

Not going broke and running out of room.

^^ this, along with placing LGA775 coolers without the dumb clips breaking on me, but the hardest part for me is getting a random 486 motherboard to work, to check whether it's okay or faulty. Don't have memory chips at hand to swap, don't actually know if the jumper settings are correct (relying 99% of the time on TH99), if that thing I put in the RAM socket is EDO or FPM (for the later boards, never had issues with 30pin simms), etc etc.

I start building the retro machine, then the case and everything has to be nice and clean (but they refuse my request).
I subliminally hate those plastic spacers. My games must be maxed out in terms of sound and FPS, and so my
Roland RAP-10 likes a Pentium for General Midi, but hey, Quarantine only runs in a 486. Lets download a patch, if any. Moslo ? I dont like MOSLO (no stuttering in my games at all costs). Now my motherboard stopped working. Lets move the parts. Ok, fixed it and now i'm ready to go. I suck at Quarantine!

Dont get me wrong ! I absolutely love looking for parts and drivers, testing hardware and such. After all, i have here in my test bench a 486 with that super rare LAPC-I and my men, you heard it playing Stunts or Gods ? Those drums from Stunts music just go through north and soulth of my body and the smooth SFX from Gods are like no other (and not a single noise or interference in my ears).

Some of us are crazy about sports, or books, or games, but we need this to wake up every
day and live. Certainly i will never play 0,01% of games out there, or repair all my stuff
or whatever, but i dont care, or else, those things were not in fact, "goals", if you know
what i mean.

It is passion! That was easy enough 😀

Hardest thing would be to stop buying and hoarding stuff 😁