VOGONS


First post, by s0ren

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

Another thin client project of mine (see the previous here) with a Neoware Capio (version 508). This time with native sound blaster support for better dos gaming, although i have run into problems with some games.

Cyrix GX1 300 Mhz
32 MB RAM (4 MB used by VGA)
CS5530A VGA chip
On-board audio (sound blaster compatible)
16 GB Compact flash via IDE adapter
Legacy USB support

Works:
Ms-Dos 6
Windows 3.11 1024x763 16bit colour
Duke Nukem 3D (800x600)
Doom
Redneck Rampage (800x600)
Lion King
Invasion of the mutant space bats of doom
Descent
Tomb Raider
Stunts 4D
Astrofire
Cracy cars 3
Pc-Man
Johny Castaway screen saver 😀
Windows Entertainment Pack 1, 2, 3, 4
Encarta 95
Gta (only in 8 bit mode)
Quake

Broken:
Wolfenstein (black screen and freeze)
Magic Carpet (controls all weird. Keeps opening the spell menu. No sound FX, but music works)
Apache Longbow (random crashes)
Fifa international soccer aka Fifa 94 (memory error)
Alley Cat (freezes PC after 3 seconds, sometimes it runs for a few minutes)
Star Wars - the old vector game (same issue as Alley Cat)
Even after manual disk geometry configuration in bios, only 8 GB of 16 GB is visible/usable in DOS - bios shows the full 16 GB !

Installation
Cmos battery had no power. Changing the CR2032 lithium cell required an almost complete disassemble of the computer as the socket is behind a metal panel in the cabinet.
Installed DOS to the CF card from another computer that can boot via USB (this one cant), then moved installation files for windows and the applications with a card reader. Windows 3.11 bundled sound blaster 1.0 driver works perfectly (it suggests the 1.5 driver but its not as stable it seems), and installing the VGA driver was easy.

Verdict:
Overall im OK with the outcome of converting this thin client to a gaming PC. The sound quality is not great, but fine for gaming. A game port for joystick would have been great. Im a bit gutted about the first 4 games listed under "broken", any one have ideas? Anyone have experience with other games/operating systems on capio like win95, red alert, etc?

**edit**
Dont buy this garbage. Get a Neoware CA2 instead - it works with all of the above mentioned games, plus it has an ISA slot that can be fitted with a Vibra16 card with little modification, or an ESS audio drive without any case modding. That adds a joystic port and FM music yum yum.