I bought a Rosewill RC-200 ATA-133 2-Port PCI Adapter with RAID, which will hopefully allow me to use my 128GB SD cards on the CF adapter in the CF-IDE drive. I don't know what the differences are between two motherboards with the same chipset where the P2B allows me to use SD cards in this configuration, and the Tabor III will only read actual CF cards. There could be something that prevents it, despite using the RC-200. I'll report back.

If it doesn't work, the next step is to buy an actual SD-IDE drive from the same person I bought the 3.5 CF-IDE drives from (one single slot, and one dual slot.) If tyhat doesn't work, then I have to invest in a a few expensive 128GB CF cards (one for WIn98SE, one for MS-DOS/WFW, and the other for WinXP.) I need only a 32GB for the Win95 OSR2 install, as it won't see anything larger than that.

In other news, my NOS SuperDisk parallel drive arrived. It came with 15 SuperDisks! It also came with a Win95 era tools disk, and a 3.5 driver disk. I recently bought an official SuperDisk parallel drive driver CD from ebay, and put it in my Gateway Software Storage Binder with my other Gateway and other "sold oinly with new computers" discs. This leaves me with two internal LS-120 drives, and now two parallel drives: one for my 486, and the other for the P2B system I was working on before getting the Gateways.

Back in the day, I also bought the extreme gaming packs with my Gateway, though I had only Hexen II still, so I have been collecting all eight games, and only need 3 or 4 more of them, and I got a practically new Sidewinder Precision Pro with the official Gameport/USB adapter, which, btw, works on my Windows 10 PC, giving me a flightstick for games like Elite Dangerous. It works better than the Rockwell adapter I bought. I may try it with the Gravis Phoenix.

I also found a 3rd tech who may be able to look at my KDS monitor. He told me that he taught himself how to fix electronics and that I probably won't have a tough time learning it. He told me to buy a hot air rework station, a high voltage probe by B&K, and a microscope.

So I used the final bios from the Vogons Drivers. I can now see larger drives, and I am installing Windows 98SE on a 2.5" 80GB HDD with a SATA/IDE adapter. The other posts I read on the Information Superhighway where people could only get 64GB or only 32GB on a 64GB drive, must have been flukes. I will try the 120GB NOS Seagate I bought. The BIOS saw my 120GB SSD drive, using the SATA-IDE adapter, though I didn't check it to see if it saw the entire drive.

However, updating the BIOS did nothing for the SD/CF adapter issue. I cannot get the Tabor III to see ANY SD cards, unlike the Asus P2B which sees every SD card that I throw at it. I will buy an SD-to-IDE drive to test, and see if bypassing the extra step of using a CF adapter works for this machine. I would be happy with that. I would stick with straight CF cards, but I need multiple 128GB cards for this project, and they are just too expensive. The cheapest I have found is a used white label for fifty bucks. I feel that the Rosewill ATA133 card will bypass the CF-SD issue, as I am using an RCA CF-parallel port adapter to copy my Windows 98 drivers and apps from my SD cards through the CF adapter, and that is working fine.

Another option that I would consider is some thing like an Icey Dock with a SATA/IDE adapter, where I could install a hot swap bay in the 2nd 3.5" bay, and just use SSD drives like cartridges. I could probably print some real snazzy stick on labels for each one, such as making a label that looks like the Windows 98 SE retail box cover. That would be cool. The only issue is that I have to buy one and test it, and then take it out and paint the bezel with some sort of PC-case beige/white/light grey.

All in all, whether or not I stick with my original plan with using SD cards with a controller card and adapters, or go with the radical SSD/hot swap dock option, I feel really good about the changes in the project. I have many of my old Gateway parts back, and incorporated my cards from the Ultimate Retro Voodoo project into a more powerful machine, and all I need is to get some swappable cards/drives for my different OS installs, and try to find a DVD-ROM drive and a CD-R/RW drive with faceplates that are reminiscent of my old Gateway drives, and I'll be set. I may buy a P3 850, as I think this board will support it, but IU have more research to do.

I have to tell you all, installing Windows 98 and using my Gateway System Restoration disk and other official discs that I had back in the day (including the Gateway Easy CD Creator disc,) while pulling them from a Gateway Software Storage Binder, on a system that is very similar to my old PC, but with my personal touches with PCI/ISA card and drive selection, feels absolutely awesome, and it feels like I have come full circle, as it was my Gateway where I learned to build my own systems.

UPDATE: The SD-IDE drive arrived, and I can use SD cards under 128GB. If I get Windows installed and up and running, I can see 128GB drives. However, I absolutely, no matter what I try, whether using SSD drives, NOS 120GB IDE mechanical drives, using the CF-IDE drive with an SD adapter, or 128GB SD cards in the SD-IDE drive, Windows setup either crashes to dos prompt, or locks up at 100% during the "copying files for Windows setup." Something about the bios will not allow it. I successfully installed Windows on an 80GB 2.5" SATA drive with a SATA/IDE adapter, so it seems that 80GB *may* be the limit. I don't have a 100GB drive to test.

So I removed the Voodoo2 and put it with an 5200 FX in the Asus P2B (which sees 128gb just fine - same chipset, different bios,) and I will try out the ATA133 card. If that doesn't work, or if I change my mind about the ATA133 card, then I'll just use 64GB SD cards (well, a 32GB card for the Windows 95 install, and I think that 128b will still work for DOS and Windows 3.x.)

I do like the SD-IDE drive. It is very similar to the CF-IDE drives I have, except that it has a smaller slit, and has a spring-lock mechanism for the SD cards.

I wish I knew how to hack a BIOS so that I could just get 128GB drives to work on this damn PC...