Issues with your account? Bug us in the Discord!
My antique computer problem...
Freejack
Jake the Not-so-Wise
in Zocalo v2.0
Ok, here I am trying to bring my old PII 300 out of 1996 and into 1998...
The machine was running Win95, but was getting so buggy and goofy from never being cleaned all these years that, I borrowed a friends copy of Win98 SE. I formatted the hard drive, and installed win 98. Everything went well until it started the computer the first time. The system seems to boot normally until the desktop is displayed, which at that time, nothing else happens. The services in the right corner of the screen will not display and if I check the task manager, it shows Explorer as not responding.
Add the fact that there are glitches in the display (letters not formed completely, Funky lines across the screen) and it makes me think the video card is causing the hickup. The card is an ATI 3D Rage Pro.
Anyway I'll grab the driver from ATIs website, but since its 10 megs I'll have to figure out how I will move it from my work laptop, to the computer in question.
What's the next step I should take? Should I just wipe the drive clean and try reinstalling again?
I know this machine is old, but I use it from time to time to do things like run GIMP.
Thanks in advance
Jake
The machine was running Win95, but was getting so buggy and goofy from never being cleaned all these years that, I borrowed a friends copy of Win98 SE. I formatted the hard drive, and installed win 98. Everything went well until it started the computer the first time. The system seems to boot normally until the desktop is displayed, which at that time, nothing else happens. The services in the right corner of the screen will not display and if I check the task manager, it shows Explorer as not responding.
Add the fact that there are glitches in the display (letters not formed completely, Funky lines across the screen) and it makes me think the video card is causing the hickup. The card is an ATI 3D Rage Pro.
Anyway I'll grab the driver from ATIs website, but since its 10 megs I'll have to figure out how I will move it from my work laptop, to the computer in question.
What's the next step I should take? Should I just wipe the drive clean and try reinstalling again?
I know this machine is old, but I use it from time to time to do things like run GIMP.
Thanks in advance
Jake
Comments
(also what date BIOS shows, if it's something around 1980, then battery is dead)
I would guess that it's something to do with the video drivers. Does it boot ok in safe mode?
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Freejack [/i]
[B]Should I just wipe the drive clean and try reinstalling again?[/B][/QUOTE]
Might work.:D
At least some older PCs made by Digital can need multiple OS installations to get everything working. (also they "lose" CD-ROM drive after first reboot during Windows installation)
[B]I would guess that it's something to do with the video drivers. Does it boot ok in safe mode? [/B][/QUOTE]
Boots fine in safe mode, and once I was able to get it to boot up normally, but that was after I was becoming agitated and mashing random function keys during the boot process. I never could get it to go again.
The bios is still up and running fine (date is still correct after almost 8 years).
I think I'll try the drivers I loade from ATI's site, if not, I'll format once more and install again. If all else fails, I can go back to the WIN 95 CD I have.
Jake
[B]Boots fine in safe mode, and once I was able to get it to boot up normally, but that was after I was becoming agitated and mashing random function keys during the boot process. I never could get it to go again.[/B][/QUOTE]
Press and hold F8 before BIOS starts loading OS and select safe mode from boot menu.
(pressing it after BIOS goes through IDE devices works, because OS loading starts after that table which tells PCs parts)
[B]yeah def check any BIOS updates, you can use winzip to break the ATI driver file and put it on multiple floppy disks... or use a USB key (like i would... they are great!) [/B][/QUOTE]
I may have to do that, I have a flash card, but I can't get far enough for the system to recognize the USB port and in safe mode it doesn't load those drivers.
I tried wiping the hard drive and starting over last night, but still no luck. I'll think I'll try breaking up the ATI driver into multipule disks...if that doesn't work, does anyone have an old video card they'd like to be rid of???
Jake
Try deleting that graphic card from device manager and restart. (if there's something in detecting it)
I guess that Win95 have working drivers for it.
So go to safe mode and try to update drivers to those which are in Win95 CD.
[B]does anyone have an old video card they'd like to be rid of???[/B][/QUOTE]
Oodles of them.
[B]Oodles of them. [/B][/QUOTE]
HAH HAH! :D
Is that partly my fault?!? :p
PURPLE
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by JackN [/i]
[B]HAH HAH! :D
Is that partly my fault?!? :p [/B][/QUOTE]
Yep. :) I've managed to use half the ones you sent me so far.
Actually its you guys that are the smart ones...I just uninstalled the driver in safe mode, when I restarted of course it detected the card and installed the same bad driver from the Win98 CD, but since it had to be restarted to work, that at least allowed me to load the right ATI driver off of my memory stick, which I was able to do now that the USB port was working.
Anyway lesson learned: Always use the manufacturers drivers, not the crappy excuse for a driver Microsoft uses...
Jake
[B]Anyway lesson learned: Always use the manufacturers drivers, not the crappy excuse for a driver Microsoft uses...
Jake [/B][/QUOTE]
Jake, your problem is that Win98 thought it was something else so it loaded the wrong driver. More often than not, the WDM drivers that Microsoft provides are some of the most stable around. Unfortunately, sometimes they tend to lock out features....like for those that own an SB Live. It'll disable the second wave out jack until you load Creative's drivers.
[B]Jake, your problem is that Win98 thought it was something else so it loaded the wrong driver. More often than not, the WDM drivers that Microsoft provides are some of the most stable around. Unfortunately, sometimes they tend to lock out features....like for those that own an SB Live. It'll disable the second wave out jack until you load Creative's drivers. [/B][/QUOTE]
Similar to some GeForce card drivers that don't provide Video Out until you load the Detonator set....
;)
[B]your problem is that Win98 thought it was something else so it loaded the wrong driver.[/B][/QUOTE]
And sometimes Windows just wants to cram all devices into same IRQ. (when there's many free IRQs)
My record is eight devices in same IRQ, still it somehow worked.
(for that reson it was pain in the ass to get own IRQ for display controller in my todays computer)
[B]And sometimes Windows just wants to cram all devices into same IRQ. (when there's many free IRQs)
My record is eight devices in same IRQ, still it somehow worked.
(for that reson it was pain in the ass to get own IRQ for display controller in my todays computer) [/B][/QUOTE]
*cough*ACPI*cough*