What retro things have you done today?

Retro6 · 17 Jan 2022 at 22:12

Well I'm very close to lobbing a vintage PC out of a near by window..

I've been trying to install a video card driver and the computer asks me to insert the Windows 95 CD in to drive D: the CD is in drive D: nope its still asking me to insert the CD :mad:

I then give up and click skip then the computer wants to restart same thing keeps happening over and over and over. I can't even get into the desktop.

Retro6 · 21 Jan 2022 at 00:17

I have just repaired a TINY PC from 1998 although not finished yet, it now functions and I have chosen to install Windows 95 plus on this one. "Not the same PC I was working on the other day" This TINY PC had way to many bad bulging caps on its original motherboard and it had no AGP slot so out it came. The I/O shield on the TINY PC wasn't easily removable although its ATX is not the same size as a standard I/O shield. Luckily I had my eye on a PII socket 370 motherboard on ebay I bid and won it for 26 pounds including postage.

This board went right in to the TINY PC and lined up perfectly with the TINY's original I/O shield. Apart from a noisy CPU fan the board appears to work well.... what a result

I need to replace the noisy CPU fan and work on the cosmetics to the front panel on the PC case as it looks somewhat scrappy with a drive bay cover missing "a curvy rounded hard to find drive bay cover" other than that its another for my retro PC collection. Still some more work to go yet but at least its functional now.

KraniX · 21 Jan 2022 at 12:26

Retro6 said:
I have just repaired a TINY PC from 1998

Can we get some photos please?

Retro6 · 21 Jan 2022 at 22:09

KraniX said:
Can we get some photos please?

Sure. I don't think there is a way to upload photos directly its url only I'll do some photos tomorrow. I also want to do some photos of my other retro builds as well at some point.

manisses · 23 Jan 2022 at 09:20

Hi all, it's been a while since I haven't posted here, working for Amazon in Peak time it's crazy.
I got a Tiny PC too in December I believe and last week a guy from FB Marketplace posted the sound system. I was so happy about it. I do like sound with some bass. Now I need to find a keyboard and a mouse to have a complete system.
The motherboard was busted on mine too, it had a lot of bad capacitors. I found this one (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283957951555) and bought it for 15£, so it was a really good deal. No AGP slot, so it meant I had to add a Voodoo 3 PCI (I've replaced the heatsink with an aftermarket one and works really well). The motherboard is limited to 100 FSB, it kinda sucks, but I had a PIII at 700, far better than the 900 Mhz Celeron I tested it with. I hope to find a 850 Mhz, but the prices are crazy for the fastest PIII on 100 FSB.
I also found this beautiful Samsung 959NF monitor for 30£, I had to buy it although I was reluctant on getting a CRT monitor due to their size. I couldn't have been more wrong, I forgot how good CRT monitors were lol.

LewisRaz · 23 Jan 2022 at 15:36

manisses said:
Hi all, it's been a while since I haven't posted here, working for Amazon in Peak time it's crazy.
I got a Tiny PC too in December I believe and last week a guy from FB Marketplace posted the sound system. I was so happy about it. I do like sound with some bass. Now I need to find a keyboard and a mouse to have a complete system.
The motherboard was busted on mine too, it had a lot of bad capacitors. I found this one (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283957951555) and bought it for 15£, so it was a really good deal. No AGP slot, so it meant I had to add a Voodoo 3 PCI (I've replaced the heatsink with an aftermarket one and works really well). The motherboard is limited to 100 FSB, it kinda sucks, but I had a PIII at 700, far better than the 900 Mhz Celeron I tested it with. I hope to find a 850 Mhz, but the prices are crazy for the fastest PIII on 100 FSB.
I also found this beautiful Samsung 959NF monitor for 30£, I had to buy it although I was reluctant on getting a CRT monitor due to their size. I couldn't have been more wrong, I forgot how good CRT monitors were lol.

Ah I saw your post on one of the FB groups

Such a lucky find.

I do have this mouse in storage somewhere...:

manisses · 23 Jan 2022 at 16:22

WOW! That is so cool. I found quite a few keyboards on Ebay and I bought one. It says "clicky", but I doubt it's mechanical. From what I know Tiny were a budget brand. Maybe we can cut a deal on that mouse, what are you interested in?

almoststew1990 · 24 Jan 2022 at 09:16

That is an AWE64 lurking off to the right, right?

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2394057020736075/?ref=facebook_story_share

I literally just yesterday sold my AWE32 so I'm not sure I need an AWE64!

Edit and a Gold too

Armageus · 24 Jan 2022 at 09:21

almoststew1990 said:
That is an AWE64 lurking off to the right, right?

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2394057020736075/?ref=facebook_story_share

I literally just yesterday sold my AWE32 so I'm not sure I need an AWE64!

Edit and a Gold too

Decent bundle for that money

almoststew1990 · 24 Jan 2022 at 18:26

Well I got it all for £50.

486SX 25MHz
Pentium 90 SX968
Slocket with a 750MHz P3 100FSB
PCI Mach64
AGP All in Wonder Rage 128
CT4390 with spdif bracket and cable
400MHz ~~Feuchtwanger~~ Deschutes Pentium 2 'boxed'
A whole bunch of 32pin and 72pin RAM

Kurgen · 24 Jan 2022 at 20:35

some speakers for sale, priority to retro nerds in this thread
Retro Soundblaster speakers | Overclockers UK Forums

almoststew1990 · 25 Jan 2022 at 13:32

Well sadly the AWE64 is bent and isn't seen by unisound and the Creative PnP utility thing brings up an error. But the Slocket with the 750MHz posted straight away on my little ZX board. It's now a pretty great W98 PC with AGP ISA, good onboard sound (ESS solo) and this fast CPU, in an MATX format. I might buy a cheap and naff RBG mega case for it to make it slightly ridiculous.

I now have maybe 10 sticks of both 30 (32?) Pin RAM and 72pin RAM. None of them are labelled but the first pair of 72 pin sticks I tried posted as 64MB of RAM which seems nuts! This is on my 486DX2 80 system.

So I'm now thinking of getting a faster DX4 and installing Windows 95 for some reason. Or maybe getting a Socket 7 board to go with that Pentium 90 (or get some other CPU) for a Windows 95 build.

cee-S-dee · 25 Jan 2022 at 15:49

Sorry to hear about the AWE64 man. Is there any damage to the card you can see? Is it just bent. If you end up not doing anything with it, if your not utilising the SPDIF bracket I've been looking for one for a good while!

What error messages do you get with Unisound & the PNP util?

almoststew1990 · 25 Jan 2022 at 19:11

I can't see any damage to the card. I tried it in a fresh DOS install with CTCM and CTCU which does not detect any PNP cards. If I run Diagnose it says the card can't use any of the I/O addresses when I try each of them (220 to 280)

I'm being interesting and trying Windows 95 on my AMD DX2-80 which is recognised as a DX4-100 (I have a S370 heatsink and fan on it). I'm hoping the 32MB of RAM keeps it tolerable. I now don't have a W95 era soundcard at all so my SB2.0 is in there but I might hunt down a cheap vibra ISA card or something. I've not used W95 at all really so not sure what to expect.

Retro6 · 25 Jan 2022 at 19:43

LewisRaz said:
Ah I saw your post on one of the FB groups Such a lucky find.

I do have this mouse in storage somewhere...:

manisses said:
Hi all, it's been a while since I haven't posted here, working for Amazon in Peak time it's crazy.
I got a Tiny PC too in December I believe and last week a guy from FB Marketplace posted the sound system. I was so happy about it. I do like sound with some bass. Now I need to find a keyboard and a mouse to have a complete system.
The motherboard was busted on mine too, it had a lot of bad capacitors. I found this one (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283957951555) and bought it for 15£, so it was a really good deal. No AGP slot, so it meant I had to add a Voodoo 3 PCI (I've replaced the heatsink with an aftermarket one and works really well). The motherboard is limited to 100 FSB, it kinda sucks, but I had a PIII at 700, far better than the 900 Mhz Celeron I tested it with. I hope to find a 850 Mhz, but the prices are crazy for the fastest PIII on 100 FSB.
I also found this beautiful Samsung 959NF monitor for 30£, I had to buy it although I was reluctant on getting a CRT monitor due to their size. I couldn't have been more wrong, I forgot how good CRT monitors were lol.

I have the same TINY PC, the motherboard I took out of it was the same as well its got a PII board in there now and mines missing the middle drive bay cover also a bit yellowed. I got myself a bunch of old beige IBM desktop machines that were going cheap and I mean cheap. lol I had to have them all and I wasn't planing on buying anymore but I just couldn't pass them up. There are all missing hard drives and need a good clean. I will get some photos uploaded at some point. I have lots of those Microsoft mice.

Retro6 · 25 Jan 2022 at 20:21

I don't know how to upload photos. https://lightbulb.imgbb.com/ I just took some photos and signed up to imgbb.

I will do some messing about see if I can get photos to show. I dunno why the site can't have a drag and drop system it would save so much messing about.

Retro6 · 25 Jan 2022 at 20:35

How the hell do you upload photos?

I give up. Unless somebody can tell me otherwise I'm not going to get any photos on here.

https://ibb.co/8zVHhxx

almoststew1990 · 25 Jan 2022 at 20:48

You use copy the 'direct link' from imgbb and paste it into the insert image function of the forum in that toolbar above your post

drakulton · 25 Jan 2022 at 20:49

Retro6 said:
How the hell do you upload photos?

I give up. Unless somebody can tell me otherwise I'm not going to get any photos on here.

depending on what photo sharing site you use, you may have to right click on the photo page and select 'view page source' or 'inspect' in the text that pops up in the window, look for an image file type address,..... png, jpg etc. Copy that address and paste it into the image box to upload to this site.

The smiley is an image off flicker if you right click its properties.

Guest2 · 25 Jan 2022 at 21:08

Retro6 said:
How the hell do you upload photos?

I give up. Unless somebody can tell me otherwise I'm not going to get any photos on here.

Use Imgur, it’s really quick and easy to upload and share photos (and free)

@manisses that’s a great Tiny PC. I sold my retro Voodoo 3 gateway machine with Soundblaster and CRT monitor a while ago. Sort of wish I hadnt but it took up a lot of room