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NETSCAPE

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    Windows 10 x64

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  1. I just got my AGP card. Here is a picture of it. What is the purpose of the 40-pin IDE connection? I looked far and wide online and couldn't get an answer. I am guessing it is used for developers as some sort of diagnostic tool or something? Anyways, the AGP card did not fix my problem. I have the same 1-2 beep code, followed by a 2 beep code after the floppy drive grinds for a second. Of course I noted the jumper position on the card. Time for a new motherboard I guess......
  2. AGP compatibility is more complex than I thought. I found this old site though.
  3. I've been referencing This the whole time. My sealed mobo contents only included a sort of quick reference manual which is more like a TINY guide, not the full documentation... kind of disappointing really. I wasn't implying PCI to be better or worse. I was saying there was a level of uncertainty in regards to my AGP speed. So to avoid any issue due to speed, I just went with PCI.
  4. Aside from my obvious processor FSB screw up/impulsive ebay purchase... I checked compatibility with all the hardware. Matrox and Voodoo's are too expensive and I ruled those out right away. I scored 2 New Rage 128 Pro's (PCI) for cheap. As far as AGP goes my MOBO documentation doesn't actually state the AGP speed. (to add to the confusion this motherboard manual clearly has images of different variants/versions with more features than mine has) Digging on forums from 2000-2002 seems to indicate an AGP speed of 2X, and this was noted down awhile back... and now that I think of it this may have been one reason I decided to go PCI route "to play it safe". I understand things are supposed to be back-compatible, but to avoid any potential issue I will just shoot for a AGP 2X card, get everything working hopefully, then switch to the "more powerful" ATI PCI cards I have hah. And I already sub to all the "retro" youtubers, of course! LGR was my first love, Phil is my girl on the side lol.
  5. I want to clarify my jumper situation. I have one jumper on my board, it's 3 pins. Pin 1-2 = Normal Mode. "BIOS uses current config and passwords for booting" Pin 2-3 = Configure Mode. "After POST runs, Setup starts and displays the Maintenance menu. This menu displays options for setting the processor speed and clearing passwords" (jumper removed) = Recovery Mode. "BIOS recovers data from a recovery diskette" *By "this is a good time to clear the CMOS" I am assuming you mean by replacing the battery? Because if the jumper is in normal position first like you suggest, there is no way to clear CMOS other than replacing the battery. There is no devoted 2 pin jumper to clear CMOS like I've had on previous MOBO's. There is only the 3 pin set I've mentioned. -------------------- And at this point I am only trying 1 stick of RAM at a time of course. The floppy cable was connected correctly. I forgot I have a second video card (same exact type though). I'll try both in different PCI slots now that we have clues that video might be the issue. I originally had my video card in PCI slot 1, next to the AGP slot, so that is interesting that you say NOT to do that. The kind of annoying thing is this super "sweet" custom build case from 1999 only has punch-out type back panels. So it looks like I will just have a bunch of empty slots in the back of my case. oh well. War is Hell. I will buy a AGP card that predates my motherboard to avoid compatibility issues hopefully. And I will buy a new Battery too. (The manual states the battery lasts 7 years with constant use. How long do they last sitting idle? I have no idea. I will replace it none-the-less. I assumed if the battery failed I would get a beep code for that like the manual states.)
  6. Thanks for the reply. I have two VGA monitors. Both work and can be tested with my laptop. So I'm assuming the bios isn't recognizing the PCI video card. I'll order an AGP card within a day and go from there, maybe an older PCI too who knows...
  7. I have the new processor and floppy drive installed! The previous beep code is alleviated due to the correct FSB speed. There is still no display. The keyboard Num/Caps/Scroll lock lights now respond to input. But I am greeted by a new beep code: 1-2. The description is: "search for option ROMS. One long two short beeps on checksum failure" - so I assume this is some bios/firmware issue. I have 8 DIMMS to play with that are two different types. I tried various DIMM slots with 1 stick at a time with no luck. I also tried switching the mobo jumper from set-up back to normal and back to set-up mode again. I made a floppy boot disk and followed the instructions carefully. I tried the jumper position in normal then set-up mode. This resulted in the same 1-2 beep code, followed by a pause and 2 more beeps with the boot disk present. I find this odd because the 2 beeps should indicate that a bios recovery has finished... However, when I actually take the jumper off completely to try the bios recovery mode procedure I actually get no beeps whatsoever. I should have just already bought an AGP card... I swear if I could have seen a bios screen this whole time...
  8. Destro, thanks for all your input I really appreciate it. I always had some sort of SoundBlaster 16 as a kid I remember, so I'm hoping it works out for the same games. If not no biggie. I got mine for dirt cheap new. My games list actually includes a lot of windows 95 era games so the system shouldn't be too fast since clock speed dictates game speed to that unplayable level at some point... But at the same time a few of the games require a bit more performance wise to function smoother. Total Annihilation would be one of those "demanding" games I'm thinking of, specifically RAM usage. I can't recall if I had 100 or 133 FSB back when I played TA smoothly. The box I have in my hand recommends 133, so this should be interesting. I have a large games list but here is what I have already picked up recently (big boxes!) as a priority: C&C C&C Red Alert StarCraft Total Annihilation Myst Riven ...and next games I'll be looking for: Shadow Warrior Doom I & II Blood Blade Runner Mech Warrior 2 jazz jackrabbit 2 ect ect...
  9. Upon reading the manual a second time something caught my eye... In the Video Config Menu (BIOS options) The "Default Primary Video Adapter" is set to AGP. You can select PCI but if I have no display I can't really do that lol... so I suppose I need an AGP card in order to see the BIOS options thus enabling me to use PCI or AGP. Should I just pull the trigger on a AGP video card or is there a way to load BIOS options via floppy? (ie editing a file on my modern system, putting it on a floppy, then doing the Boot/BIOS recovery procedure via floppy on my Retro build???) A Pentium II 400MHz 100Mhz FSB is on the way, along with some different, older RAM just in case of compatibility issues...
  10. I was just cleaning up this project from my table(s) and found an insert that I had missed! The insert came with my motherboard and lists Pentium III's from 450-600MHz as supported, but of course with 100MHz bus only... just thought I'd include this find. I'm sure they started throwing in the insert since the official manual only suggests support of Pentium II's up to 450MHz...fast moving technology back in the day.
  11. I found 1 guy with cheap new/unused P.II's actually, just no box. But I wanted the boxes for a 90's shrine...because reasons.
  12. I only paid a bit over $40 for my sealed/new P.III ...so that's not too big a loss. But dang these P.II prices are insane... I'm too deep into this to stop now though.
  13. Thanks for the reply. I just ordered a couple floppy drives. I have yet to flash the BIOS via removing the jumper for recovery mode. I will try that first, whenever they arrive. This mobo has 3 DIMM slots. As far as I can tell via it's documentation it doesn't matter which slots are used or how many. But that's good info to know about the ram not always being back compatible (ie 133 to 100). And yes I tried each stick 1 by 1. They clearly state 100/133 all over them but yeah... I'm totally on board with the 450/100 Processor idea. I was already contemplating this due to old DOS/Win95 games requiring slower clock speeds.
  14. The Mission: Build a Windows 98 gaming machine using original boxed and sealed hardware. Everything below is NEW unless specified otherwise. The Build: OS: Windows 98SE Case/PSU: GAUSS SM307M (250w PSU included) Mobo: Intel SE440BX-2 Processor: Slot 1 Pentium III @ 733MHz with 133MHz Bus RAM: PNY 256MB PC100/133 (4 sticks available) Video Card: ATI Rage 128PRO 32MB (PCI) Sound Card: SoundBlaster 16 PCI (CT4810) HDD: Maxtor 15GB 7200RPM (51536H3) Optical: Creative Blaster 52x (MK4108) Monitor: Sony Trinitron CRT (used) KB/Mouse: Generic Microsoft Speakers: IBM (used) Where I'm at: The system has been built. PSU, CPU and intake fans all start. During the POST process I receive an error beep code: 1-4-3-3. According to this site the code description is: "Autosize the Cache". I have attempted to move the jumper plug from it's "normal" position to the "configure" position in hopes to set the Processor speed ect. However, this results in the same error beep code. I should also note at this point that my monitor receives no signal from the ATI Rage card. I am assuming that since the POST can't pass, no signal is even being sent from my video card technically. And hitting the num/caps/scroll lock keys don't light up, another sign that I am not passing POST. I have 2 VGA compatible monitors, both were tested with my laptop and work. I have tried various DIMM combinations too. A bit of Bro Science: If you look up the Intel manual for the SE440BX-2 (here) you will come across all sorts of information that would contradict my build due to apparent compatibility issues. Examples of this would be the small DIMM sizes and the slower Processor speeds listed as supported/compatible by Intel. However, after some digging into really old forums from around the Y2K era it became apparent to me that people were throwing in non-coppermine processors far exceeding 450MHz (up to the fastest Pentium III's) as well as using DIMM's that were double the size than what was officially listed as Intel as supported/compatible - and they worked. Technology was moving so insanely fast during this era that at the time Intel listed the supported DIMM size and Processor speeds ect, it would have been outdated by the time the motherboards started shipping! And the support list would have definitely been outdated a year later! I wanted to include this tid-bit just in case someone googles my motherboard, checks the specs or even reads the manual and sees that my Pentium III speed or DIMM size exceeds the manufactures supported hardware list. I found different numbers on different sites actually which was quite confusing. All that said, perhaps my issue is the 133MHz bus speed of my Pentium III. Maybe I need 100MHz bus speed, regardless of the main clock speed. Maybe I screwed up on that one... The only other thread I could find in regards to my issue is found here. Though I have built systems in recent years, a retro project has required some deep digging indeed... Just because I grew up gaming in the 90's doesn't mean I learned anything about computer hardware from that era Thank you for taking any time to help me on my Windows 98 quest.
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