Compatible Hardware with Windows 9x

[galahs 3]

Below is a list of compatible hardware that works on Windows 9x systems (and or have suitable drivers)

Especially of interest is newer hardware that supports or still supports Win9x.

Please start by including hardware you have on your system that you can confirm works with Win9x.

I will add the hardware to the list as time allows.

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PROCESSORS:

Win9x DOES NOT support HyperThreading (please disable in the BIOS), Multiple Processors or MultiCore processors.

Win98/Me may run on MultiCore processors but only 1 core will be utilised.

Windows 95 has timing problems with CPU speeds higher than 350 Mhz.

Windows 98 FE (and consequently Win95) cannot exceed CPU speeds higher than 2.2 Ghz

(Note: This can be fixed. Read this thread: )

Supported Processors:

Intel:

486 DX2-66 +

Pentium

Pentium Pro

Pentium MMX

Pentium 2

Pentium 2 Xeon

Pentium 3

Pentium 3 Xeon

Pentium 4

Xeon (Pentium 4)

Pentium 4 Extreme Edition ... (3.73 GHz is the fastest)

Pentium D ... (Only a Single Core will be utilised)

Pentium Dual-Core ... (Only a Single Core will be utilised)

Core 2 Duo ... (Only a Single Core will be utilised)

Core 2 Quad ... (Only a Single Core will be utilised)

Dual-Core Xeon ... (Only a Single Core will be utilised)

Quad-Core Xeon ... (Only a Single Core will be utilised)

Celeron

Celeron D

AMD:

486

586

K5

K6

Athlon

Duron

Semperon

Athlon XP

Opteron

Athlon 64 (FX-57 2.8 GHz is the fastest)

Turion 64

HARD DISKS:

Windows 95 supports FAT16.

Windows 95B / 98 / 98SE / Me supports FAT16 and FAT32

Win95 can NOT support hard drives bigger than 32 gig

FAT16 supports drive partitions up to 2 GB.

Win9x's FAT32 can be used on any hard drive larger than 512MB and supports hard disks up to 137 GB in size. To use bigger hard disks the system requires a system update. (See Below)

Windows 9x natively supports ATA IDE Hard Disk Drives. SCSI, SATA and RAID disk drives are supported through third party drivers.

Large Hard Disk Support

Windows 98 and Me do not natively support 48-bit LBA drives larger than 137 GB.

This means:

- If you have a hard disk larger than 137GB... and Windows trys to save data onto that disk past the 137GB barrier, data corruption (loss of files) is likely to occur.

- It doesn't matter if you partition the hard disk into smaller partitions, all partitions above the hard disks physical 137GB barrier will be affected.

- If you put a single partition on the hard disk using fdisk or alternative, and its less than 137GB (UNDER 128GB is recommended as safe) you will be fine (Just Don't allocate the remainder of the disk). But if you want to use the rest of the disk you must use a work around.

Work Arounds:

LLXX's Enable48BitLBA - Implements 48-bit LBA support into Windows 95/98/98SE and ME's default IDE driver.

Windows 98 - get the 4.10.2186 driver

Windows 98 Second Edition - most users should get the 4.10.2225 driver. If you have a old IBM laptop you may have to get 4.10.2226

Windows Me - get the 4.90.3000 driver

- create a primary partition on that drive (smaller than 128GB), using fdisk

- install win9x on that partition

- install drivers

- install the suitable LLXXs patch

- fill the rest of the disk with new partitions. (Keep them under 128GB if you still wish to use Scandisk and Defrag)

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=78592

Intel Application Accelerator - Allows users to access the full capacity of hard drives that are larger than 137GB on supported Intel® chipsets with a supported operating system.

http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/iaa/sb/cs-009299.htm

Rudolph Loew's 48-bit Patch - The High Capacity Disk Patch Program patches Windows 98/98SE/ME to provide direct support for hard drives larger than 137GB without requiring a controller card. The patch installs support for the 48-Bit LBA addressing mode required for hard drives larger than 137GB.

http://rloew1.no-ip.com

PCI ATA Controller card - Using a PCI ATA controller card to connect your 48-bit LBA hard drive to the system is the easiest and simplest option. With this option you can partition the hard drive without the need to upgrade the BIOS to support 48-bit LBA if it does not support this technology. The drivers provided with controller card will provide 48-bit LBA support in Windows 98 or Me.

More information on the 48bitLBA --> http://www.48bitlba.com/win98.htm

Partition Size Limits

The size of individual Partitions are subject to additional limitations due to FileSystem design and Partition management tools. Microsoft specifies a maximum Partition size of 128GB. Third Party Partition Management tools may have other limits.

DEFRAG and SCANDISK (in Windows Mode) are limited to less than 136.9GB Some people have reported limits as low as 127GB.

To disable ScanDisk from running after a bad shutdown in Windows 98 or Me:

1. Click on Start->Run

2. Enter "MSCONFIG"

3. On the General tab, click on the Advanced button.

4. Enable the checkbox "Disable Scandisk after bad shutdown"

5. Click on OK to exit the advanced settings

6. Click on OK to exit MSCONFIG.

DOS, WINDOWS and SCANDISK (in DOS Mode) can handle at least 400GB.

WARNING: Diskeeper 10 claims to support Partitions up to 768GB and Windows 98/SE/ME. Tests show that it can corrupt large Partitions.

It is recommended that you Partition your Large Hard Drive with 2 or more Partitions so that no single Primary or Logical Partition is larger than 127GB.

FDISK can be used to Partition Large Hard Drives but will incorrectly report sizes above 64GB. You will need to enter sizes as Percentages in order to use the full capacity of the Hard Drive.

OPTICAL DISK DRIVES:

Windows 9x natively supports IDE optical drives without additional drivers.

This includes CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD Dual Layer drives.

FLOPPY DISK DRIVES

Windows 9x natively supports internal Floppy Disk Drives.

Edited October 1, 2010 by galahs

[galahs 3]

RAM

Windows 95 requires 4 megabytes (MB) of memory (8 MB recommended)

Windows 98 requires 16 megabytes (MB) of memory (24 MB recommended)

Windows Me requires 32 megabytes (MB) of memory (96 MB recommended)

Windows 98 Second Edition and Me can support upto 1 GB of RAM. Exceeding 128 MB or RAM can cause problems.

No. 1: For systems with more than 128 MB of RAM, setting a VCache maximum of about 70% of your total RAM is recommended as prophylaxis against run-away VCache growth in rare, specialized situations.

No. 2: VCache increasing above 512 MB can create serious memory handling problems. If you have more than 512 MB of RAM, a VCache maximum of 524,288 KB (or a little less) is recommended. This is obtained by adding a MaxFileCache=x entry in the [vcache] section of SYSTEM.INI, where x is the maximum value you wish to set. VCache is limited internally to a maximum cache size of 800 MB. The problem is that, on computers with large amounts of RAM, the maximum VCache size can be large enough that it consumes all of the available addresses in the system arena, leaving no virtual memory addresses available for other functions such as opening an MS-DOS prompt. This problem may occur more easily if you have an AGP video adapter: The AGP aperture is also mapped to addresses in the system arena, and if VCache is using its entire 800 MB allowance and an AGP video adapter has a 128 MB aperture mapped, there will be very little address space remaining for other system code and data that must occupy the available range of virtual addresses.

No. 3: For systems with more than 1 GB of RAM, the defaults in Windows 98 or ME can cause continuous rebooting of the computer, or to hangs or serial reboots during the Windows upgrade process. To resolve this problem, add a MaxPhysPage=40000 entry in the [386enh] section of SYSTEM.INI. This effectively limits the amount of RAM Windows can access to 1 GB. Microsoft has now flatly stated that, “Windows Me and Windows 98 are not designed to handle more than 1 GB or RAM. More than 1 GB can lead to potential system instability.”

Read more here:

- http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=105373

- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304943

- http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/memmgmt.php

MOTHERBOARDS

The motherboards ability to support Windows 9x is crucial for a stable system. This ability is provided by the chipset.

See this thread for more information on the latest motherboards: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=97588

The following Chipsets have Windows 9x Support:

Intel Chipsets:

845 --- Pentium 4, PC100/133 SDRAM

865PE --- Pentium 4

865G --- Pentium 4

915GM ---

4xx

8xx

910

915

925 (mobile)

945

946

955

975

G965

P965

Q963

Q965

VIA

K8T800 Pro

P4M800Pro

kt600

kt880

nVIDIA

nForce 1

nForce 2

nForce 3 Ultra

ALi/ULi:

M1695

M1647 C1/M1535D+ A1 (work)

M1689 (IDE and USB1.1/2.0 work, SATA HDD driver is available)

M1573 southbridge chip (IDE and USB1.1 work, no SATA or USB2.0 support under Win98SE)

M1697 (unknown, no SATA support under Win98SE)

SiS

748

963L (work)

Motherboards:

ASRock 775i65G . Support E4300 - X6800. FSB is 1066 only with overclock which MBO support (Socket 775, Core 2 Duo, SATA)

ASRock 939S56-M socket 939 processors including AMD's dual core. PCI Express

ASUS P4B (Intel 845 Chipset, Socket 478, AGP 4)

Asus A7N8X-X (nForce 2)

ASUS P5PE-WM (865G Chipset, AGP 8) Supports: Intel® Core2 Duo/65nm Pentium D/Pentium 4/Celeron CPU

ECS P4M800Pro-M2, s775, VIA P4M800Pro, VGA (rev 2.0) .Support E4300 - E6700, DDR II memory (Socket 775, Core 2 Duo, SATA)

EPOX, s. 939, 9NDA3+, nForce 3 Ultra, BUS 2000 MHz, serial ATA RAID, 7.1 zvuk, DDR 400, 1Gps, FireWire, Firewall, ATX 2

EPOX, s. 939, 9NDA3J, nForce 3 Ultra, BUS 2000 MHz, serial ATA RAID, 7.1 zvuk, DDR 400, 1Gps, ATX 2

ECS KV2 Lite, s939, VIA K8T800 Pro, AGP, SATA, RAID, LAN

Gigabyte GA-8I865GME-775-RH (rev. 2.0). Support E4300 - X6800 but FSB 800 (Socket 775, Core 2 Duo, SATA)

Gigabyte GA-VM900M R1.0 board has working IDE & VGA drivers under windows 98SE.

Gigabyte GA-8I865PE775-G-RH (Northbridge: Intel® 865G/865PE Express Chipset) Supports: Intel® Pentium® 4 /Pentium® D Processor

Gigabyte 8I915P Duo (915P chipset)

MSI 865PE Neo2-PFISR (Intel 865PE chipset)

MSI K9MM-V

Edited October 1, 2010 by galahs

[galahs 3]

GRAPHICS CARDS:

Windows 9x requires a VGA compatible graphics adapter. Either built into the Motherboard or as a plug in expansion card.

Windows 9x supports PCI, AGP (1,2,4,8) and PCIe graphics cards if a suitable driver is available.

Supported Graphics Cards:

3dfx

Voodoo --- PCI

Voodoo Rush --- PCI

Voodoo 2 --- PCI and SLI

Voodoo Banshee --- PCI & AGP

Voodoo 3 --- PCI & AGP

Voodoo 4 --- PCI & AGP

Voodoo 5 --- PCI & AGP

Intel

STB

Virge VX

Virge DX

Virge GX

Velocity 128

nVIDIA

Vanta Series

Riva 128 --- PCI & AGP

TNT --- PCI & AGP

TNT2 --- PCI & AGP

GeForce 256 --- PCI & AGP

GeForce 2 MX --- AGP

GeForce 2 GTS/Ultra/Pro --- AGP

GeForce 3 --- AGP

GeForce 4 MX --- AGP

GeForce 4 Ti --- AGP

GeForce Fx --- AGP & PCIe

GeForce 6 --- AGP & PCIe (6800 last card to be officially supported by nVIDIA)

GeForce 7 --- AGP & PCIe (Requires UnOfficial Driver)

GeForce 8 --- AGP & PCIe (Requires UnOfficial Driver)

Quadro

Quadro2

Quadro DCC

Quadro 4

Quadro FX

Quadro NVS

ATi / AMD

Rage Fury Max

Rage 128

Rage PRO

Rage XL/XC

Rage II/II+

Rage IIL

Radeon 7000 series --- AGP & PCIe

Radeon 8000 series --- AGP & PCIe

Radeon 9000 series --- AGP & PCIe (9800 last card to be officially supported by ATi)

X800 series --- AGP 8x (R420 core, supported since CATALYST 4.11 BETA) --- X800pro works without problem

X300, X600, X700 series --- PCIe (RV370, RV380, and RV410 core, supported since CATALYST 4.11 BETA) ---

X800 series --- PCIe (R423 or R430 core, supported since CATALYST 5.2) ---

X850 series --- PCIe (R480 core, supported since CATALYST 5.2) --- X850XT works on GIGABYTE GA-K8A480M-9, but CATALYST 6.2 is recommended during installation

Xpress 200 series --- Onboard (RS400 or RS480 core, supported since CATALYST 5.2) --- works (RS480 on GIGABYTE GA-K8A480M-9)

Xpress 200 series --- Onboard (RS482 core, supported since CATALYST 5.9) ---

X550 series --- PCIe (RV370 core, supported by CATALYST 6.2) ---

X700 series --- AGP 8x (RV410 core with Rialto bridge chip, supported by CATALYST 6.2) ---

X800 series --- AGP 8x (R430 core with Rialto bridge chip, maybe supported by CATALYST 6.2?) ---

X850 series --- AGP 8x (latest R481 core, supported by CATALYST 6.2) ---

All-in-Wonder Series --- (upto 9800)

Matrox

Impression

Ultima

Millennium

Mystique

Mystique 220

Millennium 2

G100

Mystique G200

MGA G200

Millennium G200

G300 Series

G400 Series

G450

G550

Edited November 9, 2007 by galahs

[galahs 3]

SOUND CARDS:

Windows 9x can support integrated, USB, ISA and PCI sound cards with an appropriate Win9x driver.

Supported Sound Cards

Realtek

*All AC'97 Audio Codecs have drivers for all 9x systems (but not high definition chips)*

RTL8110SC(L)

CREATIVE LABS

Sound Blaster AWE32

Sound Blaster 32

Sound Blaster AWE64

Sound Blaster PCI64

Sound Blaster PCI128

Creative Ensoniq AudioPCI

Creative Ensoniq Vibra PCI

Sound Blaster 16 PCI

Sound Blaster PCI512

Sound Blaster Live!

Sound Blaster Audigy

Sound Blaster Audigy 2

Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS

C-Media:

C-Media CMI8738 --- Onboard (VxD/WDM driver available, some issues with games) - http://www.cmedia.com.tw/?q=en/driver

Ensoniq

Ensoniq Soundscape S-2000

Ensoniq SoundscapeDB

Ensoniq Soundscape Elite

Ensoniq Soundscape OPUS

Ensoniq Soundscape VIVO90

Ensoniq AudioPCI

M-Audio

Audiophile 24/96. - Appears to work even better than in NT5.

Yamaha:

Yamaha 724 --- An old PCI card. Also provides basic 8-bit sound, OPL-3 FM, XG Level 1 synthesis to DOS programs. OPL-3 also works in pure DOS.

YMF744 --- PCI (VxD (DirectX issues) and WDM driver available) - http://www.yamahamultimedia.com/yec/helpce...card_Whelp.html

Edited January 23, 2008 by galahs

[galahs 3]

CONTROLLER CARDS:

USB2 & Firewire Controllers

SkyMaster - VIA USB 2.0 Host Controller (5 USB2 + 3 IEE1394)

BAFO BF-460 USB2.0 PCI CARD (NEC USB2.0 Host Controller)

Edited November 9, 2007 by galahs

[galahs 3]

PRINTERS:

Canon

S520 --- A4

i6100 --- A4 & A3

Hewlett Packard

Deskjet 660C

DeskJet 694c

Laserjet 5L

Laserjet 1100A (also a B&W scanner)

Lexmark

P3150 (also a scanner)

E352dn/E250dn Laser Printer. - TCP/IP printing requires additional driver on Win98.

Kodak

Edited January 23, 2008 by galahs

[galahs 3]

SCANNERS:

Mustec

600 IIN + ISA Controller Card

Hewlett Packard

ScanJet 2300c

Epson

V350

Edited August 2, 2008 by galahs

[galahs 3]

A list the latest models that still offer support.

DIAL UP MODEMS:

Swann Speed Demon 56k

ADSL MODEMS:

NetComm NB5 ADSL 2+

CABLE MODEMS:

WIRELESS MODEMS:

Edited November 8, 2007 by galahs

[galahs 3]

NETWORK ADAPTERS:

10/100mbs work perfectly on 98. (Can use basic Ndis driver)

Intel 10/1000 GT Pro Gigabit network controller.

Marvell Yukon 88E8001

Wifi :

Linksys WMP54 series is fine with 98

Ralink based chipsets are supposed to work on 9x (MSI PC54G)

Edited January 23, 2008 by galahs

[galahs 3]

MULTIMEDIA / INPUT DEVICES

KEYBOARDS

Windows 9x natively supports most Keyboards without additional drivers.

MOUSE

Windows 9x natively supports most Mouses without additional drivers.

JOYSTICK / GAME PAD

Windows 95 will require drivers for all but the most basic joysticks.

Windows 98+ natively supports most midi game pads & joysticks functions without additional drivers. Drivers maybe required for additional advanced features and for gaming devices that use USB connections.

Tested:

Microsoft Sidewinder Games Pad - Midi

DVD Decoder Cards

Creative PC-DVD Encore Dxr2 --- PCI

Creative PC-DVD Encore Dxr3 --- PCI

Sigma Designs Hollywood Plus --- PCI

TV & Radio Tuners

Genius Video Wonder Pro III (TV)

Graphic tablets:

Wacom Intuos2

Intuos

Graphire2

Graphire

PenPartner 1998

ArtPad II

ArtPad

UD-II (UltraPad/Digitizer II)

UD Series

Cintiq 18SX

Cintiq 15X

PL-250-500

Edited November 8, 2007 by galahs

[galahs 3]

USB DEVICES

USB Portable Hard Disks

Windows Me will support most portable USB Hard Disk Drives without an additional driver.

Windows 98 and 98SE require additional drivers. Try Maximum-Decim Native USB Drivers http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=43605

USB Thumb Drives

Windows Me will support most portable USB Thumb Drives without an additional driver.

Windows 98 and 98SE require additional drivers. Try Maximum-Decim Native USB Drivers http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=43605

Edited November 7, 2007 by galahs

[galahs 3]

OTHERS 1

Reserved for future use.

Edited November 7, 2007 by galahs

[galahs 3]

OTHERS 2

Reserved for future use.

Edited November 7, 2007 by galahs

[BenoitRen 0]

This thread would be better on a webpage, especially when it comes to organising.

You forgot about the timing problems which stop Windows 95 from being usable on CPU speeds higher than 350 Mhz, and Windows 98 FE (and consequently Win95) from being usable on CPU speeds higher than 2.2 Ghz.

Windows 95 does not support all gamepads. At least not USB gamepads.

[Lecco 0]

My system:

Intel P4 2.8GHz

MSI 865PE Neo2-PFISR (Intel 865PE chipset)

ATI Radeon 9800

TV tuner : Genius Video Wonder Pro III

120 GB SATA drive + 80 GB IDE drive

(I have recently bought a 500GB drive from WD and made only a fresh install of W98)

old HP Laserjet 5L printer

hope it helps