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RetroTech Chris

Jan 4 • 11 tweets • 6 min read • Read on X

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Let's take a few minutes and look at this newly written Modern Generic SVGA driver for Windows 3.1. We'll check it out in Oracle VM Virtualbox 5.2.44 first in a 🧵 here (I do plan to try real hardware next!)

First, I will say this is off to a GREAT start. The author has done a nice job at logging some of the issues that are present... and this driver has A LOT of promise!

Installation is pretty easy! Copy over vbesvga.drv and vbevdd.386 that you can download from the releases page of the project to your windows\system directory: github.com/PluMGMK/vbesvg…

From there, you have to modify system.ini in your windows directory. I updated the video driver, added the right file under the 386 Enhanced section, and also added a special section for the driver itself. I started out with some pretty ambitious defaults 😂

I noticed on first fire up that the .386 driver name didn't quite match the instructions, so I renamed it.

Alright, here we go. Looks like my settings were a little ambitious 😂. Let's scale down to 1024x768 with a depth of 16

Hey, look at that! Colors are rich! A few observations:
1) the "stray green lines" are a common bug with network file sharing and some vid drivers, we can turn that off.
2) Perf is a little slow, but WOW, this is a GREAT start
3) Something is up with the MS office logo bkgrnd.

Another issue, and this is a known one: switching back to full screen from DOS windows has issues. I have the same problem with the standard "SVGA256 VESA patch" that I use with Win 3.1x, so this is parity as far as I am concerned.

How about 8 bit color depth? Well, it's a little more nuanced, but I am sure it will get there!

For comparison, this is what the virtual machine looks like with the "SVGA VESA Patch". There are a couple versions of the patcher that are mentioned here: forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?…

Anyway, that's my first take! I look forward to having a look as this progresses. And, yes, I think I will get out some real hardware next! You can also read more details about the project here:

@threadreaderapp unroll github.com/PluMGMK/vbesvg…

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More from @RetroTechChris

RetroTech Chris

@RetroTechChris

Aug 4

Okay, let's get some software installed on this "new" 486DX/50 PC of mine. As per usual, nothing was flawless here, so let's go over what went well and where I hit some snags! Time for a 🧵

To get the installers on the box, I decided to use MS LAN Manager and the network. I made a special LAN Manager boot disk with drivers for the Intel EtherExpress 16TP that you see in the bottom of the last picture here.

I've been very curious about how this machine would stack up, so I copied over SpeedSys to benchmark the system. And as we can see, it fell right in line with where it should be!

Read 12 tweets

RetroTech Chris

@RetroTechChris

Aug 3

My friend Bill gave me a bunch of case lock keys! Back in the days of the AT standard for cases, keylocks were pretty common on PC clones, and IBM systems as well. Let's see how many locks we can open today. Time for a silly 🧵

First, the Gateway 2000 you saw in the intro post. First key I tried worked 😂

Next, let's look at the PS/2 Model 30 286. Not today, not happening, this uses a "more regular looking" key.

Read 9 tweets

RetroTech Chris

@RetroTechChris

Aug 3

I already have too many PCs, but I had to have this cute little guy... and there is also a good nostalgic reason for having it! This 386 (now 486) PC needed a lot of work to get it running, let's talk about it in a 🧵 here!

https://x.com/RetroTechChris/status/1951100235561726359

First, in case you missed it, here's the nostalgic reason. Kehtron is a part of my childhood. And this PC was available locally. The weather was also PERFECT yesterday for making an hour drive to get it and rocking out to some 80s tunes on the way 😂

https://x.com/RetroTechChris/status/1951100235561726359

Okay, first order of business, I put this on the table and it was rocking back and forth. I soon discovered why! I didn't have a matching foot so I used a little bit of Goof Off to remove the adhesive. And PSA, like with most chemicals, always work in a ventilated area.

Read 19 tweets

RetroTech Chris

@RetroTechChris

Jul 28

In my haste yesterday, there are TWO THINGS that I forgot to do and post about for this "eMachines" system. One is more important than the other! Let's talk about it in a brief 🧵 here!

https://x.com/RetroTechChris/status/1949660599153041482

First of all, before we get too far, recall that this isn't actually an eMachines. The original motherboard failed, and a Pentium III Biostar motherboard was put in to replace it, in what I am calling a "reverse sleeper"

https://x.com/RetroTechChris/status/1949660599153041482

So, what did I forget? Well, the first thing was to showcase the Wake on LAN capability! I installed a 3Com network card with Wake on LAN support. If we know the Ethernet MAC address and have a program to send a "magic packet", and the BIOS settings are right, we can use it!

Read 6 tweets

RetroTech Chris

@RetroTechChris

Jul 28

I recently picked up this "eMachines" from my friend Bill to bring to the next local meetup and plop on the "free" table. I thought I'd spruce it up a little bit in the meantime, since, well, I enjoy doing just that 😂. Let's talk about it in a 🧵 here!

So, first and foremost, this isn't actually an eMachines. The original mobo died and it was replaced with a Biostar M6TWL and a Pentium III 600 MHz CPU. Does that makes this thing a "reverse sleeper"? 🤣

Given this, we have a little bit of work to do. First, unrelated, but the CMOS battery is dead. Also, there is a SATA Western Digital 120GB HDD installed, but that won't work without some sort of adapter, since the motherboard only supports IDE.

Read 17 tweets

RetroTech Chris

@RetroTechChris

Jul 27

I recently received this Dell Inspiron 700m from my friend Bill. Originally a Windows XP system. I thought "maybe I could make this a mean DOS/Windows For Workgroups 3.11 system." Let's give it a shot in a 🧵 here, I bet we can get pretty close!

First thing I did was to look in the BIOS. This system is a Pentium M 2.0 GHz with 512MB of memory. The optical is a CD-RW/DVD. Okay, this should be more than adequate for what we want to do here 😂. Oh... and look, we can boot from a USB floppy drive! Okay, let's do that.

First thing I thought I would do is to boot DOS 6.22. And... look at that, I even had the right drivers set up to detect the optical drive. Win!

Read 20 tweets

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