Share this page!

Enter URL or ID to Unroll

You can paste full URL like: https://x.com/threadreaderapp/status/1644127596119195649
or just the ID like: 1644127596119195649

How to get URL link on X (Twitter) App

  1. On the Twitter thread, click on or icon on the bottom
  2. Click again on or Share Via icon
  3. Click on Copy Link to Tweet
  4. Paste it above and click "Unroll Thread"!
  5. More info at Twitter Help
RetroTech Chris Profile picture
@RetroTechChris
Aug 9 ā€¢ 6 tweets ā€¢ 4 min read ā€¢ Read on X
Scrolly
Got a few things in the mail today! No need to really test the CPU fans or batteries, but let's test the video card! Time for a šŸ§µ Image
Image
Image
Image
So, this video card is a Tseng Labs ET4000AX. Here it is next to my other ET4000AX card. Some differences for sure! Image
Image
I figured I would test this card in the Kehtron 486DX/50 card... and... uh oh! What is the deal here? Seller tested card, and my other Tseng Labs ET4000AX card works in this PC. How odd! Must be a bad card, right? Image
Image
Well, perhaps. I decided to test it in my 486DX2/66 VLB system, and it works. There is some "jail bar" effects, but on a CRT, I don't think we would see those. So, maybe this card just isn't compatible with the mobo/CPU/chipset in the 486DX/50 who knows! Image
Image
Image
So, while we are here, I thought I would test some 30 pin SIMMs. However, THAT didn't work out... the 486DX2/66 requires four of them to work! And working inside of that 486DX/50 desktop? Forget it. We'll test these later šŸ˜‚ Image
Image
Anyway, that was fun. Going to run MemTest86+ on the 486DX2/66 with the "original" memory installed in it, but otherwise this concludes the fun for now. Thx for following along!

@threadreaderapp unroll Image

ā€¢ ā€¢ ā€¢

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
怀

Keep Current with RetroTech Chris

RetroTech Chris Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @RetroTechChris

RetroTech Chris Profile picture
Aug 10
I had some "larger" hard drives laying around, and wanted to put one in the new Kehtron computer. But to do that, I had to work around the 528MB limit of this computer's BIOS. Let's use XTIDE to do that...surely this adventure will go off without a hitch... right? Time for a šŸ§µ Image
Image
Image
So, first of all, what is this 528MB limit all about? Well, older BIOSes were limited to 1024 cylinders. Around the 486 era, as drives got bigger, BIOSes started to support Logical Block Addressing mode. However, this particular BIOS does not. Image
There are some workarounds! You could use a program like Ontrack Disk Manager which solves the problem in software. You could also upgrade your BIOS to a later version, or even acquire an aftermarket BIOS like MR BIOS (someone put together a nice archive of past versions!) Image
Image
Read 21 tweets
RetroTech Chris Profile picture
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 šŸ§µ Image
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. Image
Image
Image
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! Image
Read 12 tweets
RetroTech Chris Profile picture
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 šŸ§µ Image
Image
First, the Gateway 2000 you saw in the intro post. First key I tried worked šŸ˜‚ Image
Image
Next, let's look at the PS/2 Model 30 286. Not today, not happening, this uses a "more regular looking" key. Image
Image
Read 9 tweets
RetroTech Chris Profile picture
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 šŸ§µ here! Image
Image
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 šŸ˜‚ Image
Image
Image
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. Image
Image
Image
Image
Read 19 tweets
RetroTech Chris Profile picture
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 šŸ§µ here! Image
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"
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! Image
Image
Image
Image
Read 6 tweets
RetroTech Chris Profile picture
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 šŸ˜‚. Let's talk about it in a šŸ§µ here! Image
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"? šŸ¤£ Image
Image
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. Image
Image
Image
Read 17 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

Send Email!

:(