The 2023 Operating System Thread

[stj]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

not just socket7, mine has 100MHz sdram and full AGP

[dmill89]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

oh dear! this 2023 os thread is being derailed into an amd socket 7 thread! hahaha!
*blames stj*

Did someone say Socket 7?

I only have one of those still kicking around, a Gigabyte GA-5SMM motherboard with and AMD K6-2/500 Mhz, 256 MB ram, 4 MB SIS integrated video, a sound blaster, NIC card, 3.5" floppy, DVD rom, and 20 GB Western Digital Caviar (which apparently died, with the click of death and a boot failure), it is in generic (I think Rosewill) MATX case with a 250W HiPro (Compaq Branded) PSU. This board does lack an AGP slot (has 3 PCI slots and 2 ISA slots) but otherwise is pretty decent, it is even somehow still working with the original Choyo capacitors.

I dug it out, but unfortunately it won't boot due to the faulty 22-year-old HDD (had Windows 98 on it), so apparently, I have to try and source another working IDE HDD (something that keeps getting harder and harder given the age of these drives now) .

[Topcat]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

Did someone say Socket 7?

I only have one of those still kicking around, a Gigabyte GA-5SMM motherboard with and AMD K6-2/500 Mhz, 256 MB ram, 4 MB SIS integrated video, a sound blaster, NIC card, 3.5" floppy, DVD rom, and 20 GB Western Digital Caviar (which apparently died, with the click of death and a boot failure), it is in generic (I think Rosewill) MATX case with a 250W HiPro (Compaq Branded) PSU. This board does lack an AGP slot (has 3 PCI slots and 2 ISA slots) but otherwise is pretty decent, it is even somehow still working with the original Choyo capacitors.

I dug it out, but unfortunately it won't boot due to the faulty 22-year-old HDD (had Windows 98 on it), so apparently, I have to try and source another working IDE HDD (something that keeps getting harder and harder given the age of these drives now) .

Do an IDE to CF adapter and then this if you want it making 'old school HDD noises': https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=113688

Good IDE HDD's are getting very very hard to find.

[eccerr0r]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

I have an ST351AX that I'm wondering if I should unload... probably worth a pretty penny... too small for anything for me to use but if I get an old IBM XT again ...

That K6 with 256MB uses a 2GB IDE HDD, alas it's a WD with a firmware bug that Linux blacklisted. I wonder if people still want these...

I don't have many (functional) < 30GB IDE disks anymore, other than those two above, still have a 20GB or two, along with one that I have posted about that's "failing" but still sometimes usable. I gave a 13GB away to a friend that needed one for a legacy project, and I think I still have another 400MB Conner but not sure. Also have some small SCSI disks (a 700MB Quantum comes to mind as well as a AHA1522 ISA SCSI card) but not sure how much these are worth...

[dmill89]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

I have an ST351AX that I'm wondering if I should unload... probably worth a pretty penny... too small for anything for me to use but if I get an old IBM XT again ...

You're not kidding, apparently these are listed for $200+

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...351AX&_sacat=0

https://www.radwell.com/en-US/Buy/SE...E/ST351A-DIV-X

https://www.memory4less.com/seagate-...-drive-st351ax

[Topcat]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

You're not kidding, apparently these are listed for $200+

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...351AX&_sacat=0

https://www.radwell.com/en-US/Buy/SE...E/ST351A-DIV-X

https://www.memory4less.com/seagate-...-drive-st351ax

Meh...silly BIN prices. Live bidding, I'd guess under $50. Go look up a BP6 these days....all BIN's $300+. Insanity. Live bidding, they go for about ~$100, a few bucks more if there's CPU's and it's been recapped.

[Dan81]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

Isn't that true for almost all classic ABIT mobos anyways? I barely managed to find an affordable BE6-II that actually works well. (and it has had some trace rework done to it as well, it seems.)

[eccerr0r]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

I have a dual slot-1 board (440BX) I should unload too... wonder how much I can get for it. No longer have identical CPUs for it, but main problem is that for this class of computer, 1GB or bust, and I can't get 1GB into it cost effectively.

[Topcat]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

I have a dual slot-1 board (440BX) I should unload too... wonder how much I can get for it. No longer have identical CPUs for it, but main problem is that for this class of computer, 1GB or bust, and I can't get 1GB into it cost effectively.

What model is it? An Asus P2B-D / P2B-DS are the ones that fetch the bucks, especially the v1.06 revisions. They go for ~$200. The no-namers / PCChips boards, maybe $50~75. Some of the Supermicro dual slot-1 GX chipsets hold value well, they support 2gb RAM.

[eccerr0r]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

Tekram P6B40D-A5

Technically other than the fact it's slot-1, it supports more RAM than a BP6 with 4 SDRAM slots. With the $ARM$LEG 256MB I can get 1GB into this board, so it's possible to get 1GB whereas the BP6 maxxes out at 768M.

I ran two (modded) celeron 300A's at 450 in its heyday, but now I'd rather use my single processor board with a single Celeron 1.2GHz, plus I can put 1.5GB in it with 3x cheap 512MB SDRAM modules.

That is if I don't get a pair of P3's that maybe can run faster than the single 1.2GHz CPU...

[momaka]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

Still strugglin' with XP ...
but it's 2023 and I think it's time to upgrade ...
must have some VISTA DVD somewhere ...

I would skip Vista - nothing worthwhile in it. It's essentially Windows 7, but with the "training wheels" left-over from Windows XP, thus making the OS very "confused" IMO. Besides, 7 still has some modern browser support left (Firefox Quantum.)

oh dear! this 2023 os thread is being derailed into an amd socket 7 thread! hahaha!
*blames stj*

That's because a lot of the "old" is gold. Those early PCs were from an era when these machines were meant to get s*** done, despite the little power they had. Software was efficient and MS wasn't actually cranking out useless OSes (or updates) back then. And there was plenty of other competition for the OS crown.

Speaking of old, I have a Digital AlphaServer 400 (4/233). Are those worth anything, given the proprietary OS?
It's near mint condition, minus a busted (physically ripped out) power switch on the front, busted lock on the back, and a slightly dented panel on one side. Not much yellowing on the case, if at all.

***EDIT 3***
To answer my own question... WTF!!!!!!! What are Ebay sellers smoking these day?! There's one (4/133) in working but "as-is" condition listed for a grand.
I am VERY confused - is there still a use for these ancient machines that they command such high prices? Or that many collectors with such deep pockets?
I suspect neither, and just sellers being idiotic with the high BIN prices.

Did someone say Socket 7?

I have two socket 7 machines, but never touched them or played with them ever since I found them. I know, I deserve

One is functional, though. It's from some Compaq Presario PC with a Sniper motherboard. I picked it up from the curb many years ago (I think before I even joined BCN) in the hopes of using electrical components out of it. Unfortunately, my dad threw it away a few years after, thinking it was just junk. However, as if by some luck, I already had parted the motherboard (+CPU cache), PSU, CD-ROM, and its 3.2 GB Quantum Bigfoot HDD... so essentially, I do have it in complete form minus the case. The motherboard has been used as a wall decoration all of these years in my room. I thought it was too worthless for its components back then and left it alone. And now? Glad I didn't rip it apart. Would be nice to piece it back together as a functional system, though I will need to make a case for it. It's been on my mind for a while now. I think it has only a 100 or 133 MHz Pentium MMX... and I also have a K6-2 333 AFR. Wonder if that would be a worthy upgrade.

I also had a Gateway 1000 tower IIRC. Can't remember if it was a Pentium-based or a 486 (possibly a DX2?) Unfortunately, I wasn't able to save that one. My dad threw it away with the Compaq. Only thing I have left from it is a PCI video card (Matrox Millenium, IIRC... or it might have been an S3 Trio) and a Nidec fan. That would have been a really cool system now. It was complete, minus and HDD.

The other socket 7 system I have is some K6-2 again. Picked it up for the cool beige case back in 2018 when a PC shop was clearing some room / junk. Initially, I thought about building a modern PC into the old case, because it looked heavy and really cool... but then I never really found a worthwhile powerful system to put into it - at least not one that also had relatively low heat output. Being an old beige case, there's not many slots for fans or ventilation, so it might not be a good idea after all. Perhaps one of those cases where the classics needs to be kept classics (literally!)

Good IDE HDD's are getting very very hard to find.

There are still a good amount of Seagate 7200.7 left on Ebay.
I suppose their higher capacities might be the only problem with old PCs. Otherwise, they are pretty reliable for the most part - even if they've developed a few bad sectors. The Barracuda ATA IV is also in that boat, and being the predecessor of the 7200.7, they come in smaller capacities too. I like the fact that both of these are fluid bearing drives and very (for the time) quiet. The old BB-based HDDs are great if you want to show off your vintage PCs to friends / people, but not so great for extended / personal use. The Quantum Fireball HDDs in particular can drive anyone mad - especially with more worn bearings.

*EDIT*
I take that back a little, in regards to the 7200.7.
Looks like most of the offerings on Ebay are the SATA kind. I'm surprised! Years back, no one looked or cared about the IDE offerings from these, and now they are almost 2x the price and not common. Wow, how things have changed.

**EDIT 2**
Are Ebay sellers retarded these days? I see more than half a dozen of HDDs listed (mis-labeled) as IDE/PATA, but with an actual SATA connector.

Meh...silly BIN prices.

Agree 100%
I hate when people look up prices on Ebay (BIN listings) and think this MUST be the value of the item they have. NO, BIN prices are terribly over-blown for retro/vintage stuff most of the time. Live bidding is indeed where it's at... but then you just have to follow / look out for stuff on a regular basis, and most people don't want to do that. However, this is the only way to get a good / decent deal these days.

****EDIT 4**** (I swear last one )
So to sum it up, there's just a ton of garbage to sift through on Ebay. LOL.
I still browse it, though, as every once in a while, something broken but worthwhile will pop up with my name written on it.

[shovenose]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

I'm OK with 11, the only thing that bothers me is it forces you to sign in with a Microsoft account when you install it and automatically enables syncing to OneDrive. So now it's uploaded all my stuff (that I copied into my user folder from my old setup) and I have no idea how to disable it and get the stuff out of OneDrive that I didn't want in there. GRRRRR.

[Topcat]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

I'm OK with 11, the only thing that bothers me is it forces you to sign in with a Microsoft account when you install it and automatically enables syncing to OneDrive. So now it's uploaded all my stuff (that I copied into my user folder from my old setup) and I have no idea how to disable it and get the stuff out of OneDrive that I didn't want in there. GRRRRR.

One more reason to ditch Microsoft....but there are ways around that. I would NEVER have a windows machine that doesn't use a local account.

[ChaosLegionnaire]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

That's because a lot of the "old" is gold. Those early PCs were from an era when these machines were meant to get s*** done, despite the little power they had. Software was efficient and MS wasn't actually cranking out useless OSes (or updates) back then. And there was plenty of other competition for the OS crown.

well, what i meant was that it looks like the yearly os thread is being derailed again. this has been an annual affair in the forum that the annual os thread always gets derailed into something else not related to operating systems, so thats what i meant. go look up the os threads of previous years if anyone has forgotten... hahaha!

WTF!!!!!!! What are Ebay sellers smoking these day?!
Are Ebay sellers retarded these days?

it seems to have gotten worse. ppl are so hard up for cash nowadays they are selling everything they can get their hands on ebay like a flea market. if a seller sells everything from a-z, thats a flea market seller who often has no idea of what they are selling. if they sell only certain specific categories of item, that is a dedicated seller who may have better knowledge of what they are selling.

since the pandemic, i have had more issues with my ebay purchases and my item return/refund rate has increased. too many fleabay and junkbay sellers selling more crap these days...

So now it's uploaded all my stuff

oh dear, it looks like it uploaded all of your data to m$. so now m$ will have a field day selling all your data to advertising companies and the cia.

[noppa]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

Still strugglin' with XP ...
but it's 2023 and I think it's time to upgrade ...
must have some VISTA DVD somewhere ...

I would skip Vista - nothing worthwhile in it. It's essentially Windows 7, but with the "training wheels" left-over from Windows XP, thus making the OS very "confused" IMO. Besides, 7 still has some modern browser support left (Firefox Quantum.)

I was just kidding about VISTA ...

[eccerr0r]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

hardware determines what OS you can run, so it's not offtopic - if you're running a 8086, you're not running windows 11 on it!

[captainKKK]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

OUCH..... I thought I used old stuff.
Daily driver is W10 22H2. I fix computers for my daily bread and W11 is a no go. Just more MS snooping and all the GD ads......just say NO. This has become nothing more than a personal info gathering machine... At least I know how to stop them from snooping in W10....I think.....??

[desert-rat]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

Mint on a number of machines. Android on my smartphone. I don't know what sockets , processors or motherboards on the pc s and laptops. I bought them used/were given to me.
PS . I think the last windows software I bought was windows me .

[andrewsawesomr]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

One more reason to ditch Microsoft....but there are ways around that. I would NEVER have a windows machine that doesn't use a local account.

Simple. When it asks you for a Microsoft account, type in a random email and password. Now you have "unlocked" the option for a local account.

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: The 2023 Operating System Thread

Or just have a product key and avoid all the other stuff that you really do not need or want

I once tried a Microsoft account for a while and it kept having issues with logging in and when I finally got a new pc install disk I did away with this crap I do not like Windows 8 Windows 10 and Windows 11 the jury is out on this operating system I do not mind using Windows 7

But I would use Windows XP but the battery testing machine does not make it easy to find this version of for Windows XP however I did see a review that showed that this person was using it on a Window XP machine

The other issue I have is that I only have one computer that has Window XP and I have at least 6 or more battery testing machines

If I knew what motherboard would work good on Windows XP I and I could find the Window XP drivers for the motherboard I would go backwards

The only reason I bought a new gaming desktop computer with Windows 11 was because of the 3D maker software that did not work very well on my computers that were made for Windows 7

Windows 98 was not a bad operating system but it needed several patches to make it work properly which I do not access to anymore and I only have one computer that has Windows 98 but it has been many years since the last time I have even used it or even turned it on so who knows if it still works but it has an issue shutting down which is why I stopped using it