Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Building a cheap DOS or Win95 based system

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 2
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous 1 2 template Next
  • #1

    Building a cheap DOS or Win95 based system

    ok I have an Asus motherboard with a PIII 800 and 512 MB ram sitting on a shelf collecting dust and thought to myself, I have all these Awesonme DOS based games that I can play again and something the kids can enjoy later on. The games are...

    -Wing commander III and IV (IV has a patch for Windows 95, doesn't work correctly in Windows XP)

    -I have all three Tex Murphy games

    -Privateer

    -Barried in time, 1 and 2

    -I may install Win95 and boot to dos to play these old games, but in terms of sound and video is there anything I should consider? It's probably very difficult to find a SB Pro sound card LOL or something.

    Any ideas?

    Thanks,
    Elie
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Stuff like dosbox and vdmsound should help you run these games on NT kernels
    Gigabyte P35-DS3L with a Q6600, 2GB Kingston HyperX (after *3* bad pairs of Crucial Ballistix 1066), Galaxy 8800GT 512MB, SB X-Fi, some drives, and a Dell 2005fpw. Running WinXP.

    Comment

    • #3
      I would expect you should be able to find a trusty old SB16 fairly easily. They put out gazillions of those things.
      I know at the local shops around here that sell used parts, they have bins of them for $5 each.
      Core2 Duo E7500 2.93, Asus P5Q Pro Turbo, 4gig 1066 DDR2, 1gig Asus ENGTS250, SB X-Fi Gamer ,WD Caviar Black 1tb, Plextor PX-880SA, Dual Samsung 2494s

      Comment

      • #4
        Gawd ... anything but Win95! ... and don't dis' the HW. I still use W2KAS on a similar system (Piii/850 with 512 MB) and it's been just fine for many years. I use a Max in dual-monitor configuration on this box. Can't say I ever tried a DOS game on it (except maybe Rogue [ASCI char based with simple PC speaker audio]). I would think any cheap audio card that emulates SB16 cards would be just fine for your use.

        P.S. Now see Kruzin's post ... yep, just need SB16 capability I'd think ... lots of companies produce(d) such cards.
        <TABLE BGCOLOR=Red><TR><TD><Font-weight="+1"><font COLOR=Black>The world just changed, Sep. 11, 2001</font></Font-weight></TR></TD></TABLE>

        Comment

        • #5
          Go for the original SB Pro, 16, or maybe AWE32.

          A few more games: Privateer 2: The Darkening. Very different from Privateer, still a great game.
          X-Com: UFO Defense and X-Com: Terror From The Deep. Get both for free at the-underdogs.org

          AZ
          There's an Opera in my macbook.

          Comment

          • #6
            Maybe use XOSL for booting into Freedos and 95? You could then boot into any number of necessary configurations for the various games.

            Comment

            • #7
              Originally posted by az
              Go for the original SB Pro, 16, or maybe AWE32. ...
              Why?
              <TABLE BGCOLOR=Red><TR><TD><Font-weight="+1"><font COLOR=Black>The world just changed, Sep. 11, 2001</font></Font-weight></TR></TD></TABLE>

              Comment

              • #8
                Because other cards are only SB pro compatible (8 bit stereo IIRC), and might not be as 100% compatible as you'd think. I think SB16 or AWE32 (depending on how old the games are) are the way to go.

                AZ
                There's an Opera in my macbook.

                Comment

                • #9
                  I agree with Xortam: don't dis the hardware (I'm running XP on a PII-450 with 384 MB, and it runs pretty good).

                  Programs like dosbox allow you to have full support for dos games, including sound. Still, there are a few games that don't run properly (i.e. tetripz). Despite this I would actually be tempted to put a XP or 2000 on it, install dosbox, and you are good to go... (much less hassle regarding base memory optimization and drivers). Also, it would make the computer useful for other stuff as well (kid's homework? ).

                  Or if you want to experiment with linux: dosbox runs on linux as well....

                  If you do opt for a dos based system, do consider DR DOS (provides better ways of making as much base memory available as possible).


                  Jörg
                  pixar
                  Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Install WinXP Lite (or strip it down yourself), then run DOSBox and VDMSound to run the older games.
                    The Internet - where men are men, women are men, and teenage girls are FBI agents!

                    I'm the least you could do
                    If only life were as easy as you
                    I'm the least you could do, oh yeah
                    If only life were as easy as you
                    I would still get screwed

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      I don't have WinXP Lite but will go with the DOSBox and VDMSound recommendations

                      Thanks alot guys!!!!

                      Cheers,
                      Elie

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Cool, I'm gonna play some Flight Unlimited tonight!
                        Lady, people aren't chocolates. Do you know what they are mostly? Bastards. Bastard coated bastards with bastard filling. But I don't find them half as annoying as I find naive, bubble-headed optimists who walk around vomiting sunshine. -- Dr. Perry Cox

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Originally posted by az
                          Because other cards are only SB pro compatible (8 bit stereo IIRC), and might not be as 100% compatible as you'd think. I think SB16 or AWE32 (depending on how old the games are) are the way to go.

                          AZ
                          Well I did say SB16 compatible and there have been such cards that were produced by other than Creative. I have a Diamond MX300 in my P!!! box which is reported to be fully SB16 compatible, plus a whole lot more. Too bad Creative killed Aureal.
                          <TABLE BGCOLOR=Red><TR><TD><Font-weight="+1"><font COLOR=Black>The world just changed, Sep. 11, 2001</font></Font-weight></TR></TD></TABLE>

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            I'm surprised that no one mentioned that in DOS it only recognizes 64mb of RAM, not that it really matters with a P3 800MHz.
                            Titanium is the new bling!
                            (you heard from me first!)

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Originally posted by VJ
                              I agree with Xortam: don't dis the hardware (I'm running XP on a PII-450 with 384 MB, and it runs pretty good).

                              Programs like dosbox allow you to have full support for dos games, including sound. Still, there are a few games that don't run properly (i.e. tetripz). Despite this I would actually be tempted to put a XP or 2000 on it, install dosbox, and you are good to go... (much less hassle regarding base memory optimization and drivers). Also, it would make the computer useful for other stuff as well (kid's homework? ).

                              Or if you want to experiment with linux: dosbox runs on linux as well....

                              If you do opt for a dos based system, do consider DR DOS (provides better ways of making as much base memory available as possible).


                              Jörg
                              Newer hard drives and ram make all the difference. It did for my late Athlon 600 with W2k.

                              Comment

                              Previous 1 2 template Next
                              Working...
                              X