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Win98 on Gigabyte GA-965GM-S2 Rev 2.0 issues


Tommy

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So, this is a really fun motherboard that I bought and actually didn't realize that the one I own with a bloated capacitor is its ancestor of the same model, except Rev 1.0. I thought for sure I got Windows 98 on there with no problems at all. So let me start out where I'm having issues.

 

It's got 1 IDE port on it, fine. Well, not fine actually. Even with IDE mode completely enabled, Oak CD-ROM driver cannot even find the actual drive. So great, must be some sort of SATA interface regardless.

 

So, I managed to get Windows 98 mostly installed via flash drive and now is where I'm having issues. The one error I got dealt with the IDE driver where one device is using 32-bit mode and the other is using compatibility mode. Of course it didn't say which one...but once it would restart both would use compatibility mode. Fine. Well, I got to the third part of setup and it asked me to put the time in. As soon as I hit okay after making my selections, screen goes blank and it basically just freezes up.

 

So now is where I'm sort of stuck. I'm still working on it and waiting for something to happen as I'm typing this up, but while reading another thread on it, it says check here before resulting to Google because Google isn't your friend when it comes to finding genuine Windows 98 information.

 

So while poking around, I used LoneCrusader's machineX.inf patch and loaded it successfully, to my knowledge anyway. So I'm not sure exactly what is going on right now. I am able to get into safe mode just fine. I'm using a PCI card for video instead of the onboard. I have Rloew's RAM patch installed for precaution. But this is where I'm wondering if maybe the SATA patch is needed. I don't want to just purchase it without knowing if it'll actually fix my problem or not. But considering that the 98 bootup CD isn't recognized while using boot with CD-ROM, I'm guessing that's an issue.

 

Help please? :)

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Oh, you sure know how to get into trouble. :lol: If I were you I'd return it and ask for a refund. :)

(not helpful, I know)

Haha, I know. XD

Anyway, a slight update. I removed the IDE controllers and I was then able to finish setup. So I managed to get just a bit further than I did before. It's complaining about vnetbios.vxd right now, which I am investigating. But I will get this working if it kills me. :w00t:

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Any BIOS update available for the board? Risky but may fix something.

I'd say 95% you'll need the SATA patch but the rest 5% are reserved for BIOS quirks.

I already flashed it to the latest possible version, so I think it's at F8f right now.

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I just looked at the specs on the site. Ouch! video X3000? SATA II? Gigabit LAN? HD audio? I wonder what's actually usable in 9x on that board, except for half or quarter CPU…

Also, Gigabyte are known for messing with the BIOS (maybe not as much as Soyo or Biostar but still) so it shouldn't wonder if the IDE issues stem from their "improvements".

But I guess Mr. Loew might offer much better explanations and details.

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But I guess Mr. Loew might offer much better explanations and details.

Let's hope so!!

I know for a fact now the problem is the Dual IDE channels. I tried the Windows Me drivers which I believe may have worked on my ASRock board, but it's been too long and I can't remember. But those didn't fix the issue either. It boots just fine in safe mode, in fact it'll boot into regular mode just fine as well as long as I remove those controllers. But if I don't, it soft-locks when booting. But if I do, then it goes into regular mode and prompts me to install the drivers. If I ignore the prompts, the machine hard locks, but if I install the drivers, I can proceed as normal until the next boot and then it starts over again.

As for what you mentioned, I planned on using Wireless lan, a separate video card, and separate audio card. So if I can get past this crap, I should be good to go.

 

Edit: So being the dinkhead that I am, I just thought about disabling 32-bit protected mode drivers via the troubleshooting tab. Now at least I do not have to keep removing those drivers to get into normal mode. This is not what I'm after, but it's a very temporary workaround at best.

Edited by Tommy
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With the Drivers installed, boot into Safe Mode.

Open the Registry Editor and search for the Value "NOIDE".

If found, delete the Value, then reboot.

If this does not fix your problem you probably need my Patch.

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With the Drivers installed, boot into Safe Mode.

Open the Registry Editor and search for the Value "NOIDE".

If found, delete the Value, then reboot.

If this does not fix your problem you probably need my Patch.

I'm going to try that now. In the meantime, it does not detect my DVD drive at all, despite it being a true IDE device.

 

Edit: NOIDE isn't found in the registry.

Edited by Tommy
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I think they're both set to Cable Select.

 

Not an ideal situation to have them on the same channel but for as much as I use the DVD drive, it really doesn't matter if it's on the same channel or not.

Edited by Tommy
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It just occured to me: if the board only has one IDE port, it's possible that the BIOS assigns it as tertiary/quaternary/etc when SATA is in IDE mode, which may be the reason for the OS not to detect the devices (properly).

 

How are the SATA/IDE ports displayed in BIOS when SATA are set to IDE as opposed to native (or whatever "normal" mode)?

 

At POST time, can you actually see how the devices are detected and displayed on screen? Can you freeze the screen by quickly pressing the 'Pause' key on the keyboard and write down the IDE-related details or take a legible screenshot?

 

Oh and just to eliminate one of the possible issues, please do set the devices manually as Master and Slave as there is a slight possibility that either the cable, devices or BIOS might not "like" Cable Select.

Edited by Drugwash
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I think they're both set to Cable Select.

Not an ideal situation to have them on the same channel but for as much as I use the DVD drive, it really doesn't matter if it's on the same channel or not.

Depending upon which connector is attached to which Drive, you may have the prohibited configuration where the Optical Drive is the Primary and the Hard Drive is the Secondary.

Microsoft explicitly disables the Optical Drive in this configuration. I can override this but have not made a separate Patch for it.

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Just in case, the first rule of the IDE club :w00t: is:

1. You don't use Cable Select

and of course the second is:

2. You DO NOT use Cable Select

;)

jaclaz

Not true. Why do you think Cable Select was designed in the first place.

You just have to be careful to connect the Drives in the proper order.

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