Modern motherboards which are working with Windows 98 (discussion)

[John1780]

So, you found win-98 drivers for Intel X38/ICH9R chipset?

You're using IDE mode for your SATA drives because you can't find Win-98 SATA drivers yes?

What PCIe video card are you using, and where did you get win-98 drivers for it?

Correct, I am using the compatibility mode to compensate for the lack of drivers. Honestly I'm quite suprised that I was able to load Win98 with only minor issues seeing the lack of drives, and just had to get around the MaxPageFile issue.

I have a WinXP/Win98 dual boot setup, and a 2nd copy of WinXP on the same HDD as Win98 to do the necessary config file tweaks instead of trying to edit the files in DOS.

I am using a Radeon 9200 SE in my PCI slot for my graphics card, since there definitly aren't drivers for my Radeon 5830's. Am having issues, as the DVI connection on the 9200 isn't working (9200 and 5830 both DVI-I) even though the DVI port works on the 5830 using basic Win98 software drivers.

Edited October 29, 2010 by John1780

[xrayer]

Did someone tried to run Win98Se on new core i3/5/7?

I got such machine at work - core 5 i760, 8G RAM, intel 34xx series chipset. I may bring my CD and when I'll have a free time some evenin I can try to install. Probably 1st thing I need to do is limit the RAM for install up to 512M...

> seam

nice to hear that you managed to run usb 2.0 on latest ICH... Did you just used nUSB or something special?

Edited February 15, 2011 by xrayer

[seam]

Did someone tried to run Win98Se on new core i3/5/7?

I got such machine at work - core 5 i760, 8G RAM, intel 34xx series chipset. I may bring my CD and when I'll have a free time some evenin I can try to install. Probably 1st thing I need to do is limit the RAM for install up to 512M...

> seam

nice to hear that you managed to run usb 2.0 on latest ICH... Did you just used nUSB or something special?

it decide Usb irq & ehci/uhci seting by bios

h55mxv work~

3 0: 26: 0 8086h:3B3Ch.06h 105B0DD5h 0C0320h EHCI USB Controller

5 0: 29: 0 8086h:3B34h.06h 105B0DD5h 0C0320h EHCI USB Controller

i did try another h55 mb don't work usb2.0 driver

[schwups]

ASUS P5KPL/EPU Chipset: iG31 Bearlake

(I bought it second hand at ebay.)

with Dual Boot configuration ME/XP

NV7600GT PCIE (driver 82.69 with the shutdown issue), Infineon Memory DDR2 667,

HD SATA2 Samsung P Series, CPU P4 630

Chip Driver from: windows98.xf.cz/

I've plugged a PCI network adapter and a PCI audio adapter.

BIOS: Lan and audio onboard set to disabled

IDE comp. mode, HT disabled

In the device manager remains one "unknown Device": "ACPI driver for ATK 0110 virtual device version 1043.2.15.37 for Windows 2000 / XP (32bit and 64bit) / 2003 (32bit & 64bit) / VISTA (32bit & 64bit)".

The driver installs fine in XP and fails to install for Win ME. But it seems not a real problem.

The harddisk and memory work as fast as with XP.

I was also interested to test the "ASUS ExpressGate" Version 1.3.13.13(Splashtop OS) to get very fast on the Web. It takes 27sec. (button to google).

Result: I can't boot to Win ME (Windows protection error. System halted). I have to disable the ExpressGate in BIOS to boot Win ME.

What a pity. That's troublesome!

Edited June 2, 2013 by schwups

[TurricaN]

EPOX EP-4PEAD works flawlessly with Windows Me while supporting both fastest HT-less Pentium 4 and legacy gameport joysticks/1.2&2.88 floppies.

Windows Me supports too newest GeForce 4 Titanium flawlessly.

Edited April 4, 2011 by TurricaN

[schwups]

Supplement to motherboard ASUS P5KPL/EPU:

ExpressGate (Splashtop OS) updated to version 1.4.10.2

I can boot Win ME (ExpressGate enabled), if I load the ExpressGate environment by running any application (12sec). Then I click exit to boot ME.

Nevertheless I get the protection error, if I directly press exit on the so-called "first screen" of ExpressG. to continue the normal boot. The "first screen" appears after 3 seconds.

Further improvement concerned to the shutdown bug of the Nvidia driver 82.69: Shutdown via the "first screen". Maybe 3-4 sec. longer than a normal shutdown.

Restart - first screen - power off

Edited April 5, 2011 by schwups

[Rjecina]

I believe that this is my last update about Modern motherboards which are working with Windows 98.....

Only MBO which is still possible to buy new is good old ASROCK AM2NF3-VSTA which is officialy supporting AMD processors until Phenom II X4. MBO is without graphic cards so only possible solution is to buy AGP graphic card. MBO is having USB 2.0 + SATA I.

Chipset is Nvidia 3 which is last Nvidia chipset with official Nvidia drivers with added sound chips which will create problems with Windows 98/ME (it will not work).

MBO is possible to find on Amazon and similar sites, shops:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/AM2NF3-VSTA-MOTHERBOARD-SUPPORT-NFORCE2-CHIPSET/dp/B000I0RLBS

[kingofthespill]

Are there 98se chipset and HD drivers for the AM2NF3-VSTA? It looks like the ASRock site only has win2k up, although there may be something out there like at this XP driver site:http://sites.google.com/site/nf2stuff/.

[Rjecina]

Are there 98se chipset and HD drivers for the AM2NF3-VSTA? It looks like the ASRock site only has win2k up, although there may be something out there like at this XP driver site:http://sites.google.com/site/nf2stuff/.

Nvidia like other computer corporations are "joking" with Windows 98 SE support.

It is possible to download Unified drivers with support for nForce, nForce2, and nForce3 from 2004 for Win 98 SE on this Nvidia page. If you want to download from other sites then you can try to download nForce3 Win 98 drivers from December 2006 on this site

You will still be without sound support in Win 98

Edited May 26, 2011 by Rjecina

[jopower]

I note that the venerable Asus A7V880 mom (good to Athlon/Sempron 3200+ with PC3200 DDR RAM) isn't listed on this thread. I just acquired one and worked through the Asus (US) support site. Asus has all the goods back to Win98 there and I note all drivers list Win98 or 98SE. Hence, this piece will blaze through WIN98SE and has all the hardware bells & whistles. From http://support.asus.com

Asus A7V880 Motherboard Features

AMD's Athlon XP and 400 mhz PC 3200+ and all follow-up CPUs now support 400MHz FSB for increased office productivity and enhanced digital media experience.

Dual-channel DDR technology doubles the bandwidth of your system memory and hence boost the system performance to out perform any memory existing solutions in the market. System bottlenecks are eliminated with balanced architecture and peak bandwidths up to 6.4GB/s.

The AI NET supports Gigabit LAN by integrating the Marvell LAN controller, equipped with a unique net-diagnosing utility-- VCT (Virtual Cable Tester). The controller intelligently detects net connection status up to 100 meters from a remote location and reports the distance of bad cable.

AGP8X (AGP 3.0) is the next generation VGA interface specification that enables enhanced graphics performance with high bandwidth speeds up to 2.12GB/s. With a bus of 533MHz, AGP8X is twice as fast as AGP4X.

The VIA 8237 south bridge enables users to build Maximum 2 SATA hard disk as an RAID 0, 1 array, and the graphical user interface of utility provides an easy way to configure and manage disk drives or disk arrays connected.

The Wi-Fi slot is specifically designed for the ASUS Wireless LAN add-on card (ex. WiFi-b™) to set up an environment for home Wireless LAN. The ASUS WiFi-b™ add-on card bundles the exclusive Software AP (Access Point) to save the extra cost of an hardware AP. In addition, the card comes with user-friendly utilities and applications that allow quick connection to notebooks, PDAs and other WLAN peripherals. The Wi-Fi slot supports the 802.11g standard for future upgrades. (Note: The WiFi-b™ card with software AP has to be purchased separately)

Serial ATA is the next generation ATA specification that provides scalable performance for today and tomorrow. With up to 150MB/s data transfer rate, Serial ATA is faster than current Parallel ATA, while providing 100% software compatibility.

The A7V880's S/PDIF out function turns your computer into a high-end entertainment system with digital connectivity to powerful speaker systems.

The SoundMAX Digital Audio System is the industry's highest performance and most reliable audio solution for business perfessionals, audiophiles, musicians, and gamers. SoundMAX Digital Audio System can output 5.1 channel surround sound and features state-of-the-art DLS2 MIDI synthesizer with Yamaha DLSbyXG sound set, 5.1 Virtual TheaterTM and supports and major game audio technologies including Microsoft DirectXTM 8.0, Microsoft DirectSound 3D, A3D, MacroFX, ZoomFX, MultiDrive 5.1, A3D and EAX.

8 ports X USB 2.0 is the latest connectivity standard for next generation components and peripherals. Backward compatible with current USB 1.1 peripherals, USB 2.0 delivers transfer speeds up to 40 times faster at 480Mb/s, for easy connectivity and ultra-fast data

ASUS C.O.P. (CPU Overheating Protection) is a hardware protection circuit that automatically shuts down the system power before temperatures go high enough to permanently damage our CPU.

ASUS Q-Fan technology intelligently adjusts fan speeds according to system loading to ensure quiet, cool and efficient operation.

When the system hangs due to overclocking failure, there is no need to open the case to clear the CMOS data. Just simply restart the system, the BIOS would show the previous setting and then users can amend the CPU setting again.

The CrashFree BIOS 2 feature now includes the BIOS auto-recovery function in a support CD. Users can reboot their system through the support CD when a bootable disk is not available, and go through the simple BIOS auto-recovery process. ASUS motherboards now enable users to enjoy this protection feature without the need to pay for an optional ROM.

With ASUS EZ Flash, you can update BIOS directly from the BIOS setup menu. No more DOS-based flash utility and bootable diskette required.

Through this unique feature, A7V880 is conveniently designed to allow users to enjoy their favorite music without the need to enter Windows.

=================================

Asus A7V880 Motherboard Specifications

Key Specifications A7V880 Motherboard

CPU Support Socket Type Socket A

CPUs Supported AMD Athlon XP series to 3200+ speed

Front Side Bus Speed (FSB) 400 / 333 / 266 / 200 MHz

Form Factor ATX

Chipsets VIA KT880, VIA VT8237

BIOS 4Mb Flash ROM, Award BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.3, ACPI, ASUS EZ Flash, CrashFree BIOS 2, C.P.R., MyLogo

Memory Number of Slots 4 x 184-Pin DIMM Sockets

Memory Type DDR SDRAM Maximum Memory 4 GB

Storage

2 x UltraDMA 133/100/66/33

2 x Serial ATA with RAID 0, 1 function

Integrated Features

Audio ADI SoundMAX 6-channel audio CODEC

Support S/PDIF out Interface

Network

AI NET Marvell Gigabit LAN controller supporting 10/100/1000 BASE-T Ethernet

Virtual Cable Tester Net-Diagnosing Utility

Expansion Slots

1 x AGP 8X

5 x PCI

1 x ASUS Wi-Fi slot for Wireless LAN upgrade

USB

Max. 8 USB2.0 Ports

Special Features Wake on Ring, Lan, USB, Keyboard & Mouse

STR (Suspend-to-RAM)

STD (Suspend-to-Disk)

ASUS C.O.P. (CPU Overheating Protection)

ASUS C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)

ASUS MyLogo

ASUS EZ Flash

ASUS Q-FAN

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2

ASUS Instant Music~Lite

Back Panel

I/O Ports 1 x Parallel

1 x Serial

1 x PS/2 Keyboard

1 x PS/2 Mouse

1 x Audio I/O

1 x SPDIF out

1 x RJ45

4 x USB 2.0

Internal I/O

Connectors 2 x USB 2.0 connector support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports

CPU / Chassis FAN connectors

Chassis Intrusion

20-pin ATX Power connector

S/PDIF out Interface

CD/AUX audio in

Game/MIDI port connector

20 Pin Panel connector

Front Panel Audio connector

Dimensions (W x D) 12" x 9.6"

[dencorso]

I use the A7V600-X and like it a lot. However, there's a caveat: it only supports SATA I

This holds both for the A7V600-X and for the A7V880, since they both use the same southbridge.

Question:

Why can't my SATA-II hard drive be detected on VIA VT8237 chipset based motherboard?

Solution:

This may be caused by the fact that VIA 8237/8237R South-bridge chipsets do not provide upward compatibility with SATA-II hard disk drives at 300 MB/s. These HDDs may not even be detected at POST. To install a SATA-II hard drive, users need to lock the drive at 150 MB/s data transfer rate by HDD jumper setting. Please refer to the following jumper setting from HDDs manufacturers or visit their website for latest updates.

[Rjecina]

This MBO is not on the list because of my thinking has been that Socket 462 MBO in May 2007 is too old technology (and there has been other problem with socket 939).

I have tried to be neutral and write 2 types of MBO for Intel and AMD (socket 479 is latter added).

In my part of world only real Win 98 socket 462 option has been for very, very long time ASRock MBO created around SIS741chipset.

[schwups]

I think this Motherboard could be interesting for Win98/ME users.

Mainboard MSI G41M4-F MS-7592

24.4cm(L) x 19.3cm(W) mATX Form Factor

I've no question marks and no exclamation marks in the device manager (Win ME).

details

It supports almost all intel 775 socket CPU's from P4 5xx to Core 2 Quad Q9650, if Bios is updated to version (1.D 02.03.11).

Chipset Intel G41/ ICH7 Eaglelake > driver (windows98.xf.cz)

AMI BIOS (Update 02.03.11 last but one)

Settings:

Sound onboard disabled (no driver)

On-Chip IDE controller disabled

if enabled ME doesn't boot (the SATA driver (rloew) should help)

SATA controller enabled for using the four SATA ports

(ME/98 support only for four devices)

PCI BusMaster enabled

LAN onboard: PCI Express LAN 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet Realtek 8111DL

Latest official Realtek driver 98/ME version 5.708

USB2.0 onboard > driver for Win ME (MDGX); Win98 users could try nusb driver

Back Panel I/O Ports

- 1 x PS/2 keyboard

- 1 x PS/2 mouse

- 1 x Parallel port

- 1 x Serial port (COM 1)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My components

PCI sound card: Creative Sound Blaster PCI 128 plugged into the second slot. First slot is buried by the GPU cooler.

graphics card Nvidia GeForce 7800GT (256MB) PCI-E > driver 82.69 (MDGX); with shutdown issue - I've installed the Plop bootmanager to shutdown. Maybe it needs 10 sec. longer.

Memory: 2 x 1GB DDR2 limited to 1433MB; (System.ini > MaxPhysPage=59960; for Win98 users > MaxPhysPage=40000) dual channel

CPU: Intel Celeron 440 (SSSE3; 35W)

HD drive: Samsung SP2504C SATA II 250GB

DMA must enabled in the device manager after chip driver installation.

DVD drive: LG HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH22NS50 SATA

DMA must enabled in the device manager after chip driver installation.

Edited June 2, 2013 by schwups

[Marius '95]

I changed the motherboard recently.

The old one was Asrock AM2NF3-VSTA, the last motherboard with AGP. I had minor problems with onboard network driver, but there is an unofficial "Unified Remix Driver" v11.16 that makes the system usable. I did not use onboard sound.

My new motherboard is Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P. Major storage problems here! I'm giving you some tips if you ever need to run Win9x on this kind of board.

Hardware configuration

AM3 CPU socket, DDR3, two gigabit Ethernet adapters, 2 PCI slots and a lot of PCI-E slots.

This board has AMD SB750 southbridge. There are 6 SATA and 1 PATA connectors from the southbridge. This board also has 2 JMicron controllers with 4 SATA connectors.

Logical organisation

When set to IDE Compatiblity Mode, storage connectors are organised like this:

- 4 SATA from JMicron controller are detected as one IDE controller with 2 channels. SATA0 is detected as Primary Master, SATA1 is Primary Slave, SATA2 is Secondary Master and SATA3 is Secondary Slave.

- First 4 SATA (SATA0-3) from AMD SB750 are detected as another IDE controller with the same configuration.

- PATA connector and the last 2 SATA from AMD SB750 are detected as the third IDE controller. PATA is the Primary Channel, SATA4 and SATA5 are Secondary Master and Slave.

Win98 will NOT load ESDI_506.PDR if JMicron controller and the first 4 SB750 SATA ports (0-3) are enabled. JMicron controller can be disabled in BIOS, but the southbridge controller cannot be disabled. SATA0-3 must be set as AHCI/RAID so that Win98 will not try to load the IDE driver. You can boot Win98 form a PATA drive or you can set SATA4 and 5 in IDE Compatibility Mode and boot from a drive connected to these ports. ESDI_506.PDR will load ONLY in this configuration.

Warning! Win98 will cause data corruption if a HDD is connected to SATA ports 0-3! Only connect a SATA HDD to SATA4 or SATA5 ports!

Now, the good news!

- There are 2 PCI slots to be used for a VGA and sound card.

- PCI VGA can be set as the active card in BIOS so that two cards (old PCI for Win98 and a new PCI-E card) can be installed in the same computer.

- Multi-core CPUs can be partially disabled, so that only one core remains active when using Win98.

- Win98 works fine with DEVICE=HIMEMX.EXE /MAX=524288 in CONFIG.SYS and no other settings on a system with 4GB RAM. I will try to increase /MAX setting later to see how far it can go.

- CMOS settings can be saved as a profile in BIOS setup. The user can save 2 profiles: one for Win98 with all the special settings above, and one for a newer OS. To boot Win98, just enter BIOS and load Win98 profile.

Edited March 11, 2012 by Marius '95

[rloew]

You need my SATA Patch to use ESDI_506.PDR with the SATA Controller.

It is not necessary to disable Multiple Cores as Windows 9x does not know about them.

With no other modifications, you can go to around 800 MB of RAM.

With limits on the Filesystem Cache you can go to 1.15GB of RAM.

You will need my RAM Patch to fully use the 2.5-3.5 GB of 32-Bit RAM available.