Old comp troubles

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So. I have this ancient computer... (I'll try to add the specs later)

The problem is that it seems that the only thing that it says is that it's designed for win98. Got that, installed it, and still didn't get it working. Not as I'd like it to.

What I need is drivers for the soundcard and the monitor. What I know, despite being technologically impaired, is that I need the specs of the computer in order to find the appropriate drivers. Those I don't have, and for instance there's no info on the soundcard itself what type it is.

So, is there a way to find out what hardware my comp has so taht I can find the right drivers?

 

Well...for starters, you can open it up, clear out the cobwebs, and look for some part numbers. Im not sure if Win98 has it, but try typing 'dxdiag' in the Run box...that should give you a general idea of what you have.

If it's a brand name computer (i.e. Dell), find the model number and see if there's any info on it on the internet.

Win98 computer are going to be hard to get updates for, so good luck.

 

Tried to find the model number to no avail. The papers with the specs and the model number are in another place 200km and about 70€ (the train tickets' price) away, so I'll not be able to get them any time soon.

It's a compaq, so I think I might try to find just some drivers for compaq win98 machines. So far the only number I have is the serial number of the thing, but hp and compaq pages said that the serial number is of no use to find the drivers. I know it's a long shot, but here goes nothing again...

If I'll find a good trick to find the drivers I'll post it in here...before that the dxdiag is certainly better than jut trying to find the drivers than stumbling blindfolded in the dark like now. Thanks

 

You might want to give Astra a shot. I used it to list a machine's parts quickly and hassle-free. Requires a geriatric floppy, but works fine.

Since your box is old hardware, Astra shouldn't have any trouble identifying your parts, brand and model number.

 

Hi there, first of all use a program like SISoft SAndra for win 9x operating systems http://www.sisoftware.co.uk/index.html?dir=dload&location=sware_dl_all&langx=en&a Find what components that are in your computer that need drivers, then go to http://www.nodevice.com/driver/company/Compaq.html It should have all compaq drivers or most of the ones your looking for. Hope this helps

 

Well, thanks all, but I finally did manage to get the comp set up and good to go. It took a trip to get the papers for the damn thing so I got the model number and fuond the right drivers in no time.

Now the machine works like a charm and for some reason is also faster than it used to be. Boo-ya!

 

Or you forgot how fast a computer could be in Windows 98.

Just imagine a PC using the latest hardware in Windows 98 and having full access to 4-16GB of RAM. That system would be faster than any Vista system for loading and daily computing. When it would come to media, that is where Vista would be faster due to software updates, etc...

 

With the necessary tweaking, a plain ol' XP box can be a freaking speed demon.

 

Going with anything over Vista...even Win98...I could see as feasible, but Win98 over XP?

I mean, all you do is hit the ESC button to bypass 98's "security" so you tell me, how secure is 98? If you've got an old system that can't handle XP, I'd go with some flavor of Linux or even Win2k over 98.

 

Well, security's not an issue if you're not in the net with the bloody thing. Otherwise it'd be linux hands down & no competition.

Tried to install that, but it just didn't work, the p.o.s.'s probably got too little of everything. The win 98 was most easily available, so that's the reason why's the junk's running on it right now.

 

Even better, you can get a FreeBSD box running with as little as 64MB RAM. It runs surprisingly smooth on my old P3 666 (why do those wusses had to call it 667?) with 128MB RAM.

And yes, "security" was absolutely ridiculous in 98. That or "Administrator" followed by Enter. Bam, you get full control.

 

You could probably get a better computer for about $500 you know.

 

Remove Winblows and you not only save 150$ but reliability is significantly improved.