anyone know how to use superold pc?

[aziraphale]

Definitely wipe it and install Linux on it; I see no use in trying to run XP on that machine; You'll be able to get a lot more out of this machine if you run ubuntu or something like that on it...

 

[snootch]

Yeh, good luck with that, ME was crap, the pirated copy you downloaded probably isn't bootable...and even if it was, the CD-ROM might be dead.

Your problem is probably the copy of Win ME you downloaded wasn't a bootable CD image. This link will show you how to create a bootable WinME CD image from the files you downloaded:
http://www.geocities.com/mark_ashworth1/me_boot/winmeboot.html

Personally, I wouldnt mess with ME because it is a real buggy OS. I would go buy a cheap (like $30) 256mb stick of PC133 RAM, install it, and install windows 98. If all you are doing with that computer is storing/playing/transferring MP3's that should be more than adequate.

Linux would work too, but I wouldnt suggest it if you are not familiar with it already. It does have a steep learning curve, and finding drivers for some of your hardware might be a problem.

 

[sunny27]

You really need at least 384MB to run XP properly, it runs horribly slow with 256MB...and even worse with less.

I disagree with you!
I had this celeron 300mhz machine with 192mb sdram(128+64) mounted on a slot loading intel z440chipset based gigabyte motherboard with a 20gb seagate drive and it had a geforce 2 mx 400 64 mb card in it.i loaded xp on it and it performed as well as any of the pentium 4 systems back in 2002-2003.i even finished playing medal of honor and call of duty part 1 on it!!! doom3 made me realize that it was ancient!
i got rid of it in 2004 july to get my AMD 64 machine.though i really regret my decision of disposing it.i wish i had kept it! it served me for a good 8 years.got it in 1997.

 

[Crashman]

I disagree with you!
I had this celeron 300mhz machine with 192mb sdram(128+64) mounted on a slot loading intel z440chipset based gigabyte motherboard

Disagree all you want, I've seen old systems go from 15 seconds to 3 seconds to load programs simply by increasing from 128MB to 384MB in XP. 256MB was often a problem when multitasking.

 

[runswindows95]

I call BS, sunny. A 300Mhz Celeron running 98SE couldn't even run The Sims.

 

[randomizer]

256Mb is ok in XP if you don't run much. My bro runs an 800MHz athlon T-bird with 256Mb RAM and he runs call of duty 2 on it (it's real slow but it does run). But yea, to really USE the computer you want 384Mb or more.

As for Win ME, forget it. If you can be bothered scouring windows update site for bug fixes and updates, then go for it. They never released a much needed SP to combine the many hotfixes they made for it.

 

[runswindows95]

That's the thing, randomizer, people are claiming to USE XP on such little RAM. My idea of running an OS is being able to open up Word, Firefox, and a mp3 player all at the same time and not have to wait for the system. What's the point of running a system that you have to wait to do anything?

 

[yomamafor1]

Then I would advice you to upgrade your RAM to at least 512Mb, 1Gb preferred, if you're going to multi-task.

My friend had an XP machine with P4 and 256Mb RAM... his computer takes about 5 min to start up...

my computer takes under 1 min..

 

[runswindows95]

If that comment was directed at me, yomama, not to be rude, but I already know what is the ideal RAM for each OS. Actually, I already posted it in a previous post in this topic. I'm just tired of people saying they can do a lot of things with XP with lower than 256MB of RAM and act like the machine is flying.

 

[onestar]

I suspect it really depends on many variables....such as
1) on board graphics stealling a portion of ram
2) the class of the motherboard itself
3) the intended operational usage by individual preference
4) swap file placement and efficiency
5) the video card being used

There are so many other things that can play a part in overall performance that it is difficult to ascertain how a given installation will perform until the "best practice" options are in place.

 

[blashyrkh]

What are you guys talking about? I was running win95 in an Intel 486DX @66Mhz with 16Mb or Ram!! Ok, it was a bit slow but I could play quake, listen to music, watch video and surf the net among other things (not simultaneously though!! LOL). But your better choice I believe is win98SE. Far more stable than 95. Absolutely forget winME. That OS is absolute bollocks and almost run microsoft to the ground. If you upgrade your ram, your best bet is win2k as it's the same core with XP but lacks all the visual candy, giving you better performance.
My 2 cents

 

[andybird123]

WinME was just the stopgap version of 98 that had a couple of updates before XP came out. There's nothing wrong with it.

LMAO, in what way did it nearly run MS in to the ground!?

 

[onestar]

WinMe was actually a pretty robust OS. The problems most people had, in my experience, were the drivers which supported it were shoddy. Most manufacturers tried to use the Win98 drivers or merely patched them in a haphazard fashion. In some small cases I remember WinMe installing the wrong drivers having identified the hardware differently than it actually was, but in many of those cases, it was the installers fault and not the OS.

Win2K is probably one of the best OSs out there as far as efficiency/stability is concerned, however I have found it difficult to find drivers for some situations.

 

[BustedSony]

hellow
yesterday, my next door was about to throw away their old computer, so i asked for it. and now i know that it is super old . it has p3(650mhz) and 32mb ram. i was like holy crap!!
my problem is...
when you turn the pc on, you know the starting screen shows and then the window thing.
but this pc stoped after window screen
os is ME and after that, it is black with white curser on top left.

(please dont say things like "why are you trying to use that pc?"

i was going to use it for MP3 chargeing..... :lol: :lol:

please help

Your system is hanging just after the 32-bit drivers are loaded. That's a conflict or bad driver, or bad hardware for that matter. The BIOS battery may be weak thus the Bios is in an illegal state. A Cmos reset may clear the hang. If the memory is Sdram you can find a 512 megabytes stick for some $40, and that will let you run XP. 256megs WILL run XP but there's a lot of swapping, it's not comfortable to use. 32 megs may run Win98 but is useless for modern applications that can still run within 98 or ME.

As for the system itself, I am right now typing this on a P3-600, BX chipset, 512 Megs, XP. It has been running almost 24/7 since 1999 and does everything internet-related that it needs to. You should get your 650 going, use it for downloads etc and protect your Core2Duo or whatever your main Multimedia system.

 

[ComputerCustomizer]

ME = Might Explode

 

[onestar]

Oh please do not explode here....
We have enough to do cleaning up after the fanboys.

 

[DXRick]

Before doing anything else, I would try and find out why it isn't booting up now. What did your neighbor say about it? Was it working for them? It could be a dud now. Also, did you go into the BIOS first? After a long time, the battery may have died and you need to set the date/time.

What if you use your XP CD and attempt to boot into command prompt mode? If you can't try that, try creating a boot disk from your other XP computer.

Get it to boot before spending any more money or time on it.

 

[jhyukkang]

haha might explode??

um you guys know how i made that me installation cd??
i used nero image burning thing.
and the old cd drive i took that thing out and i plugged in the new DVD ram drive in that computer.

the problem is that the menu shows up as i told you : boot from HDD or CD

but the key board doesnt work...
i used 2 keyboards but it is ignoreing me!!

is it because of the bios setting??
help>>>

 

[Hellboy]

Ok

Here ze goes

Vot u need is unt vone thousand vatt power supply for zee old peee three zen ve put inst a new moztherboard anz putz ins ze new processor..

Add a pinch of untvidia and a couple of googabytes and install ze hard drive wiv ze uber 1TB Hitachi drive wid Samsunks dvd drive and voondabar a Vista runabout for aboutz a 1600 dollaz and youz vill feel the retro machine will not onlyz dooz ze mp3z but loads of knitting patterns az well....

ok

Press f8
got to safe mode
run system restore
and see what happends

sounds like a drive has messed up

me - crap crap crap.... The best os for me was Windows 2000 - i know it didnt last for long but i never had it crash on me once... Xps stable after 100 patches but i liked windows 2000....

Good luck

 

[jhyukkang]

hey guys i got more bit problem
as i told you before when i insert the cd at boot, the menu comes out saying boot from HDD or CD
but from that point i cant use the keyboard, it doesnt work
i cant move the thing down so that i can pick CD booting

i tried 2 keyboards same situation...

about the cd drive, i took the old one out and i put in the new dvd ram drive i never use CD ROM

 

[DXRick]

Well, without a keyboard you basically have a big paper weight there. Are you using one plugged into the PS2 port or USB? You may need it to be in the PS2 to be recognized by the BIOS at boot time.

 

[sunny27]

hey! i wasn't kidding !! i've played call of duty 1 @ 640x480 with everything set to minimum and i finished the game!! i did play medal of honor allied assault too!!!
i played it on my celeron 300mhz pc with 192mb sdram and my old geforce 2 mx 400 64mb card!! why would i BS!!!???

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

Super Old?
I wouldn't call PC's super old until you get into the P1/AMD/Cyrix age of windows 3.1. Thats about when I started troubleshooting systems.

 

[onestar]

I would say an IBM personal system 2 model 25 counts as old.

They actually thought it was worth something!!!

 

[CompTIA_Rep]

Hay, someone bothered to dig up my very first PC. It ran windows 2000bc

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2006/112706widernet.html