makechu wrote on 2023-01-20, 16:00:

Legacysystem wrote on 2023-01-18, 21:27:

Test ended. Results: […]
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Test ended. Results:

Core 2 Quad Q6600 Revision G0: Worked perfectly as its B3 revision twin. After that, I tried Q6700 (It has only revision G0) and Q6700 is worked perfectly.
Core 2 Quad Q8400: Not working in 775DUAL-VSTA. It's not BIOS issue. This motherboard not supporting 1333 FSB CPU's. Its FSB support is only limited at 1066.
5 GB, 6 GB and 8 GB memories: Motherboard and BIOS detected all of them, however I couldn't use them. I'm seeing only in system properties and CPU-Z but ONLY 3 GB of them usable. Also 4 GB ram is not necessary. I tried hard but not manage to pass 3071 MB physical memory limitation. Its probably about chipset, not software issue. Thus, I returned 2+1=3 GB DDR2 667 MHz dual memory sticks. 3 GB is tolerable but I really wanted to pass that limitation but I have nothing to do about it. Continue that great motherboard with that!

Well, the FSB frequency should have nothing to do with if the CPU will work or not. I am running a 1333 MHz FSB Xeon X5460 just fine at 1066 FSB on 4CoreDual-VSTA, Rev G/A 1.00 board, like some others in this thread. The only thing is that the CPU runs at ~ 3160/1333*1066 = 2.53 GHz instead of the intended 3.16 GHz. If you have patched the bios to include all 45nm CPU microcodes, then maybe there is some power limit at play, as I guess the CPU power delivery might be weaker on 775Dual-VSTA. However, based on the pictures of the board, the regulator circuitry seems to be exactly the same...
I patched my bios with AMI bios editor (MMTool) to contain all the desktop 65nm & 45nm CPU microcodes to get the Xeon & other newer CPUs to work.

My 775DUAL-VSTA has 45 nm CPU microcode, it runs 45 nm Wolfdale 1066 MHz Core 2 Duo's but not run 1333 Core 2 Duo and 45 nm 1333 Yorkfield Quad CPU's. FSB is essential for CPU support. Also I have notebook, it has limited to 667 FSB, not runs 800 FSB CPU's, although both of share completely same architecture and lithography.

I am trying to free some resources in BIOS (mainly IRQs), by disabling floppy controller, serial, and parallel ports. However, disabling the parallel port seems to lock up the computer just after the BIOS post screen, before any text has been put out by Windows 98 SE command.com... I am wondering is this a common issue with this board or does someone have an idea what is going on?

With the parallel port enabled with default optimal settings, Windows 98 SE boots and everything works fine there. At least for DOS sound compatibility and other plans, I may have to move some resources around to try to get acceptable mapping.
The second VERY annoying thing about this board is that the supply voltage side is very noisy. Probably the board has some grounding side design issues. There are squeaks and other noise in the 3.5 mm plug audio output, even on Audigy 2 ZS, even though the output was dead silent, noise wise, in the previous A64 X2 setup I just took it from.
As a side note, the DOS Audigy drivers want EMM386, which also straight up freezes the computer. Have to check with HimemX if it is possible to get the DOS side working (not talking about the windows DOS prompt).

My current configuration is:
- 4CoreDual-VSTA, Rev. Rev G/A 1.00, BIOS: 2.39A Beta
- Xeon X5460 @ 2.53 GHz
- 2 x 2 GB DDR2 800 @ 667 MHz
- 64 GB Compact Flash w. IDE adapter
- AGP Point-of-View Geforce 6800 256MB
- Audigy 2 ZS (bottom PCI-slot)
- Onboard LAN (Via Rhine II) is enabled
- Onboard Audio is disabled.

P.S.
I just had a crazy idea that this Asrock board could be a better fit for an overall fast DOS-W98SE-WXP gaming setup, which I am actually starting to regret a little bit. Not to undermine the builds based on these Asrock boards, but by far, the most trouble free experience, for somewhat of a compromise all-rounder for DOS - WXP games, has been a Mobile Athlon XP & VIA KT133A based setup. After some testing, I definitely would not recommend these Asrock platforms for DOS - Windows 98, even though I managed to get pretty much everything working on Windows 98 SE on my setup, after some struggles.

Since it's got no ISA slot its a very bad choice for DOS. It's excellent for Win 98 though. I run an 98/XP machine on this board.

makechu wrote on 2023-01-29, 16:15:

As a side note, the DOS Audigy drivers want EMM386, which also straight up freezes the computer. Have to check with HimemX if it is possible to get the DOS side working (not talking about the windows DOS prompt).

To get EMM386 to work with a PCI-E card and a SATA drive in RAID mode I used this in my config.sys:

1DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEMSX.EXE /NUMHANDLES=128
2DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE M8 RAM H=128 X=C000-D3FF HIGHSCAN

X=C000-CFFF when I use the PCI-E slot and X=D000-D3FF when using a SATA port in RAID mode. I also use the second PCI slot from the bottom for my sound card. You might have to experiment with different X=XXXX-YYYY values and M(1-8) to get it to boot. Granted mine was with a SATA2 board so yours might be a little different.

Thanks for the tips. Solved the issue of not being able to boot to MS-DOS.
Unfortunately, even HimemX did not solve one other issue with EMM386, which somehow fails to give enough RAM for SBEINIT to initialize Audigy 2 ZS for DOS. The error was something like "could not allocate code/patch RAM", complaining that there was not even 4 MB of RAM available when, according to MEM utility, there clearly was. HimemSX did not start at all, as I probably downloaded an MS-DOS incompatible version.

I had some success with JEMMEX though, using the EMX switch. I am now able to start and play games in DOS with sounds and everything. However, quitting from some games causes coming back to just a blinking cursor, in a non-responsive terminal, and the PC has to be restarted to resume normal operation. Maybe I still have to try to fine tune some things in the memory mapping side, if there is some conflict.
The following is the line that I use with JEMMEX now, without Himem or EMM386 loaded, of course:

1DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOSUTILS\JEMM\JEMMEX.EXE A20METHOD:FAST EMX FRAME=D000 I=B000-B7FF I=E000-E7FF X=CF00-CFFF RAM

The magical memory area causing the freeze, with my PC configuration, was the CF00-CFFF memory range.

The other annoying thing about this 4CoreDual-VSTA board is that it just butts the IRQ of the USB-controller to IRQ 5, and also other available IRQs aren't that great to try to get somewhat acceptable mapping for DOS stuff. BIOS is hopeless, as it won't even allow reserving any IRQs or change any mappings. The curses of a "too new" computer with all plug&pray...

The final, but lesser issue, is that now as JEMMEX just won't work with Windows 98 SE, so I can't run SBEINIT for running SB emulation for running DOS games in Windows DOS prompt currently (at least it seemed to do nothing when trying to run it). Would be nice to play some games with proper MIDI sound fonts, but the MIDI wave / sound banks can only be loaded in Windows. Well, have to live with the ECW midi sounds in DOS for now. Or play games, that absolutely need good MIDI in DOS, with one of the other computers laying around here with a proper ISA card 😀

Congrats on getting SBEINIT to work under pure dos. Last time I was trying to get emm386 to run, I simply decided it wasn't worth it – and built a separate system for DOS stuff with hardMPU in it and a properly downclockable CPU. No amount of parameters tweaking allowed me to get enough EMM.

However, I didn't have any problems with Windows 98's dosboxes. You don't need SBEINIT when running Windows, even though the SB16 emulation package comes with it - that is specifically for the pure DOS mode - exactly what you are already doing by running SBEINIT manually. There's some convoluted mechanism built-in which allows for configuration of SBEINIT through Windows Device Manager, but we don't need any of that.

You simply need to make the Windows part of the DOS Audigy drivers work. Use the step #5 from this guide: Guide: Installing Windows 9x and DOS drivers on Audigy cards (version 3.1)

Notice the double-device-one-is-not-initialized-the-other-one-added-manualy-and-works shenanigans. That's paramount.

Zoomer wrote on 2023-01-31, 07:45:

You simply need to make the Windows part of the DOS Audigy drivers work. Use the step #5 from this guide: Guide: Installing Windows 9x and DOS drivers on Audigy cards (version 3.1)

Notice the double-device-one-is-not-initialized-the-other-one-added-manualy-and-works shenanigans. That's paramount.

All right. I actually followed older version of those instructions, and I missed the manual install part for the emulation driver. Now it works as it should when running DOS games from Windows 98 MS-DOS Prompt.
I also edited my earlier post about JEMMEX. It seems that using the NOVME switch causes more problems than it solves, at least with the DOS programs I am using, so I removed that.

Hi all, I'm thinking of moving away from my 4CoreDual-VSTA with an E7600 in favour of a 939Dual-SATA2 for the full speed PCIE. What would be the best affordable CPU I could get for one though? Opteron, Athlon 64 or Athlon 64 X2? Is an Athlon 64 X2 4600 close? I'm guessing there isn't anything that would match the speed of the E7600..

I've looked on https://www.asrock.com/mb/ULi/939Dual-SATA2/#CPU but i'm after some real world user suggestions please! I haven't used 939 before.

Is there a modded BIOS like the one for the CoreDual-VSTA that gives more options than officially?

Or is there any point and I should just stick with the 4CoreDual-VSTA?

Thanks!

RETROKOMODO wrote on 2023-02-01, 18:36:

Hi all, I'm thinking of moving away from my 4CoreDual-VSTA with an E7600 in favour of a 939Dual-SATA2 for the full speed PCIE. W […]
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Hi all, I'm thinking of moving away from my 4CoreDual-VSTA with an E7600 in favour of a 939Dual-SATA2 for the full speed PCIE. What would be the best affordable CPU I could get for one though? Opteron, Athlon 64 or Athlon 64 X2? Is an Athlon 64 X2 4600 close? I'm guessing there isn't anything that would match the speed of the E7600..

I've looked on https://www.asrock.com/mb/ULi/939Dual-SATA2/#CPU but i'm after some real world user suggestions please! I haven't used 939 before.

Is there a modded BIOS like the one for the CoreDual-VSTA that gives more options than officially?

Or is there any point and I should just stick with the 4CoreDual-VSTA?

Thanks!

That board doesn't officially support Win98 if that is something you are concerned about. If it wasn't I don't know why you'd target either of these boards though.

Mainly for using with AGP cards but with the option for PCIE

Hello guys, do you have the modified bios for 4coredual-sata2 R.2.0? I had found broken links, viruses and just bios file for the version 1.0

https://soggi.org/motherboards/asrock.htm

2.20a Beta bios is the modified one

I have some questions about updating my bios. I have the beta bios 2.20a as a .rom file and I have gathered I can update it with a floppy disk using the flash tool bundled with original asrock bios Dos installation available on asrocks site. However I don't have a floppy drive or floppy disks. Question 1 can I use rufus to make a bootable usb and accomplish the same thing or does it have to be a floppy disk? Question 2 afuwin is the windows method of updating the bios is there a slipstreamed version with the beta bios? Question 3 Am I making this too hard and there is an easy way to do this with a universal bios flash tool or something? I don't have much experience with hardware from this generation I built my first pc back in 2017 and ezflash was a thing so forgive my ignorance I promise I have searched for an answer extensively before asking. My reason for doing this is I'd like to run an E7600 CPU. I'm trying to ask the right questions so I don't brick this board. Thanks for any help.

Award has universal flasher utility for Windows.

The Serpent Rider wrote on 2023-02-17, 00:56:

Award has universal flasher utility for Windows.

This helped a lot I googled that tool and it brought me to https://soggi.org/motherboards/bios-update-fl … h-utilities.htm.

However, I ended up using AMI AFUWIN 4.48 because the stock bios updater when you pull bios off asrock's official website are afuwin.exe files. For anyone that may have the same question later when you launch the.exe it will let you direct it to the rom file of your choice. I left all options stock except I told it to restart after flash. It recommended some changes and I accepted them and it worked perfectly. Thanks for help.

Thanks guys, but now I’m facing this problem on AFUDOS "CMOS layout difference between system ROM and ROM file has been detected. AFU recommend adding /B, /C commands of your original input commands." Then there is the option of accept, force or quit, don’t know what to do at this point, I had flashed my 4coredual-Vsta and this never happened to me😖 (my factory bios is p 1.90)

McM4r wrote on 2023-02-17, 12:46:

Thanks guys, but now I’m facing this problem on AFUDOS "CMOS layout difference between system ROM and ROM file has been detected. AFU recommend adding /B, /C commands of your original input commands." Then there is the option of accept, force or quit, don’t know what to do at this point, I had flashed my 4coredual-Vsta and this never happened to me😖 (my factory bios is p 1.90)

Mine suggested the same recommendations and I accepted the changes and it flashed fine. Can't guarantee same for you but worked for me.

Hi guys, can the VRMs withstand running a quad core on this mainboard permanently or not?

Apollonios wrote on 2023-03-28, 23:54:

Hi guys, can the VRMs withstand running a quad core on this mainboard permanently or not?

This is debated, I've been running an X3230 without issue for years now. Others will tell you it wont run stable, but I haven't experienced that.

thank you. I have an X3210, maybe I should test it? Can I overclock the CPU on this mainboard? It already runs slower than a q6600. and another question, with which revision of this board do the sata drivers work under windows 98?