X86 Discussion

[lesta_smsc]

I have a CRT TV connected lol (this is for 240p retro gaming). It works great for DOS too! BTW you can opt to choose original resolution for fullscreen via DOSBox so you can play games at native resolution.

[dreadnought]

Original Dosbox's display wasn't accurate, that's the whole problem. I think the 0.75 finally corrects that but I'd rather do the original thing anyway.

Once I build a new crtemudrive PC I will try DOS on my Trinitron too, see how scanlines work for DOS games.

[lesta_smsc]

Originally Posted by dreadnought

Original Dosbox's display wasn't accurate, that's the whole problem. I think the 0.75 finally corrects that but I'd rather do the original thing anyway.



Once I build a new crtemudrive PC I will try DOS on my Trinitron too, see how scanlines work for DOS games.

You won't get scanlines unless you go to 240p... that requires some means of doing that eg VGA to SCART with necessary modelines.

[dreadnought]

Originally Posted by lesta_smsc

You won't get scanlines unless you go to 240p... that requires some means of doing that eg VGA to SCART with necessary modelines.

Really?

[lesta_smsc]

As far as I know... i suppose there may be away if you did resolution mod at 31khz

[SquawkBox]

FYI, both Win 3.1 and Win95 have their roots deeper into MS-DOS than Windows 98. In my opinion, even packed with all the updates, Windows 98 is among the worst MS OSes in existence, along with "Win Me(h)" Millenium. Also, you could consider getting from ebay a scanline generator in order to obtain scanlines with a bog-standard CRT PC monitor. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't look ugly or fake, not at all. At least, these will look more consistent compared to the ones from the various emulators out there.
Btw, you won't need floppies if BIOS settings allow you to boot from a USB device. After you have partitioned and formatted the hard drive, just gather your install files and required drivers on a USB flash drive and you should be good to go. rufus will easily mimic a bootable device in that respect.

[lesta_smsc]

GLSL is shader which is gaining popularity on newer systems and monitors. Actually looks incredible but for nostalgia sake I'm sticking with CRT! Also it allows cheap retro hardware to be more versatile since it runs on very low resolution lol.

[dreadnought]

I have a scanline generator. But CRTs are not just about scanlines, they're a modern obsession. Shadow mask and all other TV tube intrinsics are as important.

I can't agree about 98 being so bad, I remember it being quite stable - it was 95 which was the blue screen paradise. Anyway, it's only needed as a shell for DOS games, I won't be doing any daily computing on

I guess it's possible to install it without floppies, but I haven't seen any easy guide for installing DOS without them.

[lesta_smsc]

You could make it even more interesting by using NXE boot and installation through TFTP server!

[SquawkBox]

Ok, a few pointers :

• That machine of yours is a wee bit too modern for a pure unadulterated DOS experience
• It would help if you considered being a little more specific (it's necessary to check BIOS section of corresponding manual to see if USB is accepted as a boot device), exact model of mobo, naming 3-4 DOS games you have in your agenda, it's all right if you'd rather not
• I agree, CRT all the way. This said, LCD can be of some use if you happen to own one featuring a pivot function and VGA input, e.q. "Tate" shooters display nicely that way and they're dirt cheap (some folks flip their CRT 90° to get a vertical display, but that workaround seems a bit a gamble to me, especially with big displays)
• Win98 "web features" are horrendous (e.q. active desktop) and there are reports of less than adequate USB drivers, a potential issue which cannot easily be dealt with. If I were in your shoes, I would probably dual boot this machine with Windows XP and Win95, the former for DirectX / glide based games (e.q. I-War if you enjoy flying them ahem... dreadnoughts ), the latter for DOS or rudimentary games (Pro Pinball series, stuff like that)
• If you have another computer at hand, you could borrow its DVD drive. All that is required to plug it in is one of these IDE to SATA adapters, I might consider parting with mine at cost price since I have no use for it

[lesta_smsc]

So whilst fixing my A500 that suffered a fall from shelf and damage to casing (fortunately internals seem ok!), I decided to see how it would compare to emulation...

I really couldn't believe it! I tested using Sony Trinitron 14" and the Amiga A500 looked amazing via RGB to SCART!... now I then switched to using my retro laptop for emulation and connected via VGA to SCART and...

Well... I really couldn't tell the difference of using an Amiga or emulation! The scroller sequences also worked perfectly with no glitches or artefacts and it was actually pixel perfect along with exact same aspect ratio!

The temptation is there to sell off Amiga and stick with emulation!

Oh and Daytona USA, Final Fight, Mario and Sonic all running at their native resolution with just a simple laptop makes the retro setup very appealing indeed!

One thing I noticed with Sony Trinitron vs my other Hitachi and Pacific CRT is that when using unsupported resolutions, the Sony will still display an image even if the TV cant sync to it whereas the other 2 tend to show blank blue screen.

[SquawkBox]

Originally Posted by lesta_smsc

I tested using Sony Trinitron 14" and the Amiga A500 looked amazing via RGB to SCART!... now I then switched to using my retro laptop for emulation and connected via VGA to SCART and...

Is the Trinitron a TV or a monitor ? In other words, do you use modelines and special drivers with the GPU of your laptop to output 15 KHz ? What about scanlines ? Do they look identical too ?

Originally Posted by lesta_smsc

The temptation is there to sell off Amiga and stick with emulation!

You could indeed remove the cracked up case and sell the mobo and shielding, I've seen it done on eBay.

Originally Posted by lesta_smsc

Daytona USA, Final Fight, Mario and Sonic all running at their native resolution with just a simple laptop

All of these games are running at their native resolution from MAME, or are you emulating both coin op' and home versions ?

[lesta_smsc]

Originally Posted by SquawkBox

Is the Trinitron a TV or a monitor ? In other words, do you use modelines and special drivers with the GPU of your laptop to output 15 KHz ? What about scanlines ? Do they look identical too ?

You could indeed remove the cracked up case and sell the mobo and shielding, I've seen it done on eBay.

All of these games are running at their native resolution from MAME, or are you emulating both coin op' and home versions ?

The Trinitron is a TV.

Yes using custom modelines with CRT Emudriver (as I have ATi GPU). The laptop then outputs 15 kHz via VGA. Scanlines are visible and no different to original hardware since the resolution is the same and it outputs 240p which be its nature will have scanlines.

Yes selling individually may be an option although I've managed to put case together and surprisingly it holds well! There a cracked piece on the bottom segment but it still closes nicely.

MAME is running native resolution for arcade titles.

I'm using Retroarch with CRT Switchres for other consoles (and occasionally MAME too).

To think I got this laptop as non working, I'm quite pleased wih the outcome!

[nathanm1991]

Just Acquired a Acer Aspire one zg5 aoa150 which i have Stuck Xp on and am going to Dual boot it with Aros :-)

Nice to see Everyone getting on with there Projects considering the Times!

Sorry on my Absence i needed to Give Tech a Break

[lesta_smsc]

I have one of these. I remember my friends came with Linux distribution which made it cheaper than buying it with Windows. He also lacked a USB drive back then so we installed windows on his via TFTP and network boot! Ah... those were the days lol

They're pretty nifty little things. Mine no longer stores charge in battery. Handy for WEP cracking (that's when it was still in popular use).

Not sure how it will fair with emulation... so will be interested to know how it works for you!

[nathanm1991]

so far holds up really well on Windows via Emulation i havent installed Aros just yet. i had one Previous that Came with Linpus Linux Lite the aoa110 which had a 8GB Solid State instead of a 120GB Hdd.

I upgraded the Memory with a 1GB Stick to give it the Maximum of 1.5GB (512Mb Non Removable)

I have also used a Program Called GMABoost to Unlock the GMA950 Core Frequency to 400Mhz (They Downclock them in the Netbooks for Power Saving? I Guess Heat Too)

For a Laugh I was Playing GTAIII Earlier on There and it Runs Great!

[nathanm1991]

Originally Posted by lesta_smsc

I have one of these. I remember my friends came with Linux distribution which made it cheaper than buying it with Windows. He also lacked a USB drive back then so we installed windows on his via TFTP and network boot! Ah... those were the days lol

They're pretty nifty little things. Mine no longer stores charge in battery. Handy for WEP cracking (that's when it was still in popular use).

Not sure how it will fair with emulation... so will be interested to know how it works for you!

Long time No Speak! I Forgot to Quote my New Message so just Above is what I have done So Far

Anything Emulation Wise up to The PS1 Era fair Very Well too (Even N64)

Ive heard these are Good for Wep Cracking and Other Tasks and with it's Portability I Understand Why it's a Good Choice

[nathanm1991]

Ah Crud my External DVD RW Drive has gone Bad! No Computer will Recognise it in Device Manager :-( Guess no Aros for now!

Will use Winuae for now!

[lesta_smsc]

Why not use USB pen drive?

Or try network boot!

[nathanm1991]

Originally Posted by lesta_smsc

Why not use USB pen drive?

Or try network boot!

i will have to get my aros pc out of storage i was watching videos and you have to create a Bootable pen drive within the os itself you cant do it with rufus

Didnt think of Network boot is that a Option?