Sound and Video Issues on Win 98SE 1

[Komaru]

I recently bought an old Gateway E-1600 desktop from 2000 or so. It works great, and I've installed Windows 98 without any hassle.
Well... Mostly. The video only outputs to a maximum resolution of 640x480 and colour depth of 16. I would really like at least 256 colours and maybe a higher resolution. On top of that, there is no sound, with the exception being the built in IBM sounding speakers, which are only available with select DOS games.

My guess is that I need some kind of sound card, like a Sound Blaster 16 to get the sound working, but I could be wrong. And as for the video, would it just be as simple as getting an SVGA monitor and installing the drivers? Or is it something more complex than that? Hopefully you can help me out.
Thanks for any help!
~Komaru

 

[vacunita]

Likely what you are missing are the drivers for the sound card and the VGA card already in the system.

Windows 98 wasn't as good at identifying and installing drivers as more modern Windows versions are.

Try using Gateway's website for the drivers, or at least the manual for the 1600 E series to find what hardware u have so you find appropriate drives for it.

http://support.gateway.com/s/manuals/servers/eseries/8506999.pdf

----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Behind the Web, Tips and Tricks for Web Development.

http://behindtheweb.blogspot.com/

 

[Komaru]

Yeah, I've worked with 98 and I'm very familiar with it's constant driver problems. However, I do have the owner's manual with me, and I'm planning a trip down to the Goodwill Computer Store later this week.
However, I couldn't find the E-1600 on Gateway's page for drivers. Would it be safe to try the closest model?

 

[vacunita]

Normally the same series or same sub series PC's share hardware so its safe to use those.

Or, you could try directly with the part manufacturer: For instance from the PDF I linked to, which has the specs for the E-1600 it says it has an Intel 810 chipset, and integrated graphics.

So a trip down to Intel's website, and I found Win98 Graphics drivers for the Intel 810 chipset.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Sea...ipset+Family&ProdId=178&LineId=127&FamilyId=4

----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Behind the Web, Tips and Tricks for Web Development.

http://behindtheweb.blogspot.com/

 

[Komaru]

Aha, I see what you're getting at.
I'll try that method, and I'll get back to you when I'm done.

 

[Komaru]

Sorry about the double-post, I thought I could edit my posts but it doesn't look like I can, hm...
Anyway, it's working excellently, thank you so much!
But the sound is still an issue. But like I said before, I may just go out and buy a SB16 or AWE32 of sorts, as I remember those having the best sounds.
Thank you again!

 

[vacunita]

Glad I could help.

----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Behind the Web, Tips and Tricks for Web Development.

http://behindtheweb.blogspot.com/

 

[edfair]

A google search should kick you into one of the driver sites where people have downloaded stuff. driverguides is one.

You could try the generic SVGA stuff that is part of the built in drivers. That would kick you up to 800 by 600 by 256 IIRC.

If you can afford some time, you could boot into DOS and use debug to dig the video info out. Display C000 to CE00 in 200 steps and look for the manufacturer info.


Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.