Advice needed for hardware upgrade.

I will be upgrading my core rig in a month or so and want to make sure I don't get anything contrary to my main goal, sim racing. I will get a new case, MB, chip, ram, sound card, and maybe a modem. My chip will be an AMD Athlon T-Bird 1.4Ghz and I will continue to use my V5agp until it stinks. So I need to know a few things that only the experience of this group can answer: Mother Board - the guy at the store says the Asus and Abit are good. What is the trick Athlon counterpart? I'm fairly conservative with my computers, I've no problem sacrificing a little performance for stability. Ram - I noticed they put a lot of letters in front of RAM now, what's the correct ram for gaming? Is 256 necessary, or will 128 be fine? Sound card - SB Live? I've heard problems.... anything else that works on everything? My modem is ISA. I thought I read somewhere that PCI modems are less reliable in a race connection. Is there any truth to that, or am I making shit up in my head? I need to know if I should get an ISA slot on my MB. Finally, I really do not want to reinstall, repatch, and reextragoody all my software. Is it possible to simply uninstall the hardware in window98 before powering down? TIA -- "Racing! - Science for the action minded." mark

"mark jeangerard" wrote: > I will be upgrading my core rig in a month or so and want to make sure I > don't get anything contrary to my main goal, sim racing. I will get a new > case, MB, chip, ram, sound card, and maybe a modem. My chip will be an AMD > Athlon T-Bird 1.4Ghz and I will continue to use my V5agp until it stinks.So > I need to know a few things that only the experience of this group can > answer: > > Mother Board - the guy at the store says the Asus and Abit are good. Whatis > the trick Athlon counterpart? I'm fairly conservative with my computers, > I've no problem sacrificing a little performance for stability. I would go for an Asus 266 board, preferably the A7M over A7A for best performance. There have been some issues with Abit boards regarding compatibility of late though they are renowned for being good for overclocking - which I guess you aren't going to do. > > Ram - I noticed they put a lot of letters in front of RAM now, what's the > correct ram for gaming? Is 256 necessary, or will 128 be fine? Go for 256DDR as it is very cheap now, so simply buy a 256 stick. > Sound card - SB Live? I've heard problems.... anything else that works on > everything? If you are going to get a new one I would suggest the SB Audigy. I believe it addresses the issues of the SB Live. > My modem is ISA. I thought I read somewhere that PCI modems are less > reliable in a race connection. Is there any truth to that, or am I making > shit up in my head? I need to know if I should get an ISA slot on my MB. Not heard that, wasn't it USB modems that had this problem? Hopefully someone else can confirm that before you decide as ISA slots could restrict your choice. > Finally, I really do not want to reinstall, repatch, and reextragoody allmy > software. Is it possible to simply uninstall the hardware in window98before > powering down? I regularly change all those things without reinstalling. It is a good idea to remove the software components of things you will remove (SB Live, modem) first then shutdown. Also copy the new motherboard drivers and the Windows cab files to your hard disk, you can guarantee the CD drive will be the last thing that works! Just install the motherboard first, when it has done everything and boots with all system devices sorted shutdown and add the other cards (Sound & modem) The biggest concern when swapping boards is a blue screen on startup referring to your IDE controller, don't worry. You will then be left with your HD in MSDOS compatibility mode - there is a simple registry fix for this. So don't fret! HTH Tony

The most stable AMD solution right now is the Abit KG7 which uses the AMD chipset.

>"Is it possible to simply uninstall the hardware in window98 beforepowering down?" LOL, Yall liss'n here. In Win98? yaaa ask'in fer trouble boy ! Ya reckon? -- R.I.P. - William Joseph Dunlop OBE MBE 2/25/52 - 7/2/2000 http://www.roadracers.uk.com/legend.htm

Mark, Beware of the Voodoo 5, mine only had one notch cut out on the AGP connector. My latest motherbord had two 'stops' requiring two equivelant notches. The V5 did not fit! I ended up buying a GF3 though which is great. Andi. "mark jeangerard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:53aA7.63202$[email hidden]... > I will be upgrading my core rig in a month or so and want to make sure I > don't get anything contrary to my main goal, sim racing. I will get a new > case, MB, chip, ram, sound card, and maybe a modem. My chip will be an AMD > Athlon T-Bird 1.4Ghz and I will continue to use my V5agp until it stinks.So > I need to know a few things that only the experience of this group can > answer: > > Mother Board - the guy at the store says the Asus and Abit are good. Whatis

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> the trick Athlon counterpart? I'm fairly conservative with my computers, > I've no problem sacrificing a little performance for stability. > > Ram - I noticed they put a lot of letters in front of RAM now, what's the > correct ram for gaming? Is 256 necessary, or will 128 be fine? > > Sound card - SB Live? I've heard problems.... anything else that works on > everything? > > My modem is ISA. I thought I read somewhere that PCI modems are less > reliable in a race connection. Is there any truth to that, or am I making > shit up in my head? I need to know if I should get an ISA slot on my MB. > > Finally, I really do not want to reinstall, repatch, and reextragoody all

my > software. Is it possible to simply uninstall the hardware in window98before

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> powering down? > > TIA > > -- > > "Racing! - Science for the action minded." > > mark > > >

Andi Cole wrote: > > Mark, > > Beware of the Voodoo 5, mine only had one notch cut out on the AGP > connector. My latest motherbord had two 'stops' requiring two equivelant > notches. The V5 did not fit! I ended up buying a GF3 though which is great. Good call, it does fit in the ASUS A7M266 suggested above though, which is what I'm using myself Beers and cheers (uncle) Goy "The Pits" http://www.theuspits.com/ * Spam is for losers who can't get business any other way * "Spamkiller" http://www.spamkiller.com

Tony Rickard wrote: > > Not heard that, wasn't it USB modems that had this problem? Hopefully > someone else can confirm that before you decide as ISA slots could restrict > your choice. Actually, this is true, sort of..... Most ISA modems of the past were genuine "hardware modems", whereas most today's PCI modems are "software modems" which adds a little to stability, performance and latency, which is why they are so dirt cheap Not sure if there are any DDR based boards with ISA slots anymore though, so you might end up hunting for a "hardware" PCI modem Mark, and they tend to be rather pricey One thought, regular external modems connected to the Com port, are those still "hardware modems" ? If so, how do they compare to the internal ISA/PCI modems ? Also, I know 3Com used to have a "Gaming Modem", Scott Husted used one of those, not sure if they still make them, but he claimed they lowered his latency over his previous modem, but then again, who would trust Husted......:-) Beers and cheers (uncle) Goy "The Pits" http://www.theuspits.com/ * Spam is for losers who can't get business any other way * "Spamkiller" http://www.spamkiller.com

Audigy has more problems that the SBLive in my opinion. I just got one and have had nothing but trouble since. "Tony Rickard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > "mark jeangerard" wrote: > > > I will be upgrading my core rig in a month or so and want to make sure I > > don't get anything contrary to my main goal, sim racing. I will get anew > > case, MB, chip, ram, sound card, and maybe a modem. My chip will be anAMD > > Athlon T-Bird 1.4Ghz and I will continue to use my V5agp until itstinks. > So > > I need to know a few things that only the experience of this group can > > answer: > > > > Mother Board - the guy at the store says the Asus and Abit are good.What

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> is > > the trick Athlon counterpart? I'm fairly conservative with my computers, > > I've no problem sacrificing a little performance for stability. > > I would go for an Asus 266 board, preferably the A7M over A7A for best > performance. There have been some issues with Abit boards regarding > compatibility of late though they are renowned for being good for > overclocking - which I guess you aren't going to do. > > > > Ram - I noticed they put a lot of letters in front of RAM now, what's

the > > correct ram for gaming? Is 256 necessary, or will 128 be fine? > > Go for 256DDR as it is very cheap now, so simply buy a 256 stick. > > > Sound card - SB Live? I've heard problems.... anything else that workson

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> > everything? > > If you are going to get a new one I would suggest the SB Audigy. I believe > it addresses the issues of the SB Live. > > > My modem is ISA. I thought I read somewhere that PCI modems are less > > reliable in a race connection. Is there any truth to that, or am I

making > > shit up in my head? I need to know if I should get an ISA slot on my MB. > > Not heard that, wasn't it USB modems that had this problem? Hopefully > someone else can confirm that before you decide as ISA slots couldrestrict > your choice. > > > Finally, I really do not want to reinstall, repatch, and reextragoodyall > my > > software. Is it possible to simply uninstall the hardware in window98 > before > > powering down? > > I regularly change all those things without reinstalling. It is a goodidea > to remove the software components of things you will remove (SB Live,modem) > first then shutdown. > > Also copy the new motherboard drivers and the Windows cab files to yourhard

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> disk, you can guarantee the CD drive will be the last thing that works! > > Just install the motherboard first, when it has done everything and boots > with all system devices sorted shutdown and add the other cards (Sound & > modem) > > The biggest concern when swapping boards is a blue screen on startup > referring to your IDE controller, don't worry. You will then be left with > your HD in MSDOS compatibility mode - there is a simple registry fix for > this. So don't fret! > > HTH > > Tony > > >

Systems based on the Intel P4 cannot use a 3dfx V5 5500. As Goy says, the V5 does NOT have the extra notch cut in the connectors. The V4 is a slightly newer version and IT CAN be used with a P4 although that combination doesn't strike me as too appealing. I do not believe there are any problems with a V5 5500 and AMD system boards. dave henrie "Andi Cole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:9qsdah$lr$[email hidden]... > Mark, > > Beware of the Voodoo 5, mine only had one notch cut out on the AGP > connector. My latest motherbord had two 'stops' requiring two equivelant > notches. The V5 did not fit! I ended up buying a GF3 though which isgreat.

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> > Andi. > > > "mark jeangerard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:53aA7.63202$[email hidden]... > > I will be upgrading my core rig in a month or so and want to make sure I > > don't get anything contrary to my main goal, sim racing. I will get a

new > > case, MB, chip, ram, sound card, and maybe a modem. My chip will be anAMD > > Athlon T-Bird 1.4Ghz and I will continue to use my V5agp until itstinks. > So > > I need to know a few things that only the experience of this group can > > answer: > > > > Mother Board - the guy at the store says the Asus and Abit are good.What > is > > the trick Athlon counterpart? I'm fairly conservative with my computers, > > I've no problem sacrificing a little performance for stability. > > > > Ram - I noticed they put a lot of letters in front of RAM now, what'sthe > > correct ram for gaming? Is 256 necessary, or will 128 be fine? > > > > Sound card - SB Live? I've heard problems.... anything else that workson > > everything? > > > > My modem is ISA. I thought I read somewhere that PCI modems are less > > reliable in a race connection. Is there any truth to that, or am Imaking > > shit up in my head? I need to know if I should get an ISA slot on my MB. > > > > Finally, I really do not want to reinstall, repatch, and reextragoodyall

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> my > > software. Is it possible to simply uninstall the hardware in window98 > before > > powering down? > > > > TIA > > > > -- > > > > "Racing! - Science for the action minded." > > > > mark > > > > > > > >

I just upgraded mine (again - I'm gonna piss off Windows XP Yet!). So far, it's been the most trouble-free non-Intel system I've used to date: ABIT KG7 (Standard - I don't like on-board RAID). AMD Athlon XP 1800+ (1.53 Ghz). VisionTek GeForce 3 Ti500. 512MB of RAM. Turtle Beach Santa Cruz Sound Card. Intel In-Business NIC Card. TDK 16/10/40 CDRW Drive. Pioneer DVD-113 DVD Drive. Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 40GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive. Mitsubishi DiamondPro 2060u 22" Monitor. Klipsh ProMedia 5.1 Speakers. Logitech Freedom Pro Optical Wireless Keyboard/Mouse. Windows XP RC2. Why I chose certain components: ABIT KG7 - Uses the AMD 760 North Bridge. Less troublesome than the VIA North Bridges IMHO. VERY stable motherboard. NOTE - I do not overclock. Not my thing. Don't see the point these days... The KG7 has fewer complaints about it than most any recent board, from what I've read on the newsgroups. Most complaints that are posted are related to the Highpoint RAID controller on the KG7-RAID. I prefer Add-In cards for my controllers, so I have the standard KG7. AMD Athlon XP 1800+ - Why not? :) TBSC - Most trouble-free sound card I've ever owned. Solid, Stable, RELEASE WHQL Windows XP drivers. Handles Dolby 5.1 DVD playback like a champ. Excellent sound quality. Far better card than the SB Live! IMHO. Only costs $79, and includes PowerDVD 3.0. Klipsh ProMedia 5.1 Speakers - 500 watts. Best computer speakers available. Couldn't help myself :) Mitsubishi DiamondPro 2060u 22" monitor - Again, couldn't help myself :) Excellent display. Logitech Freedom Pro Optical Wireless Keyboard/Mouse - Not sure about this one yet. I like it, and the keyboard has an excellent feel, but I need more time with the optical/wireless mouse to decide if I really like it. TDK CDRW - Just plain good performance. Excellent reliablilty. ZERO coaster count so far. GeForce 3 Ti500 - Again, why not? You can knock some components down one notch, save a LOT of money, and not miss that much. For example, you are fine with the 1.4Ghz Athlon. I had an Athlon 1.2Ghz before I upgraded to the Athlon XP 1800+. Picked up about 10% performance increase, and 700 3DMarks in 3DMark2001. GeForce 3 Ti500 - I had a Hercules GeForce 2 GTS Pro before installing this card. Yes, the new 'buzz word' features are nice to have, for the future, and I did pick up about 25% better frame rates in N4, but I remain unconvinced it was money well spent. For the money these two upgrades cost me ($550-$600 for Processor (Boxed) and GeForce Ti500 Card), it wasn't really worth it IMHO. Nice to have it, but it wasn't really necessary. If you buy a NIC, stick with an industry-standard 3COM 3C905C-TXM or Intel Pro/100. Everything and anything works with these, including Linux if you care to dabble. Stay away from the cheap soho/home user cards. Buy a NIC you'll keep for years and years. If you have room for a 22" monitor, I can't recommend them enough. There is never such a thing as enough screen real-estate. The Sony 520 is actually a _tiny_ bit better than the Mitsubishi 2060u, but it also costs twice as much. Performance of the Mitsubishi, at $850, is superb. A 22" monitor brings a new dimension to N4... Hope this helps! -Larry "mark jeangerard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:53aA7.63202$[email hidden]... > I will be upgrading my core rig in a month or so and want to make sure I > don't get anything contrary to my main goal, sim racing. I will get a new > case, MB, chip, ram, sound card, and maybe a modem. My chip will be an AMD > Athlon T-Bird 1.4Ghz and I will continue to use my V5agp until it stinks.So > I need to know a few things that only the experience of this group can > answer: > > Mother Board - the guy at the store says the Asus and Abit are good. Whatis

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> the trick Athlon counterpart? I'm fairly conservative with my computers, > I've no problem sacrificing a little performance for stability. > > Ram - I noticed they put a lot of letters in front of RAM now, what's the > correct ram for gaming? Is 256 necessary, or will 128 be fine? > > Sound card - SB Live? I've heard problems.... anything else that works on > everything? > > My modem is ISA. I thought I read somewhere that PCI modems are less > reliable in a race connection. Is there any truth to that, or am I making > shit up in my head? I need to know if I should get an ISA slot on my MB. > > Finally, I really do not want to reinstall, repatch, and reextragoody all

my > software. Is it possible to simply uninstall the hardware in window98before

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> powering down? > > TIA > > -- > > "Racing! - Science for the action minded." > > mark > > >

FWIW, I don't like the idea of 'dirty' motherboard installs. It just isn't worth the trouble it causes. False Economy... This is a good time to clean out the rafters. Back up all important documents, including mail, game settings, car setups, etc... Install the new hardware. Format the drive, and start from scratch. Once the basic Operating System, Patches and Drivers are all installed and working properly, Ghost the system to a CDR using either Ghost or DriveImage. Now, continue with adding applications, games etc... When all are installed, Ghost it again as your "Quick Recovery" image. Now copy your data and settings back. Yes, it takes more time. However, I think the effort is well worth it and pays off in stability in the long run. JMHO :) -Larry "Tony Rickard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > "mark jeangerard" wrote: > > > I will be upgrading my core rig in a month or so and want to make sure I > > don't get anything contrary to my main goal, sim racing. I will get anew > > case, MB, chip, ram, sound card, and maybe a modem. My chip will be anAMD > > Athlon T-Bird 1.4Ghz and I will continue to use my V5agp until itstinks. > So > > I need to know a few things that only the experience of this group can > > answer: > > > > Mother Board - the guy at the store says the Asus and Abit are good.What

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> is > > the trick Athlon counterpart? I'm fairly conservative with my computers, > > I've no problem sacrificing a little performance for stability. > > I would go for an Asus 266 board, preferably the A7M over A7A for best > performance. There have been some issues with Abit boards regarding > compatibility of late though they are renowned for being good for > overclocking - which I guess you aren't going to do. > > > > Ram - I noticed they put a lot of letters in front of RAM now, what's

the > > correct ram for gaming? Is 256 necessary, or will 128 be fine? > > Go for 256DDR as it is very cheap now, so simply buy a 256 stick. > > > Sound card - SB Live? I've heard problems.... anything else that workson

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> > everything? > > If you are going to get a new one I would suggest the SB Audigy. I believe > it addresses the issues of the SB Live. > > > My modem is ISA. I thought I read somewhere that PCI modems are less > > reliable in a race connection. Is there any truth to that, or am I

making > > shit up in my head? I need to know if I should get an ISA slot on my MB. > > Not heard that, wasn't it USB modems that had this problem? Hopefully > someone else can confirm that before you decide as ISA slots couldrestrict > your choice. > > > Finally, I really do not want to reinstall, repatch, and reextragoodyall > my > > software. Is it possible to simply uninstall the hardware in window98 > before > > powering down? > > I regularly change all those things without reinstalling. It is a goodidea > to remove the software components of things you will remove (SB Live,modem) > first then shutdown. > > Also copy the new motherboard drivers and the Windows cab files to yourhard

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> disk, you can guarantee the CD drive will be the last thing that works! > > Just install the motherboard first, when it has done everything and boots > with all system devices sorted shutdown and add the other cards (Sound & > modem) > > The biggest concern when swapping boards is a blue screen on startup > referring to your IDE controller, don't worry. You will then be left with > your HD in MSDOS compatibility mode - there is a simple registry fix for > this. So don't fret! > > HTH > > Tony > > >

Agreed, from personal experience. -Larry "JJ Sricklin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:SceA7.11728$[email hidden]...

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> The most stable AMD solution right now is the Abit KG7 which uses the AMD > chipset. > > > > >

I have always found external modems to be more reliable and easier to set up than internal modems, and have never noticed a difference in speed or latency. I think that is the best way to go. "Goy Larsen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > > > Tony Rickard wrote: > > > > Not heard that, wasn't it USB modems that had this problem?Hopefully > > someone else can confirm that before you decide as ISA slots couldrestrict > > your choice. > > Actually, this is true, sort of..... > > Most ISA modems of the past were genuine "hardware modems", whereasmost > today's PCI modems are "software modems" which adds a little to > stability, performance and latency, which is why they are so dirtcheap > > Not sure if there are any DDR based boards with ISA slots anymore > though, so you might end up hunting for a "hardware" PCI modem Mark,and

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> they tend to be rather pricey > > One thought, regular external modems connected to the Com port, are > those still "hardware modems" ? > > If so, how do they compare to the internal ISA/PCI modems ? > > Also, I know 3Com used to have a "Gaming Modem", Scott Husted used one > of those, not sure if they still make them, but he claimed they

lowered

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> his latency over his previous modem, but then again, who would trust > Husted......:-) > > > Beers and cheers > (uncle) Goy > > "The Pits" http://www.theuspits.com/ > > * Spam is for losers who can't get business any other way * > "Spamkiller" http://www.spamkiller.com

I agree 100%. If you want the best, and want to spend the money for it, get the 3COM Courier V.Everything. It's a corporate quality modem that has no equal. It will, however, set you back about $250. -Larry "Haqsau" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:aasA7.16247$[email hidden]...

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> I have always found external modems to be more reliable and easier to > set up than internal modems, and have never noticed a difference in > speed or latency. I think that is the best way to go. > > "Goy Larsen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:[email hidden]... > > > > > > Tony Rickard wrote: > > > > > > Not heard that, wasn't it USB modems that had this problem? > Hopefully > > > someone else can confirm that before you decide as ISA slots could > restrict > > > your choice. > > > > Actually, this is true, sort of..... > > > > Most ISA modems of the past were genuine "hardware modems", whereas > most > > today's PCI modems are "software modems" which adds a little to > > stability, performance and latency, which is why they are so dirt > cheap > > > > Not sure if there are any DDR based boards with ISA slots anymore > > though, so you might end up hunting for a "hardware" PCI modem Mark, > and > > they tend to be rather pricey > > > > One thought, regular external modems connected to the Com port, are > > those still "hardware modems" ? > > > > If so, how do they compare to the internal ISA/PCI modems ? > > > > Also, I know 3Com used to have a "Gaming Modem", Scott Husted used one > > of those, not sure if they still make them, but he claimed they > lowered > > his latency over his previous modem, but then again, who would trust > > Husted......:-) > > > > > > Beers and cheers > > (uncle) Goy > > > > "The Pits" http://www.theuspits.com/ > > > > * Spam is for losers who can't get business any other way * > > "Spamkiller" http://www.spamkiller.com >

Agreed as well. External are the best options. Netcomm roadsters are my personal pick. Rafe Mc On Sun, 21 Oct 2001 04:28:54 GMT, "Haqsau" <[email hidden]> wrote:

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>I have always found external modems to be more reliable and easier to >set up than internal modems, and have never noticed a difference in >speed or latency. I think that is the best way to go. > >"Goy Larsen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message >news:[email hidden]... >>

I agree and disagree. If you have had Windows installed for a long while and it's cluttered, slow, unstable, then yes, take the opportunity to reinstall Windows clean. But I don't see the need to format your HDD, this is not necessary. Just delete Windows and Program Files folders (or rename them). BUT the best way to go is to get Windows to remove all your current hardware and install the new hardware, drivers, etc. again. The trick is to open Regedit and delete the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/ENUM" key (and all subfolders). You MUST do this when you shutdown for the final time and then install the new harware.This will remove all current hardware, Windows will detect all the new stuff and you'll have a much easier time. Rafe Mc On Sun, 21 Oct 2001 04:09:39 GMT, "Larry" <[email hidden]> wrote:

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>FWIW, I don't like the idea of 'dirty' motherboard installs. It just isn't >worth the trouble it causes. False Economy... > >This is a good time to clean out the rafters. Back up all important >documents, including mail, game settings, car setups, etc... > >Install the new hardware. Format the drive, and start from scratch. > >Once the basic Operating System, Patches and Drivers are all installed and >working properly, Ghost the system to a CDR using either Ghost or >DriveImage. Now, continue with adding applications, games etc... When all >are installed, Ghost it again as your "Quick Recovery" image. > >Now copy your data and settings back. > >Yes, it takes more time. However, I think the effort is well worth it and >pays off in stability in the long run. > >JMHO :) > >-Larry

If you are deleting the Windows and Program Files folders, why not go the 1 extra step and format the HD? You are hopefully building up a system that will work for a long, long time. Why cut back at this point? It's a fine time to test the hard drive fully, and there's not much better way than to format it clean. To each his own :) -Larry "Rafe McAuliffe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> I agree and disagree. If you have had Windows installed for a long > while and it's cluttered, slow, unstable, then yes, take the > opportunity to reinstall Windows clean. But I don't see the need to > format your HDD, this is not necessary. Just delete Windows and > Program Files folders (or rename them). > > BUT the best way to go is to get Windows to remove all your current > hardware and install the new hardware, drivers, etc. again. The trick > is to open Regedit and delete the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/ENUM" key (and > all subfolders). You MUST do this when you shutdown for the final time > and then install the new harware.This will remove all current > hardware, Windows will detect all the new stuff and you'll have a much > easier time. > > Rafe Mc > > > On Sun, 21 Oct 2001 04:09:39 GMT, "Larry" <[email hidden]> wrote: > > >FWIW, I don't like the idea of 'dirty' motherboard installs. It just

isn't

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> >worth the trouble it causes. False Economy... > > > >This is a good time to clean out the rafters. Back up all important > >documents, including mail, game settings, car setups, etc... > > > >Install the new hardware. Format the drive, and start from scratch. > > > >Once the basic Operating System, Patches and Drivers are all installed

and > >working properly, Ghost the system to a CDR using either Ghost or > >DriveImage. Now, continue with adding applications, games etc... Whenall > >are installed, Ghost it again as your "Quick Recovery" image. > > > >Now copy your data and settings back. > > > >Yes, it takes more time. However, I think the effort is well worth itand > >pays off in stability in the long run. > > > >JMHO :) > > > >-Larry >

That's a good point. I have always taken the route of just installing the new hardware and letting Windows detect it. As a result my registry is huge, which slows down everything from bootup to minor program configuration changes. I wonder whether the steps you suggest would help clean up my existing machine? I suppose I could just back up the registry first and try it, but I'm not sure I have the bawllz, hehe. "Rafe McAuliffe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> I agree and disagree. If you have had Windows installed for a long > while and it's cluttered, slow, unstable, then yes, take the > opportunity to reinstall Windows clean. But I don't see the need to > format your HDD, this is not necessary. Just delete Windows and > Program Files folders (or rename them). > > BUT the best way to go is to get Windows to remove all your current > hardware and install the new hardware, drivers, etc. again. The trick > is to open Regedit and delete the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/ENUM" key (and > all subfolders). You MUST do this when you shutdown for the final time > and then install the new harware.This will remove all current > hardware, Windows will detect all the new stuff and you'll have a much > easier time. > > Rafe Mc > > > On Sun, 21 Oct 2001 04:09:39 GMT, "Larry" <[email hidden]> wrote: > > >FWIW, I don't like the idea of 'dirty' motherboard installs. It just

isn't

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> >worth the trouble it causes. False Economy... > > > >This is a good time to clean out the rafters. Back up all important > >documents, including mail, game settings, car setups, etc... > > > >Install the new hardware. Format the drive, and start from scratch. > > > >Once the basic Operating System, Patches and Drivers are all

installed and > >working properly, Ghost the system to a CDR using either Ghost or > >DriveImage. Now, continue with adding applications, games etc...When all > >are installed, Ghost it again as your "Quick Recovery" image. > > > >Now copy your data and settings back. > > > >Yes, it takes more time. However, I think the effort is well worthit and > >pays off in stability in the long run. > > > >JMHO :) > > > >-Larry >

On Sun, 21 Oct 2001 16:44:41 GMT, "Haqsau" <[email hidden]> wrote: >That's a good point. I have always taken the route of just installing >the new hardware and letting Windows detect it. As a result my registry >is huge, which slows down everything from bootup to minor program >configuration changes. I wonder whether the steps you suggest would >help clean up my existing machine? I suppose I could just back up the >registry first and try it, but I'm not sure I have the bawllz, hehe. It's a pretty simple fix, and does 95% of what a full clean install does. I did it when I replaced my mobo and cpu a few months ago, but thought it didn't work, I had some instabilities. So I dleleted the lot, reinstalled windows to find....Exactly the same problems!!! Turned out to be a faulty mobo (not stable at 266mhz fsb). Swapped it for a different model, deleted the ENUM registry key and it's been magical ever since. HEAPS easier than reinstalling Windoze. Rafe Mc

Rafe, Does it ask for all the drivers again, or is it able to find the ones you have installed already? Thanks, Hal "Rafe McAuliffe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> On Sun, 21 Oct 2001 16:44:41 GMT, "Haqsau" <[email hidden]> > wrote: > > It's a pretty simple fix, and does 95% of what a full clean install > does. I did it when I replaced my mobo and cpu a few months ago, but > thought it didn't work, I had some instabilities. So I dleleted the > lot, reinstalled windows to find....Exactly the same problems!!! > > Turned out to be a faulty mobo (not stable at 266mhz fsb). Swapped it > for a different model, deleted the ENUM registry key and it's been > magical ever since. HEAPS easier than reinstalling Windoze. > > Rafe Mc

"mark jeangerard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:53aA7.63202$[email hidden]... > I will be upgrading my core rig in a month or so and want to make sure I > don't get anything contrary to my main goal, sim racing. > Mother Board -the guy at the store says the Asus and Abit are good. What is > the trick Athlon counterpart? I'm fairly conservative with my computers, > I've no problem sacrificing a little performance for stability.Mark, You might like to look at M/boards using the SIS735 chipset. Tomshardware (I think) gave them good reviews and the price is right. I've just bought an ECS board (to go with an Athlon XP 1500+), which seems to be good so far and it will take either SDRAM or DDR (but not both). So you can keep your old memory now and upgrade later is money's tight. Just my 2cents... Phillip..

I don't like the idea of a dirt install either, but with hundreds of plug-ins on tens of programs... and then there's the racing folders, and each sim has multiple patches.... Does Ghost allow me to move a complete program? What does it do? Can I avoid repatching? -- "Racing! - Science for the action minded." mark "Larry" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:7UrA7.22756$%[email hidden]... > FWIW, I don't like the idea of 'dirty' motherboard installs. It just isn't > worth the trouble it causes. False Economy... > > This is a good time to clean out the rafters. Back up all important > documents, including mail, game settings, car setups, etc... > > Install the new hardware. Format the drive, and start from scratch. > > Once the basic Operating System, Patches and Drivers are all installed and > working properly, Ghost the system to a CDR using either Ghost or > DriveImage. Now, continue with adding applications, games etc... When all > are installed, Ghost it again as your "Quick Recovery" image. > > Now copy your data and settings back. > > Yes, it takes more time. However, I think the effort is well worth it and > pays off in stability in the long run. > > JMHO :) > > -Larry > > "Tony Rickard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:[email hidden]... > > "mark jeangerard" wrote: > > > > > I will be upgrading my core rig in a month or so and want to make sure I > > > don't get anything contrary to my main goal, sim racing. I will get a > new > > > case, MB, chip, ram, sound card, and maybe a modem. My chip will be an > AMD > > > Athlon T-Bird 1.4Ghz and I will continue to use my V5agp until it > stinks. > > So > > > I need to know a few things that only the experience of this group can > > > answer: > > > > > > Mother Board - the guy at the store says the Asus and Abit are good. > What > > is > > > the trick Athlon counterpart? I'm fairly conservative with my computers, > > > I've no problem sacrificing a little performance for stability. > > > > I would go for an Asus 266 board, preferably the A7M over A7A for best > > performance. There have been some issues with Abit boards regarding > > compatibility of late though they are renowned for being good for > > overclocking - which I guess you aren't going to do. > > > > > > Ram - I noticed they put a lot of letters in front of RAM now, what's > the > > > correct ram for gaming? Is 256 necessary, or will 128 be fine? > > > > Go for 256DDR as it is very cheap now, so simply buy a 256 stick. > > > > > Sound card - SB Live? I've heard problems.... anything else that works > on > > > everything? > > > > If you are going to get a new one I would suggest the SB Audigy. I believe > > it addresses the issues of the SB Live. > > > > > My modem is ISA. I thought I read somewhere that PCI modems are less > > > reliable in a race connection. Is there any truth to that, or am I > making > > > shit up in my head? I need to know if I should get an ISA slot on my MB. > > > > Not heard that, wasn't it USB modems that had this problem? Hopefully > > someone else can confirm that before you decide as ISA slots could > restrict > > your choice. > > > > > Finally, I really do not want to reinstall, repatch, and reextragoody > all > > my > > > software. Is it possible to simply uninstall the hardware in window98 > > before > > > powering down? > > > > I regularly change all those things without reinstalling. It is a good > idea > > to remove the software components of things you will remove (SB Live, > modem) > > first then shutdown. > > > > Also copy the new motherboard drivers and the Windows cab files to your > hard > > disk, you can guarantee the CD drive will be the last thing that works! > > > > Just install the motherboard first, when it has done everything and boots > > with all system devices sorted shutdown and add the other cards (Sound & > > modem) > > > > The biggest concern when swapping boards is a blue screen on startup > > referring to your IDE controller, don't worry. You will then be left with > > your HD in MSDOS compatibility mode - there is a simple registry fix for > > this. So don't fret! > > > > HTH > > > > Tony > > > > > > > >

What MB was that by the way? The unstable one? -- "Racing! - Science for the action minded." mark "Rafe McAuliffe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > On Sun, 21 Oct 2001 16:44:41 GMT, "Haqsau" <[email hidden]> > wrote: > > >That's a good point. I have always taken the route of just installing > >the new hardware and letting Windows detect it. As a result my registry > >is huge, which slows down everything from bootup to minor program > >configuration changes. I wonder whether the steps you suggest would > >help clean up my existing machine? I suppose I could just back up the > >registry first and try it, but I'm not sure I have the bawllz, hehe. > > It's a pretty simple fix, and does 95% of what a full clean install > does. I did it when I replaced my mobo and cpu a few months ago, but > thought it didn't work, I had some instabilities. So I dleleted the > lot, reinstalled windows to find....Exactly the same problems!!! > > Turned out to be a faulty mobo (not stable at 266mhz fsb). Swapped it > for a different model, deleted the ENUM registry key and it's been > magical ever since. HEAPS easier than reinstalling Windoze. > > Rafe Mc

Very good to know. And if it goes bad I'm right back to step one, which is where I'd be anyway. -- "Racing! - Science for the action minded." mark "Rafe McAuliffe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > I agree and disagree. If you have had Windows installed for a long > while and it's cluttered, slow, unstable, then yes, take the > opportunity to reinstall Windows clean. But I don't see the need to > format your HDD, this is not necessary. Just delete Windows and > Program Files folders (or rename them). > > BUT the best way to go is to get Windows to remove all your current > hardware and install the new hardware, drivers, etc. again. The trick > is to open Regedit and delete the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/ENUM" key (and > all subfolders). You MUST do this when you shutdown for the final time > and then install the new harware.This will remove all current > hardware, Windows will detect all the new stuff and you'll have a much > easier time. > > Rafe Mc > > > On Sun, 21 Oct 2001 04:09:39 GMT, "Larry" <[email hidden]> wrote: > > >FWIW, I don't like the idea of 'dirty' motherboard installs. It just isn't > >worth the trouble it causes. False Economy... > > > >This is a good time to clean out the rafters. Back up all important > >documents, including mail, game settings, car setups, etc... > > > >Install the new hardware. Format the drive, and start from scratch. > > > >Once the basic Operating System, Patches and Drivers are all installed and > >working properly, Ghost the system to a CDR using either Ghost or > >DriveImage. Now, continue with adding applications, games etc... When all > >are installed, Ghost it again as your "Quick Recovery" image. > > > >Now copy your data and settings back. > > > >Yes, it takes more time. However, I think the effort is well worth it and > >pays off in stability in the long run. > > > >JMHO :) > > > >-Larry >

An Abit KT7A, with the VIA kt133a chipset. It was OK at 200 fsb, once I set it to 266 it would lock up within 20 secs of booting up. Changed to an Iwill KK266-R and that has been legendary ever since. THE most stable mobo I've ever owned. Able to overclock to 310mhz fsb (not that I'm using that, sticking to 266 ATM) Rafe Mc On Mon, 22 Oct 2001 00:13:46 -0600, "mark jeangerard" <[email hidden]> wrote: >What MB was that by the way? The unstable one?

It will ask for the drivers again, you can either reinstall them or direct them to c:/windows or /system if you wish. Rafe Mc On Mon, 22 Oct 2001 02:09:25 GMT, "Haqsau" <[email hidden]> wrote:

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>Rafe, > >Does it ask for all the drivers again, or is it able to find the ones >you have installed already? > >Thanks, >Hal > >"Rafe McAuliffe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message >news:[email hidden]... >> On Sun, 21 Oct 2001 16:44:41 GMT, "Haqsau" <[email hidden]> >> wrote: >> >> It's a pretty simple fix, and does 95% of what a full clean install >> does. I did it when I replaced my mobo and cpu a few months ago, but >> thought it didn't work, I had some instabilities. So I dleleted the >> lot, reinstalled windows to find....Exactly the same problems!!! >> >> Turned out to be a faulty mobo (not stable at 266mhz fsb). Swapped it >> for a different model, deleted the ENUM registry key and it's been >> magical ever since. HEAPS easier than reinstalling Windoze. >> >> Rafe Mc

I would consider choosing an Athlon XP instead of the aging 1.4 Tbird. The XP's are so much faster and you can get XP 1700+ for well under $200. -Tim "mark jeangerard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:53aA7.63202$[email hidden]... > I will be upgrading my core rig in a month or so and want to make sure I > don't get anything contrary to my main goal, sim racing. I will get a new > case, MB, chip, ram, sound card, and maybe a modem. My chip will be an AMD > Athlon T-Bird 1.4Ghz and I will continue to use my V5agp until it stinks.So > I need to know a few things that only the experience of this group can > answer: > > Mother Board - the guy at the store says the Asus and Abit are good. Whatis

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> the trick Athlon counterpart? I'm fairly conservative with my computers, > I've no problem sacrificing a little performance for stability. > > Ram - I noticed they put a lot of letters in front of RAM now, what's the > correct ram for gaming? Is 256 necessary, or will 128 be fine? > > Sound card - SB Live? I've heard problems.... anything else that works on > everything? > > My modem is ISA. I thought I read somewhere that PCI modems are less > reliable in a race connection. Is there any truth to that, or am I making > shit up in my head? I need to know if I should get an ISA slot on my MB. > > Finally, I really do not want to reinstall, repatch, and reextragoody all

my > software. Is it possible to simply uninstall the hardware in window98before

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> powering down? > > TIA > > -- > > "Racing! - Science for the action minded." > > mark > > >

I did a similar thing not too long ago to my PC and just didn't bother to format harddrives etc. This was the bane of my life until I formated and reinstalled everything last week. You would not believe the difference that makes to your PC... Everything seems to run just like you bought it from the shop last week, with last weeks specs. I highly recommend formatting and reinstalling your PC after a change of processor and motherboard, if only so it boots up faster. Chris "Larry" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:7UrA7.22756$%[email hidden]... > FWIW, I don't like the idea of 'dirty' motherboard installs. It justisn't

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> worth the trouble it causes. False Economy... > > This is a good time to clean out the rafters. Back up all important > documents, including mail, game settings, car setups, etc... > > Install the new hardware. Format the drive, and start from scratch. > > Once the basic Operating System, Patches and Drivers are all installed and > working properly, Ghost the system to a CDR using either Ghost or > DriveImage. Now, continue with adding applications, games etc... When

all

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> are installed, Ghost it again as your "Quick Recovery" image. > > Now copy your data and settings back. > > Yes, it takes more time. However, I think the effort is well worth it and > pays off in stability in the long run. > > JMHO :) > > -Larry > > "Tony Rickard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:[email hidden]... > > "mark jeangerard" wrote: > > > > > I will be upgrading my core rig in a month or so and want to make sure

I

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> > > don't get anything contrary to my main goal, sim racing. I will get a > new > > > case, MB, chip, ram, sound card, and maybe a modem. My chip will be an > AMD > > > Athlon T-Bird 1.4Ghz and I will continue to use my V5agp until it > stinks. > > So > > > I need to know a few things that only the experience of this group can > > > answer: > > > > > > Mother Board - the guy at the store says the Asus and Abit are good. > What > > is > > > the trick Athlon counterpart? I'm fairly conservative with my

computers,

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> > > I've no problem sacrificing a little performance for stability. > > > > I would go for an Asus 266 board, preferably the A7M over A7A for best > > performance. There have been some issues with Abit boards regarding > > compatibility of late though they are renowned for being good for > > overclocking - which I guess you aren't going to do. > > > > > > Ram - I noticed they put a lot of letters in front of RAM now, what's > the > > > correct ram for gaming? Is 256 necessary, or will 128 be fine? > > > > Go for 256DDR as it is very cheap now, so simply buy a 256 stick. > > > > > Sound card - SB Live? I've heard problems.... anything else that works > on > > > everything? > > > > If you are going to get a new one I would suggest the SB Audigy. I

believe > > it addresses the issues of the SB Live. > > > > > My modem is ISA. I thought I read somewhere that PCI modems are less > > > reliable in a race connection. Is there any truth to that, or am I > making > > > shit up in my head? I need to know if I should get an ISA slot on myMB.

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> > > > Not heard that, wasn't it USB modems that had this problem? Hopefully > > someone else can confirm that before you decide as ISA slots could > restrict > > your choice. > > > > > Finally, I really do not want to reinstall, repatch, and reextragoody > all > > my > > > software. Is it possible to simply uninstall the hardware in window98 > > before > > > powering down? > > > > I regularly change all those things without reinstalling. It is a good > idea > > to remove the software components of things you will remove (SB Live, > modem) > > first then shutdown. > > > > Also copy the new motherboard drivers and the Windows cab files to your > hard > > disk, you can guarantee the CD drive will be the last thing that works! > > > > Just install the motherboard first, when it has done everything and

boots > > with all system devices sorted shutdown and add the other cards (Sound & > > modem) > > > > The biggest concern when swapping boards is a blue screen on startup > > referring to your IDE controller, don't worry. You will then be leftwith

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> > your HD in MSDOS compatibility mode - there is a simple registry fix for > > this. So don't fret! > > > > HTH > > > > Tony > > > > > > > >

"Rafe McAuliffe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> It will ask for the drivers again, you can either reinstall them or > direct them to c:/windows or /system if you wish. > > Rafe Mc > > On Mon, 22 Oct 2001 02:09:25 GMT, "Haqsau" <[email hidden]> > wrote: > > >Rafe, > > > >Does it ask for all the drivers again, or is it able to find the ones > >you have installed already? > > > >Thanks, > >Hal > > > >"Rafe McAuliffe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > >news:[email hidden]... > >> On Sun, 21 Oct 2001 16:44:41 GMT, "Haqsau" <[email hidden]> > >> wrote: > >> > >> It's a pretty simple fix, and does 95% of what a full clean install > >> does. I did it when I replaced my mobo and cpu a few months ago, but > >> thought it didn't work, I had some instabilities. So I dleleted the > >> lot, reinstalled windows to find....Exactly the same problems!!! > >> > >> Turned out to be a faulty mobo (not stable at 266mhz fsb). Swapped it > >> for a different model, deleted the ENUM registry key and it's been > >> magical ever since. HEAPS easier than reinstalling Windoze. > >> > >> Rafe Mc >

Well, thought I'd throw in my two cents after following this thread for a few days as I just had an "event" that made me happy I had done things a certain way. When I first installed my new Abit KT7A-RAID mobo last March I did a totally clean install of windows as I was going from a K6-III (MVP3) based system to the Athlon (KT133A) based system. I then made an image of the drive in a pristine state using Powerquest's Drive Image 4.0 and split the image into 680mb. files and burned them to CD-R making the first one bootable. I have never needed to use these disks but around the beginning of October I was thinking "I sure have installed a lot of programs and tweaked a lot of Windows settings (Win98SE)... the system is really stable so I think I'll make another image of the system so that I can go back to here instead of the pristine version I have in the vault." I did the same thing and burned those split image files to CD-R. Two weeks later I pulled the bone-head move of the week. I dl'd a data and disk utility from Western Digital's support site (Data Lifeguard Tools) and unzipped the file. I then made the mistake of clicking on the executable without reading the readme file... needless to say the readme file had a few warnings about running the program under a Windows environment... my hard drive was not trashed but my system started doing really weird things (explorer crashing, cdrom drives thrashing around like they can't find media, etc...). I restored the image file I had created a few days before and I now have my completely stable system back like I have become accustomed. CD burners are so cheap and the media for them are so cheap that I can't beleive anyone wouldn't want one just for emergency data recovery purposes alone. You certainly don't need ME or XP for rolling back to a previous version and the total time it took me to restore my system was 28 minutes. I am a strong believer in doing the complete reinstall of Windows when doing a mainboard/processor upgrade but I also think that you can save yourself some big headaches by doing some preventative backing up of system and data files as well. Regards, Robin