Multifaceted Issue

[Vingilot]

Ok, where to start? At the beginning I suppose...

My parent's system. I've been working on it intermittently since they bought it 3 years ago tweaking things, smoothing it out, making sure defrag gets done every so often, etc.
Win 98se
asus a7v333
geforce 4 ti4200
512mb ddr

Things have been going a little wierd since about 6 months ago. BSOD's, lockups, wordpad refusing to open anything, etc.

SO, I figured it was about time for a fdisk/clean install (3 years is a long time) I picked up an external 10gig hdd for backups, and decided to get them a new hardware modem (USR 5610) while I was at it to replace the old intel winmodem.

Ok, done and done. 98se installed, video drivers installed. I looked for the motherboard drivers online, but all i could find on the asus site was drivers for the onboard audio...no chipset drivers. :confused:

I installed the new modem just fine using the manufacturers driver disk. Windows says everything is groovy, but when I reinstalled Juno for their internet service, it tells me that I have the wrong drivers installed. *shrug* It connects anyway at a lovely 49.3 (much better than the 24k they had with the winmodem) BUT, it randomly disconnects, sometimes after 30 seconds, sometimes as long as a half hour. Ok, thats not gonna work then. I added an init string (s32-32, something like that) to the dialup sequence that seemed to stabilize the connection, but dropped the speed to 14.4k. That's no good either...So I finally decided to uninstall and put the old winmodem back in, except windows won't recognize it. :mad:

Ok, take a break for a while. I throw in Civ3 (always one of my favorites), install, press PLAY..."please insert play disk" Doublecheck, yup, its in there. My Computer>Drive D- "Civ 3". Yup. Press "PLAY" again. "please insert play disk"

*sigh*

Decide to go fiddle with the BIOS a bit and see if anything's out of whack. PnP is disabled, so I enable it and reboot. Get a lockup immediately following post. After 4-5 attempts, I finally manage to get back into the BIOS and disable PnP again. No more lockups, Windows boots up normally, but still stuck with the same issues as before.

At this point I throw my hands in the air and contemplate buying another mobo to see if it helps any. Anyone have any ideas?

[saphalline]

Welcome to the PC Guide Forums!! :D

I looked for the motherboard drivers online, but all i could find on the asus site was drivers for the onboard audio...no chipset drivers.No no no! I think I'm gonna have to write a driver guide or something. People keep looking in the wrong places for drivers.

*sigh* Sorry, not your fault. It's just been frustrating me lately...

Anyway, you need to download the driver for the device from the manufacturer of that device. Asus didn't make the chipset. They just made the mobo. Asus will have the onboard audio driver (since they used a different one than the chipset uses by default) and they will also have the BIOS updates. But VIA made the chipset, so they have the chipset drivers. Go to VIA Arena (http://www.viaarena.com/default.aspx?PageID=2) for the drivers.

Once you install the chipset drivers (which at this point might require a reinstallation of Win98) it should fix things. Win98 is way too old to have default drivers for the KT333/A chipset.

[Vingilot]

Thanks for the response :)

I misspoke earlier. Its an a7s333. I followed your advice and checked the SiS website for chipset drivers. Unfortunately, theres none to be found there either. Then, a windfall! I found the original driver disk for the board. At least I could get the original drivers on there (or so I thought). Alas, there's no chipset drivers on the original packaged software either!!

I proceeded to rape and pillage several small settlements, then got down to the business of rational thought.

Considering the scope of problems, which persisted even after a full reformat, I've decided to go ahead and order a new mainboard. My parents don't use it for much besides email/surfing/word processing, so I think I can get away with keeping the cpu and go as cheaply as I possibly can. However, I'm headed out of town in January, so the thing has to be rock solid before I go.

What I'm looking for now is suggestions. Socket A, cheap, and above all, STABLE! I'm pretty sure an Nforce2 is the way to go, but are there any in particular you folks would recommend? I found a Microstar K7N2GM-L on pricewatch for 40 bucks, which would seem to fit the bill, but I'd be willing to pay double that if it meant more stability and less hassle.

I'd even consider upgrading the OS to 2000, if that might help, but my religion prevents me from even considering xp. (big brother, and all that)

Again, your help is most appreciated.

[saphalline]

Oooh... Socket A pickings are slim on Newegg these days. Here's a couple examples of good mobo's in the $50-60 range:

Biostar M7NCD Ultra (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138236) (NForce2 Ultra 400)
MSI K7N2 Delta-FSR (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130512) (NForce2 Ultra 400)
Biostar M7NCG 400 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138234) (NForce2 IGP)

Otherwise, your friendly neighborhood PC shop should have Socket A mobo's in the bargain bins by now. I've seen some awesome deals on good Socket A mobo's recently myself and the results are unreal. I saw a basic Abit mobo using the VIA KT600 chipset in the bargain bin of a PC shop nearby me for just $36! :eek: Not a bad deal at all! I'd stick to just 4 chipsets right now for a bargain basement price: VIA KT400A, VIA KT600, NVidia NForce2 IGP (for onboard video), and NVidia NForce2 Ultra 400 (or the NForce2 400). I'd also stick to good manufacturers, like Biostar, Asus, Abit, Gigabyte, MSI, and Soltek. That list should get you started, and those chipsets should have readily available drivers online.