New system questions

[Maverick]

Hey there,

I now have my "new" system up. I got a new case, mobo, 1.4gig Tbird, CPU fan, floppy  and 512 megs ddr 266 RAM. It does seem to be faster.  

I had to go with a DFI mobo as I couln't afford the ASUS I had originally planned for. I got all of the above for under $500 locally. Given the situation I figured internet purchase was a bit risky with prices and delivery. I also had to purchase a 300 watt PS as the case only came with 250 watts.

Here is the question. The DFI uses a VIA chipset. So far so good. It is stable but I am wondering what I should be looking for in terms of problems or ways to make it perform at peak?

I still have my old Voodoo 3 3000 AGP as no money to upgrade vid card yet. Later I'll do that.

OS - Win 98
DX8.01a? (Last one they released anyhow.)
Voodoo has last drivers released.

Thanks in advance

Mav

[SKurj]

I have VIA chipset also, there are regular driver updates for the VIA chipset.  I am currently using 4.32's with good results.

Never had a problem with this rig:
duron 800@1ghz
ASUS A7V
512 mb pc133
w98se
dx8.0a
gf2 mx

SKurj

[bloom25]

Recently VIA has had a pretty good track record for the most part.  All issues that do pop up are usually fixed almost immediately with the VIA drivers.  The newest versions are usually at www.viahardware.com  first.  Currently the 4.33s are the newest and I highly recommend installing these drivers IMMEDIATELY after windows is installed.  The AGP and Bus Master drivers will give a HUGE performance boost if they were not installed.  The IRQ routing driver and INF utility are rarely updated, but neccessary for maximum stability.

I'm assuming you didn't install these from scratch, so I'll warn you that doing them now may result in an unstable system.  Regardless I still recommend downloading and installing them.  The only issue you should be aware of is the AGP mode that you select when the AGP driver is installed.  Basically "normal mode" forces AGP 1x, "turbo mode" allows 2x and 4x operation.  Since you seem to be comfortable with a computer I'd install in turbo mode and try it.  If the system is not stable either force AGP 2x mode in the bios, OR download the tiny utiltity that allows you to change to normal mode.

[FULMINE]

Hi
I have an apollo 133a based Mobo (686b south bridge) and I experienced serious problems when installing 21.xx and 12.xx drivers whit agp (4.05)driver: the viagart file was always corrupted. The only working drivers were the 8.xx. This maybe becouse I installed the 4.33 not immediately after windows installation. I had to  format  and reinstall windows, then 4.33 and now I am working w/o probs with 21.xx drivers. The 4.05 are included in the 4.33 drivers anyway.
Ide drivers must be installed separately.
My system
10f qdi mobo
celeron 800@966
256 megs pc 133
geforce 2ultra
diamond mx300 (aureal   )

Bye
Fulmine

[-lynx-]

Bloom - so what do you do when you already have them installed (earlier version)?

I installed mine as you suggest, after fresh Windows install - that was awhile back and I don't wan't to re-install it again any time soon. What if I want to upgrade VIA drivers? Do I need to (that is is there a benefit)? What's the best way?

Thanks for your help

[214thCavalier]

Just load the new drivers on top of the old always worked for me fine.

[Gunthr]

The only problem I've had with my via board (Asus CUV4X) was the Creative Labs "Live" soundcard. I spent weeks trying to get it to work, and never did. I think there is now a patch driver to solve that problem.

[bloom25]

Upgrading these drivers are not a problem.  (Though I do recommend not doing so unless you are having a problem with your computer.)

A LOT of people buy into the myth that AMD processors cause lockups, but the real (and only) issue was actually that the VIA chipset drivers that AMD processors use were not included in Windows like Intel's drivers.  It's important these be installed right after Windows.  The reason is that they alter how hardware and drivers interface with the rest of the system, so installing them after your video card drivers and directX don't allow them to work as intended.

When I do a VIA chipset based system I ALWAYS install the newest official 4 in 1s right after windows.  In addition the only card I have in the system at that point is the video card.  (In standard VGA mode still.)

Typically I do it this way (and have NEVER had any problems):

1.  Assemble system, install vid card, ram, cpu, hd, floppy, cd, etc.

2.  Enter bios and change ram timing and latency and overclock CPU (if desired).  Set ACPI and PnP OS to desired settings.

3.  Fdisk and format.  (Be sure to enable "large disk" (defaults to yes) when fdisking.)  Run a scandisk on HD.  There's nothing quite like installing windows to find the hard drive was defective from the factory.

4.  Using setup disk, install Windows by copying setup files to HD from CD and then rebooting and running setup from HD.

5.  Install newest official Via 4 in 1s.  ( I have them and a copy of winzip on a burned cd ready to go. )  If you don't have access to a CD burner to get the newest set, MBs usually come with a CD that includes a fairly recent set.  At this point also enable Ultra DMA (ATA) if the VIA busmasters didn't do it automatically.  Also set typical role to "network server" for win98 and ME.

5a.  If win98 FE, install service pack, Win2k install SP1 and SP2.  (I have these on a disk as well.  If you don't have them on a disk with all your needed drivers, you should.   )

6.  Install direct x, then video card drivers.  (They are on that CD you made right?   )

7.  Add modem, NIC, and LAST a SB sound card.  Install drivers and reboot after each device.

8.  Check device manager for exclaimation points and other possible problems.  Check "system information" for IRQ conflicts.  (Note:  If ACPI is enabled (default with win2k and preferable) all devices will be on IRQ 9 or 11.  This is NORMAL and CORRECT.)

9.  Benchmark system if desired.

10. Install programs at this point.

[Ghosth]

I have to backup Bloom on this one.

I've built 3 systems in the last 3 months.
All Abit KT7-A mboards & Tbirds.

The only problem I've run into was the known issue with via 133 chipset and sblive value effecting Hard Drives. (Was ugly but I licked it)

Like Bloom says above, load latest Via 4in1 Drivers RIGHT after windows is done. Then add your cards one at a time.

[MrRiplEy]

If installing w2k and you want to enable ATA100, please note that it's necessary to install / boot the computer using old IDE33 cable.

After installing w2k, enable ATA100, switch off the computer, change cable to ATA100 and reboot.