Media Vision Pro Audio Spectrum

Media Vision Pro Audio Spectrum

The Media Vision Pro Audio Spectrum 16 was a popular 16-bit sound card in the early 1990s. It attempted to do to Creative Labs what Creative had previously done to Ad Lib. When it didn’t meet that goal, the company became infamous for securities fraud. Two of its executives served prison terms.

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Cutting the bloat out of Windows 95

Cutting the bloat out of Windows 95

I’ve been messing around with Windows 95 on a 486 PC. When people think of non-optional bloat and Windows 95 or 98, they usually think of Internet Explorer. But there were two non-removable components in the original Windows 95, when Internet Explorer was an afterthought in the Plus Pack, that date from Microsoft’s ambition to supplant Lotus Notes and AOL. Let’s talk about cutting the bloat out of Windows 95. Specifically, how to remove the Inbox and MSN, and reduce the minimum requirements to 17 MB.

Why would you want to do this? Disk space isn’t a problem anymore, but the bloat does slow down Windows 95’s FAT file system. There’s no software you want or need to use today on a retro Windows 95 build that needs these components, so they are just wasting space and slowing down your disk. Even if you’re using a solid state solution. I covered this back in 1999 in my book about Windows 95 and 98, but it doesn’t seem like the information is easy to get anymore, so I want to revisit it here.

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ISA vs EISA vs VLB

ISA vs EISA vs VLB

Another vintage computer enthusiast was showing me some interesting items when the topic of expansion slot buses came up. If you think PCI is confusing, wait until you hear about the things that came before PCI. Let’s dive into the slow and confusing world of ISA vs EISA vs VLB.

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486DX-50 versus DX2

486DX-50 versus DX2

The Intel 486DX-50 is a chip that puzzles many people when they encounter it. Intel released the chip at the end of June 1991, as its top of the line CPU. It wasn’t one of their success stories. Within 6 months, Intel followed up with its 486DX2 chips. The DX2 chips are extremely common today, because they were phenomenally successful. So let’s look at the 486DX-50 versus DX2, and why the DX50 failed.

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IBM 486SLC2 CPU: When a clone isn’t a clone

IBM 486SLC2 CPU: When a clone isn’t a clone

The 486 SLC2 is an oddball 486 chip made by IBM. It isn’t something anyone seems to talk about much, maybe because I’m the only one who finds its story ironic. It’s the story of a proprietary upgrade that found second life on clone motherboards. Except the clone motherboards were made by IBM themselves. If IBM made it, is it still a clone?

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How plastic can rust, sort of

How plastic can rust, sort of

Strictly speaking, plastic can’t rust. By definition, rust is iron oxide, the combination of iron and oxygen. But plastic can combine with oxygen and oxidize. It’s not rust by stretch definition, but it’s the same concept. Here’s why it can happen, and what you can do about it.

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Best retro network card

Best retro network card

What is the best retro network card? I will nominate the Intel 8/16 LAN Adapter. Depending on exactly what you need, there are other cards that can be just as good. And there are certainly faster cards. But the Intel 8/16 LAN Adapter is the most versatile. And it’s not terribly expensive.

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First generation IBM PC monitors

First generation IBM PC monitors

IBM produced and sold four monitors for the original IBM PC line. Yes, 4. These monitors were the familiar IBM 5151, IBM 5153, IBM 5154, and the obscure IBM 5175. In this blog post, I’ll explain these early and iconic IBM monitors for MDA, CGA, EGA, and the 5175, and how they relate to one another.

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386SX vs 386DX: a misunderstood difference

386SX vs 386DX: a misunderstood difference

The question of the 386SX vs 386DX is a confusing one. It always has been, even going back to when the chips were new. It doesn’t help that Intel wasn’t consistent. With the 386, SX vs DX has nothing to do with math coprocessors. It has everything to do with width of the data bus.

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Aztech sound cards: Underrated OPL3

Aztech sound cards: Underrated OPL3

Sometimes when you go through a pile of old parts, you find a diamond in the rough. An Aztech sound card is a great example. They sound like they ought to be standard fare ’90s junk, with poor compatibility and poor sound quality. But it turns out they have a genuine Yamaha OPL3 chip in them. They may be the cheapest way to get a real OPL3 left.

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