Operating system 2

Windows XP Home

Offline retro Windows; runs 16-bit DOS apps via NTVDM.

SP3 · 32-bit · SSD on SATA1 · Installed

Role

A light, period-correct Windows for retro software, and for running 16-bit DOS / Win3.x programs inside Windows.

32-bit XP keeps NTVDM, so Turbo Pascal and other 16-bit tools run with no reboot. XP Home is 32-bit only — which is what's wanted, since 64-bit Windows drops 16-bit support.

Setup notes

SATA mode: controller must be in IDE / Compatibility mode — XP has no native AHCI driver and blue-screens otherwise.
License: genuine OEM XP Home sticker key. Online activation is dead — use telephone activation.
Memory: uses ~3.2 GB of the 4 GB installed; the rest is unaddressable. Normal.
16-bit apps: run TURBO.EXE via NTVDM at a command prompt. (Error 200 still applies — patch Turbo Pascal the same way.)
CD audio: the analog CD-in cable feeds onboard audio — un-mute the "CD" channel in the volume control. See Sound.

Drivers to install

Asus M3N78-VM: Driver & Tools

A fresh install has generic video, no sound, no network until these are added. Get them from the ASUS M3N78-VM support page; bring them over on USB/CD since XP is offline. Install in this order, rebooting after the chipset.

1. NVIDIA nForce chipset package — "nForce MCP72/78 Chipset Package, v18.12 (chipset 4.6.4.0), Windows XP". Installs SATA/IDE, SMBus, USB and system devices. This package also contains the LAN driver (the onboard NIC is an nForce Gigabit MAC + external Realtek 8211 PHY), so no separate network download is needed. Install first, then reboot.
2. NVIDIA GeForce 8200 display driver — the integrated GPU. Use the ASUS NVIDIA VGA driver for this board, or NVIDIA's last XP-compatible GeForce driver (307.83). Then set the resolution to 1280×1024.
3. VIA HD Audio driver — the onboard codec is VIA (VT1708B / VT1828S family), driver ~v6.0.1.x. Note: it is VIA, not Realtek — the Realtek ALC662 is on the different M3N78 "SE" board.

Note

HDMI audio has its own NVIDIA HDMI driver, but it isn't needed here since the monitor is connected via VGA.

Stay offline

Security

XP is unsupported and unsafe to browse on, even at SP3. Keep it as the offline retro / 16-bit-apps machine. Linux is the internet-facing box.