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Welcome to Oldschooldaw.com! (Online since 2014) serving vintage computers worldwide! this is our NEW WEBHOST as we've moved from our OLD GODADDY to a brand new server location to start off 2026. thanks to Godaddy for hosting the site for 11 years and a big thank you to IONOS.COM for the great pricing going forward! this site exists as a resource for historical archival of information + file resources neccessary to make use of vintage computer hardware + vintage music composition software that runs on those old platforms. conceived conceptually by Chris Nova to address the problem of missing information + missing chronological references caused due to this information slightly predating the creation of the modern internet, much of the information here has been sourced from magazines + books as well as scraped from other websites that have since gone offline and wont be coming back.
Welcome to Oldschooldaw.com! (Online since 2014) serving vintage computers worldwide! this is our NEW WEBHOST as we've moved from our OLD GODADDY to a brand new server location to start off 2026. thanks to Godaddy for hosting the site for 11 years and a big thank you to IONOS.COM for the great pricing going forward! this site exists as a resource for historical archival of information + file resources neccessary to make use of vintage computer hardware + vintage music composition software that runs on those old platforms. conceived conceptually by Chris Nova to address the problem of missing information + missing chronological references caused due to this information slightly predating the creation of the modern internet, much of the information here has been sourced from magazines + books as well as scraped from other websites that have since gone offline and wont be coming back.
Recent Posts
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Windows 3.x (May 1990) / win3.x can recognize up to a 8gb drive but needs partitioned in 2gb parts
« Last post by chrisNova777 on September 11, 2026, 10:08:51 AM »if your trying to use windows 3.x
make sure to use actual media with
-total space no larger than 8gb per drive (8gb, 4gb, 2gb, 1gb etc)
-partition size max of 2gb
if using a drive larger than 2gb formatted to FAT16,
2gb is the largest partition size available with the fat16 filesystem
partition sizes must be under 2gb
make sure to use actual media with
-total space no larger than 8gb per drive (8gb, 4gb, 2gb, 1gb etc)
-partition size max of 2gb
if using a drive larger than 2gb formatted to FAT16,
2gb is the largest partition size available with the fat16 filesystem
partition sizes must be under 2gb
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Digidesign Pro Tools / Re: Pro Tools 3.4free on OS9?
« Last post by chrisNova777 on September 06, 2026, 12:57:27 PM »beccause these programs interact with the built in hardware that is in a powermac g3/g4
u need a real powermac g3/g4 you cant use emulation as far as i know
with any digidesign programs they are all based on hardware integration even the free version was built around using hte hardware that was alraedy pre-existing in a real powermac g3/g4
im afraid u wont get very far with emulation
nothing here in my website is based on emulation because of this fact.
u would only be able to use software with no hardware requirements with emulation
u need a real powermac g3/g4 you cant use emulation as far as i know
with any digidesign programs they are all based on hardware integration even the free version was built around using hte hardware that was alraedy pre-existing in a real powermac g3/g4
im afraid u wont get very far with emulation
nothing here in my website is based on emulation because of this fact.
u would only be able to use software with no hardware requirements with emulation
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Digidesign Pro Tools / Pro Tools 3.4free on OS9?
« Last post by weindor094 on September 05, 2026, 03:53:20 AM »Hi,
I am looking to try out Pro Tools 3.4 Free on OS 9, or 8. I plan to buy a laptop specifically for this purpose, but at the moment I am testing it out in Sheepshaver (in case buying an MPC is a better decision.) However, I am finding oakbog's instructions somewhat confusing. It mentions copying over the Digidesign folder, which is implied to be on the CD, but there doesn't seem to be an upload of the CD anywhere. It also mentions running DAE and "changing the Buffer Size from the file menu", but my DAE just does the opening animation, and does not actually run.
Is it possible this is a Sheepshaver specific issue, or am I missing something?
Thanks to anyone who can help explain this to me. I am dumb.
I am also interested in Pro Tools 5 Free, but that just plain out crashed, and would just error out afterwards.
I am looking to try out Pro Tools 3.4 Free on OS 9, or 8. I plan to buy a laptop specifically for this purpose, but at the moment I am testing it out in Sheepshaver (in case buying an MPC is a better decision.) However, I am finding oakbog's instructions somewhat confusing. It mentions copying over the Digidesign folder, which is implied to be on the CD, but there doesn't seem to be an upload of the CD anywhere. It also mentions running DAE and "changing the Buffer Size from the file menu", but my DAE just does the opening animation, and does not actually run.
Is it possible this is a Sheepshaver specific issue, or am I missing something?
Thanks to anyone who can help explain this to me. I am dumb.
I am also interested in Pro Tools 5 Free, but that just plain out crashed, and would just error out afterwards.
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Windows XP (Oct 2001) / Re: myPal Browser for XP is a MUST HAVE in 2024 - clone of firefox 68
« Last post by chrisNova777 on August 31, 2026, 04:03:18 AM »ive just reinstalled xp and using http://legacyupdate.net to update to the latest patches
have to launch it thru iexplorer and it works great
im running mypal 78 now
https://www.reddit.com/r/windowsxp/comments/1ru3f5c/mypal_browser_on_windows_xp_is_incredible/
pentium E5700 cpu @ 3ghz released in august 2010 (16 years ago!)
https://technical.city/en/cpu/Pentium-E5700
p5gcmx1333 motherboard
https://www.asus.com/ca-en/supportonly/p5gcmx1333/helpdesk_download/
220gb sata drive WD scorpio blue (laptop drive)
4b ddr2 ram (full size Desktop DDR2 ram)
Atheros Attansic L2 nic built in (10/100 ethernet)
great for using old software
have to launch it thru iexplorer and it works great
im running mypal 78 now
https://www.reddit.com/r/windowsxp/comments/1ru3f5c/mypal_browser_on_windows_xp_is_incredible/
pentium E5700 cpu @ 3ghz released in august 2010 (16 years ago!)
https://technical.city/en/cpu/Pentium-E5700
p5gcmx1333 motherboard
https://www.asus.com/ca-en/supportonly/p5gcmx1333/helpdesk_download/
220gb sata drive WD scorpio blue (laptop drive)
4b ddr2 ram (full size Desktop DDR2 ram)
Atheros Attansic L2 nic built in (10/100 ethernet)
great for using old software
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Windows XP (Oct 2001) / Re: Windows XP Activation
« Last post by chrisNova777 on August 31, 2026, 01:57:14 AM »
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IBM PC 16bit / 16bit windows applications do not run on any 64bit versions of windows!
« Last post by chrisNova777 on August 29, 2026, 02:51:32 PM »Out of the box, Microsoft dropped support for 16-bit code in 64-bit Windows because x86-64 processors cannot run 16-bit real-mode or protected-mode code natively while operating in 64-bit Long Mode, and Microsoft chose not to include NVDM (NT Virtual DOS Machine) on 64-bit OS architectures.
However, you can easily run 16-bit Windows 3.x applications natively on modern 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 using third-party translation layers and emulators.Ways to run 16-bit software on 64-bit Windowswinevdm (OTVDM): An open-source translation layer that translates 16-bit Windows API calls directly into 64-bit Windows calls. It integrates directly into Windows File Explorer, allowing legacy .exe files to run seamlessly alongside modern applications without launching a full virtual machine.DOSBox / DOSBox-X: Ideal for 16-bit DOS executables or running Windows 3.1 inside an emulated DOS environment.Virtual Machines (Hyper-V, VirtualBox, VMware): Running a 32-bit guest OS (like 32-bit Windows XP or Windows 7) inside a virtual machine allows full access to NVDM support for running legacy 16-bit software.
but for real support for 16bit applications you must run a 32bit version of windows!
That remains the only way to get native, Microsoft-supported 16-bit execution directly on the host OS.
32-bit editions of Windows (from Windows NT 3.1 all the way through 32-bit Windows 10) include NVDM (NT Virtual DOS Machine) and WOWexec (Windows on Windows). These subsystems leverage the CPU's Virtual 8086 mode and 16-bit protected mode to map 16-bit Windows 3.x API calls directly to the 32-bit Win32 API without third-party tools.
However, choosing to run a 32-bit OS comes with real trade-offs:
Memory Wall: You are strictly limited to 4 GB of system RAM (practically ~3.25 to 3.5 GB usable due to memory-mapped I/O allocations).
Driver & Hardware Limits: Modern motherboard chipsets, USB controllers, and graphics processors no longer supply 32-bit drivers, preventing installation on contemporary hardware.
End of Life: Microsoft officially discontinued 32-bit OEM installations starting with Windows 10 Version 2004, and Windows 11 is exclusively 64-bit.
For a host machine needing full compatibility with modern RAM sizes, multi-core processing, and modern PCIe hardware while maintaining official NVDM support, running a 32-bit Windows guest inside a Hyper-V or VirtualBox VM is the standard workaround.
However, you can easily run 16-bit Windows 3.x applications natively on modern 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 using third-party translation layers and emulators.Ways to run 16-bit software on 64-bit Windowswinevdm (OTVDM): An open-source translation layer that translates 16-bit Windows API calls directly into 64-bit Windows calls. It integrates directly into Windows File Explorer, allowing legacy .exe files to run seamlessly alongside modern applications without launching a full virtual machine.DOSBox / DOSBox-X: Ideal for 16-bit DOS executables or running Windows 3.1 inside an emulated DOS environment.Virtual Machines (Hyper-V, VirtualBox, VMware): Running a 32-bit guest OS (like 32-bit Windows XP or Windows 7) inside a virtual machine allows full access to NVDM support for running legacy 16-bit software.
but for real support for 16bit applications you must run a 32bit version of windows!
That remains the only way to get native, Microsoft-supported 16-bit execution directly on the host OS.
32-bit editions of Windows (from Windows NT 3.1 all the way through 32-bit Windows 10) include NVDM (NT Virtual DOS Machine) and WOWexec (Windows on Windows). These subsystems leverage the CPU's Virtual 8086 mode and 16-bit protected mode to map 16-bit Windows 3.x API calls directly to the 32-bit Win32 API without third-party tools.
However, choosing to run a 32-bit OS comes with real trade-offs:
Memory Wall: You are strictly limited to 4 GB of system RAM (practically ~3.25 to 3.5 GB usable due to memory-mapped I/O allocations).
Driver & Hardware Limits: Modern motherboard chipsets, USB controllers, and graphics processors no longer supply 32-bit drivers, preventing installation on contemporary hardware.
End of Life: Microsoft officially discontinued 32-bit OEM installations starting with Windows 10 Version 2004, and Windows 11 is exclusively 64-bit.
For a host machine needing full compatibility with modern RAM sizes, multi-core processing, and modern PCIe hardware while maintaining official NVDM support, running a 32-bit Windows guest inside a Hyper-V or VirtualBox VM is the standard workaround.
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Windows 7 (Aug 2009) / installing windows 7 on a nvme SSD and being able to boot>?
« Last post by chrisNova777 on August 29, 2026, 02:48:16 PM »To boot Windows 7 directly from an NVMe drive, the process requires a specific installation approach along with two updates.
1. You Need TWO Updates (Not Just One)
If you only install the main NVMe update, Windows 7 will crash during boot with a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD error 0x0000007E). Microsoft released a companion hotfix to fix this crash:
KB2990941: Adds the native NVMe driver (stornvme.sys) to Windows 7.
KB3087873: Fixes the BSOD 0x0000007E crash caused by the NVMe driver during boot/hibernation.
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Windows 98 (Jun 1998) / always use SUPPORTED HARDWARE disable onboard NIC + use supported PCI nic
« Last post by chrisNova777 on August 27, 2026, 03:40:38 AM »when trying to get compatibility with win9x
its better to use 10/100 nic instead of gigabit ethernet as it will be unstable
+ cause VXD problems...
better to use an old 3com card instead of trying to get the onboard nic to work in win9x
which can be very hard
and problematic
this was the case for me with a Asus P5PE-VM (865G chipset) that had a marvell yukon gigabit ethernet... it doesnt behave in win9x even with a proper win9x driver .. xp + up and it works great
its better to use 10/100 nic instead of gigabit ethernet as it will be unstable
+ cause VXD problems...
better to use an old 3com card instead of trying to get the onboard nic to work in win9x
which can be very hard
and problematic
this was the case for me with a Asus P5PE-VM (865G chipset) that had a marvell yukon gigabit ethernet... it doesnt behave in win9x even with a proper win9x driver .. xp + up and it works great
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Windows 98 (Jun 1998) / Re: been struggling with a Slot 370 motherboard's usb controller freezing win9x
« Last post by chrisNova777 on August 26, 2026, 03:29:25 PM »wow now the motehrboard just stopped booting up... some retro hardware is just haunted.. time to throw this one in the bin. SIS 630E chipset can suck it