Disabling ACPI

[jim chase]

I've been rereading all the posts about ACPI with interest. especially since I decided to load Win98se on my VA-503+, AT case and supply, so I could play with USB devices. All had been fine with Win95b, except for USB.

After loading Win98 shutdown wouldn't work anymore. It would just go to a blank and then reboot. After trying all the shutdown patches and other "fixes" that didn't work I found instructions to disable ACPI at an HP BB.

"Disable Win98 ACPI if you have it:
If you want to get rid of ACPI, tweak the registry of a running Windows setup.
In the Registry under:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr ent Version\Detect
is a DWORD by the name of ACPIOption, that contains the value 1.
If not, create it.
If you set the value to 2 and start the hardware-recognition, Windows should
readjust, after the restart, everything on APM and Plug&Play-bios and recognize
all hardware again.
Bill"

After doing the above and removing the two referrences to ACPI from the device manager, system, rebooting and letting windows redetect the hardware shutdown is working great. In BIOS APM could be disabled but it didn't have an ACPI setting.

I read somewhere, maybe on this forum, that Win98 could be installed without ACPI by using a setup switch, something like setup.exe /PI. If anybody knows what the switch is please post the answer.

Thanks, Jim

[jim chase]

I love Google. Found the answer to installing without ACPI in about the fifth listing.


Installing Windows 9x without ACPI
To prevent Windows98 from enabling ACPI when you install it, you can install using the command "setup /p i".

Any other suggestions or techniques are welcome.

Jim

[brad]

Hi Jim

If there is no option for disabling ACPI in the BIOS then you went about installing wondows without it right. The option was in the BIOS of the EPox mobo I had but I guess not all mobo makers did.

I had to disable it on mine running 98-se also because it caused a wierd problem with my printer that the Epox engineers never did figure out. It would force installation of the default printer driver that windows has even though I had already installed the drivers that came with the printer. And it did it on every initial start and every restart. Wierd stuff......

Before I forget, MS has a USB patch for 98-se that you may need. The epox board didn't need it but ya never know and you you should be aware of it just in case. Hope the VA503+ runs as sweet for you as the epox mobo did for me.

Here's the MS article:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q240075

240075up.exe is the file to download.

Brad

[jim chase]

Hey Brad,

This VA503+ has been running real good, It was in the wife's computer untill it's critical demeaner with ram started cropping up. I had purchased a pair of Micron 128mb dimms for it and no ram settings would stop the occasional crash. The ram worked perfect in my SOYO so she's got it now with the Micron ram.

On a fluke (traded a k6-2/533 to a friend who couldn't run the +) I got a K6-2+/550 which runs 616mhz at the default vcore with the JE4333 bios (has k6-2+ recognition). Later I also tried a 256mb Infineon dimm that works fine on this M/B. :)

I've got two versions of Linux, Win98se and Win3.11 running on this computer, It's amazing what Win3.11 can do at 616mhz. :)

The VA503+ is the first M/B I've run into that win98se installed ACPI on. Previously I had the win98se shutdown problem with a DFI M/B but that was unrelated to ACPI, installing the miniport driver fixed that one.

Thanks for the link to the USB patch.

Jim

[brad]

There's a lot of loyal ss7 folks out there that would kill for a setup like the one you have there. USB should not be a problem, hope not anyway. I just brought that up because I'm sure you've read a ton of stuff about VIA USB problems but I never had any trouble with usb on 3 via chipsets.

Brad

[jim chase]

Brad, what brand of M/B's did you use that gave no usb problems and what kind of peripherals did you run on usb?

The only thing I've tried so far is a usb mouse. It detected and ran fine.

Jim

[brad]

Boards are:

Epox EP-MVP3-G5 with VIA MVP3 chipset

MSI K7T Pro with KT133/686A

K7T Pro2A with KT133/686B

K7T Turbo with KT133A. Alan Norman has this model and no USB problems using his webcams.

K7T266 Pro2 (KT266A) boards that I have now.

Current USB devices are a HP digital camera and HP scanner. May add a a powered hub and USB DSL modem early next year.

Brad

[alan norman]

Hi Jim

As Brad said I run a K7T Turbo with a USB Webcam. I also use a parallel Lexmark printer connected with a parallel to USB printer converter. I have never experienced any problems with USB on this system.

Bye

Alan

[q9]

Am I the only one that isn't having problems with ACPI enabled? I have used the /p j switch to install 98, 98SE and ME with no problems. In fact my current config with ME has been the most stable install I've ever had. I have been up and running for over 7 months after I found out about the release of the Hard Drive Cache fix. That fixed my only stability related issue with ME.

Unfortunately, while things are humming along so nicely I can't justify buying a new machine :mad:

[brad]

No sir, of course you're not alone....

But please don't suggest that the /p J switch is required in order for win98 setup to install ACPI support in every case, nor is it a cure-all for ACPI related problems unless the problem is no ACPI at all.

According to the win98 resource kit manual under "power management overview", it is used to force install ACPI support on systems that are not listed in some file that win98 setup refers to. Otherwise it is installed by default.

That is why some ACPI problems, wether caused by a BIOS bug or driver bug have but one cure, disable ACPI. My HP697C printer does the same thing on every system I've ever hooked it up to including my son's gateway i815/celeron box while my Lexmark installs perfectly on those same systems with ACPI enabled.

Brad

[q9]

No, I have installed 98 on some intel machines and ACPI installs without /p j. Others, like my via mvp3 needed it and so too my k7v. I guess I am lucky then that everything works quite well, then. Didn't mean it was some secret "fix", it's just how I do it.

I actually had my machine on all day yesterday without a stuff up. And it was getting a flogging too.

[brad]

Hmmmm... Never had to do that with the epox board I had. I really liked it, everything worked, no SBLive, USB, or AGP bugs. Haven't found anything wrong with VIA's KT133/A and KT266/A chipsets either. Every MSI VIA socket-a board I've had was unconditionally stable in 98-se. IMHO it is the mobo makers who create the problems. It is also true that Intel users should do some homework before switching to VIA socket-a because after all, variety is the spice of life! <g>

Brad

[q9]

I must agree with you.

The new VIA chipsets seem to be stable as anything.

That's how you win market share though, isn't it? You can't just be cheaper, you have to be better.