P3V4X

[pisst316]

I have a P3V4X. It is a Pentium 3 533mhz with a _via chipset_.
According to the manual, it features the VIA VT82C694X system
controller and VIA VT82C596B PCI to ISA Bridge with support for AGP 4x
mode. I want to upgrade to windows xp (full version). I have 256mb pc
100 ram. My main concern is the bios. I have version 1001.

Do I have to update the bios to get the windows xp to work properly?

I'm not interested in power saving features/hibernation mode. I don't
believe I have a problem graphics card. It's a Ati Rage Fury 32mb. I
also have Hitachi cd/dvd player and LG cd burner. I tried
_downloading_ windows xp advisor, but it had a general "error" message
after attemping to download additional software during installation. I
would prefer not to mess with the bios, if I don't have to. Seems to
complicated a procedure.
To complicate things further, I have an Aureal Vortex Advantange sound
card which has _limited support_ in windows xp ,(sound may work for a
few minutes to a few hours), from what I hear. I am not a gamer, but
I do use several media players to play dvd's, cd's, mp3's, divx, etc.

I'm using windows 98se and haven't had any multimedia problems. I have
DSL. My system meets the recommended specs, for windows XP. Should I?
Any experiences with similar set ups?

 

[BigJim]

I would upgrade the bios and windows xp should run fine on it. adding a
little more memory would not be a bad idea

 

[Guest]

I know this board and WInXP setup. (And the soundcard
BTW) I don't know how much memory you have but chances
are you'll need more (unless you're running Win2000 and
it's fast enough for you.

You should update the BIOS - it's really no big deal -
takes a minute - to be absolutely sure you don't have a
problem ensure!! you get the BIOS file for YOUR board
(down to the PCB rev if applicable) and if you live in a
place where there are lots of power outtages use a
battery backup just for the update.

When they say "limited support" for the soundcard they
mean it. It'll work (front speakers only) and you will
not have any of the EQ or other advanced features
available that you have/had under Win9x. To bad because
it's a good little piece of hardware. I'd also suggest a
CPU upgrade - you can get an Upgradeware Tualatin
converter (upgradeware.com) - works fine in that board
and a Celeron 1.4 (those have 256 l2 cache - they're fsat
little processors) and with enough memory (min 256 but
more's better) your PC will run XP just fine.

Good Luck

Gery
www.elementcanada.com

 

[Darkfalz]

I have a P3V4X. It is a Pentium 3 533mhz with a _via chipset_.
According to the manual, it features the VIA VT82C694X system
controller and VIA VT82C596B PCI to ISA Bridge with support for AGP 4x
mode. I want to upgrade to windows xp (full version). I have 256mb pc
100 ram. My main concern is the bios. I have version 1001.

Do I have to update the bios to get the windows xp to work properly?

I'm not interested in power saving features/hibernation mode. I don't
believe I have a problem graphics card. It's a Ati Rage Fury 32mb. I
also have Hitachi cd/dvd player and LG cd burner. I tried
_downloading_ windows xp advisor, but it had a general "error" message
after attemping to download additional software during installation. I
would prefer not to mess with the bios, if I don't have to. Seems to
complicated a procedure.
To complicate things further, I have an Aureal Vortex Advantange sound
card which has _limited support_ in windows xp ,(sound may work for a
few minutes to a few hours), from what I hear. I am not a gamer, but
I do use several media players to play dvd's, cd's, mp3's, divx, etc.

I'm using windows 98se and haven't had any multimedia problems. I have
DSL. My system meets the recommended specs, for windows XP. Should I?
Any experiences with similar set ups?

I'm running XP on a P3V4X based Pentium 3 system, and it works fine. It's a
good idea to update your BIOS anyway to 1005.

XP has built in drivers for many older ATI cards, and probably has one for
your sound card.

 

[pisst316]

I installed windows xp three days ago. Right now it's running very
well. I did not update the bios. No shutdown problems. No start up
problems. I used all the optimization options. Disabled
Indexing,"Classic Look", very stable.

 

[Kelly]

Great post, thank you! We never get to read the good stuff, only the bad.
)

 

[Anon Amous]

That puts a smile on my face since I am still using my original P3V4X (with
a Pentium III 700 MHz cpu).