Retro Computing on Peter Truchly

Windows 98 SE on Sandy Bridge: the debugging story

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0200

After playing with Windows XP on my “new” Optiplex 990 I asked myself a question: “Would Windows 98 SE run on this Sandy Bridge as well?” By running I mean: accelerated 3D graphics and 3D audio (EAX) without any hangs or lockups, being able to play games and run benchmarks.

Component	my Optiplex 990 configuration
CPU	Core i5 2500
Chipset	Q67 (Sandy Bridge, 6-series PCH)
RAM	4GB, 2+2, dual channel DDR3-1333
GPU	Radeon X550, 64bit (most retro part in here)
Sound	Sound Blaster Audigy (SB0090) in the PCI slot
Storage	128GB SATA (BIOS SATA == AHCI)
Other	USB keyboard and mouse, one PS/2 mouse so I could install USB drivers
Turned OFF:	onboard: GPU, NIC, sound; UEFI boot (legacy boot), all power saving/sleep states, virtualization, remote management

Table 1 — the test subject.

Old-School Graphics in C# / .Net 10, Part 3: Hidden Treasures of Old Games

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Some of the games I loved on my 386 never got a source release. The companies moved on, the toolchains died, and what remains is a couple of hundred kilobytes of 16-bit machine code on a floppy image. For years I assumed that really understanding one of these games - not just running it in DOSBox, but opening it up, seeing how it ticks, and maybe even improving it - was a job for someone with infinite patience and a decade of spare time.

Old-School Graphics in C# / .Net 8, Part 2: Fireworks and Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX, SSE)

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0100

There’s something uniquely captivating about revisiting the passions of our past. I still remember the countless hours spent tinkering with code on my old 386 and 486 PCs, mesmerized by the magic of pixels coming to life on the screen. The simplicity of those days, where an array of pixels and a spark of imagination were all you needed, still holds a special place in my heart. Inspired by that nostalgia, I decided to breathe new life into one of my early projects - a 2D firework simulation - using modern tools and techniques. I am using Mode-13HX as a basis today, for more details please check my previous part: Old-School Graphics in C# / .Net 8, Part 1.

Old-School Graphics in C# / .Net 8, Part 1: Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks (Introducing Mode 13hx)

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0100

I began my journey with computers and programming during the era of 386 PCs, a time when DOS games ruled and sparked endless curiosity. I remember playing those games and wondering how they were created. It wasn’t long before I discovered Mode 13h - a graphics mode that perfectly fit within a 64kB page in 16-bit code, thanks to its 8 bits per pixel, 256-color palette, and 320×200 resolution.

Many years and APIs have passed since, but every now and then, I feel nostalgic for that simpler time. Back then, all we had was an array of pixels and an idea - and that was all we needed. I recall the breathtaking graphical demos that showcased incredible creativity, often categorized by their size. Some were only a few kilobytes but managed to display complex scenes with textures, geometry, animations, and even synchronized music.