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I have an old PC with the following hardware components:

Motherboard: AMI TITAN II EISA rev.D
RAM: 48MB of 4 SIMM
CPU: 154C Pentium (tm)
BIOS: 711011596
HDD1: SCSI controller adapter through PCI (PCI)
GPU: VGA MIRO 40SV ergo.(PCI)\ MATROX-Board: 640 | 1280 (ISA)\ (If you have a manual of this board in English, please do share to me)
Controller: Logitech Mouse (Serial 9pin)
Network card: unknown but it has ETHERNET RJ45 / COAX/ THICK LAN (ISA)

This machine hasn't been used for around 14 years, but we now need to make it work because it's connected to an Emission Microscope that requires a proprietary software for operation. Unfortunately, we no longer have the installation diskette for the software, so reinstalling Windows is not an option.

Here are the issues I'm facing:

CMOS RTC Battery Replacement: The CMOS RTC battery was dead, and replacing it wiped the NVRAM memory. I need guidance on how to reconfigure the BIOS settings properly, considering the hardware components.

MATROX-Board Configuration: After attempting to use the EISA Configuration Utility to configure the MATROX board, the screen went blank with 8 beeps from AMI. This suggests a possible conflict in RAM allocation. How can I resolve this issue and properly configure the MATROX board?

MIRO GPU Driver Issue: After installing the MIRO GPU driver, my "main.grp" file disappeared, and the mouse stopped working. Unable to recreate group because the file is invalid or corrupted. How can I troubleshoot and fix these problems related to the GPU driver?

Backup Clone HDD Error: I have a backup clone HDD, but when I swap it in, DOS shows an error saying "command.com" is incorrect. What steps should I take to address this issue?

Additionally, I'm considering connecting the hard drive to a modern computer to explore possible solutions. What adapters or methods should I use to connect the legacy hard drive to a modern system and address these issues?

I appreciate any insights and advice on how to tackle these problems and get this old PC up and running with the necessary configuration for the Emission Microscope software.

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  • I'm assuming you have custom cards in this machine, and they will definitely have IRQ's and IO addresses that need to be set in the bios as excluded. with a little luck, you might find these labled on the cards.
    – camelccc
    Commented Nov 8, 2023 at 23:31
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    to use the clone HDD, I'd simply re-clone, and then re-install msdos to the re-cloned HDD using the original system. so the boot sector's get written to the right place
    – camelccc
    Commented Nov 8, 2023 at 23:33
  • Hello camelcc. You're correct. they are proprietary and indeed have to address IRQ's and IO. Also the miro card actually for the miro crt monitor which project from the microscope. The computer + joystick + second monitor, they are only for controlling the movement inside the scope and capture image. Somehow, i can't navigate through norton backup to reclone it. I need the mouse to work to reclone. And there is no label on the cards, the card has no manual. I don't know why in 1992 they don't include something like that in a unit that price.
    – CluelessENGR
    Commented Nov 9, 2023 at 2:46
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    Well, it was probably considered a service item at the time, and re-running the eisa setup has likely made things more difficult. is this windows 3.0 or 3.1 ?
    – camelccc
    Commented Nov 9, 2023 at 13:58
  • If you have configured the matrox board onto an io conflict, I see little option but to remove the other cards to get the card to get the eisa config to run, the trouble is this is going to be a lot of guessing. I'd look on the cards very carefully, often the jumpers are labled. If not, id try and find any .ini files that might give a clue. As far as re-cloning is concerned, one can simply re-install dos to a new (used) drive, and then copy the files across. Should work for all versions of windows 3.x. The mouse not working is indicating IRQ conflict on the serial port
    – camelccc
    Commented Nov 9, 2023 at 14:17

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