10.) Re-start the system. Goto the correct folder and type Setup. You should
be amazed by the awful display. Setup uses 640x480 so it will look quite bad
on the LCD display. Once you have the OS installed install your display
driver and it will automatically goto the correct 800x600 with 16-bit
color.
11.) In the System tab
in the Control Panel you will find conflicts. Change the VIA Bus Master PCI
IDE Controller to Primary Only. This will resolve the several devices with
conflicts. Luckily Windows will install the correct drivers for the Yamaha
sound from the get go.
12.) Even though Windows
will setup the modem as a standard 56k modem I recommend you use the Actiontech
drivers since these will allow higher speeds and will correctly report
your connection speed when on the internet. The modem is plugged into a COM
port on the motherboard so it is considered an external modem. The stock Win98
driver will report the COM port connection speed and not your actual connection
speed on the internet. Use the call waiting modem drivers at that link. Do
not use the V.90 Firmware Update! That update does not work with this modem
and will make it stop working. Actiontech will not provide the correct firmware
if you flash your modem and kill it.
13.) Setup any other software
you will need. I recommend you install TweakUI from the Win98 CD and use the
built in System Configuration Utility to stop all unnecessary programs from
loading at bootup.
14.) Once you are sure
everything is setup correctly you can mount the HD. This is your last chance
to move this drive onto a normal PC to move files to make sure you have everything
you need installed.
15.) I mounted the HD
to the RF shield by screwing through a couple of the ventilation holes in
the shield. I removed the stock heatsink and am using an old 586-heatsink/fan
unit from a K6. I wired the power to the second COM port, which is to the
right of the memory. Pin 9 and 10 is what you are looking for. Pin 10 is +.
This only provides 5v so this makes my 12v fan spin more slowly which helps
to keep its noise down. The CPU is cooler with this setup than the stock heatsink.
16.) I cut the RF shield
and plastic rear case to allow the heatsink to pass through. I made my hole
extra large so that in the future I can reach the clip that holds the heatsink
and the bar for the CPU socket easily. This will facilitate changing out the
CPU in the future without having to open the case.
17.) If you want to use
a Y-splitter for a mouse open the keyboard. With the PCB board inside the
keyboard to the upper left you will notice a small connector to the right
edge of the PCB. Pry the red and gray wire on the top of the connector out.
Now you can use your Y-splitter with a mouse. Curiously, the keyboard will
connect to the mouse connector and the mouse to the keyboard connector of
the Y-splitter. You can always reinsert those 2 wires should you decide to
go back to the stock pointing device.
Post Modification Observations:
Once I had configured
the system for speed I was quite impressed with just how well it runs Windows.
It's obvious that the video chipset is very weak as even a Matrix screensaver
drags the video down. While I had the unit open I corrected the out of phase
sound that drove me crazy during the I-opener review. Simply pull the wires
out of the connector that comes from one of the speakers and reverse them.
I am using a Linksys 10 MBps USB Ethernet adapter to hook up to my cable modem
network while at home and the 56K modem with a free ISP away from home. I
have hit 52k and 53.33k connections so I am quite impressed with the modem
that comes in the I-opener. If I have several different windows opened at
once I have noticed quite a slow down. This unit is screaming for more memory.
It uses laptop SODIMM memory and the max amount anyone has used successfully
is 128 MB. There is an available Winchip2 processor that supports MMX and
has a higher FPU that I am planning to try in the future.
Even after putting the
sound in phase the sound is disappointing. I should have considered changing
the speakers out while I had the unit open. You won't be able to enjoy MP3's
with the stock speakers very much. The stock display is still very crisp.
Even with the small heatsink/fan I'm currently using the CPU runs noticeably
cooler than the huge stock heatsink.
Joe Kelly has built his
Franken-Opener
with a K6-2 400 MHz processor. I recommend you view his work for ideas. The
original i-opener modification can be found at Ken Segler's linux-hacker
site. Ken also runs the
i-appliance BBS which has a wealth of information and is always being
updated by users with their experiences.
Victor Oshiro
00/05/28 
