I recently came into the second of two Compaq Deskpro EN systems. This one
is a Pentium III 866. I almost came home with a whole pallet of them...as
the sellers were tired of looking at them and asked me to make an offer on
the whole pallet.
I didn't, even though I could conceivably use that many.
Anyway...system runs great, but the onboard sound doesn't work at all. I've
got the drivers loaded for the onboard SoundMAX audio and everything looks
good there. Audio is enabled in the BIOS and the internal speaker works
fine. I just can't get any output from any source. Neither the internal
speaker nor a set of known working external speakers will produce any sound.
Since the other Deskpro EN (same box, same board, Celeron 600MHz CPU)
produced sound immediately after loading the drivers, I can only suppose
that the sound circuitry in the PIII box is broken somehow.
For now I've installed an old Soundblaster PCI card...that does produce
sound but I'd really prefer to play the sounds through the system's internal
speaker...it would be two less pieces of clutter to have kicking around.
Oh, and while on the subject...is there any way to specifically identify
these systems so that a person doesn't have to wade through countless
Deskpro EN models on the HP/Compaq website? I sure can't find any specific
model # on either system, and the only sticker on the exterior apart from
the Windows COA is an overview of the system hardware.
Yeah, Bill, Compaq did not do a stellar job of helping people identify the
various DeskPro EN systems. The only suggestion I can make is to look for a
transparent decal somewhere on the front or side of the chassis.
In addition to the obvious differences like small form factor versus normal
desktop case, there are variations in motherboard and power supply just to mess
up us all.
For the mute system, you might examine the motherboard and find the audio chip.
From the markings on the audio chip, you can figure out which drivers to
install. I have a feeling that the ADI SoundMax driver installer is not the
most sophisticated in the world, and you may have a mismatch between drivers and
audio chip.
If you have a market for these DeskPros, they are solidly made and reliable
systems, far and away the best designed Compaq desktops of their era. The
Presarios from the same decade are definitely pieces of junk. Unfortunately,
the market for P3 systems in my neighborhood has all but dried up. I last sold
a P3 DeskPro SFF system to someone with little budget and even less space maybe
9 or 10 months ago. Since then, P3 systems have been arriving here as either
trade-ins or simply removals... Ben Myers
On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 04:51:20 GMT, "William R. Walsh"
<newsgroups1@idontwantjunqueemail.walshcomptech.co m> wrote:
>Hello all...
>
>I recently came into the second of two Compaq Deskpro EN systems. This one
>is a Pentium III 866. I almost came home with a whole pallet of them...as
>the sellers were tired of looking at them and asked me to make an offer on
>the whole pallet.
>
>I didn't, even though I could conceivably use that many.
>
>Anyway...system runs great, but the onboard sound doesn't work at all. I've
>got the drivers loaded for the onboard SoundMAX audio and everything looks
>good there. Audio is enabled in the BIOS and the internal speaker works
>fine. I just can't get any output from any source. Neither the internal
>speaker nor a set of known working external speakers will produce any sound.
>Since the other Deskpro EN (same box, same board, Celeron 600MHz CPU)
>produced sound immediately after loading the drivers, I can only suppose
>that the sound circuitry in the PIII box is broken somehow.
>
>For now I've installed an old Soundblaster PCI card...that does produce
>sound but I'd really prefer to play the sounds through the system's internal
>speaker...it would be two less pieces of clutter to have kicking around.
>
>Oh, and while on the subject...is there any way to specifically identify
>these systems so that a person doesn't have to wade through countless
>Deskpro EN models on the HP/Compaq website? I sure can't find any specific
>model # on either system, and the only sticker on the exterior apart from
>the Windows COA is an overview of the system hardware.
>
>William
>
> Yeah, Bill, Compaq did not do a stellar job of helping people identify the
> various DeskPro EN systems. The only suggestion I can make is to look
for a
> transparent decal somewhere on the front or side of the chassis.
Hmmm...well, I guess I'll be wondering for a while then! I didn't find any
such label on the system. Perhaps it was lost to the sands of time, maybe it
was never there.
This is a good sized case... it has two 5.25" bays which are externally
accessible (one with a CD-RW drive), one 3.5" bay for the floppy and space
for two hard drives internally. (And...Compaq came up with a truly ingenious
way of mounting the internal hard drives. It took me a little bit to figure
out what they had in mind, but I got it. The extra screws that are in the
bottom of the case are a nice touch as well.)
> For the mute system, you might examine the motherboard and find the
> audio chip.
I did. IIRC it's an AD1885. I also found a Philips audio amp for the
internal speaker. The amp is definitely alive--I could run my fingers across
it or put a signal on the inputs with a set of test probes and hear it come
out of the speaker.
> If you have a market for these DeskPros, they are solidly made and
> reliable systems, far and away the best designed Compaq desktops
> of their era.
I haven't tried to find a market, but I probably could still get one going
if I wanted to. There actually is something of a decent market for
relatively new secondhand computers. These Compaqs will still hold their own
for most work.
I like the design of the case. The motherboard looks to be one of the last
true Compaq designs, and I'd swear there are the initials of the designers
printed along the edge of the board....something Compaq used to do quite
often and sometimes a little more elaborately. Interestingly, I noticed no
less than three "power status" LEDs on the board--one that's on all the
time, one that's on when the system is off (standby power only) and a final
one that comes on only when the power button is pushed. Excessive, but
possibly useful. (It is also possible to wind up the power supply fan speed
with the SpeedFan utility--something that's definitely *not* common even
today!)
On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:57:48 GMT, "William R. Walsh"
<newsgroups1@idontwantjunqueemail.walshcomptech.co m> wrote:
>Hi!
>
>> Yeah, Bill, Compaq did not do a stellar job of helping people identify the
>> various DeskPro EN systems. The only suggestion I can make is to look
>for a
>> transparent decal somewhere on the front or side of the chassis.
>
>Hmmm...well, I guess I'll be wondering for a while then! I didn't find any
>such label on the system. Perhaps it was lost to the sands of time, maybe it
>was never there.
>
>This is a good sized case... it has two 5.25" bays which are externally
>accessible (one with a CD-RW drive), one 3.5" bay for the floppy and space
>for two hard drives internally. (And...Compaq came up with a truly ingenious
>way of mounting the internal hard drives. It took me a little bit to figure
>out what they had in mind, but I got it. The extra screws that are in the
>bottom of the case are a nice touch as well.)
>
>> For the mute system, you might examine the motherboard and find the
>> audio chip.
>
>I did. IIRC it's an AD1885. I also found a Philips audio amp for the
>internal speaker. The amp is definitely alive--I could run my fingers across
>it or put a signal on the inputs with a set of test probes and hear it come
>out of the speaker.
>
>> If you have a market for these DeskPros, they are solidly made and
>> reliable systems, far and away the best designed Compaq desktops
>> of their era.
>
>I haven't tried to find a market, but I probably could still get one going
>if I wanted to. There actually is something of a decent market for
>relatively new secondhand computers. These Compaqs will still hold their own
>for most work.
>
>I like the design of the case. The motherboard looks to be one of the last
>true Compaq designs, and I'd swear there are the initials of the designers
>printed along the edge of the board....something Compaq used to do quite
>often and sometimes a little more elaborately. Interestingly, I noticed no
>less than three "power status" LEDs on the board--one that's on all the
>time, one that's on when the system is off (standby power only) and a final
>one that comes on only when the power button is pushed. Excessive, but
>possibly useful. (It is also possible to wind up the power supply fan speed
>with the SpeedFan utility--something that's definitely *not* common even
>today!)
>
>William
>
Yep, I'm familiar with the beast. Same model as several I've collected in my
warehouse. I'm almost 100% certain that the motherboard power connector is
24-pin. If so, is it the same as the newer 24-pin power connector used with the
newer P4 motherboards? Maybe. Maybe not. HPaq ain't telling. Don't care.
That is one of the very few systems that supports an add-in memory module in the
AGP slot. Kinda neat and wierd at the same time.
Chipset is Intel 815, so 512MB should be the maximum memory supported.
Next time I am in my warehouse, I'll write down the model code from a decal on a
system. Then you can maybe look up more info on the HPaq web site, which is
just as disorganized for Compaq equipment as it was when Compaq was independent.
.... Ben Myers
On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 17:48:56 GMT, "William R. Walsh"
<newsgroups1@idontwantjunqueemail.walshcomptech.co m> wrote:
>Hi!
>
>> Questions: This is a Socket 370 CPU?
>
>Yes, it would appear so.
>
>> Is the power supply connector 20 pins or 24 pins?
>
>I forgot to count while I was in the system. :-)
>
>> Built-in video and also an AGP slot?
>
>Yes, and there's an 4MB AIMM module installed in the AGP slot.
>
>Instead of sending you private e-mail, here's a link to the pictures:
>http://greyghost.dyndns.org/deskpro-en/
>
>All are 640x480. Available views include front, inside and back. If you can
>see the incredible mess in the background, please disregard it.
>
>William
>
These Deskpro boxen are OK in my book...even today they have more than
enough computing power.
Then again, my opinion is just ever-so-slightly skewed. You've seen my PS/2
postings and might remember something about a Deskpro/M 386/33. (It's still
running...I slapped a copy of FreeDOS on it, upped the RAM, and found an
Adaptec AHA-1742 *new in the box* for SCSI support...)
> That is one of the very few systems that supports an add-in memory module
> in the AGP slot. Kinda neat and wierd at the same time.
Well, I wondered if putting memory in the AGP slot was universally
supported. Guess not...
I always have liked the Intel chipset graphics. Not having to pull away some
system RAM is always nice. Have you ever seen any modules other than the 4MB
AIMM that is present? Do you know if the integrated graphics will steal
system RAM if the AIMM is missing?
One thing I have seen (in some Dell and eMachines systems) is solder pads
for dedicated video RAM to be used by the Intel integrated graphics. Most of
the time they aren't used, although I have a few systems with these spots
populated.
> Chipset is Intel 815, so 512MB should be the maximum memory
> supported.
There are three DIMM slots...dunno about the top end...I got the Celeron to
768MB without trouble.
> Next time I am in my warehouse, I'll write down the model code from a
> decal on a system.
That'd be great if you catch a moment...if you want to, you can send e-mail
to
wct <atsign> walshcomptech <dot> com any time.
Dead sound on Deskpro EN? 
Linear Mode
