Headless Windows 98 (No graphics Card)?

**totalconfusion5** · 10-20-2005, 09:26 PM

I have a dell Optiplex GXpro running at 200mhz. With windows 98se

The bios has no problome booting without the graphics card installed but apparently windows does. With the graphics card removed i turned on the system it booted for about ~30sec the shut off.
I then reinstalled the graphics card and booted, windows displayed the "boot to safe mode" dialog. So im assuming that the comuter started to boot windows 98 and then shut its self off upon relizing that there was no graphics card.
Is there a fix or a way around this.

The graphic card is PCI and and requires a vertical, very tall card, and is just too big for the box i want to put it in.

I would end up using a 4x20 LCD to view songs/status.

Thanks in advance.

**04scooby** · 10-20-2005, 09:54 PM

you could keep the card and get something like this...
http://cgi.ebay.com/PCI-32-BIT-64-BI...QQcmdZViewItem

**totalconfusion5** · 10-20-2005, 10:00 PM

That would work except for the fact that the dell has a removable vertical card that hass all the pci plugs in it. If i didnt need the video card i could take that out and sence the audio and LAN are onboard i would be good to go.

Would Windows 2000 give me less of a hassel?

**Vchat20** · 10-21-2005, 03:51 AM

Would Windows 2000 give me less of a hassel?

probably. even better, if you can afford it, get a copy of server 2003. it may be overkill, but its designed to be a server OS first and foremost so its more than likely capable of running "headless".

**totalconfusion5** · 10-21-2005, 07:25 AM

I have a copy of windows server 2003, but it requires 128mb or ram my computer has 64mb. Im going to try windows 2000 server. Ill let u know th results.

**ElKeeed** · 10-21-2005, 07:34 AM

It wont run without a graphics card at all. There is a big difference between headless (monitor unplugged) and headless (no graphics card whatsoever).

**totalconfusion5** · 10-21-2005, 07:45 AM

Im pretty sure windows server 2003 is capable of running with no graphics card tho. I just did a google search and got a lot of sites claiming that it has "native headless" support. I just have to figure out how to get 64megs of ram

**totalconfusion5** · 10-21-2005, 07:57 AM

Idea.....
DOS should run with or with out a graphic card.

So if i can find the nessisary drivers to controll the LCD panel and network card. I can use MPXplay and write a bat file to map a networkdrive and compy files.

Anyone ever use freedos?

**totalconfusion5** · 10-21-2005, 09:23 AM

DOS = Friend

Just installed Dos 6.22
loaded mpxplay
copyed a song
removed the grapics card and the PCI buss board thing
and it plays the music flawlessly

**Vchat20** · 10-21-2005, 03:08 PM

but whats the quality of the music. anytime ived tried a dos mp3 player it never really provided crystal clear quality. could never really put my finger on what it was, but it was easy to tell.