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Oracle VirtualBox Error Windows 98 / SE EXPLORER caused an Exception 6d007eH and SHELL32.DLL Error

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If you are trying to install Windows 98 / SE on Oracle Virtual Box but are getting stuck with a message telling you, “This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.” then we have a possible fix for you!

The error is, “Explorer has caused an Exception 6d007eH and Shell32.DLL”. Without getting overly complicated and trying to get to the fix quickly, the problem is mainly 32-bit protected mode disk drivers.

The “fix”, or more accurately, the workaround is:

  1. Reboot the VM once this error occurs during installation
  2. Press F8 before Windows 98 / SE setup continues
  3. Skip or wait for Scandisk to finish if it loads
  4. Enter “Safe Mode” <This can sometimes take awhile for safe mode to boot>
  5. Once in Safe Mode, right click “My Computer”
  6. Select “Properties”
  7. Select “Performance”
  8. Select “File System”
  9. Select “Troubleshooting”
  10. Put a check next to “Disable all 32-bit protected-mode disk drivers”
  11. Click “Apply”
  12. Close the dialog box and restart the VM

Allow Windows 98 / SE to continue setup as it normally would and this time it should complete the install.

Screenshots of the Process are below:

Enter Safe Mode
Once in Safe Mode, right click “My Computer”
Select “Properties”
Select “Performance”
Select “File System”
Select “Troubleshooting”
Put a check next to “Disable all 32-bit protected-mode disk drivers”
Reboot and complete setup.

MIDI Module Guide for Vintage PC games and Music Creation

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This is a simple guide to help you understand the different MIDI modules that are available for playing PC games. I am working on improving this, I need to take some pictures of the modules I own and add them here as well.

Different types of MIDI modules that you can use with PC games:

  • FM – Frequency Modulation. Only a very few games support FM modules.
  • LA – Linear Arithmetic. Many famous late 80’s and early 90’s games use LA synthesis.
  • GM – General MIDI. The standard for PC game music before CD audio took over.
  • GS – Roland’s extension of General MIDI often labeled as Sound Canvas in games
  • XG – Yamaha’s extension of General MIDI used by Final Fantasy VII and VIII on PC

  • Roland Sound Canvas Variants
  • SC-55 (1991) – Original, GS only model without a GM logo
  • SC-55 (1991) – Updated with full GM support, may or may not have GM logo on the front
  • CM-300 (1991) – Same as first SC-55 version but without a screen, GS only
  • CM-300 (1991) – Updated model with full GM support, may GM logo on the front
  • CM-500 (1991) – Has both CM-300 and CM-32LN hardware
  • Updated and Cost-Reduced Models:
  • SC-55 MKII (1993) – Improved audio quality and more tones
  • SC-55ST (1993) – Same as MKII but without a screen and one less MIDI input. Also sold under the Edirol brand in white.
  • SC-50 (1994) – Same as MKII / without the MT-32 voices
  • Desktop Versions:
  • SC-155 (1992) – A desktop version of SC-55
  • SC-33 (1992) – A desktop version of SC-55 without the MT-32 voices
  • Boss Dr. Synth DS-330 (1992) – Boss branded version of SC-33
  • SC-35 (1993) – SC-33 with an integrated sequencer
  • SC-88 Variants:
  • SC-88 (1994) – Base model
  • M-GS64 (1995) – Rack mount version
  • SC-88VL (1996) – Reduced size version / available in white
  • SC-88ST (1996) – No screen, can switch between SC-55 and SC-88 modes. Also branded as Edirol in white
  • SC-88 Pro Variants
  • SC-88 Pro (1996) – Original base model
  • SC-88ST Pro (1997) – No screen and a button that switches between modes
  • SC-880 (1998) – A rack mount unit
  • SC-8850 (1999) – USB connection and General MIDI 2 support
  • SC-8820 (1999) – Reduced size device without a screen, USB power. Button to change modes
  • SC-D70 (2001) – Works as a USB audio interface with digital outputs

  • Studio Canvas branded (Edirol and Roland):
  • SD-90 (2001) – A larger device with many of Sound Canvas sounds. Multiple options for connectivity
  • SD-80 (2002) – A cost reduced version of SD-90
  • These models support both GM (via GM2 backwards compatibility) and GS. Howver, they don’t have maps for Sound Canvas compatibility.
  • SD-20 (2002) – A cheaper device in an SC-8820 chassis
  • SD-50 (2009) – Midi interface, midi module, audio interface, mp3 player.

Yamaha Synth Modules:

  • TG Series:
  • TG100 (1992) – GM synth
  • CBX-T3 (1993) – Cheaper version with no display or controls
  • TG300 (1993) – Higher quality version of TG100. Better audio quality
  • MU Series:
  • MU80 (1994) – XG synth
  • MU50 (1995) – Cheaper version, lower quality audio
  • MU90 (1996) – Higher quality version of MU80
  • MU90R (1996) – Rack-mount version of MU90
  • MU90B (1997) – No display version of MU90. Power button and volume control
  • MU100 (1997) – upgraded sound engine, support for expansion cards
  • MU100R (1997) – Rack-mount version of MU90, extra expansion slot
  • MU100B (1997) – No display version of the MU100. Power button and volume control
  • MU128 and Desktop MIDI Modules:
  • MU2000 (1999) – USB, optical digital out, SmartMedia card slot, sampler and sequencer
  • MU1000 (1999) – Cheaper version of the MU2000, no sampler, sequencer or SmartMedia card slot
  • MU2000EX (2000) – Firmware upgrade to MU2000 adding Roland GS support
  • MU1000EX (2000) – Firmware upgrade to MU1000 adding Roland GS support
  • MU500 (2000) – Size reduced unit with MU100 sound engine and MU2000 sounds
  • Portable Versions:
  • Yamaha Portable MU Units:
  • MU5 (1994) – Only MU series unit with no XG, buttons double as a small keyboard
  • MU10 (1996) – Beige with no display, XG support
  • MU15 (1998) – An updated MU5 with XG support

  • Drum modules (DTX series)
  • DTXpress (2000) – Similar to older MU series
  • DTXpress II (2002) – Updated drum samples
  • DTXpress III (2003) – Updated drum samples

  • Korg Modules:
  • 05R/W (1994) – First Korg GM module, based on their X5 keyboard
  • AG-10 (1994) – “Audio Gallery” white box.
  • X5DR (1995) – same as 05R/W with improvements for music production
  • NS5R (1997) – GS compatible, could be upgraded with a daughterboard to add XG
  • NX5R (1999) – Upgraded NS5R with XG daughterboard built in

  • Kawai Modules:
  • GMega (1993) – The only model with a screen and controls
  • GMega LX (1993) – a white box with only a power button and volume control
  • GMega L (1993) – Cheaper version of GMega LX, with less MIDI channels

  • Casio Modules:
  • GZ-50M (1995) – Very basic, small GM module
  • GZ-30M (1995) – Cheaper version of GZ-50M with a simpler case and controls, no separate RCA output or headphone jacks. No effects or reverb
  • GZ-70SP (1995) – A GZ-30M stuck inside a speaker

  • Akai Modules:
  • SG01k (1995) Akai’s only GM module. Good sounding unit that emulated Roland sounds and others
  • MIDIPLUS
  • miniEngine Pro (2017) – A tiny GM device that also works as a battery pack
  • miniEngine (2017) – Cheaper version of the Pro, screen replaced by a three-digit display
  • Various Sound Modules:
  • E-Mu Sound Engine (1993) – Similar to the Creative Waveblaster in module form.
  • ENIAC Sound Saurus BH-1000 (1994) – A GM unit that is somewhat rare. Can work with Sound Canvas
  • Ketron SD 2 (2006) – A small, portable module with realistic sound.
  • Alesis Nanosynth (2007) – Compact high quality sound module.
  • Ketron SD 4 (2008) – Rare GM module that has hight quality sound.

  • Roland LA Synth Modules:
  • MT-32 (1987) – The original MT-32
  • MT-32 (1988) – Headphone jack added, internal changes
  • MT-100 (1988) – A combination of the newer MT-32 and a PR-100 sequencer.
  • CM-32L (1989) – White box with power button and volume control only, added sound effects
  • CM-64 (1989) – a CM-32L and CM-32P (a PCM synth not used in DOS games) combo
  • CM-32LN (1992) –CM-32L with a new DAC and a connector for NEC PC-98 computers
  • CM-500 (1991) – combination of CM-32LN and CM-300 (GS synth)

How to Install GNOME Desktop for Ubuntu 18.04

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If you have the base install of Ubuntu 18.04 installed without a GUI and would like to add the GNOME desktop to your install, then this is the guide for you!

First, you should always make sure your package lists are up-to-date by running the update command followed by the upgrade command:

  • sudo apt-get update
  • sudo apt-get upgrade -y

Next, we recommend using Tasksel to install Ubuntu desktop. It’s a really easy way to get you up and running with a GUI and requires less commands. To install Tasksel use this command:

  • sudo apt-get install tasksel -y

After tasksel has finished installing, you can then run the application with sudo:

  • sudo tasksel
Screenshot of Tasksel Software Selection Menu

Finally, you can simply select Ubuntu desktop and select “OK” to install the GNOME desktop environment for your Ubuntu installation. Once the installation is complete, you can reboot your system and Ubuntu will start with a GUI.

Additionally, you may also notice that Tasksel has a good selection of other software collections that you can also install with this interface. Some options include DNS server, LAMP server, Samba file server and more.

How to Enable a Port on a Cisco Switch

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Need to enable a port on a Cisco switch? Look no further!

To begin you need to know what the name of the port is that you want to enable on the switch. This name or Port ID can be found by using the following command.network cables

#show interface status

This command will provide a list of your ports by ID.

For this example, we will use the port Gi1/10 for our switch.

Next, we need to enter privileged EXEC mode on the switch in order to issue the following commands.

To do this, type one of the following commands.

#enable

or

#en

Now, we need to enter configuration command followed by terminal to enter global configuration mode.

#configure terminal 

or

#conf t

Next, we tell the switch which interface to configure.

(config)#interface Gi1/10

Now you can assign the selected port to a VLAN. You can use whatever VLAN number you would like but for our example we will use VLAN 10.

(config-if)#switchport access vlan 10

Lastly, we want to bring this port (interface) up or enable it. To do use one of the following commands.

(config-if)#no shutdown

or

(config-if)#no shut

That’s it. Your port should now be enabled and assigned to the VLAN you choose. You can to this to any other available port on your switch. If you want to add other ports to this same network then simply repeat this process using your other port ID’s and assign them to the same VLAN.

If you would like to check on the status of the port (interface) that you just set up use the following commands.

Exit config mode by performing one of the following methods.

Use Ctrl-Z to exit configuration mode.

or

Type “exit” until you are out of configuration mode.

(If you followed this example you will likely need to enter the exit command two times in a row.)

Lastly, we can now show the status of the port(interface) you choose by entering the following command. We are going to stick with our example port for this command.

#show run interface Gi1/10

Nintendo’s Mini NES Website

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Nintendo Mini NES console

Nintendo has officially launched the website for it’s new mini NES console. It looks amazing as they have recaptured the classic gaming era of the 80’s. You can check out the new website here .

Alright, so if you don’t know already, Nintendo has announced that they will be releasing a new mini classic NES system that will come with one “classic” controller and 30 greatest hit games from the original Nintendo console which was released in North America in 1985. The console will connect to your tv via HDMI.

For those of us who grew up playing the NES console, this is a great way to enjoy our favorite games from our childhood. Plus, we won’t have to blow into any cartridges!
This mini console will be available for purchase on November 11th 2016.

Here’s what comes in the box.

-NES Classic Edition system
-One NES Classic Controller
-HDMI cable
-AC adapter
-30 pre-installed games