Wortmann Terra / Termtek TK-3772 Thin ClientThe Wortmann Terra or Termtek TK-3772 is a Thin Client PC with VIA CPU, VIA / S3 graphics and makes for a lovely Retro PC. We have confirmed running MS-DOS, Windows 98 SE and Windows XP.
The machine is quite upgradable, with a DDR2 memory slot, 1x CF slot and 2x IDE interfaces. It has onboard graphics which are very fast in DOS, and, with the right riser, there is a PCI slot for a sound card or faster graphics card. The BIOS is quite locked down, but Mike Cullen has been able to modify the BIOS, unlocking a ton of hidden settings, making this Thin Client even better. |
Wortmann Terra / Termtek TK-3772 Thin Client running Wing Commander II in MS-DOS
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Tips and recommendations to get the most out of this Thin Client
So I've working with this machine for quite a bit, and although it can run many Operating Systems, including Windows XP, I see it most suitable for Windows 98 and MS-DOS. Because the machine has only 1 PCI slot, you got to make up your mind what you want to use this machine for.
For a Windows 98 SE Gaming PC, I highly recommend installing a dedicated PCI graphics card. The onboard sound will work just fine. But if you want to focus on DOS gaming, then use the PCI slot for a sound card, as DOS games without sound are a pretty rough experience.
For storage you can just use the integrated CF slot, which is shared with one of the IDE ports. You can also get various IDE adapters, which lets you use SD card, CF cards, 2.5" IDE or SATA HDDs and SSDs, mSATA SSDs and M.2 SSDs.
You can use a USB Flash Drive and install DOS onto it. But it will work only at USB 1 speed, so newer games that regularly load from the hard drive, well you will notice small pauses and skips. But a USB flash drive is perfect for transferring files from a modern PC onto this Thin Client.
Under DOS (MS-DOS 6.22) I had some issues with EMM386.EXE, it would output various error messages depending on the configuration. Good alternatives are HIMEMX and JEMM386 from the FreeDOS project, they seem to work better with newer machines, especially those that have lots of RAM.
To use a YMF744 PCI Sound Card in DOS, use the NVME parameter with JEMM386.EXE.
Below are sample CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT and YMF.BAT which worked great for me.
For a Windows 98 SE Gaming PC, I highly recommend installing a dedicated PCI graphics card. The onboard sound will work just fine. But if you want to focus on DOS gaming, then use the PCI slot for a sound card, as DOS games without sound are a pretty rough experience.
For storage you can just use the integrated CF slot, which is shared with one of the IDE ports. You can also get various IDE adapters, which lets you use SD card, CF cards, 2.5" IDE or SATA HDDs and SSDs, mSATA SSDs and M.2 SSDs.
You can use a USB Flash Drive and install DOS onto it. But it will work only at USB 1 speed, so newer games that regularly load from the hard drive, well you will notice small pauses and skips. But a USB flash drive is perfect for transferring files from a modern PC onto this Thin Client.
Under DOS (MS-DOS 6.22) I had some issues with EMM386.EXE, it would output various error messages depending on the configuration. Good alternatives are HIMEMX and JEMM386 from the FreeDOS project, they seem to work better with newer machines, especially those that have lots of RAM.
To use a YMF744 PCI Sound Card in DOS, use the NVME parameter with JEMM386.EXE.
Below are sample CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT and YMF.BAT which worked great for me.
CONFIG.SYS
DOS=HIGH,UMB
FILES=40
BUFFERS=40
LASTDRIVE=H
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEMX.EXE /MAX=8192
DEVICE=C:\DOS\JEMM386.EXE NOVME
AUTOEXEC.BAT
@ECHO OFF
PROMPT $p$g
PATH C:\DOS
SET TEMP=C:\DOS
C:\DRIVERS\CTMOUSE.EXE /R2
YMFDOS.BAT
@ECHO OFF
CD YMFDOS
SETUPDS.EXE /S
DSDMA.EXE
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4
CD C:\
BIOS
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Stock BIOS that came with my unit. Dated 03/20/08.
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10/30/08 BIOS from Thomas
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Windows XP Drivers
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VIA Chipset drivers
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Graphics Drivers for the VIA / S3 UniChrome Pro IGP
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Drivers for onboard Sound
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USB 2.0 drivers
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Realtek onboard Ethernet
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Windows 98 SE Drivers
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VIA Chipset drivers
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Graphics Drivers for the VIA / S3 UniChrome Pro IGP
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Drivers for onboard Sound
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USB 2.0 drivers
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Realtek onboard Ethernet
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USB storage drivers. Super useful, install this and you can use FAT32 formatted USB flash drives for easy data transfer!
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