Board layout - 8363-686A

mikesloane · 08-25-2008, 05:15 AM

I was given a "no-name" PC that was loaded with Linux and had no CD or floppy drive (not missing - apparently never installed). I installed those two items (and converted it to Win98SE), but I cannot find anywhere on the motherboard to connect the audio cable from the CD drive to the on-board sound card. According to Belarc, the board is "8363-686A", but I can't find a manufacturer name.

This isn't something critical, as I have other machines, I would just like to have things "right". It also cannot read the floppy drive, but that may be due to a bad drive (one that I dug out of "inventory").

Thanks,

Mike

**belfasteddie** · 08-25-2008, 08:56 AM

Re Floppy drive not working. Is it enabled in the Bios?

mikesloane · 08-25-2008, 09:26 AM

Yes, I enabled the floppy drive in the BIOS setup, but when the system tries to read a floppy, I just get an "hour glass" icon. That is why I suspect either a bad cable or drive. This isn't a real concern at this time - I have a USB floppy drive that I can use in a pinch (and the machine does recognize USB most USB drives).

Mike

**Lead3** · 08-25-2008, 09:50 AM

Hi,
Check and see if the Floppy access light is on all the time. It may be that the cable is reversed.
Check the properties for the CD drive. you may not need the audio cable, just enable digital audio.

Paul

**Lead3** · 08-25-2008, 10:52 AM

Mike,
I found reference to this board being a Matsonic MS8117C and a users manual for what you need can be had on this site.
Paul
http://safemanuals.com/user-guide-in...NIC/MS8117C-_E

mikesloane · 08-25-2008, 11:01 AM

That was exactly what I was looking for, Paul!!!

Thanks a lot,

Mike

**Lead3** · 08-25-2008, 11:03 AM

You are welcome.
Paul

mikesloane · 08-25-2008, 03:57 PM

OK, I got that system squared away (except for the floppy drive), and I am tackling a similar machine that came with it. The big problem with this one is that it also didn't have either a floppy drive or a CD drive. I installed a CD/DVD drive I had around, but the BIOS cannot seem to find it. I am going to try a plain old CD-ROM drive tomorrow so I can load Windowz and run Belarc and find out what kind of board it is - Ubuntu tells me nothing I need to know. I am guessing that these machines were built over a network somehow, but they had no user files whatsoever. A mystery I will never solve.

Mike

08-25-2008, 05:15 AM	#1 (permalink)
mikesloane Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Allamuchy NJ USA Posts: 4 OS: Win98SE and WinXP SP3	Board layout - 8363-686A I was given a "no-name" PC that was loaded with Linux and had no CD or floppy drive (not missing - apparently never installed). I installed those two items (and converted it to Win98SE), but I cannot find anywhere on the motherboard to connect the audio cable from the CD drive to the on-board sound card. According to Belarc, the board is "8363-686A", but I can't find a manufacturer name. This isn't something critical, as I have other machines, I would just like to have things "right". It also cannot read the floppy drive, but that may be due to a bad drive (one that I dug out of "inventory"). Thanks, Mike

08-25-2008, 08:56 AM	#2 (permalink)
belfasteddie Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Belfast N.I. Posts: 1,551 OS: Puppy Linux 4.12	Re: Board layout - 8363-686A Re Floppy drive not working. Is it enabled in the Bios?

08-25-2008, 09:26 AM	#3 (permalink)
mikesloane Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Allamuchy NJ USA Posts: 4 OS: Win98SE and WinXP SP3	Re: Board layout - 8363-686A Yes, I enabled the floppy drive in the BIOS setup, but when the system tries to read a floppy, I just get an "hour glass" icon. That is why I suspect either a bad cable or drive. This isn't a real concern at this time - I have a USB floppy drive that I can use in a pinch (and the machine does recognize USB most USB drives). Mike

08-25-2008, 09:50 AM	#4 (permalink)
Lead3 Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Florida, USA Posts: 1,378 OS: 98SE,2000,XP SP3,VISTA SP2 x64 & x86, Windows 7 x64 & x86 My System	Re: Board layout - 8363-686A Hi, Check and see if the Floppy access light is on all the time. It may be that the cable is reversed. Check the properties for the CD drive. you may not need the audio cable, just enable digital audio. Paul __________________

08-25-2008, 11:01 AM	#6 (permalink)
mikesloane Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Allamuchy NJ USA Posts: 4 OS: Win98SE and WinXP SP3	Re: Board layout - 8363-686A That was exactly what I was looking for, Paul!!! Thanks a lot, Mike

08-25-2008, 11:03 AM	#7 (permalink)
Lead3 Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Florida, USA Posts: 1,378 OS: 98SE,2000,XP SP3,VISTA SP2 x64 & x86, Windows 7 x64 & x86 My System	Re: Board layout - 8363-686A You are welcome. Paul __________________

08-25-2008, 03:57 PM	#8 (permalink)
mikesloane Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Allamuchy NJ USA Posts: 4 OS: Win98SE and WinXP SP3	Re: Board layout - 8363-686A OK, I got that system squared away (except for the floppy drive), and I am tackling a similar machine that came with it. The big problem with this one is that it also didn't have either a floppy drive or a CD drive. I installed a CD/DVD drive I had around, but the BIOS cannot seem to find it. I am going to try a plain old CD-ROM drive tomorrow so I can load Windowz and run Belarc and find out what kind of board it is - Ubuntu tells me nothing I need to know. I am guessing that these machines were built over a network somehow, but they had no user files whatsoever. A mystery I will never solve. Mike