I've generally found in the past that ATA133 devices will just run at ATA100 on older hardware (as with PC133 RAM running at PC100, despite all the manufacturer's info telling me it's not compatible). I formatted it as FAT32 anyway to keep things as simple as possible

I think the ATA mode would depend on the IDE-CF adapter rather than the actual CF card and I'm not sure what that is, but probably ATA133.

I'm actually working on replacing the 20GB HDD with a 4GB CF card and IDE adapter, although it wouldn't boot from that when I tried the other day (although it worked fine once XP was booted and another PC I tested it on boots from it no problem), so I might have to get an IDE card for that to work. Maybe PLOP would help, but then I'd have to leave the HDD connected to run that first, which kinda defeats the point of reducing noise and power usage (although it will still work a lot faster than the knackered old HDD).

Do keep the volume down to start http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/Te … peId=12454

  Rare 'Old-School' boards from that era had Vacuum Tubes to drive an on-board audio amplifier!

Some alternate-sourced audio drivers can be "temperamental".  Some output audio from unexpected jacks.  This can happen when the OEM varies from a standard design by the codec chip manufacturer.  A "yellow bang" in the Device Manager & no audio after restart usually indicates that you have the wrong driver.  In your case, Power Management might cause issues, at least according to the "readme" included with the driver.  Bear in mind that that "readme" is over a decade old, too; that information may be outdated.

That & be aware of any BIOS HDD size limitations.

  IDE or SATA cards can help avoid this.  Considering the low-processor speed (IIRC) you'll want to know this before starting an install, perhaps.

  That e-diags tool ISO looks promising.  Another potential workaround, perhaps? http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/Te … EnvOID=228

  Beware that your Power Supply uses a non-standard pinout.  (if you used a generic p/s it would short out!)
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/Te … peId=12454

Caveats?  Easy to predict, difficult to be entirely accurate.  Best advice is to "keep your head on a swivel"!

Once I've done that, I'll be happy to start a new REQ topic as you advise, although there doesn't appear to be a separate Sound_B section, so I guess it'll just go in this section.

Found a Windows7 driver (Vista-minimum) on WindowsUpdate Catalog (2008) here --> http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/ … 2b464cb34c
  This has HWID's for many older Intel SouthBridges, including yours (perhaps).  Think i'll request this added for Vista_x86.

For WinXP, there are some drivers to choose from (use IE to DL):
   v6.13.10.4102  here --> http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/ … 139962b294 newest
   v5.12.1.4101 here --> http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/ … 427d40af2d same HWID's

Whatever driver works for you, i would humbly advise that you start a new topic in the Sound_B section, perhaps titled "[REQ] CirrusLogic CS4299 driver" as this driver seems absent from DP's.  This should help guarantee access to this driver in the future.  Just be sure to post an OEM-link to the driver (copy mine if needed).

umm... the web page listing the drivers appears out of date as the folder used is now D\C\I\ not D\C\I1  ???

"Those funny chips make my gums bleed." - Ralph Wiggum?

First off, why not start with posting HWID's?

then extract Sound A/B; then search for your specific HWID in the files "*.inf" including VENdor, DEVice, and SUBsystem.
  eg:  VEN_1102&DEV_0004&SUBSYS_00401102.
Results from this search should be more likely to specifically support your HW.
   if that yields no results, search for the VENdor & DEVice ID's.  eg:  VEN_1102&DEV_0004

This should generate a 'short-list' of candidates.  Test the drivers (backup important data, 1st).
  I like using the D-P-C checker to potentially reveal poor-performing drivers
    before & after updating drivers (especially Atheros WiFi)

  A similar solution may apply to the Graphics drivers you mentioned in your other post.

PS:  self-help is encouraged here.  we can help point the way, yet you must do the 'heavy lifting'.
          speaking of "pointing the way";  who's logo is on the audio chip upon the 'Intel 82801AA' board?
PPS:       Don't forget to read mr_smartepants' "Driverpacks Tutorial" linked in his sig.
PPPS:       The HW you mention may be prone to Bad Capacitors,
                  depending upon the capacitor manufacturer.

Normally I would but I don't have access to the hardware in question (except for when I visit the owner every couple of weeks), so I'm relying on the Aida32 reports I've got, which unfortunately don't seem to list the HWIDs. I'll check them next time I'm there and have a look at the logo on the Intel board audio chip. It's an HP Vectra VL400 and I've found a manual for it that says "The Crystal® integrated PCI audio solution (not upgradeable) in your PC is a CrystalClear™ CS4299 Audio Codec ‘97 version 2.1. The CS4299 interfaces directly with the South Bridge chip and performs all digital operations, such as sample rate conversions and synthesis, as well as mixing and processing all the analog signals." I've never heard of CrystalClear!

I've been using DriverPack Chipset checker for a while and LatencyMon more recently and as you say, they are essential tools for checking that some device/driver isn't causing problems.

Thanks for the warning about bad caps.

Via is in DriverPack Sound A.

Thanks

then extract Sound A/B; then search for your specific HWID in the files "*.inf" including VENdor, DEVice, and SUBsystem.
  eg:  VEN_1102&DEV_0004&SUBSYS_00401102.
Results from this search should be more likely to specifically support your HW.
   if that yields no results, search for the VENdor & DEVice ID's.  eg:  VEN_1102&DEV_0004

This should generate a 'short-list' of candidates.  Test the drivers (backup important data, 1st).
  I like using the D-P-C checker to potentially reveal poor-performing drivers
    before & after updating drivers (especially Atheros WiFi)

  A similar solution may apply to the Graphics drivers you mentioned in your other post.

PS:  self-help is encouraged here.  we can help point the way, yet you must do the 'heavy lifting'.
          speaking of "pointing the way";  who's logo is on the audio chip upon the 'Intel 82801AA' board?
PPS:       Don't forget to read mr_smartepants' "Driverpacks Tutorial" linked in his sig.
PPPS:       The HW you mention may be prone to Bad Capacitors,
                  depending upon the capacitor manufacturer.

Sorry if this information is easy to find, but I've tried looking at the Driverpacks pages and the packs themselves and just get confused!

I only need drivers for VIA AC'97 and Intel 82801AA I/O Controller Hub - AC'97 Audio Adapter. It may be that these are so old I don't really need any driverpacks and the XP drivers will suffice, but if there's newer drivers in the packs I'd like to use them.

So if someone could clarify which packs I need to cover those, I'd be very grateful.  If I can then edit those packs to remove all but the drivers I need (or at least remove several unneeded folders) that would help keep the size of my image down and be even better, so please confirm if that's possible.

Thanks