New es40 fork enables Windows 2000 on DEC Alpha through JIT compiler

Introduction to the new es40 fork

A recent fork of the es40 alpha emulator has emerged, facilitating the running of Windows 2000 on DEC Alpha systems. The original es40 was developed by Camiel Vanderhoeven, who is currently the Chief Architect at VSI. This new fork introduces enhanced features such as a JIT compiler and S3 graphics support from MAME.

The introduction of these features allows better performance and graphical capabilities, which are significant for users operating legacy systems.

Performance enhancements

One of the key upgrades in this es40 fork is the integration of a Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler, which significantly boosts performance, resulting in faster operation of both Windows 2000 and OpenVMS. Users have reported a noticeable speed increase compared to earlier versions without JIT support. This performance gain makes the emulator more viable for practical use, particularly for legacy applications.

Setup requirements and process

To successfully set up Windows 2000 on the DEC Alpha with the new es40 fork, users must first upgrade the ARC firmware using the Alpha Systems Firmware Update v7.3. Additionally, a specific VGA BIOS (86c764x1.bin) from 86box is necessary, replacing the vgabios-0.6a.bin used with AXPBox. Users can find an installation guide on archive.org for the Windows 2000 RC2 build required for this setup.

Conclusion

This new es40 fork enhances legacy operating system compatibility and performance for DEC Alpha users, a niche but dedicated community. As emulation and support for older systems continue to evolve, tools like this fork represent important progress in preserving software history.