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#retropc

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Pocket 8086 stuff

I managed to successfully test a null modem connection between my 2 Pocket 8086 laptops, which was cool, but have no idea how to fully use it between them, beyond a couple of multiplayer games, seeing as the spec is still pretty low! The Pocket 386s would open up being able to run more games and software for that sort of thing, but I do need to get a second Pocket 386 first.

This is one thing that older computers can still do over modern computers in most cases, as unless you buy a serial card, you can’t really do that thing on a newer system, and I should note for the record that you can get PCI Express serial cards if they’re needed, because I’ve a dual serial port card using that sort of connection! Coincidentally, that’s partly why I have pairs of older computers with serial and parallel ports, so I can play with null modem connections, and other devices that require the ports, especially as there are some unusual/rare things out there that need them!

That’s actually why I would need to have a dedicated laptop to pick up the slack in that regard, as USB to parallel/serial cables don’t work with every bit of old software, plus I’d want to have specific software for that hardware! Of course, I do have a laptop that is useless for gaming (the screen doesn’t work well with fast movement) that can run Windows XP, and has the relevant ports, though it is a bit on the hefty side!

I will post a few photos later on to show things in action, after my CF cards arrive, as I want to set them all up, though perhaps I’ll do a shortish video of the process instead… Either way, it’ll be next month before I can get any stuff like that done!

#2024 #AtGeekedUp #BookPocket808xLaptops #CompactFlashCards #computerHardware #computers #Filming #laptops #LegacyPCHardware #LegacyPCSoftware #NewsUpdates #PCPlatform_ #retroHardware #retroLaptops #RetroPC #retroPcHardware #StormSWorkshop #StormSWorkshopSGU_ #StormkeeperAtGeekedUp #StormkeeperSWorkshop #Update

Today's uploads to the Internet Archive:

Symantec pcAnywhere 10.5 Corporate Edition (2001)
Microsoft Visual Basic 4.0 Enterprise Edition (1996)
Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000 version 2.0 (1999)
NetBSD 1.5.2 (2002)
MusicMatch Jukebox 7.5 (2003)
PowerQuest PartitionMagic 3.0 (1996)
PowerQuest PartitionMagic 5.0 (1999)
Novell GroupWise 5.1 (1997)
Microsoft FrontPage 2000 (2000)
Microsoft FrontPage 2002 (2001)
Adobe Persuasion 4.0 (1996)

Quick question retro Mac people: where should I order replacement capacitors (in the US) for the Macintosh SE 30 I got? I was checking out a YouTube tutorial but it linked to a cart for a Japanese website, is that actually the best place for me to order from in the US or are there better options where I don't have to pay as much for shipping? I had to assume if they were ordering from Japan there was a reason for it but I'd like to know my options first because my hobby budget is strained right now. I don't have the parts list in front of me but just assume that I need to replace any of the typical stuff you'd need to replace in an otherwise decent looking b&w Mac (capacitors, battery, etc.)

In the years before smartphones, HP took a completely different take on mobile computing from Palm or Apple. They shrunk a whole #msdos Turbo XT #retropc to fit in the size of your hand. And people quietly bought them by the truckload. This blog post speculates why. dfarq.homeip.net/hp-200lx-and-

The Silicon Underground · HP 200LX and related palmtopsThe HP200LX was a palmtop, an early take on mobile computing from the mid 90s. It quietly built a following that continues to this day.

Did You Know⁉️ MYST actually had a short-lived comic book run.

It was originally planned as a four-issue series. Though it sadly never made it past Issue #1 🤯

You can check out Issue #0 and Issue #1 right here in THE VIDEO GAME LIBRARY 📚

👉 thevideogamelibrary.org/book/m

#Riven #Cyan #PCGaming #Retro #VideoGames #VideoGame #Gamer #Gaming #Games #Book #Books #Bookstodon @bookstodon #Comic #Comics #ComicBook #Pirates #RetroPC #RetroComputing #Fun

Don't forget that 2023 is host to more Annuals than ever before from Fusion Retro Books! 📚

Been working on getting everything from over the years catalogued into the library, but it's quite the collection!

Check them out right here:
👉thevideogamelibrary.org/blog/h

#C64 #Commodore #Commodore64
#ZXSpectrum #Amiga #CommodoreAmiga #AmtixCPC #ZZAP #Magazine #Gaming #Retro #PCGaming #PC #RetroPC #HomeComputer #Book #Books #Bookstodon @bookstodon #VintageComputing #RetroComputing

🕹️ Dive into the nostalgic world of 8-bit gaming! 🚀

Discover iconic titles that defined the golden age of computing. From #ZXSpectrum to #Commodore64 and beyond, "The 8-Bit Book: 1981 to 199x" takes you on an epic journey through gaming history. 🎮📚

👉thevideogamelibrary.org/book/t

#RetroGaming #GamingHistory #Nostalgia #ClassicGaming #GamingMemories #VideoGameHistory #RetroGamingBooks #Book #Books @bookstodon #AcornElectron #AppleII #Vic20 #AmstradCPC #Dragon32 #PCGaming #RetroPC #Atari #BBCMicro

Hey fedi, is anyone here interested in this VTech IQ Unlimited Advantech computer? I was going to list it on eBay but they aren't worth a whole lot, so unless someone on fedi really wants this thing I'd probably just keep it. But it's just been sitting in storage so if I could hook someone up with it that really wants this specific computer it'd be cool. I'd sell it for $30 plus whatever it costs to ship it to you.

I got it a few years ago and didn't end up doing much with it, but I can confirm it was fully working in 2020. I powered it up for this photo this week but it would only give me the "please replace battery" message because I did not have any C batteries to put in it and it unfortunately won't operate off of just the DC power supply. Interestingly it takes four C batteries and four AA batteries, and encourages you to only change one set at a time to avoid data loss. An interesting solution, but one that makes testing it further annoying since I don't keep C batteries on hand. There's a little rust on the battery contacts but not a bunch of corrosion so they're pretty solid.

If you're not familiar with this PC (and I can't say I am an expert as someone who vaguely played with it for a bit), don't let the VTech brand fool you. While it does come preloaded with some educational software, as well as stuff like a word processor, this is a proper computer that you can write basic on.

Replied in thread

well we can load an OS now

one reason i picked this up is a similar 386 PS/1 with Win 3.1 and that wild door over the floppy drives on display at Target, is the first time i ever used Windows

never seen one since until now

and as it turns out, the original recovery disks for this system have been preserved!

ps1stuff.wordpress.com/downloa

TWELVE FLOPPY DISKS LATER we have a factory stock IBM PS/1!

Replied in thread

okay now we need a hard drive

can't find the ~300mb drive i was thinking of, i dumped most every hard drive i had under 40gb at Free Geek Twin Cities when i moved

could be absurd and put a 120gb drive in it 🙃

but i found this one in my stash, a WD Caviar 1.6gb drive from April 1996 that refuses to work on my USB-IDE adaptor, however works perfectly on the PS/1, and pairs nicely with the 32mb RAM crammed in it

has a fresh install of Win98 which would theoretically even boot on this machine, but we run in to our first Annoying Vintage Problem, the BIOS predates LBA by a few years and can't see more than 528mb

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logica

the way around this in DOS is to install a Drive Overlay like EZ-Drive, which does a bunch of hackery to boot itself first and replaces the entire IDE portion of the BIOS with updated drivers

ta-da, we can boot DOS and use the entire hard drive! 🥳

#retrocomputing #retropc#MSDOS

Replied in thread

first order of business, a cleaning disk of similar vintage

does the floppy work?

... no, it's flakey 😟

welp swapping it out for now with a floppy drive i pulled out of a circa 2005 dell i found on the sidewalk in front of the San Jose library after they upgraded a few years back

it gets 20.8fps in 3D Bench

memtest86+ sure takes a long time but it passes, yay!

#retrocomputing #retropc