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Recent content by Andrew T.

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    Shutting down Windows on ACPI systems, WITHOUT having the computer turn off by itself

    (Posted in Off-Topic since this covers a broad swath of technology from 1995 to the present day.) If you shut down Windows 95 or later on a computer with a physical power switch, you're presented with a "Safe to turn off" screen where you're free to switch the power off yourself (or reboot the...
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    Looking for a unicorn: A roomy, horizontal ATX desktop case

    With my Compaq P3 rapidly sailing towards borderline-vintage status, I've contemplated the prospect of building a new computer. There's a complication, though: I have a lifelong disdain for tower cases of any sort. I don't like the way they look. I don't have room for one on top of my desk...
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    How to determine the original hyphenated IBM "type" number for a system?

    I've noticed that IBM computer models in the 1980s had hyphenated "type" numbers that appeared in sales and technical contexts (such as the IBM Product Reference). For example, an IBM AT could be either type 5170-068, 5170-099, 5170-239, 5170-319, or 5170-339, depending on the memory, drive...
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    Windows Paintbrush and NT incompatibilities

    When running the 3.x-era Windows Paintbrush accessory on Windows 95 or 98, it works perfectly. But when running Paintbrush on newer NT-based OSes (such as 2000 or 7), the cursor doesn't render correctly and the colour-eraser tool does not work. This is true regardless of whether I run the...
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    Rationale for 16-bit browsers lacking PNG support

    Here's an issue that's been dwelling on my mind for nearly 20 years, back to the days when I still encountered Windows 3.1 on a daily basis: Why do no 16-bit versions of Netscape or IE contain support for PNG images? The last 16-bit Windows versions of the "big two" browsers were Netscape 4.08...
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    Did Compaq EVER offer a computer in a non-proprietary form factor?

    Compaq is a brand I've had contradictory experiences with. On one hand, their quality was often good: One of my two main PCs is a PIII Deskpro still running strong with its original capacitors and hard drive after 18 years. They've occasionally made concessions to compatibility and...
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    Windows NT 3.5 vs 3.51

    The early days of Windows NT have always been something of an enigma to me: Most of the world still ran on DOS at the time; none of the 3.x versions were very widely deployed, and NT 4.0 is the earliest version I've used myself. How similar were the binary compatibility of Windows NT 3.5 and...
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    When did major OEMs last ship systems with 5¼" floppy drives?

    Question: When did a major PC OEM such as Dell, Compaq, or AST last offer a 5¼" floppy drive as a factory option? My own recollection is that at the dawn of the '90s, 5¼" disks were the rule and 3½" disks were still the exception. By 1992, you could no longer count on a 5¼" drive being...
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    Is it possible to fill in all twelve port openings on an Apple IIe?

    The Apple IIe has twelve numbered openings on the back panel for ports or cables to snake out of. Only nine of them at most were adjacent to or in line with expansion slots. Ever since I first laid my eyes on the back panel of a IIe decades ago, I've wondered...is it possible to fill in all...
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    Key Tronic KB5151 keyboard: Yay or nay?

    I'm fascinated by unusual and early "extended" layouts, and I've been eyeing a mid-80s IBM-replacement Key Tronic KB5151 on eBay with the thought of making it a mini tech project. The design has 99 keys, and it certainly looks interesting. But doubts have been creeping into my head... * Given...
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    Things you regret doing to vintage computers and parts

    If it's any condolence, most of these things happened years ago... Letting a repair project fall victim to procrastination, leaving a case cover off for twelve months straight, and finding its contents faded and covered in a carpet of dust afterwards. Ruining a Type 1 IBM AT motherboard by...
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    Reminiscing about my IBM AT

    Although I'm partial to Apple's designs as well, my "gateway drug" into older computers back in the late 1990s was a genuine IBM Personal Computer AT. Well, sort of genuine: By the time I got it, this AT had already turned into something of a bastard mule. The case was from 1985, but the...
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    Which would be the best model of Macintosh to get?

    Save for one soul-crushing experience with an iBook G4 nine years ago, I've never actually owned an Apple computer. But much of my formative experience with computers was spent on Apple IIe and Macintosh machines...so I've sometimes fantasized over the idea of getting an older Macintosh as a...
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    Physical differences between the Apple III and III Plus

    How was the Apple III Plus physically different from the original III? From what I've read, some of the differences were simple matters of specification: A modified keyboard layout, more memory, interlacing, a built-in clock. Were any components integrated or rationalized as well? The III...
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    The first "normal" IBM-compatible computer?

    Something I've been curious about: What was the first "normal" IBM-compatible computer system? Of course "normal" is arbitrary and can mean a lot of things, but these are the pointers I'm bearing towards: * It was 100% IBM-compatible. (That eliminates many of the early 808x/8018x DOS...
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