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Hello from Seattle!

M

Maxhardca

New Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2023
Messages
3
Hey folks!

I'm in my 30's now with kids and feeling the nostalgia pretty hard! I've come to the forums here to peruse and determine a good setup to (re?) obtain. Likely a beige box with Windows 95 but we'll see!

Just thought I'd say hi though!

Best,
Max
 
Also it may or may not be relevant but I'm an ex-Mac genius who loves to turn screws (the small kind mostly!) and solder here and there! I really love DIY and system troubleshooting of all kinds...
 
Welcome to the forums. :)
You are in a pretty good part of the Pacific Northwest to build up a Windows machine. With two RE-PC stores within 20 minutes of eachother you have a massive selection of bargain parts.
 
Welcome! Hopefully you have more self control than some of us. A single beige box won’t take up too much space. I kind of want something from each era.
 
Welcome Max! I was born in Seattle. Left in 1984 for New York and have been here ever since.

I remember there were a few computer stores on the south side, near South Center mall. I visited a store in the U District on a visit and bought some stuff to bring back in my luggage. I think that was were I picked up my Quarterdeck Software, EMM386 and DesqView.

Computer stores have died out here. I used to go to Computer Renaissance every chance I got, in the Albany, NY area. I still have a lot of the stuff I got there (mostly for our small business and then passed on to me after they became obsolete). There is one surplus store left in my area that has some computer stuff once in a while. Almost nothing else, even garage sales, have old computers anymore.

Hopefully you'll find something good in the Seattle area. Maybe an old 486? Or a MAC SE?

Seaken
 
jafir said:
Welcome! Hopefully you have more self control than some of us. A single beige box won’t take up too much space. I kind of want something from each era.
Click to expand...
Hi jafir,

what is "each era" for you? Is the IBM PC in the same era as the C64? Or a DEC PDP11? I have my own ideas of the "era"s but am curious what you think would get you something in each era.

Seaken
 
Hi seaken,

I think many types of computers have their own “era” and there is a lot of overlap. I was mostl thinking about IBM PC stuff. I’ve got plenty of IBM PC compatible stuff already. I could probably use a 486, but to me the premium they seem to command isn’t worth it since most software of that age will run fine on a pentium.

But I don’t discriminate. So if I had unlimited funds, I’d have a PET and C128 to go with my C64. I’d have a an Apple II+, and a few newer Macs to go with my Apple IIe and Mac SE. I’d probably want a variety of Tandy stuff and some S-100 stuff.

If I had unlimited space too, then getting some Minis would be cool too.
 
Yes, if only we had unlimited funds and space!

I see the original IBM PC, the 5150, more a part of the earlier "era" where there were several companies vying for the computer buyers money, many of them in the CP/M arena, and some not. This is where I came in, using a North Star Advantage and Horizon.

From here I am only mentioning the Intel/x86 systems. The Apple Macs, Commodore, etc. were doing something else.

But the era of the PC Compatible is starting more with the XT and compatibles and on through the AT and 286, 386 and 486. DOS and Windows 1 to 3.11

Then the Pentium and some hold outs who didn't want to follow the newer PCI systems, the EISA and Cyrix, AMD, etc. The 586 group. Windows 95

Then the Pentium II and III. Windows 98/Window 2000

There are all sorts of other families that are not necessarily in this Intel/x86 path of progression. But most of my stuff is in this Intel/x86 family sonce that is what we bought into back in the early 80's. It wasn't until much later that I got some old Apple II's, Atari, Commodore, and Tandy.

I have several other computers in the Intel family that are not really "Vintage". Some people stretch to include the Pentium 4. But I don't really think of anything past the Pentium/586 class as even close to Vintage. I prefer to stop as the 486 class.

But I am with you. I wouldn't turn down anything if I had enough room and unlimited funds. But instead of trying to buy old CP/M systems or a Commodore PET I just read and watch videos, or use simulators/emulators. It's cheaper.
 
@Maxhardca ,

It's tough to give you any good advice about where to start. I think your age is likely to be in line with the late 1990's or early 2000's. That would put you at about a Pentium III. But maybe like me you started using a computer that was already old at the time. If you started with computers in the late 90's then maybe you used an original Pentium or even a 486. Unfortunately, those are hard to come by.

If you are patient you may be able to get something like a 486. I found one a few weeks ago at my local surplus. But that was a rare find. The most common systems I find are at least Dual Core or Core 2 Duo.

If you want to run Windows 95 you can still do that on a Pentium II or III. But by the time you get to a Pentium 4 it becomes harder to run 95 and 98, although it is possible with a few tweaks and you can learn how to do it.

I like running the software closer to the machine at the time the software was released. That gives me a more realistic sense of what it was like. Of course, it gets a little hard to wait for an old 486 to crank out results in Windows 95 and a Pentium 75 is not much better. But that's the way it was back then.

It might be easier to get an old Apple IIe. You could always start with an Apple IIe or a C64 while you keep looking for a 486 machine.

Seaken
 
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