The Retrocomputing Thread

[Red-Machine]

You lucky bastard.  That is all.

[VonDaab]

Ooh, looks really nice.
Take good care of it.

[Dr. Kraus]

http://daslineal.deviantart.com/#/d2sz1bu

My apple family!

From left to right:
Grandpa Quadra 650, Mother iMac, Daughter Mac G3, Grandma 8100

(Thats Grandma's case with the RAM on top of it)

[Bella]

Lucky SOB. :U

Good news and bad news! I picked up my freebie G3 iMac, got it home, and was able to get it to boot up (even though the monitor didn't switch on for a few minutes), and was able to play around with Mac OS 9.2. Thus fulfilling a childhood dream of owning a G3 iMac. Then I discovered that it had a second HDD installed with Mac OSX 10.2! This is where things start going bad. Because when I booted into THAT one, the monitor didn't come on (although I got a creepy computer-voiced welcome) and I ended up forcing a shut down and now its unbootable.

You know WHO I blame for this? UNIX. Of course I blame Unix for everything, it's become my all-purpose computing calamity scapegoat. ><;;;;

EDIT: Sounds like it's an issue with the PMU chip and I might be able to be fixed by resetting it (a fairly quick surgery). If only I had a screwdriver to fit that screw... D:

[stewartsage]

Oh, I'm taking very good care of her

I had a childhood dream of using our school's one student use G3, but it never happened.

[Bella]

Good to hear. ^^

Seriously, the G3 iMac was the first computer I ever WANTED. I remember the first time I saw one in person: 1998 or 99 in a camera shop. I was all like, "EEEEE PRETTY COMPUTER I WANT ONE!" and my dad was all like, "NO! IT IS MAC, WE DO NOT LIKE THEIR KIND." And somehow this convinced me that Macs were bad, a prejudice I harboured until maybe 2007 or so. (Of course, I never really hated them; I was just so sure I'd never HAVE one that it was easier to dislike them than to say I loved them if that makes any sense).

So yeah, this is literally the fulfillment of a 11-or-more year-old dream. I just hope I can get it working again! D:

[Dr. Kraus]

Lol, that iMac I have is really just collecting dust and is going to need a nice clean installation if its going to work well again. Lucky for me I have an endless amount of Mac OSX installation disks which haven't done anything for years (Mac OSX 9 and 10) So i'm hoping to get that iMac up and running! I might sell it soon though, its just taking up space and my parents are most likely going to throw it out sooner or later so if any of you are interested I can see if I can sell it!

[Bella]

D: D: D:

Don't let them throw it out, you don't want to destroy a piece of technological history AND contribute to the horrible e-waste problem our world currently faces! :<

[Red-Machine]

My latest acquisition, the Comodore C16.

[Aurora Borealis]

@Bella: Nice find! And at has a lot of programs loaded on too! For a mess of a computer, it works very well, and surprisingly stable!

And that EMAG-III computer is awesome, and also from my home state!

@VonDaab: Awww... makes me wish I still had my old iMac! Judging from the screenshot, that iMac is running 10.3, right?

@stewartsage: That set-up is amazing! You are luuuuucky! Over 30 years old and still working!

@Dr. Kraus: Nice collection! I used to have three of those four models pictured. I still have a blue+white G3 though.

@Bella: The iMac can't boot at all anymore? NOOOOOOOO! I also blame UNIX for destroying your childhood dreams!
In that case, the Classic Mac OS was more stable than OSX!

@Red-Machine: Coooool! What kind of games does it have?

[Red-Machine]

It has 3 with it, 2 of which work only intermittently.  I'm in the process of re-aligning the head on the cassette deck in an attempt to alleviate the problem.

Rockman
Return of Rockman
Mr. Puniverse

[stewartsage]

For a second I was trying to figure out how you were playing K-On with a C16... none the less, congrats Red, she's lovely!

Only problem with Lily is getting the drives in the right order, it seems that the labels have worn of soooo I need to try and figure out which one has the resistor in it.

[kgm_1004]

My dad had an Macintosh XL when he was in university. But the hard drive just went BZZZZZZZP, and had a small explosion. From then, he started "hating" Macintosh computers. It was still at home, but dad sold it several years ago.

My first own PC was IBM PC 330. Originally ran on Win 2000, but I installed win XP, PC got damn slow, dumped in my storage room.

[Bella]

Woo, congrats on the C16, Red.

Turns out OSX wasn't responsible for the G3's nonbootablity; just an old CMOS battery in the Logic Board. I'm going to order a new one (3.6v 1/2 AA, btw) and pop it in, that should allow it to boot again. ^^

[Bella]

OH
EM
GEEEEEE
OH
EM
GEEEEEEEEEEE

So today I stopped by our used electronics shop to ask about what kind of coaxial cable I need for my VIC-20's TV modulator/adapter... before I can even ask the shopkeeper, though, he trots off to the back room and returns with TWO 1994 Macintosh Performas (a 6115CD and a 631CD), a Performa external modem and a 1998 Toshiba Satellite and says, "have them, I can't sell them".

Me: "BUT OF COURSE~!"

And then he pulls a 1998 Panasonic Toughbook from a bag, complete with external CDR drive, AC adapter and software set (install/boot disks, manuals, etc), and switches it on. Says I can have it for $50.

Me: "OMG YES!"

Finally I remember my original mission, show him the VIC-20's TV modulator and ask what sort of coaxial I might need to connect it to a TV. He doesn't know, but sends me to ANOTHER used electronics shop.

TO THE OTHER USED ELECTRONICS SHOP!

So I get to Used Electronics Shop Two, find stacks upon stacks of old TVs, printers, radios, turntables, record players and typewriters, squee, show the shopkeeper the modulator and he finds the right cables to connect to to a TV. Then I spot this cool old Sony TV set, which he says he'll sell for $20, provided he can 1) get to it through the stack of electronics boxing it in, and 2) get it to work, since the last owner was an Alzheimer's affected old woman who somehow tuned all the channels to 3, or something, so 3 is the only channel it has. Which doesn't affect me, since I'd be using it as a monitor set to.... channel 3.

So I leave with my cables, go home, connect the VIC-20 to my TV, switch her on and... VOILA! She works perfectly! Now I just have to study CMB and/or recall my training with Dartmouth BASIC.... and go back to try out that old TV set...

And I checked out the Macintosh Performas, and the 6115 switches on but the 631 doesn't seem to. So.... yeah.