| #
| Picture(s)
| Specs
| Description
|
| 0
|
| 1986 Tandy 1000 SX
- Intel 8088 @6MHz
- 640K RAM (originally 384K)
- 2x TEAC 360K DSDD Floppy Drives
- TGA Video
- Tandy 3-Voice audio w/ PC-Beeper
- 14.4K Faxmodem (never used0
- MS-DOS 3.1 for the Tandy 1000 SX w/ Deskmate II
| Originally just known as "The Tandy", I got this computer from my second older half-sister in September of 1997 as a "going away" present of sorts. I used this computer from 1997 to 2000 for Schoolwork, banging around in BASIC, playing old CGA DOS games, and learning more about computers in general. I did my first RAM upgrade on this one in 1998, $45 out of Radio Shack's obsolete Tandy catalogs - a series of three ring binders in the store. I used to play Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny on this one a lot, as well as Legacy of the Ancients. I think this is where my trope of playing guitar in front of a computer with record albums started. Many a night learning Loverboy riffs in between rounds of Burger Blaster.
The Tandy's ultimate fate was due to the Programmable Interrupt Timer chip having a bent pin from the factory, and it started to get intermittant contact - resulting in an "ERROR I/O OF 8253" Message at boot. Which meant I had to reseat the chip. This became more and more frequent, to a point I had to SOLDER a bloody "pin" onto
|
| 1
|
| 1992 Flight 386 SX
- AMD K6-II 300MHz, Super Socket 7
- 64MB of RAM, 168 Pin DIMMS
- 1x 3.5" 1.44MB, 1x IDE "SuperDrive", 1x 5.25" 1.2MB
- 80GB HDD, ATA-133
- 8MB ATI Rage II PCI
- SoundBlaster PCI Value
- 10/100 PCI Ethernet
- Windows 98 Second Edition
| Creeping Net 1. It started life as a 386 SX-25 given to me by the father of an ex-bandmate, whcich became my first serious PC. In the early days it was upgraded to a 486 DX-33 and ran windows 3.1 as it's primary GUI on top of DOS 5 and later 6.xx. I first got on the internet at home on this machine using a US-Robotics V90 external faxmodem to dialup to AOL. The 8250 AFN UART chips on the Serial Ports were unidirectional and caused the modem to drop connection and get very hot, so I found I could have longer online "Sessions" if I put a cup of glass water on a rag on top and blew a fan at it - Water Cooled Modem, hilariously cool huh? It was replaced by Creeping Net 3 as my main computer in July of 2001 because CN3 had a DDX4. Though this later was built into a DX4 powerhouse with all eight ISA Slots of the ZEOS Motherboard taken up by expansion cards, and the 485 TurboCache installed. At that point, the flight became a Beast and was used as my main 486 "retro gaming" machine for awhile. It's final days were as a backup to the GEM running an AMD K6II chip in it on a socket 7 motherboard. It was eventually parted out and the case scrapped because it was having a hard time keeping in one piece between house moves anymore. It served me well for 10 years straight of hard work.
|
| 2
|
| 1986 GEM Computer Products 386/20
- Intel Pentium III 1GHz Coppermine
- 512MB of PC-133 RAM
- 1x 3.5"
- 80GB HDD, 40GB HDD, ATA-133
- NVIDIA MX4000 PCI 128MB
- SoundBlaster Live 5.1
- 10/100 PCI Ethernet on-board
- Windows 2000 Professional SP4
| The GEM is probably the most recognized of the "old" computers. It started life with a Military Lawyer as a 386 DX-20, then became a AMD 5x86 133 system for awhile using Kat's Puter's motherboard and CPU (which went back into it later on), and then went through a series of Super Socket 7 configurations before growing into a Socket 370 powerhouse that started as a Celeron 500, then became a PIII 667, and later a 1GHz PIII with 1/2 a gig of RAM. This system was a beast. Nothing could stop it in any configuration (except a dead HDD). This was the computer I started my YouTube Channel on in 2006 and continued to use it as my main system until 2008 when the JCS model 1 replaced it out of peer Pressure (see "modern computers"). I ran it hard. I think I was most facinated by it's case design, which is a rip-off of Compaq's original DeskPro design. I kind of regret cutting it up to make it mATX as a result, but at the time, nobody thought these computers would be worth anything.
|
| 3
|
| 1995 IBM PC-330 100DX4 T/C:6571-W5K
- Intel 486 DX4-100 CPU
- 64MB EDO ECC RAM
- 1x 3.5"
- 8GB HDD/540MB HDD
- EPO 52x CD-ROM
- Cirrus Logic CL-GD5424 1MB SVGA
- I/O Magic MagicSound 16
- SMC EtherCard Plus 8013EWC
- Windows 98 SE/Windows For Workgroups 3.11/MS-DOS 6.22
| This sytem repalced the Flight as my main PC in 2003, and was mine until 2005 when a failed voltage regulator on the motherboard put it out of commission. Sad because this is my favorite OEM 486 system bar none in the Desktop class. It'd run literally anything....Windows 2000, XP, games designed for a Pentium II, for some reason this system just did not care what software you forced it to run. It'd run it, sometimes slowly, often surprisingly quick for a little 486 system, but it was run vERY VERY hard, probably harder than the GEM. An ex-roomate gave me this for fixing her computer (next), which she got from the bank she worked at, so little surprise it was such a high quality system.
|
| 4
|
| "Kat's Puter'"
- AMD AM5x86 PR-133
- 32MB of FP RAM
- 1x 3.5" 1.44M, 1x 5.25" 1.2M
- 540MB IDE
- 54x CD-ROM
- Cirrus CL-GD5429 1MB SVGA
- SoundBlaster 16
- 10/100 PCI Ethernet
- Slackware Linux 96'
| My first linux box. This was an ex-roomie's computer (the only time I ever had a room mate). She gave it to me after replacing it with some kind of Data Genera Socket 5/7 thing. I kicked it around for about a year and then got my hands on an old copy of Slackware and started messing with it. I ran it once in awhile to learn linux, but I was just not grasping it yet. It has some of the shortest history of any on this page because it was later parted out and the case scrapped because it was already ruined by cat piss, rust, and broken plastic bits.
|
| 5
|
| Packard Bell Legend 843+
- Intel 486 DX2-66
- 16MB of 72 pin FP RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5", 1.2MB 5.25"
- 540MB HDD
- Cirrus Logic CL-GD5429 Graphics, 512K
- I/O Magic MagicSound 16 (ESS)
- SMC 8013 EtherCard Plus
- MS-DOS 6.22/Windows For Workgroups 3.11
| This was a computer found in the recycle bin outside our rehearsal space in Montgomery at the time. It was DOA, as the Varta battery had melted a good chunk of the original motherboard. So I did some cross referencing and found out NEC/Zenith/Packard Bell were kind of in-bed with each other regarding their Motherboards, and so it got a Zenith Data Systems motherboard with built-in Ethernet (which I never could use because I could not find the drivers for it). This was one of only two systems I ever owned with a really cool LPX Tower case, and this one had the neato 70's smoke plastic front on it that opened like a car door. However, that new motherboard was crap, the video circuits were shot, something was wrong in the traces or chip somewhere as I would get graphical artifacts if I ran it above baseline VGA. Such a beautiful but crappy computer.
|
| 6
|
| IBM PS/2 Model 70 386 8570-E21 "Gothic PS/2"
- IBM Model 50Z Case (replaced original case painted Black/Purple)
- Intel 386 DX-25 CPU, no Co-Pro
- 1.44MB x2
- 60MB ESDI HDD (Proprietary)
- VGA Graphiics
- Internal Speaker Sound
- No Network
- OS/2 2.1 with WinOS/2 and MultiMedia extentions
| Me and an ex-bandmate found this hiking in the woods out of boredom one day. IT appears this was taken into the woods and sometime tried to set it on fire. So we brought it home, cleared it of all the spiders, ands, and rollie pollies, and of course, put power to it, and it fired right up! THAT'S IBM Quality for you! That thing was probably in the woods for years. And it still ran. We painted the case black and purple and called it the "Gothic PS/2". Later on I took the 50Z later on the page and gutted it as it was DOA, and put the guts from this in it and sold it on E-bay as a PS/2 OS/2 Parts Mutt computer.
|
| 7.0
|
| First Line Solutions Tower #1
- Intel Pentium 120MHz
- 32MB of RAM
- 1.44MB x1
- 60GB HDD
- ATI Rage II PCI 2MB
- SoundBlaster 16 PCI
- 3Com 10/100 PCI LAN
- Windows 98 SE
| This was one of two towers me and said ex-bandmate got from an old Private School (actually we got 4, he took two, I took two in the end). This one was repainted flat black for a co-worker at Cock of the Walk and sold for around $60. It was his first computer. I did tech support for it on my own after that, and he gave me a Zenith Data Systems SuperSport 286 laptop in exchange (later in the list).
|
| 7.1
|
| First Line Solutions Tower #2
- Intel Pentium 200 MMX
- 128MB EDO RAM, 72 pin
- 1.44MB x1
- 80GB IDE
- CD-RW Drive
- ATI RAGE II PCI Graphics
- 10/100 PCI LAN
- Windows 98 SE
| This was the other of the two towers. I rebuilt it for my mom on her...I think 53rd Birthday. She used this computer for quite a while. Then the power supply went Tits up before work, I put it in another Kingspao Model 35 case like Creeping Net 1 had, and it became Creeping Net 1.1. It was used by my mom until 2007 when it was replaced by an ex-enterprise HP System she bought on e-bay, where it probably got pissed on by cats until it rusted into oblivion.
|
| 8
|
| GTSI DeskTop 433DX/S (IBM PS/2 ValuePoint)
- Intel 486 DX2-66
- 8MB of RAM, FP, 72 pin
- 1l44MB 3.5", 1.2MB 5.25" push-button
- 320MB & 150MB IDE
- 52x CD-ROM
- Cirrus Logic SVGA
- Aztech SoundGalazy 16
- 10mbps Ethernet
- OS/2 2.1 W/ Win OS/2 & MultiMedia Extentions
| A very very rare Military special from said Private school. GTSI was a secondlary label used by IBM on tehir PS/Valuepoint line of 386 and 486 PC's in the early 1990's. We had 2 of these each, actually, he may have had thre and I one, I can't remember. What I DO remember is I used this system off/on but was not too impressed with it. It was one of those rarer Socket 2 486 systems. I sold it on E-bay in 2005.
|
| 9
|
| IBM PS/2 Model 30 286 "Smokin' Joe"
- Intel 80286/10MHz, 80287
- 1mB of RAM, 30 Pin
- 1.44MB x1 3.5"
- 20MB ESDI HDD (Proprietary)
- VGA Graphics
- Diamond TeleCommander 2300 Sound Card/14.4K Modem Combo
- no networking
- MS-DOS 6.22
| The first of the 286's for me. Smokin' Joe was a tuskeegee University fire survivor. It was the only IBM I've ever seen so beige it looked like a bloody CLONE of an IBM that sat in the sun too long. But my god, if that thing did not run like a beast. I used to surf the web on this on NetTamer from time to time back around 2002-2005ish IIRC. I ran Smokin' Joe for quite awhile and had a nice PS/2 setup with the proper mosue and keyboard and 8154 monitor! I miss this setup quite a bit.
|
| 10
|
| Compaq Presario CDS-520
- Intel 486 DX2-66
- 32MB of RAM
- 2GB HDD
- CD-ROM
- On-Board SVGA w/ 15" SVGA CRT Monitor Built In
- Built in SoundCard (SB Compatible)
- INtel Etherlink III TP
- Windows 95 OSR 2
| This was an old AIO (All-In-One) System from Compaq in the same vein as the IBM PS/2 Modle 25 and EduQuest models. Basically a 486 with SVGA packaged into a AIO design using LPX Technology. I had an Ex-girlfriend who called this thing a "giant-laptop". In 2004, I had a roof leak in my workshed and it took this computer down with it (along with a few others).
|
| 11
| 
| Pentium Pro 200 InWin Q500 "Millennium Falcon"
- Intel Pentium Pro 200 MHz
- 64MB EDO ECC RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5", 1.2MB 5.25", Tape Drive (not connected)
- 40GB ATA-100 HDD
- NVIDIA MX400 PCI 64MB
- SoundBlaster 16 PCI
- PCI LAN (10/100)
- Windows 98 SE
| This InQin Q500 Pentium Pro 200 tower was found at a hole-in-the-wall downtown Opelika Thirft Shop for $10 with a Gateway 2000 AnyKey Keyboard and no hard disk. I recall finding some tag or something on it about it being a former Sheriff's office computer. It was later sold to a friend named "damon" who rebuilt it as a Celeron and called it the "Millennium Falcon" - as it had a very red-necky rust spot on it and he called it "the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy". He probably still has this thing all these years later.
|
| 12
|
| IBM PC-300GPL Pentium 120
- Pentium 120MHz
- 64MB EDO ECC RAM
- 1.44MB x1
- 8GB HDD
- CD-ROM
- SVGA Graphics
- On-board Sound
- Windows NT 4.0
| A short lived system in my collection given to me by a COTW co-worker. It ran Windows NT 4.0 and I was making a server out of it when the shed roof got breeched by rainwater, taking this one out.
|
| 13
| 
| Compaq Deskpro 386 Model 2571
- Intel 80386 DX-16 w/ CoProcessor
- 2MB of RAM on 32-bit Prop. Exp Card
- 1.2MB 5.25" FDD
- 60MB Type-17 HDD
- Quadram EGA
- SoundBlaster 16
- Intel EtherExpress 16
- MS-DOS 6.22
| One of my personal favorite systems. This was a well aged but otherwise pristine example of an original run 1986 Compaq Deskpro 386 Model 2571 - the original 16MHz release. It came with the original floppy drive, Type 17 60MB CDC Hard Disk Drive (5.25", IDE), and a Quadram EGA Card, and the case keys. I sold it for more than I bought it for in 2005 before moving - kind of sad because I wanted to keep this one as I really like the older Compaq machines.
|
| 14
| 
| Compaq Deskpro 286 Model 2551
- Intel 80286/12 w/Coprocessor
- 1MB of RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5", 1.2MB 5.25"
- 630MB EIDE HDD (earlier was a 20MB MFM)
- CGA
- Internal Speaker
- 10mbps Ethernet
- MS-DOS 6.22
| This was a e-bay rescue system I bought from E-bay in early 2004 for about $15. It had been in the guy's garage and was pretty much a barebones Compaq Deskpro 286 model 2551 - so it was the later 12MHz model. Early on it ran a 20MB MFM HDD on a generic MFM controller, with no co-processor, and it sat on a unstable old end-table that made it dance "the twist" any time the hard disk read or wrote. Later on the computer was swapped to a 630MB Western Digital Caviar and put on the web to replace Smokin' Joe' - before being replaced by the GEM 286 after that. It was left behind when I moved, and most likely scrapped when my sister's came over to "clean house" while my mom was drastically injured trying to rescue a cat.
|
| 15/XT-1
| 
| Micro Configurations Corp 0A XT Clone
- Intel 8088 @4.77 MHz
- IBM PC 5150 BIOS on "Turbo XT" motherboard
- 640K
- 1x 720K 3.5", 1x 360K 5.25", custom painted black
- 30MB RLL and 30MB MFM HDD on WD1003XT Controller
- CGA Graphics (Orchard C3 chip)
- SoundBlaster CT1600 Pro 2.0
- 10mbps LAN (3COM 3C509)
- MS-DOS 5.00
| A fun system that had a very sad, sad end. In early 2003 I bought the system off E-bay for $35 and it was a real basketcase. Basically a "flip top" (top of computer opens like a car hood) "Turbo XT" Clone that could not run in turbo mode because the genuine IBM PC 5150 BIOS in it (complete with ROM BASIC) refused to work at accelerated speeds. It also had some drives I recovered and spraypainted black from an old Amdek 286/a system that I used to have. The monitor came from a local garage sale for free (IBM 5153 CGA Monitor), and the keyboard just turned up around that time as well. The whole system was cobbled together and was my first "true" non Tandy 1000 based "PC/XT" computer. In 2005, I decided to sell it on e-bay to move, and what ended up happening was UPS utterly DESTROYED the darned thing in shipping. The 5153 was cracked and de-necked, the case was as you see in the picture. EVerything was wrecked. Never in my 20 years doing this have I had a system go this south or get this damaged in shipping - actually, none but this one have. It makes me wish I'd kept it.
|
| 16
|
| CreepingNet P200MMXT
- N.O.S. SongCheer XT Case
- Intel Pentium 120MHz
- 64MB of RAM, EDO
- 1.44MB 3.5", 1.2MB 5.25"
- 40GB ATA-100
- 48X CD-RW
- ATI Rage II PCI
- SoundBlaster Value PCI
- 10/100 LAN PCI
- Windows 98 SE
| In 2004, there was an e-bay seller named "bjsurplus" who had a handful of these Songcheer XT clone cases for sale for around $24/e.a. - New-Old-Stock (N.O.S.). So I ordered one with the intent of moving the GEM's super socket 7 guts into this case. Well, the case took about a month to arrive, turns out it was delivered to my neighbor Drexel's porch 2 houses away and sat on the porch for over a week before I walked over and carried it home praying someone did not think I was stealing packages. I built the computer like this originally. Later on this was dismantled to make Creeping Net XT II in 2006.
|
| 17
|
| GEM Computer Products 286/10
- Intel 286/12, IIT CoPRocessor 12Mhz
- Octek Rev 5.1 Motherboard
- 4096K (4MB) RAM, 30 Pin
- 1.44MB 3.5", 1.2MB 5.25"
- 325MB 2.5" IDE HDD
- DVD-RW Drive
- TSENG ET4000 1MB SVGA Card
- SoundBlaster Pro 2.0 CT-1600
- 10/100 Ethernet
- MS-DOS 6.22
| The last computer I bought while in Alabama. This was a GEM Computer Products 286 AT clone PC I bought because I was curious about GEM due to having their other model (386/20). This was one of the longest running machines in my collection. It replaced the Compaq 286 and went to Seattle with me, and was used the whole time I was there, even for awhile running 24/7/365 under my futon like a server (while connected to a 8 port KVM Switch). It was bumped up from the original configuration significantly, and was my first 286 I ever put a CD-ROM drive in (DVD-RW in 2021 to replace the 2x SCSI I had). It is planned to be put up for auction in 2023.
|
| na
|
| Amdek 286/a
- 12MHz Intel 286
- Planar Design - CPU/Motherboard is a Daughtercard
- 2MB of RAM
- 720K 3.5" Floppy, 360K 5.25" Floppy
- 60MB Connor HDD
- MS-DOS 5.00
- Internal Speaker Sound
- CGA Graphics
- no LAN
- no Keyboard
| This funky little 286 I picked up because of the cool diagnostic display on the front. IT had a blue-lit LCD panel on the front that told you eVERYTHING - POST errors, BIOS errors, RAM errors, what sector and track the floppy or hard disk was formatting. This thing was insane. It was also a "planar" system (a system where the CPU and memory were on separate boards that plugged into an active backplane consisting of 8-10 ISA Slots). The problem was I never could enjoy it because it utilized a Wyse terminal keyboard with the RJ45 connector on the end, and I was not sure I even had a keyboard that could USE that connector - and I was too cowardly at the time to attempt to cobble my own out of a MIDI connector and a phone cord. This one eventually was parted out and the remainder recycled.
|
| na
|
| Dell 316SX
- DOA - CMOS Battery Leak, Keyboard controller Fried
- Intel Pentium 60 (AST MOtherboard)
- 1.44MB 3.5" FDD
- 32MB RAM
- 540MB HDD
- SVGA On-Board
- Internal Speaker
- MS-DOS 6.22
- PC's Limited 10" CRT B&W VGA Monitor
| This machine was DOA from the start. I bought it AS/IS for $5 thinking it'd be an easy fix - nope, this was my first "CMOS Battery Leaked all Over the Motherboard" machine in awhile, in this case it was one of those Tadiran bricks. The motherboard, when powered up, looked like a tiny model of a city at night with cars driving around with their headlights on (burning traces). Later the case was saved and had a AST Premium P60 motherboard put in it (my only Socket 4 system) and it was used with the original VGA Monochrome CRT PC's Limited monitor to act as a un-networked personal diary of sorts after the FMA3500 laptop died.
|
| na
|
| AST P60
- intel Pentium 60
- no FDD
- no HDD
- SVGA on Board
- no RAM
- Barebones, used for Dell 316SX
| This was one of a ton of systems I procured through a guy at a garage sale who had storage units full of old computers from Auburn University students who abandoned them in rental housing. We tried to start a business, it did not really work out. This was parted out to build the Dell above up.
|
|
|
| 1988 Tandy 1000 TL/2
- Intel 286/16
- 768K RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy
- Connor 40MB HDD
- TGA-2
- Tandy 4-voice, poss. w/DAC
- no network
- HDD Bad, no O/S, no Keyboard Either
| Another one like the Amdek 286/a that I got that was not really used. I started working on case-modding it into another modern system in a vintage case type thing - something I regret doing now but at the time was easy to understand why I did it.
|
| na
|
| IBM PS/2 Model 50z
- DOA
- Intel 286/12 w/ IIT 802C87 CoProcessor
- unknown RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy
- 60MB ESDI Proprietary HDD
- VGA/MCGA
- MicroChannel Bus
- Token Ring Card
| Another system I parted out. This provided the co-processor to the GEM 286, and provided a case to the "Gothic PS/2" to de-Goth it. It was not in one piece for long. I got it for free off a guy who was running an unlabeled junk shop in downtown Opelika full of old computer equipment surplus. I would buy things from him often, and also help him repair the old systems in his shop to sell to other people. That was a fun time in my life.
|
| na
|
| IBM PS/2 Model 30 286 #2
- No Top Cover
- 286/10 Intel CPU
- 1MB of RAM
- 1.44MB Floppy
- Dead 20MB HDD
- VGA Graphics
- Token Ring Card
- No O/S
| Another one from the garage saler's storage units. Basically the same as Smokin' Joe. I can't remember if I sold it or parted it out, but I kept it in one piece because it was a 100% working system, it was just missing the top cover.
|
| na
| 
| Neighbor System
- Pentium 200 MMX
- 64MB RAM
- 1.44MB Floppy
- 40GB ATA-100 HDD
- ATI Rage II PCI
- SoundBlaster PCI
- 10/100 PCI LAN
- 56K WinModem
- Windows 98 SE
| Upon moving to Everett I was finding PC's at the local thrifts left and right. One of the first ones was this generic tower that turned out to be a super Socket 7 system, which I later souped up for my next door neighbor to sell to him. He never took me up on the deal we agreed on so it hung around for awhile. I think I eventually just gave it to him - I can't remember what happened to this one. May have also been one of the ones given away in the big 2009 purge.
|
| na
| 
| Holt Office Systems 486
- Intel 486 DX-33
- 8MB RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy drive
- 540MB Maxtor HDD
- SVGA Graphics Card (TSENG ET4000)
- Internal Speaker Sound
- No Network
- MS-DOS 6.21 w/ Windows 3.1
| Another Everett/Lynnwood area thrift system. I got this soemtime in 2007 and did not use it much. I was more into it because it was a local build (Holt Office Systems, Kirkland WA IIRC) and really felt like a genuine "work computer" example from the time. Some elements of it reminded me a bit of the old "Hawknet" computer my friend had back in the day that was a Quantex 486 - at least internally. I think this too was parted out somewhat and later given away - though I can't remmeber if it was barebones or in working order.
|
| na
| 
| AMT 486 (Ex-Microsoft)
- Intel 486 DX2-50
- 32MB of RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5", 5.25" 1.2MB
- 540MB HDD
- Cirrus SVGA 1MB
- SoundBlaster Vibra 16
- 10mbps Ethernet
- MS-DOS 6.22/Windows For Workgroups 3.11
| I bought this at the Everett Value Village for $15 in 2007 and I bought it because it was the same make as my sister's old 386 that I grew up learning DOS on. The system had a Microsoft asset tag on it and still had it's Microsoft corporate image of Windows NT 3.1 on it complete with domain logon. Of course I upgraded it, souped it up, and wiped it. It was later sold to a member of VCFED forums for more than I bought it for as a DX2-66 IIRC. Nice system. I kind of miss it, mostly for it's aesthetic.
|
| na
| 
| IBM PS/2 Model 56 9556-???
- IBM 386SX 25MHz
- 4MB of RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy
- 328MB SCSI HDD
- MCA Bus
- Internal Speaker Sound
- No Networking
- OS/2 2.1 w/ Win OS/2
| This one was from a heyday at the Everett Value Village where they were getting some new vintage x86 equipment every single week. This was bought for about $10-ish and I had it for several years, usually running OS/2 2.1 w/ Win OS/2 (and nos ound because finding MCA sound cards back then was impossible - not just expensive). I eventually gave it to a member of VCFED who picked up a lot of the old stuff from the Washington era because I was downsizing massively - I just had too many computers, more than I wanted or needed. So I likely saved a LOT of old machines.
|
| XT2
| 
| Creeping Net XT II
- SongCheer XT Case
- intel 8088 4.77MHz, IBM Industral Motherboard
- 640K RAM
- 2x 1.44MB 3.5" FDD
- 60MB SCSI HDD on Advanced Information Concepts SCSI Controller (8-bit)
- M.O. Drive
- SoundBlaster CT-1600
- CGA Video
- 3Com 3C509 Ethernet
- MS-DOS 6.22
| In 2006, after lamenting the death of my first true XT, I decided to build a new one. I moved the guts from P200MMXT to the FLight and put in this one of two IBM PC Portable/Industrial PC motherboards in it, later with my first board level mod (640K RAM). This one was a beast, and I ran it for awhile. It had a couple different monitors including a really used up EGA one, and later my first NEC MultiSync monitor (JC-1401) - which was an ex-Boeing unit I regret giving away when I moved. This computer continued to be the XT until 2008 when it was replaced by the Tandy 1000A, and then 2 years later changed into what now is Creeping Net 486.
|
| na
| 
| CAT Computers 486
- Intel 486 DX4-100
- 64MB of RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5", 1.2MB 5.25" Floppy
- 5.25" Mobile Rack with 2x HDD - DOS/WFW & Win95
- 52x CD-ROM
- S3 805 1MB VLB Graphics
- SoundBlaster AWE32 w/ 2MB of Wavetable RAM
- 10mbps LAN
- mS-DOS 6.22/Windows For Workgroups 3.11, somteimes windows 95
| Here's a fun one. When I moved to the greater Seattle area, I went to a Lynnwood Pawn Shop and found this computer for about $200. When I came back a couple years later, it was still there saying "Was $200, now $20" - so I bought it. It was a nice little DX2-66 system witha SoundBlaster Pro 2 and 2 Fujitsu HDDs in it. Later it took over as my main 486 after Creeping Net 1's case stopped being able to hold together. Unfortunatley it was badly damaged in an accident and scrapped. It was replaced with Creeping Net 486 in 2012.
|
| XT3
| 
| 1986 Tandy 1000 EX
- 6MHz Intel 8088
- 640K RAM
- 360K Floppy Drive 5.25"
- no HDD
- TGA Graphics
- Tandy 3-voice Sound
- 2400 Baud Hayes Compatible Plus Card Modem
- MS-DOS 3.1 for the Tandy 1000 EX on Floppy w/ Deskmate II
| I found this Tandy hanging around in the Keyboard bin in downtown Everett for $15 under a pile of keyboards of all ages. I bought it and brought it home, and started messing with it. It actually appeared to have been heavily used by someone for telecommunications because it had a 2400 baud plus card modem and a 640K upgrade card in it, and the top was drilled to allow the modem to breathe. I later gave this one away as I preferred the standard ISA BUS on the Tandy 1000A below.
|
| XT4
| 
| 1985 Tandy 1000A**
- NEC V20 @ 4.77 MHz, Intel 8087 CoProcessor
- 640K RAM
- 360K DSDD 5.25" Floppy x2
- 120MB 2.5" IDE HDD w/ 40 pin Adapter
- TGA Graphics
- Tandy 3-voice Sound
- 10mbps RTL8019 Ethernet
- MS-DOS 6.22
| The Tandy 1000A - one of the few systems on this list that I still have, was bought at Everett Value Village for about $10 in the fall of 2007. The computer was 100% pristine and clean and looked well taken care of. I missed out on the original monitor as I was broke when that showed up. The 1000A took over from XTII in 2008 having the SCSI Controller and a Mac HDD installed in it stealthily hidden behind the floppy drives. Later it got the XT-IDE rev 1.1 card I still have in it to this day installed, and went through a series of HDD ranging from a 2.5" 100MB Seagate out of an NEC Ultralite Versa (which it still has today), to a 8GB behemoth that had more space and purpose. It remained largely the same with a revolving door of monitors ranging from 2 different NEC Multisync monitors (I and II), a Mistubishi CS1984R color television, a Sony WEGA TV, and even occasionally going into one of our 4K Smart TVs in game mode. Over the Pandemic it finally got a Deluxe Mouse, and in 2022 got upgraded for #SepTandy to a NEC V20 CPU and got an 8087 math co-processor at last. Today the Tandy 1000A remains my main XT class system and is still heavily used, and one of my favorites.
|
| 486
| 
| 2012 Creeping Net 486**
- AMD Am486 DX4-100 SV8 w/ WriteBack Cache
- 64MB of Fast Page RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5", 1.2MB 5.25"
- 5.25" Mobile Rack with a Plethora of HDD
- S3 805 2MB VLB Graphics
- SoundBlaster AWE64 Sound
- LinkSys Etherfast 16TP
- DOS, Win31x, Win9x, Linux, OS/2....anything really, even tried to run XP once
| In December of 2012, I got back into retro-PC's when I saw the hubbub brewing on YouTube with 8-bit Guy, LGR, Phils Computer Lab, and Adrian's Digital Basement, as well as VOGONS forum and Vintage Computer Forums beecoming VCFED. I had given up too soon - only a short year and a half later and the "Retro PC" scene would be booming, expecially the 486-class. So I set out to recreate the "ultimate 486" and way out-did myself. I took apart CNXTII and put it back together as this - Creeping Net 486 - basically everything I know from the last 20 years with vintage IBM Compatibles rolled into a ball. A SATA and ATA-133 hard disk slamming and SSD burning PIO-Mode 4 Monster with the SVGA capabilities of a Pentium on a VESA Local Bus slot (it ate my NEC Ready 9522 alive in the graphics department on its VLB S3 805 w/ 2MB of VRAM, the PENTIUM was dropping frames like a dog with the scours), and a SoundBlaster AWE64, and a broadband internet connection. A Tweener, Semi-Daily Driver, and Retro Computer - all in one. It's got parts of EVERY Creeping Net computer in it from Creeping Net 1 all the way to Everett era stuff. It's fast, it's mean, it runs anything I throw at it - even Firefox 9 somehow. It's beaten the PC-330 for "IDGAF" about minimum hardware requirements. This is the PC that almost ran the original Five Nights at Freddy's from Windows 95 - and almost loaded a YouTube documentary in Opera 3.62 in Windows 3.1 using plugins from Windows 7. This machine is the myth and the legend upon which I continue this madness to this very day.
|
| na
|
| 1995 NEC Ready 9522
- Pentium 100 CPU, Socket 5
- 256K L2 Cache, 64MB FP RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" x1
- ATA-133 HDD
- 3DFX VooDoo Banshee 16MB
- OpTI SoundBlaster Compatible Sound with OPL/3
- PCI 10/100 LAN
- Windows 95 OSR 2.5
| When I moved "somewhere in the desert", I got this computer from some ex-bandmate's wife whose grandmother used it up until 2000 or so, along with a Micron CRT monitor I still use. I was to recover the data off of it - which I did. I hardly used it much outside of that. It was the first PC I modified the Dallas clock chip to take CR2302 batteries. Later on it was souped up with a 3dfx Banshee 16MB PCI card and sold on e-bay for a nice chunk of change with original NEC branded keyboard and mouse. I just did not have a need for it, CN486 was eating it alive in a lot of categories, and someone else probably wanted it more.
|
| na
| 
| 1995 Moondog Computers 486 DX4-100
- AMD Am486 DX4-100 w/ WriteBack Cache and WinBIOS
- 32MB of EDO ECC RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5"
- 80GB ATA-133 HDD
- 52x CD-ROM
- Cirrus 1MB SVGA Video
- SoundBlaster 16 Value
- 10mbps LAN
- Windows 95 OSR 2.5
| A contractor named Joseph gave this to me while building a facility's network infrastructure in town. I used it for awhile and quite liked it, but I still liked CN486 better, so in 2023 I decided to sell it off to someone who needs another 486 far more than I do since I'm pretty happy with my small 3 computer "fleet" these days. This had a very rare PC-Chips M912 with a REAL working 256K Cache on it, and while it was a bit faster than CN486, it also was a little less stable. I'll take stability over speed any day.
|
| na
| 
| 1990 Compaq DeskPro 386s/20 "Blue Lightning"
- IBM "Blue Lighting" BLX3 Rev2486 Upgrade Chip - Software CLockable
- 10MB of RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" FDD, 1.2MB 5.25" Floppy
- 212MB IDE HDD
- VGA Graphics
- SoundBlaster Vibra 16 w/ OPL3
- LinkSys EtherFast Ethernet
- MS-DOS 6.22
| Another one from Joseph, and another favorite. He used to play XCOM on this a lot, and when I got it, it had Linux installed on it and 10MB of RAM, as well as a frickin' super-duper-rare IBM Blue Lightning BLX3 upgrade chip in it (Evergreen RevTo486). When I got it, it quicky became a keeper, so I threw a 387SX co-processor in it, and may have some future plans for other upgrades that will be documented on my main neocities site. It also has the cool keyboard "clicker" feature on it that can be turned up and down via hotkeys, and has the original keyboard, and my favorite PS/2 Logitech mouse on it. Sadly the KDS monitor was destroyed in a family drama recently, so it uses the Micron from the NEC Ready 9522 now.
|
| #
| Picture(s)
| Specs
| Description
|
| JR1
|
| 1993 TwinHead SlimNote 433SX/M
- Intel 486 SX SL 33MHz
- 4MB RAM
- 1.44MB Floppy Drive
- 80MB HDD, 2.5" IDE
- Cirrus SVGA Graphics w/ 9.4" 640x480 LCD STN monochrome
- Internal Speaker Sound
- Built-In 14.4K Modem
- NiMH Battery, no power supply
| This was the first laptop bought from e-bay for $15 in 2003. It was DOA due to a burned up motherboard, and I did not know how to repair it, so I spent a little more on the PC below, and this machine became a "battery charger" for it, as this was the beginning of my rage with NanTan & others and their stupid 4-pin power plug design. However, parts from this went to the one below.
|
| JR2
|
| 1993 TwinHead SlimNote 433DX/D
- Intel 486 DX SL 33MHz
- 8MB RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy
- 80MB 2.5" HDD
- Cirrus SVGA w/ 9.4" 640x480 DSTN LCD Color
- Built in 14.4K Modem
- NiMH Battery, no power supply
- Other Twinhead turned into a battery charger (requires Oven Mitts)
| This was the second Twinhead fixed up using parts from the first one. It had no battery charger, instead it had a HP 841C Power supply going into the contact pads inside the previous Twinhead's gutted case. I would sit the NiMH Battery into the previous computer to charge it, and it would get too hot to hold without oven mits - so I'd remove the battery with oven-mitts, and then plug it into THIS TwinHead and run it 100% full time off of the battery. I could get between 2.5 hours (under heavy use) to 3 DAYS (on standby) + 30 minutes of use out of it on a single charge. Unfortunatley, the cat knocked it out of my lap one day while surfing the web on it via it's internal 14.4K modem and it stopped POSTing after that. So I sought out a more reliable, and better replacement. Maybe something with sound.
|
| JR3
|
| 1992 Prostar (NanTan) 9200M
- intel 486 DX2-66
- 8MB of RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" FDD
- 320MB 2.5"
- Cirrus SVGA Video w/ Casio 9.4" 640x480 STN LCD Panel (mono)
- IBM PCMCIA 14.4K Model/Ethernet Combo Xjack
- ESS 488 Sound Card w/ OPL
- Power Supply, Batteries Bad
| My first NanTan. This was a 9200M from Seattle that I bought on e-bay (was still in Bama at the time), that was monochrome. This was my first experience with NanTan/Sager/Clevo/Kapok and it was mostly pretty good except ONE thing - the screen hinges were unfixable, and the other smaller, less important thing - the laptop was black and white. SO I sought out a color replacement that was in nicer shape, that's when I found the three below.
|
| JR4
| 
| 1994 Duracom 5110D
- Intel 486 DX4-100
- 12MB of RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive
- 540MB HDD
- Cirrus SVGA Video w/ Sanyo 10.3" Color DSTN LCD Panel
- IBM PCMCIA Dual Ethernet/Modem Combo
- ESS 488 Sound Card w/ OPL
- Power Supply, Batteries Bad (later removed)
| This was basically the same computer as above but with the Intel 486 DX4-100 chip from the PC-330 in it, a color screen, and working hinges. This was the first laptop I had that really got used a lot, it lasted me till I moved to Seattle and replaced it with the ThinkPad 755CD further down. The machine at that point was no longer able to POST or boot and was really worn out. It'd been used a LOT by that point. However, this machine was not the main of the three it came with (which included the FMA3500 and AT&T Safari below).
|
| JR5
| 
| 1994 AT&T Safari 3151 (Samsung Notemaster)
- intel 486 DX2 SL 50MHz
- 20MB of RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive
- 540MB HDD
- WD 90C024 1MB SVGA Video w/ 640x480 9.4" Active Matrix TFT LCD Color
- IBM PCMCIA Dual Ethernet/Modem Combo
- Internal Speaker Sound
- Working Battery, ran for about an hour on a charge
|
|
| JR6
| 
| 1991 NanTan Notebook FMA3500
- Intel 486 DX-33
- 4MB RAM, 30 pin SIP RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy drive
- 245 MB Maxtor HDD, Special Power
- Cirrus Graphics, 9.4" Casio STN LCD Panek (mono)
- Internal Speaker Sound
- MS-DOS 5.00/Windows 3.1
- Suncom Atom Mouse (no pointing device on-board)
|
|
| JR7
| 
| 1988 Zenith Data Systems SuperSport 286
- Intel 286/12
- 512K RAM
- 720K 3.5" Floppy Drive
- 20MB IDE HDD (XT-IDE)
- CGA Video, 10" 640x200 Blue/White Mono STN LCD
- Internal Speaker Sound
- Built in 2400 Baud Modem (used to load Google in 10 minutes)
- Ms-DOS 6.22
|
|
| JR8
| 
| 1995 IBM ThinkPad 755CD
- Intel Pentium 75MHz (thought it was a DX4-100 at the time)
- 48MB RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive (hot swappable)
- 2GB HDD
- 2x CD-ROM (hot swappable with Floppy drive)
- IBM SVGA Graphics, 640x480 10" TFT LCD (color)
- IBM MWave Sound Card, OPL, SB Compatible
- IBM Modem/Ethernet Combo Card
- Built in 14.4K Modem
- MS-DOS 6.22/Windows for Workgroups 3.11/cut down Windows 98 SE
|
|
| JR9
| 
| 1997 IBM ThinkPad i1400
- Pentium II 300MHz CPU
- 64MB RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" FDD
- 80GB HDD
- Cd-ROM w/ front controls and display
- XGA Graphics, 12" LCD Panel, TFT/Active Matrix
- Sound On-Board
- CardBus WiFi (802.11B/G)
- CardBus USB
|
|
| JR10
| 
| NEC Versa 48EC PC-440-1351
- Intel 486 DX2 SL 40MHz
- 20MB RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy
- 60GB ATA-133
- WD 90C024 1MB SVGA, 640x480 9.4" TFT LCD (NL6448AC30-06)
- Internal Speaker Sound
- Cisco Aironet LMC-352 PCMCICA 802.11/b
- MS-DOS 6.22/Windows For Workgroups 3.11
|
|
| JR11
|
| NEC Versa M/75CP PC-470-1561
- Intel 486 DX4-75MHz
- 40MB RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5"/NiMH Battery #2
- 80GB ATA-133 HDD
- C&T 65545 1MB SVGA, 640x480 9.4" TFT w/ Pen/Touch support
- Crystal Cs-4231-KQ WSS Compatible Audio (no FM)
- Cisco Aironet LMC-352 PCMCIA 802.11/b
- FreeDOS 2.1
|
|
| JR12
|
| NEC Versa M/75TC PC-570-1561
- Intel 486 DX4-75MHz
- 40MB RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5"/NiMH Battery #2
- 80GB ATA-133 HDD
- C&T 65545 1MB SVGA, 640x480 9.4" TrueColor Capable LCD
- Crystal Cs-4231-KQ WSS Compatible Audio (no FM)
- Cisco Aironet LMC-352 PCMCIA 802.11/b
- FreeDOS 2.1
|
|
| JR13
| 
| NEC Versa P/75HC PC-490-1571
- Intel Pentium 75MHz
- 40MB RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5"/NiMH Battery #2
- 80GB ATA-133 HDD
- C&T 65545 1MB SVGA, 800x600 TFT Active MAtrix 9.4"
- ESS688 SoundBlaster Compatible w/ OPL/3
- Cisco Aironet LMC-352 PCMCIA 802.11/b
- FreeDOS 2.1
|
|
| JR14
| 
| NEC Versa M/75HCP PC-470-CNCN
- Intel 486 DX4-75MHz
- 40MB RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5"/NiMH Battery #2
- 80GB ATA-133 HDD
- C&T 65545 1MB SVGA, Custom 800x600 9.4" TFT w/ Pen/Touch support
- Crystal Cs-4231-KQ WSS Compatible Audio (no FM)
- Cisco Aironet LMC-352 PCMCIA 802.11/b
- FreeDOS 2.1
|
|
| JR15
| 
| NEC Versa V/50C PC-710-1351
- Intel 486 DX2 SL 50MHz
- 20MB RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5"/NiMH Battery #2
- 80GB ATA-133 HDD
- WD 90C024 1MB SVGA, 640x480 9.4" TFT
- Internal Speaker Audio
- Cisco Aironet LMC-352 PCMCIA 802.11/b
- FreeDOS 2.1
|
|
| JR16
| 
| DFI MediaBook 9200M
- Intel 486 DX2-66
- 4MB of RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive
- 320MB HDD
- Cirrus SVGA Video w/ Casio 9.4" 640x480 B&W STN LCD Panel
- Cisco Aironet LMC-352 PCMCIA 802.11/b
- ESS 488 Sound Card w/ OPL
- Power Supply, Batteries Bad (later removed)
|
|
| JR17
| 
| BSi FMA3500C
- Intel 486 DX-33
- 8MB of RAM on 30 pin SIP
- 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive
- 245 MB MAxtor HDD
- Cirrus SVGA Video w/ Sanyo 9.4" 640x480 DSTN LCD Panel
- Built in Trackball (!!)
- Battery Still Works, Barrel Style Power (unlike 4-pin FMA3500)
|
|
| JR18
| 
| NanTan Notebook FMAK9200D
- Intel 486 DX2-66
- 4MB of RAM
- 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive, NEC Versa
- 320MB HDD
- Cirrus SVGA Video w/ Sanyo 10.3" DSTN Color LCD PAnel 640x480
- Cisco Aironet LMC-352 PCMCIA 802.11/b
- ESS 488 Sound Card w/ OPL
- Power Supply, Batteries Bad (later removed)
|
|
