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Old 21st November 2020, 15:48   #76
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Re: Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stratos View Post
It was an HCL Desktop, must be somewhere in 1996

What makes me laugh now is that the hard drive was 1GB and the RAM was 16MB.

How times have changed!
1GB ? Impossible! I had a 10 MB hard drive, next step up was a 20 MB drive, I think, - and "640K ought to be enough for anybody." RAM.
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Old 21st November 2020, 15:59   #77
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aah78 View Post


I remember the cassette tapes needed to load software on the computer.
All I did was play this game called Jetpac.
Good times!
That's a blast from the past used to love that game but think i played attic attak (forgot the spelling) more. The loading screens were psychedelic as heck
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Old 21st November 2020, 16:12   #78
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Re: Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!

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Originally Posted by MunnabhaiMBBS View Post
Our First Computer

Year : 1988

Make & Model : An imported IBM PC-XT
Processor speed : 4-6 Mhz
Ram : 64k
Monitor : IBM / Colour with 3 knobs
Disk Drives : 2 Floppy drives (1 for O/S and 1 for programs)
Chassis : Horizontal
Printer : Super 5 - Dot Matrix

O/S : Dos
Programs : Lotus 1-2-3 / Wordstar (WS) / PrintShop, Dollars and Cents

It was a different era altogether!
I'm jealous! You had a color monitor?!!
I absolutely hated Wordstar! Refused to learn it, managed to get by somehow with text editors and a kindly stenographer who would do the formatting for me until one fine day it disappeared from the scene altogether.

Last edited by mvadg : 21st November 2020 at 16:36.
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Old 21st November 2020, 16:19   #79
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Re: Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!

My first PC came very late.

NOV 2007 (I was driving for almost a decade by then).

Being a medico, I spent 2 weeks on the college internet to find good specs for a Gaming PC and finally went to a PC shop.

The two things that the PC shop owner told me (after handing over my system) was that never had anyone asked for a HDD with a certain amount of buffer (He had to call someone to check what I was talking about).

Second thing was that I was the only customer in this decade asking for a floppy drive when on one hand I am asking about a HDD with higher than usual buffer.

Assembled PC specs (Nov 2007):
Intel Core2Duo 2.2Ghz
2GB Ram
Gigabyte motherboard
250GB HDD with 16MB buffer
iBall keyboard, mouse and iBenz cabinet
nvidia 256MB graphics card
Samsung 15" CRT monitor
4 USB hub
Bluetooth dongle
Intex 2.1 speakers

Initially got an Intel motherboard with 8 onboard USBs and support for 16 total, with 128mb onboard graphics etc. It turned out to be defective so I could buy a Gigabyte motherboard with nvidia GPU with some refund.

Later on, in 2009, I changed GPU to nvidia 9500 or something with 512MB 256-bit specs and it burnt the SMPS in a few months. Then got a CoolerMaster 500w gold rated SMPS but the PC never ran good again. It easily ran Crysis on high settings by the way.

Reason for trouble:
The installer (seller) had refused to install a new SMPS despite me discussing about the need with him. Perhaps he thought I may opt out of the upgrade with the charges of SMPS added to the bill (which I wouldnt have).

Last edited by PaddleShifter : 21st November 2020 at 16:20.
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Old 21st November 2020, 16:37   #80
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Re: Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!

Year: Late 2001
Make : Assembled by unknown party
Processor : Intel P4
HDD : 20GB (added additional 80gb samsung in 2004 summer)
RAM : not sure but i think it was 256mb hynix brand because somehow my recollection says I added another 256mb hynix in 2004 summer.
Drives : LG CD ROM & ?? Floppy drive
OS : Win98 (probably pirated), upgraded to WinME (probably pirated) in 2004. Upgraded to XP (definitely pirated) in 2006.
Monitor : 14" Color Samsung CRT
Keyboard & Mouse : PS2, roller ball type logitech mouse
Speaker : 2.0 from Mercury
Case & psu: mercury
UPS : Mercury UPS, 20 mins back-up
Internet: prepaid sify Dialup (mostly used after dinner) on pci modem. Later upgraded to pci ethernet card for bsnl dsl in 2005. Used to download 700mb torrents overnight using bsnl.

This PC was bought by my father for my sister who just started her B.Tech in Computer Science. I Learnt a lot of things on this pc from copying desktop icons to floppy drive from another pc and failing to execute those shortcuts in my own pc to finally being able to install and use freeware or demoware from digit cds. watching and copying movies from rental cds. Learning what makes a computer hardware, and able to open case and upgrade harware, learning dailup, dsl, networking, configuring pppoe etc. Finally i went away to undergrad and this pc was gifted to a cousin.

Last edited by Comrade : 21st November 2020 at 17:04.
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Old 21st November 2020, 16:41   #81
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Re: Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!

Quote:
Originally Posted by sachind View Post
1985

Just finished my class X exam and got a Commodore C-64 !!
Attachment 2082914
Wow! I've heard so much about them but never saw one or even met a person who used one of these!! I guess IBM just swamped the market with their PCs and Wintel did the rest.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prowler View Post
It was a different era. The dialup connections we had in 1995 topped with a speed of 28kbps. You had to wait with a lump in throat to hear the handshaking signal from the modem as a sign that the connection is finally through. I won't be surprised if you think it must belong to the cave man's time.
110 baud was the norm and for 9600 you'd have to run to the computer lab in 1984!

Last edited by mvadg : 21st November 2020 at 16:46.
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Old 21st November 2020, 19:34   #82
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Re: Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!

When I think of those days in the 90s I only remember our school computer 'lab' which was the only room with AC. It was so quiet and there always were beeping sounds in the lab like today's ICUs. We had to remove our shoes to get into the lab. And there will always be couple of folks who wore dirty socks. The stench could get atrocious. Enough said

I couldnt afford a computer during my days but remember renting a pentium 3 assembled system for a project in 2002 or 03. It was quite costly at 800 rs for one month! It had a floppy drive but no CD drive yet. I use to connect our BSNL telephone line to access internet. It was a proud moment to get online at home, something I could only do at browsing centers until then!
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Old 21st November 2020, 21:06   #83
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Re: Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!

Mid-90's, working as a support engineer. Have seen many 386's. A couple of 286's too. Laptops were rare.

Harddisks that were 20MB - big fat ones. We used to slap them hard when they stopped working. May be even smaller capacity drives. Punch cards lying around in the client's data centre storage room - still have a few sample cards some where (though they were no longer in use at the client place - so haven't seen them in use).

Windows was just coming in. Win 3.1 was big. Launch it via startup.bat but the simplicity of being able to play around with the files inside to fix problems.

A Taparia 804 screw driver in pocket was sufficient most times to fix problems. Once in a way, DOS on floppy drives to boot the system that went down. A tool kit with screws, soldering set, a nose-plier, connectors ... (the tool-kit zipper case still with me with many of the stuff still in it).

Computers have come a long way.

Last edited by condor : 21st November 2020 at 21:10.
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Old 21st November 2020, 22:16   #84
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Re: Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!

We bought our first PC in 2003. It was an HCL Ezeebee

Processor : Intel Pentium 4, 2.5Ghz
Ram : 256MB
Hard Drive : 80 GB IDE
Attached Thumbnails
Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!-hclcomputer08002b.jpg  

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Old 21st November 2020, 23:42   #85
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Re: Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!

December 1996
Assembled
Processor : Intel 486 DX 66 MHz
Baby AT Motherboard with Intel Chipset
(It got fried a few years later while trying to upgrade to a 100 MHz AMD 486 processor given to me gratis by a friend)
HDD : 630 MB
RAM : 8MB
Drives : Floppy drive, CD ROM added later
OS : DOS 6.22 with Windows 3.11
Monitor : 14" Samtron SVGA color
Graphics: PCI VGA, No sound card
Keyboard & Mouse : Ritcomp mechanical kbd (which has been retired with all keys intact and working till today!), roller ball type mouse (logitech)

Mini tower AT cabinet with 250 VA PSU (retired in working condition)
No UPS : Powered through a 250 VA CVT

Printer : TVS 9 pin dot matrix
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Old 24th November 2020, 02:02   #86
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Re: Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!

December 2001

CPU: Intel Pentium 3 , 933 MHz
RAM: 128 GB SD RAM (64 * 2)
Motherboard: Intel 845G
HDD: 40 GB , Seagate , IDE Interface
Graphics: Do not remember the brand.It was a stick like RAM on a very unique slot.
CD ROM: Samsung CD ROM
Floppy Drive: Samsung FDD 2.5 Inch
Modem: Realteck Modem
Monitor: Samsung Samtron 15 Inch CRT
Keyboard: Samsung Multimedia Keyboard
Mouse: Logitech Scroll Mouse
Speakers: Yamaha Multimedia Speakers
Cabinet: One of those zenith PC types
Power Supply: Micro ATX
UPS: Some generic local brand
Printer: HP Deskjet 640C
Freebies: Mouse Pad and covers

OS: At that time it came with Windows 98. I installed Windows ME on that.

I had done all my learning and R&D on this. Burned the motherboard once. Replaced it with mercury one. Fried the processor once. Replaced it. CD Writer , second hard disk , third hard disk and what not.

I had even installed Mac OS on this. Those iATKOS images.

This was my first hardware to learn computer and probably start building my own software.

Monitor & Keyboard is already been gifted to cousins. I have the cabinet with all things inside.

Last edited by ankitsharma : 24th November 2020 at 02:04. Reason: Adding the printer and OS
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Old 30th November 2021, 22:22   #87
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Re: Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!

1988

Elektor Electronics Junior Computer - A 6502 based microprocessor development kit. Unfortunately I never got around to building it. I did however, spend quite a bit of time in the software chapter from where I taught myself 6502 Machine Code, Hand Assembling and how to write software.

That experience came in use when I got a DB Spectrum+ system 2 years later. While my siblings spent their time playing games, I taught myself BASIC, Pascal, Fortran and Z80 Assembler.

Which lead to a life long passion for Computers.

The first IBM Compatible PC I worked on was a PC XT @ 8 Mhz with 640 KB of RAM and a 10 MB HDD running MS DOS 3.20. Learned DBase, HICIX, Lotus 123, Clipper, GW-Basic and Turbo C. Fought the slow PLink86 linker till Turbo Link could be used. Pkarc and Pkxarc were the compression tools, replaced by lharc and then by pkzip and pkunzip. Prince of Persia, td and digger were the go to games. Created freeware anti-virus programs, reverse engineered filesystems, did data recovery and also wrote a BBS from scratch and ran it for a few years.

In 1997, I had my 15 mins of Internet fame as one of the creators of http://www.xtendtech.com/ss/
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Old 30th November 2021, 23:38   #88
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Re: Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!

Quote:
Originally Posted by td2cga View Post

In 1997, I had my 15 mins of Internet fame as one of the creators of http://www.xtendtech.com/ss/

That's you?
I vaguely remember using this with vsnl dial ups, way way back!!
Vaguely only because it's so long ago. But use it I did.
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Old 1st December 2021, 00:00   #89
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Re: Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!

1996 was when I got my first PC.

It was a Pentium 120 on an intel 430vx based board with 16mb edo ram, 1mb pci vga, some opti sound card, a creative cd drive, 1.2GB hard drive and a 1024*768 svga color monitor.

We later added a vsnl internet connection and a 33.6k modem.

This machine was as fast as it got in those days. Only thing missing was a voodoo card.
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Old 1st December 2021, 11:50   #90
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Re: Configuration of your first computer and anecdotes!

Some anecdotes, apologies if off-topic:

[1] In 1987, our school added computers as a subject. There was an air-conditioned lab (only one PC), we had to remove shoes before entering. One day the teacher was kind enough to allow us, one by one, to play a car race game for a few minutes.

[2] In 1993, flowcharts captured my interest. A casual chat with a neighbour led to him lending his Sinclair. I do not remember the exact specs, but it was just a keyboard with RAM, ROM and a BASIC interpreter. Had to connect to the TV for display. My first programs were written in it, on power off the programs would be lost. It had a floppy drive but we dd not have a writeable floppy disc.

[3] At my first job, the entire organization had just one email address provided by VSNL, the ISP. When people travelling onsite sent emails, a printout would be posted on the notice board. The PCs were on a LAN, but no Internet connection. Only one PC had a colour monitor and we had to book slots to get that one.
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