I have a new (to me) Compaq SLT/286 on it's way to me. If you were in the same boat, what software would you load onto it? 1.6mb, not sure if it's got a coprocessor.
I am thinking DOS 6.21 with shell, some sort of terminal software, and then I don't even know. That's why I am looking for ideas?
Laptops that far back are pretty much useless for gaming imho (not because of age but because they were usually too much of a tradeoff compared to desktops), sooo... productivity. How about some dev tools, e.g. good old Turbo Pascal? Word processor(s) of your choice (Wordperfect, Wordstar, Word) maybe something for spreadsheets (Lotus 123, Exel) or a database (dBase). Bonus points if you get it to actually print something.
I like these types of computers despite their limitations. You could load it up with old DOS games, especially if you can enjoy them without Sound Blaster audio. You could run some of the old Sierra adventure games and text adventure games like Planetfall. There are lots of old strategy games like Empire Deluxe and Ega Trek that would work. You can find more on Mobygames by searching for the minimum CPU specs:
https://www.mobygames.com/attributes/attribute/65/
https://www.mobygames.com/attributes/attribute/64/
I think you could even get a Covox/Disney Sound Source replica for more sound options.
elszgensa wrote on 2023-08-30, 19:49:Laptops that far back are pretty much useless for gaming imho (not because of age but because they were usually too much of a tradeoff compared to desktops), sooo... productivity. How about some dev tools, e.g. good old Turbo Pascal? Word processor(s) of your choice (Wordperfect, Wordstar, Word) maybe something for spreadsheets (Lotus 123, Exel) or a database (dBase). Bonus points if you get it to actually print something.
Thanks. I'm not a big gamer, but I am excited about some of the early Star Trek games that I am going to try on it. I have two dot matrix printers set up and operating in the office and in the workshop, so printing won't be an issue. I am going to be putting this in my retro room and hopefully connecting to the internet via and in house dialup server (still need to finish tweaking the pi).
Grizzly Adam wrote on 2023-08-30, 20:36:elszgensa wrote on 2023-08-30, 19:49:Laptops that far back are pretty much useless for gaming imho (not because of age but because they were usually too much of a tradeoff compared to desktops), sooo... productivity. How about some dev tools, e.g. good old Turbo Pascal? Word processor(s) of your choice (Wordperfect, Wordstar, Word) maybe something for spreadsheets (Lotus 123, Exel) or a database (dBase). Bonus points if you get it to actually print something.
Thanks. I'm not a big gamer, but I am excited about some of the early Star Trek games that I am going to try on it. I have two dot matrix printers set up and operating in the office and in the workshop, so printing won't be an issue. I am going to be putting this in my retro room and hopefully connecting to the internet via and in house dialup server (still need to finish tweaking the pi).
There are still some BBSes going today. It could be interesting to connect to some of those.
elszgensa wrote on 2023-08-30, 19:49:Laptops that far back are pretty much useless for gaming imho (not because of age but because they were usually too much of a tradeoff compared to desktops), sooo... productivity. How about some dev tools, e.g. good old Turbo Pascal? Word processor(s) of your choice (Wordperfect, Wordstar, Word) maybe something for spreadsheets (Lotus 123, Exel) or a database (dBase). Bonus points if you get it to actually print something.
I had an SLT/286, too, and found it to be quite descent.
It has full VGA graphics and a 12 MHz 80286, which was similar to what my desktop PC had.
It even had 4 MB of RAM installed (I've upgeaded it), which made it fly on Windows 3.1x.
It ran all my Windows 3.1x applications just fine, including Visual Basic IDE.
Merely the audio department was lacking, so I had installed PC Speaker driver on Windows.
PS: Please becareful with the internal battery.
If it's deeply discharged, it may never recover.
There's a relay inside, which can be heard.
I think I've found out when I used a magnet on the battery (please don't try unless needed). Anyway, I had lost one of two batteries back then, so I feel the urge to warn everyone and tell my story.
"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel
//My video channel//
The only thing I remember doing on a 286 laptop was playing Castle Adventure. Perhaps it wasn't the most modern game at the time, but there were plenty of games designed for machines slower than a 286!
Jo22 wrote on 2023-08-31, 05:35:PS: Please becareful with the internal battery. If it's deeply discharged, it may never recover. There's a relay inside, which […]
PS: Please becareful with the internal battery.
If it's deeply discharged, it may never recover.
There's a relay inside, which can be heard.
I think I've found out when I used a magnet on the battery (please don't try unless needed). Anyway, I had lost one of two batteries back then, so I feel the urge to warn everyone and tell my story.
Can these batteries be re-packed since they're relatively dumb, unlike Li-ion?
doshea wrote on 2023-08-31, 11:58:The only thing I remember doing on a 286 laptop was playing Castle Adventure. Perhaps it wasn't the most modern game at the time, but there were plenty of games designed for machines slower than a 286!
Jo22 wrote on 2023-08-31, 05:35:PS: Please becareful with the internal battery. If it's deeply discharged, it may never recover. There's a relay inside, which […]
PS: Please becareful with the internal battery.
If it's deeply discharged, it may never recover.
There's a relay inside, which can be heard.
I think I've found out when I used a magnet on the battery (please don't try unless needed). Anyway, I had lost one of two batteries back then, so I feel the urge to warn everyone and tell my story.Can these batteries be re-packed since they're relatively dumb, unlike Li-ion?
Yes they can. You will need 10 4/3A 3800mAH batteries, ordering from Tenergy seems to be the best value. You will need to use a heat gun to open the pack (sound like old glue) but you have to be careful not to blow the heat sensing resistor. I found a video on it a while back, it was the same battery pack but a different compaq computer.
Found it (looks like there were actually two parts)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ134d9LhnQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqWNcWqz_-E&t=1227s
