BitWrangler wrote on 2024-09-11, 17:46:

Apologies for the multiple posts, but just trying to get stuff down before I forget about it. So I am leaning more to PB 900 PB9 […]
Show full quote

Apologies for the multiple posts, but just trying to get stuff down before I forget about it. So I am leaning more to PB 900 PB900 PB-900 I have seen it styled multiple ways and I don't know which one is most correct. It appears that Packard Bell used the model number for this series in marketing and distinguished CPU speeds as 12X 16X 8X etc, which you might think is helpful, but google just tangles up with CD speeds on later models. Anyway, so I think my model name in full is PB900/12X for 12Mhz. The PB-1000 is ruled out because that is supposed to have a vertical floppy drive. The PB-800, also comes up as a Pack Mate model so IDK if the Legend 2 info I found was correct, or maybe they are actually the same system but named different in different markets.

I found an advert from ABCO in a March 89 Infoworld, so that confirms some basics, and also that these were sold with EGA, however, the model number given is not the model number of the one I could get. Also if you look, the silver badge doesn't show, but the dark red badging of the monitor does..... they don't match when they match 🤣 I was wondering if I should be finding a monitor with silver badge, but apparently the other badge goes with it.

The "AT Clones" announcement came in early January, so maybe they were on sale just before Christmas, given magazine lead times, so some parts would indeed have 1988 dates for early sales.

@Jasin, nice score, pretty clean for age, hope it runs like a top when you've got the Win3x install sorted.

Not sure that it will help any with your specific questions, but I found some useful information here:
https://wiki.preterhuman.net/Packard_Bell

My first computer was a Packard Bell Statesman laptop, and I recently got another one. My brother found it on eBay, and sent it to me.

Now I need to get a floppy drive for my more modern computer, and some diskettes, so I can upgrade it to WFWG 3.11. Unfortunately, I'm not optimistic about my chances of tracking down a maths module or a RAM upgrade for it. If anyone in the forum has either or both, I'd gladly purchase it from them for a reasonable fee.

I got the Zenith version and could not get it to come alive last time I tried it, but I just saw something the other day about needing to jumper the battery pins if the battery is out, because I think it was leaking and I left it way the hell away from everything, may even have tossed it.

i had one of those packard bell monitors with the speakers bolted to the side, didnt realise they were from 1995, was a big improvement over my IBM ps/2 monitor, then i went to a trinitron, compared to the packard bell monitor it was on a different level.

my first packard bell pc was an ixtreme, took me ages to find the model on google and even longer to find a big enough pic. thry came with either an intel or amd cpu, mine was a 775 socket with an 865 chipset.

mine looked worse than this by the time i was done with it, had some problems with it, threw a hissy fit and kicked the front in a few times.🤣 all the flaps were hanging off so i ditched it, shame really was quite a nice case

still would really like one of those corner pc's

Ah this is where I found some Statesman info, including the battery terminal jumper required to start up with no battery...
https://oldcomputer.info/portables/statesman/index.htm

Does anyone recognize this Packard Bell Case? It's for sale as incomplete / for parts, which is fine, but I just don't remember this case style. Then again the later PB/NEC cases are generally less recognizable (to me anyway). Also I wonder what the hole in the top right is for.. power button presumably is in the middle panel?

pbagain wrote on 2024-09-19, 07:40:

Does anyone recognize this Packard Bell Case? It's for sale as incomplete / for parts, which is fine, but I just don't remember this case style. Then again the later PB/NEC cases are generally less recognizable (to me anyway). Also I wonder what the hole in the top right is for.. power button presumably is in the middle panel?

Hi there pbagain, sorry been busy, but that is a very distinctive and unusual case design, I've never seen a Packard Bell of the 2000/2001 era like that, only the blue iMedia, or the curved one. since I've been doing a lot of Packard Bell research lately for my old 4x4 desktops, I thought I'd have a look, and did find an almost identical spec model (1.3ghz vs 1.4ghz CPU) in the same design, and certainly seems to be very unique amongst the models, although didn't check them all. If you look at the sales flyer .PDF I found on passion-pb.fr/models.php you'll notice although it's specs are perhaps quite low for what I think is a 2001 machine, it's fitted out with some decent hardware, and a very impressive software bundle rivalling the 90s machines in quantity, although not so sure about having Windows ME as an OS. Looking at your case pictures, the 2 stickers on the front look much newer, and don't correspond with the spec sticker, so guess it's got an upgraded ASUS motherboard & Sempron CPU.

http://passion-pb.fr/documents/PDF/models/Des … treme_9130i.pdf

Is it one you've bought already, or are you thinking of buying?

Hi folks, had another quick skim of this thread but didn't see this posted, has specs for a few early 90s models and a bunch of monitors, which is how I found it...

Has the Force 386es, the 286 force econobox, the PB286LP Laptop, bunch of monitors, and a laser and dotmatrix printer.

BigDave wrote on 2024-09-29, 20:51:

Hi there pbagain, sorry been busy, but that is a very distinctive and unusual case design, I've never seen a Packard Bell of the […]
Show full quote

pbagain wrote on 2024-09-19, 07:40:

Does anyone recognize this Packard Bell Case? It's for sale as incomplete / for parts, which is fine, but I just don't remember this case style. Then again the later PB/NEC cases are generally less recognizable (to me anyway). Also I wonder what the hole in the top right is for.. power button presumably is in the middle panel?

Hi there pbagain, sorry been busy, but that is a very distinctive and unusual case design, I've never seen a Packard Bell of the 2000/2001 era like that, only the blue iMedia, or the curved one. since I've been doing a lot of Packard Bell research lately for my old 4x4 desktops, I thought I'd have a look, and did find an almost identical spec model (1.3ghz vs 1.4ghz CPU) in the same design, and certainly seems to be very unique amongst the models, although didn't check them all. If you look at the sales flyer .PDF I found on passion-pb.fr/models.php you'll notice although it's specs are perhaps quite low for what I think is a 2001 machine, it's fitted out with some decent hardware, and a very impressive software bundle rivalling the 90s machines in quantity, although not so sure about having Windows ME as an OS. Looking at your case pictures, the 2 stickers on the front look much newer, and don't correspond with the spec sticker, so guess it's got an upgraded ASUS motherboard & Sempron CPU.

http://passion-pb.fr/documents/PDF/models/Des … treme_9130i.pdf

Is it one you've bought already, or are you thinking of buying?

Thanks Dave! I didn't initially recognize this case as one of the cases with the greenish-glassy design, but now that I see the monitor and keyboard in your photo it makes sense! This case in my photo only has the little panel around the power button in that style, unlike this one which has a trim that frames the whole case:

It's also the same style as the Packard Bell Div@ all-in-one P3 design:

By the way, passion-pb.fr is a great resource, which I had forgotten about completely.. thanks for reminding me 😀

Asking price of the ad I found is very fair, but it's pick-up only and really out of my way, so I think I'm going to have to let this one go.

BitWrangler wrote on 2024-09-30, 14:23:

Hi folks, had another quick skim of this thread but didn't see this posted, has specs for a few early 90s models and a bunch of monitors, which is how I found it...

Has the Force 386es, the 286 force econobox, the PB286LP Laptop, bunch of monitors, and a laser and dotmatrix printer.

That's a nice brochure for these early PB machines, thanks for sharing!

pbagain wrote on 2024-09-30, 19:45:

Thanks Dave! I didn't initially recognize this case as one of the cases with the greenish-glassy design, but now that I see the […]
Show full quote

BigDave wrote on 2024-09-29, 20:51:

Hi there pbagain, sorry been busy, but that is a very distinctive and unusual case design, I've never seen a Packard Bell of the […]
Show full quote

pbagain wrote on 2024-09-19, 07:40:

Does anyone recognize this Packard Bell Case? It's for sale as incomplete / for parts, which is fine, but I just don't remember this case style. Then again the later PB/NEC cases are generally less recognizable (to me anyway). Also I wonder what the hole in the top right is for.. power button presumably is in the middle panel?

Hi there pbagain, sorry been busy, but that is a very distinctive and unusual case design, I've never seen a Packard Bell of the 2000/2001 era like that, only the blue iMedia, or the curved one. since I've been doing a lot of Packard Bell research lately for my old 4x4 desktops, I thought I'd have a look, and did find an almost identical spec model (1.3ghz vs 1.4ghz CPU) in the same design, and certainly seems to be very unique amongst the models, although didn't check them all. If you look at the sales flyer .PDF I found on passion-pb.fr/models.php you'll notice although it's specs are perhaps quite low for what I think is a 2001 machine, it's fitted out with some decent hardware, and a very impressive software bundle rivalling the 90s machines in quantity, although not so sure about having Windows ME as an OS. Looking at your case pictures, the 2 stickers on the front look much newer, and don't correspond with the spec sticker, so guess it's got an upgraded ASUS motherboard & Sempron CPU.

http://passion-pb.fr/documents/PDF/models/Des … treme_9130i.pdf

Is it one you've bought already, or are you thinking of buying?

Thanks Dave! I didn't initially recognize this case as one of the cases with the greenish-glassy design, but now that I see the monitor and keyboard in your photo it makes sense! This case in my photo only has the little panel around the power button in that style, unlike this one which has a trim that frames the whole case:

It's also the same style as the Packard Bell Div@ all-in-one P3 design:

By the way, passion-pb.fr is a great resource, which I had forgotten about completely.. thanks for reminding me 😀

Asking price of the ad I found is very fair, but it's pick-up only and really out of my way, so I think I'm going to have to let this one go.

That's a shame it's pick-up only. Obviously pick-up is better if it's near enough, as my Club 40 was, I always worry about how well sellers are going to pack computer related items and getting damaged in transit, but of course it's only viable if it's within economical and practical driving distance. I've missed some great Packard Bell buying opportunities for the same reason, all were in central London which is a no go as far as I'm concerned.

BitWrangler wrote on 2024-09-30, 14:23:

Hi folks, had another quick skim of this thread but didn't see this posted, has specs for a few early 90s models and a bunch of monitors, which is how I found it...

Has the Force 386es, the 286 force econobox, the PB286LP Laptop, bunch of monitors, and a laser and dotmatrix printer.

What an interesting brochure/advert, fascinating to read the specs, and all prior to the face of technology era, thanks for sharing that BitWrangler. Maybe it's different in the US/Canada, but as a recent UK Packard Bell fan, it's frustrating that I can find very little information or advertising for anything UK Packard Bell, even gone through a ton of old archived PDF PC magazines from the era in the hope of finding some adverts, but nothing much yet. Strange since they had such a big presence in the 90s, even in the UK, dominating the shelf & floor space in 100s of stores under the DSG group in the 90s, just as they probably did in the US stores. I have found a few flyers on the archive, but that's about all, would you have any recommendations or know which magazines they would've advertised in, US or UK?

I have been searching various stuff against the more international magazines and they're mostly coming up in clearance reseller ads, nothing looking like official advertising or authorised dealer with full line.

You might find something in some Micro(computer) Mart copies that have been digitised from the UK, what's online is scattered issues though.

Edit: oh yah, a Packard Bell "fan" from way back is the man behind computercraft and the old "graverobber.com" mainly so named because they were curb find stuff you could get going with some perseverance, so his resources are aligned with that kind of cobbling together old PCs to get some typing or interweb done. https://computercraft.com/docs/classic.shtml

Update:

The Packard Bell has been confirmed working.
I upgraded the ram from 8MB to 64MB EDO,
Upgraded the onboard Cirrus Logic video from 1MB to 2MB, also installed ISA 3Com NIC.
Upgraded the OG 800MB hdd with a Seagate 1.2GB one that was lying around.
I have a Pentium 120 kicking around that I'll probably replace the 100MHZ chip with as well.

Haven't really gotten to do much else with it yet.

Jasin Natael wrote on 2024-10-01, 16:10:

Update: […]
Show full quote

Update:

The Packard Bell has been confirmed working.
I upgraded the ram from 8MB to 64MB EDO,
Upgraded the onboard Cirrus Logic video from 1MB to 2MB, also installed ISA 3Com NIC.
Upgraded the OG 800MB hdd with a Seagate 1.2GB one that was lying around.
I have a Pentium 120 kicking around that I'll probably replace the 100MHZ chip with as well.

Haven't really gotten to do much else with it yet.

Looks good! I like these slim 3x3 models. Nice to have the original spec-sticker on the top as well!

I dug the stack with the PB 286 in and liberated it, here is it's backside exposed in all it's glory.... so yeah it's a PB-800 according to the sticker... Quick peek inside, it's got probably original I/O cards, a maybe not original Oak VGA card. Motherboard has socketed RAM, some holes empty to fill and a weird riser slot for more RAM I guess.

Date makes it one of the early crop of Packard Bell's first AT class. Been playing with that PB EGA monitor with Apco XT that is a VX88 twin in the "What retro activity did you do today" thread, about to switch to trying the monitor on this, but PSU issues to resolve first.. ... and probably needs a 3.5 floppy drive in for sanity.