This one needs a good inspection and repair and I have parts from the broken 400CDT (some parts fell apart on me when I was trying to fix the power button issues).
Seller's photo:
Has the user guide book and the original power cord. Hope the HDD has the original set so I can archive that and distribute the drivers on here in the future.
This one needs a good inspection and repair and I have parts from the broken 400CDT (some parts fell apart on me when I was trying to fix the power button issues).
Seller's photo:
s-l1600.jpg
Has the user guide book and the original power cord. Hope the HDD has the original set so I can archive that and distribute the drivers on here in the future.
Recently found a Satellite Pro 430CDS in a charity shop. Unfortunately, the passive matrix screen makes it really poor for gaming unless you're using an external screen.
Even using the mouse under W95 requires you to enable the pointer trails to be able to follow the mouse (or maybe my mid-30's eyes are getting old...)
It's really well built. With swappable Floppy drive / CD Drive. I'm using a pair of IBM Microdrive (via PCMCIA) to transfer files.
I had no issues with the drivers. The only that was missing was the Chips and Technologies graphics, and i could find it easily on VogonsDrivers.
Using a PCMCIA Ethernet card, i tried to browse the Vogons forum with Netscape... but... well... the W3C standards has evolved a lot in 25y. And i wasn't sure that the 10Mbps ethernet card was taking full advantage of the 1Gbps FTTH
I also tested a cross OS Diablo multiplayer game over serial.
1Satellite Pro 430CDS --> Physical Serial port --> Null modem cable --> Serial to USB --> My main computer (Linux) --> Windows Virtual Machine
Totally playable !
What was a bit confusing it that the HDD was full of potentially sensitive things. The computer seemed to have been used by a psychologist (found her name in documents left on the desktop and Windows registration screen). And there were documents left...
I also have a Toshiba T2110. With a 486DX4. But the monochrome screen does not work well, and the plastic aged very badly and breaks like glass. It came with W3.1 but i installed Debian Linux on it (with floppies. #pain) and it runs Doom quite well.
Edit: oh and i also found that the CD drive was unable to read CDRW (which i use a lot to burn one-shot CDs for games / retro things). It only reads normal CDs and CDRs...
My first retro purchase: a Toshiba Satellite Pro 4340. I received it yesterday.
Pentium III 650 Mhz
320 MB SDRAM (max allowed on this system)
S3 Savage/IX
Yamaha DS-XG
It's in very good condition, it was sold as not working\tested since the original power adapter was missing.
It powers up with a universal adapter and everything works, battery has life too! And also 30 gb hard drive seems pretty all ok (some bad sectors).
that's good, shame the hdd may be on its way out though. those universal adapters are laptop saviours!
I have a 2150CDT that runs on a DX4-75 and it runs . The only item it needs is the floppy drive and the only one I have is the one that connects to my 420CDT externally, which it works surprisingly on the 2150CDT.
My 420CDT is going to get the SD2IDE treatment in place of the CF2IDE (screw holes don't line up with the CF2IDE adapter on the drive rail). Finding drivers for the laptop can be challenging, however, I keep the drivers on my main laptop and either burn a CD with them, copy them to the hard drive, or make diskettes of them.
Wish I had the recovery media for my 2150CDT and my 420CDT so I won't have to manually install said drivers or software. However, they all use the same drivers pretty much, except the video chip might be different between the 2150CDT and the 400 series.
What was a bit confusing it that the HDD was full of potentially sensitive things. The computer seemed to have been used by a psychologist (found her name in documents left on the desktop and Windows registration screen). And there were documents left...
this happens too often, and its strange also, to enter into a different era and see all these old abandoned documents. When its personal data though i do always wipe the drive
Edit: oh and i also found that the CD drive was unable to read CDRW (which i use a lot to burn one-shot CDs for games / retro things). It only reads normal CDs and CDRs...
Edit: oh and i also found that the CD drive was unable to read CDRW (which i use a lot to burn one-shot CDs for games / retro things). It only reads normal CDs and CDRs...
frustrating! happens a lot too with cd readers
A couple of years ago something like 60% oc my CD drives AND DVD combo drives just shat themselves and refused to read ANY kind of CDs. The DVD combos however stile read DVDs.
Oh, very nice. You have a better shot of the full board?
I remember seeing Paradise VGA cards being on display in the window of a local computer shop in the late 80's, early 90's, and that image of the bird on the box that they used to use has always stayed with me for some reason. Nice find!
Edit: The motherboard seems to have an AOpen logo on it? Or where Acer and AOpen the same company? Can't remember...
Last edited by pan069 on 2022-02-08, 20:36. Edited 2 times in total.
I kind of like those Vartas. I consider it a part of retro look. 😀
Luckily clean under no damage under or around.
Here with the battery removed.
It is probably Acee. Even there is no logo or brand name anywhere on the board, box or manual. "Open for Business" is a marketing slogan, not a link to AOpen brand, but who knows.
Edit: The motherboard seems to have an AOpen logo on it? Or where Acer and AOpen the same company? Can't remember...
AOpen was short for AcerOpen, so same company
See my graphics card database at www.gpuzoo.com
Constantly being worked on. Feel free to message me with any corrections or details of cards you would like me to research and add.
I kind of like those Vartas. I consider it a part of retro look. 😀
Luckily clean under no damage under or around.
Here with the battery removed.
It is probably Acee. Even there is no logo or brand name anywhere on the board, box or manual. "Open for Business" is a marketing slogan, not a link to AOpen brand, but who knows.
That Key Board connector is thanking you for saving its life .. that battery was about to execute it along with the board.
Also . .what is the big Socket for next to the Simm slots ? does it have 3 CPU sockets ..well 2 really cause one is soldered. -- scratch this just realised that little CPU is a FPU.
Last edited by TrashPanda on 2022-02-08, 21:10. Edited 2 times in total.
Oh, very nice. You have a better shot of the full board?
I remember seeing Paradise VGA cards being on display in the window of a local computer shop in the late 80's, early 90's, and that image of the bird on the box that they used to use has always stayed with me for some reason. Nice find!
Edit: The motherboard seems to have an AOpen logo on it? Or where Acer and AOpen the same company? Can't remember...
Whats really going to blow your mind is that its a Bird of Paradise ....on a Paradise Video Card.
That Key Board connector is thanking you for saving its life .. that battery was about to execute it along with the board.
Yes. It probably juststarted eating into the surrounding copper. Luckily continuity is still, there so no major repair is needed (apart from vinegar bath). The keyboard power supply line might be worth of strengtening.
Edit: The motherboard seems to have an AOpen logo on it? Or where Acer and AOpen the same company? Can't remember...
Apparently AOPEN used to be the Open System Business Unit of Acer Computer Inc., so just a division inside Acer.
Yep. Alongside their labs, Acer Labs, inc, also known as chipset vendor ALi 😉
Combo-breaker was Acer's manufacturing arm, called Wistron. Of course, they produced the AOpen boards.
Acer is huge, they went on an acquisition splurge and bought everyone from Commodore (the PC brand) to Gateway and Packard Bell (whose systems were already being made in the Wistron factories at that point).