Nar001 wrote on 2026-03-18, 23:35:

So I've got a "lap-top" as the computer history museum would call it, a Bondwell model 8 which doesn't have a hard drive. I've always wanted to use it for something, but the lack of hard drive and being able to add one always seemed very limiting. How would you use it? What could I do with it, or use on it? I'm open to suggestions. Thanks a lot!

What do you ask exactly? you almost dont need HDD for anything in this kind of computer, and have a nice 720k floppy drive (assume work fine)

make a floppy with bare DOS, Mod Master XT, and some mods, build a covox, and enjoy nice music. PCspeaker too

Very nice machine - looks very interesting. Well, I think given the age of the machine why not use a Disk operating system (i.e. rund the OS from a floppy disk). This was far more common during a time when HDDs were very expensive and like with many home computers swapping floppy disks and working on floppy disks was common. You could try MS-DOS 2 or 3 and try to boot from the floppy disk. If thats working perhaps share some pictures of your machine and what it does ? From there you could start thinking about what software you could use (At some point it may be usefull to have another PC running original DOS and a floppy drive as writing 720 kb disks is problematic on modern machines)

I would connect it to the LAN, using an LPT NIC (eg. Xircom Pocket Ethernet), and use mTCP NetDrive to attach remote HDD image.

Nar001 wrote on 2026-03-18, 23:35:

So I've got a "lap-top" as the computer history museum would call it, a Bondwell model 8 which doesn't have a hard drive. I've always wanted to use it for something, but the lack of hard drive and being able to add one always seemed very limiting. How would you use it? What could I do with it, or use on it? I'm open to suggestions. Thanks a lot!

Possibly replace the floppy drive with a Gotek floppy emulator that uses a USB flash drive to store floppy disk images.

If the floppy controller supports more than one drive, you could get two Gotek units or keep the original drive with the Gotek. This should allow you to boot the machine from a 720k floppy or floppy image and possibly use a TSR ( like 2M) to support higher capacity emulated floppies on the non boot Gotek unit, possibly even very big custom defined ones (you will need a custom firmware, like flashfloppy, on the Gotek for that).

See Gotek/FlashFloppy largest possible FAT12 / DD disk

EDIT: A 2.5MB simulated floppy running at XT floppy disk speeds should be possible, AFAICT.

Or if user want to keep more retro, a nice parallel ZIP drive, 100mb of raw power

theelf wrote on 2026-03-19, 00:54:

Or if user want to keep more retro, a nice parallel ZIP drive, 100mb of raw power

Or an emulated version : I built an Iomega ZIP100 parallel port emulator (PIC32MZ + USB disk images) – LPT100 project

Use it as it was meant to be used, to play gw-basic games just like it was intended😁

How much RAM? Considering it shipped with DOS 2.11, I assume not much?

Don't know this particular machine, but description you linked shows :"disk drive" under "I/O" ports.

Do you know what exactlly this is? Second floppy or some kind of Hard drive?

Any idea how much RAM is in it? - Tricky with 8088, but might be able to make use of a small RamDrive to reduce floppy activity.

Agree that GoTek would be good, no "floppy wear" and would make it easy to switch between multiple disk images...
But being XT (pre AT) probably doesn't support HD (500kbps) drives and I don't know that all GoTeks support DD (250 kbps) data rates.
Check on exact compatibility.

It says 8K ROM - does it have DOS/BASIC in ROM? or do you have to boot it from floppy.

FWIW, if you boot it, and having an RS-232 port, you might be able to move up to a newer DOS with InterLnk and (slowly) access a remote hard drive that way.

Actually, IIRC InterLnk could also support a parallel connection (which would be much faster) - but you would need another DOS system to share the drive.

Zip100 with the xt capable driver is probably the best you'll easily get.

Interlnk over one of those serial bluetooth modules might be doable though?

Does the OP have images of its insides?

The linked page suggests an internal drive bay, and the existence of an external floppy drive unit accessory. I am curious if there's any exposed isa bus lines inside. If there are, then xtide might become possible with ingenuity, and a DOM.

I have a Bondwell B200 XT Laptop with floppy drives only connected via Interlink to a 80286 "server".

theelf wrote on 2026-03-18, 23:44:

Nar001 wrote on 2026-03-18, 23:35:

So I've got a "lap-top" as the computer history museum would call it, a Bondwell model 8 which doesn't have a hard drive. I've always wanted to use it for something, but the lack of hard drive and being able to add one always seemed very limiting. How would you use it? What could I do with it, or use on it? I'm open to suggestions. Thanks a lot!

What do you ask exactly? you almost dont need HDD for anything in this kind of computer, and have a nice 720k floppy drive (assume work fine)

make a floppy with bare DOS, Mod Master XT, and some mods, build a covox, and enjoy nice music. PCspeaker too

Honestly, I'm kind of at a loss, I've gotten retro computers before but I have to admit I've never dealt with one that couldn't be used with a hard drive, and it's hard to search for specific things related to that, since obviously most retro computers used now do at least support them

Also from what I found, there seems to be a few websites talking about that one specifically, though I don't think it has anything in ROM, I do have a DOS diskette to boot though.

I always loved that form factor for some reason, I also have a Bondwell model 2 around, that uses CP/M and basically the same chassis, but I've never gotten the hang of that OS and searching for specific compatible software seems complicated, so it's just in storage for now.

I could check using the RS port for networking, I guess it was a the tail end of the laptops without hard drives then? 1985 does seem a bit late to release one that doesn't even support it, I think the second disk port is for an external floppy drive, though I don't have it myself

What I would use it for programming. Either BASIC or something lower level of you wanted to do something requiring more performance. See what this laptop can do!

I still would love pics of the inside of this thing.

The lpt zip100 emulator (that can emulate 1gb disk images!) With the palmzip driver, is still the most likely least intrusive device one could add to this thing.

I mentioned a similarly crippled 'laptop' produced by IBM in that thread. (Ibm 5140 'pc convertable')

Your is more or less the same kind of hardware.

Nar001 wrote on 2026-03-19, 13:35:

I guess it was a the tail end of the laptops without hard drives then? 1985 does seem a bit late to release one that doesn't even support it

Not.
Desktops were sold with HDD - or at least HDD option - since 1983.
Laptops, however...
- 1986 - IBM PC Convertible - floppy only
- 1987 - Amstrad PPC512/PPC640 - floppy only

wierd_w wrote on 2026-03-19, 14:00:

I still would love pics of the inside of this thing. […]
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I still would love pics of the inside of this thing.

The lpt zip100 emulator (that can emulate 1gb disk images!) With the palmzip driver, is still the most likely least intrusive device one could add to this thing.

I mentioned a similarly crippled 'laptop' produced by IBM in that thread. (Ibm 5140 'pc convertable')

Your is more or less the same kind of hardware.

It's your lucky day, I found someone who showed it off on reddit! https://imgur.com/a/1LLlU

Grzyb wrote on 2026-03-19, 15:01:

Not. Desktops were sold with HDD - or at least HDD option - since 1983. Laptops, however... - 1986 - IBM PC Convertible - floppy […]
Show full quote

Nar001 wrote on 2026-03-19, 13:35:

I guess it was a the tail end of the laptops without hard drives then? 1985 does seem a bit late to release one that doesn't even support it

Not.
Desktops were sold with HDD - or at least HDD option - since 1983.
Laptops, however...
- 1986 - IBM PC Convertible - floppy only
- 1987 - Amstrad PPC512/PPC640 - floppy only

Oh then I was mistaken, I'm surprised they kept being sold without hard drives for so long, even if they were more expensive, you learn something new every day!

Images arent very clear...

Looks like CPU is socketted though. Most of the 8bit isa bus would be exposed via the cpu socket. (It was local bus in systems this early)

Putting a homebrew interposer card with a v20, and re-hashed xtide may be possible. Would need bodge wires elsewhere for some power and signalling lines though. The majority could be pulled off the cpu socket all the same.

If going that route, might as well integrate a noise barker and a peizo button speaker, for a full anacronistic sleeper.

If it were me (and I know this wouldn't be of much interest to others), I'd just use it from floppy with one of my serial TTY programs (SDT, PC100, Laptalk etc. on it) - I'm constantly building/working with custom embedded systems (8051, 6809, ARM etc.) and almost always interface to these the simplest way possible - RS-232 serial.

When I just want to check on something in a running system I have to get a computer to it - I often just use a TRS-80 Model100 - instant ON, and has a serial port, but limited it how you can control the internal terminal emulation, and 40x8 isn't great either.

To get better, I have to get near a computer, I don't have a DOS laptop anymore, so often booting up Winblows... A small no HD DOS laptop would be almost perfect!