Just won this on ebay, brand new in the box. This is the exact same CD-ROM/RW drive I had in my AMD 1.2 GHz Tbird system back in the early 2000s, and it was the junk back then, turned out the best quality burned discs. It's going in a similar build as soon as I can locate the rest of the original parts I had. Pretty sure I had an Abit NF7 board back then, but I think I'll get a VIA KT266A board this time.

Warlord wrote on 2020-02-02, 03:20:

Those licenses are expired and terminated. It's just like having a expired lottery ticket. No you can not claim it. And having a license gives you zero rights.

False. Only applies to software licensed as service/suscription model. Licenses tied to hardware and early retail don't work that way.

@Artex

appiah4 wrote on 2020-02-02, 05:54:

@Artex […]
Show full quote

@Artex

I like your honesty.
I hate him too.
😉

I think Artex should be banned from this forum for life for such posts 😁

On a side note, I came to my friend's place for a cup of tea and some apple cake, and he gave me this.

It's a "Graphic information manipulator EC1841A002", in modern terms, a mouse. This particular model is a part of a Soviet XT counterpart called EC1841 manufactured in the late 1980s in Minsk, Belarus:

The interface might be compatible with the standard serial ports, I have not checked this yet.

Not only does it have ridiculously thick cable, it also features a steel ball and even ball bearings!

I see little use in owning one, but I have a business trip to Ekaterinburg planned for this year and I've heard there's a computer museum there. I'd be happy to pay it a visit and donate this rarity where it belongs.

The only thing missing is a die cast exterior!

yawetaG wrote on 2020-02-02, 07:21:

The only thing missing is a die cast exterior!

Hehe 😀 The engineers behind this thing managed to equip it with military-class cable and ball, but did not think once of installing more or less adequate microswitches. Man, they are horrible!

But then again, that's just Soviet design in a nutshell. Surviving a potential nuclear explosion is more important than ergonomics and end-user experience.

Shagittarius wrote on 2020-02-02, 01:37:

When the corona virus wipes out 99.9% of people on the planet I will search for the legendary stash of Artex! How big can Milwaukee be...

Naa.... Dont worry about that Corona virus. It is not that bad if you look at statistics.

Corona so far: Aprox 14.400 infected so far, under 300 deaths. All globally.

Influenza: Aprox 290.000 to 650.000 deaths related to different types of airway infections linked to influenza, and influenza it self. Globally each year. And that is 2017 WHO numbers.

Just calm down. Like the Joker would put it.... People dropping from right and left due to influenza, yet when a few gets corona, the world seems to loose their mind.

The same was said about ebola.

A huge pandemic is best what can happen to planet earth, wipe some humans and this stupid co2 discussion is gone and we can drive bigger cars again 😉 *ironic*

appiah4 wrote on 2020-02-02, 05:54:

@Artex […]
Show full quote

@Artex

Nah, even though his post was absolutely disgusting.

matze79 wrote on 2020-02-02, 11:33:

The same was said about ebola.

A huge pandemic is best what can happen to planet earth, wipe some humans and this stupid co2 discussion is gone and we can drive bigger cars again 😉 *ironic*

Remember MERS and SARS? They a variant of Corona, or if you like, the other way around. Anyway, they are related. Aprox 8000 contracted SARS and around 800 died.

My point... Dont go overboard and drink bleach. You will not die from Corona, because you are dead due to liver and kidney failure anyway.

EDIT:
I would rather like to get Corona than MERS...
https://www.who.int/emergencies/mers-cov/en/

Ordered from this website that doesn't look like it has changed since the mid-90's.. I was skeptical anything was going to show up and my credit card scammed. But no! 2x NOS Pentium Pro coolers for $9 each, haha. 😁 https://www.pccables.com/ Looks like they have a bunch of other small items from the 90's and early 2000's, so it may be worth checking out. Non-inflated prices too. I noticed they also have a 100-pack of the AT plastic motherboard standoffs for under $22. Those are getting harder to find..

Artex wrote on 2020-02-02, 00:31:

Alrighty folks..

Another year has come and gone and that means it's time for my annual collection update pictures! The shelves are a little more full after a good run of collecting in 2019, and the start of 2020 looks to be no different. Most of what I collect now is extremely specific or I'll jump on a purchase once in a while if I find a duplicate item in better condition. I've started selling off some of the bare, unboxed hardware in my collection as well as some dupes this year to reclaim some space. I hope everyone has a great start to 2020. Enjoy the pictures!

Holy crap!! I have never seen so much boxed old hardware 😲

RacoonRider wrote on 2020-02-02, 07:13:

It's a "Graphic information manipulator EC1841A002", in modern terms, a mouse. This particular model is a part of a Soviet XT counterpart called EC1841 manufactured in the late 1980s in Minsk, Belarus

Oh, the legendary rat!

"ES 1841 came with a mouse. It was pretty big, and had a thick and not really flexible cable... Therefore colloquially this mouse was called "a rat"" - http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?615 … 4209#post494209

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2020-02-02, 03:10:

Artex wrote on 2020-02-02, 00:31:

Alrighty folks..

Another year has come and gone and that means it's time for my annual collection update pictures! The shelves are a little more full after a good run of collecting in 2019, and the start of 2020 looks to be no different. Most of what I collect now is extremely specific or I'll jump on a purchase once in a while if I find a duplicate item in better condition. I've started selling off some of the bare, unboxed hardware in my collection as well as some dupes this year to reclaim some space. I hope everyone has a great start to 2020. Enjoy the pictures!

You could end this thread on that posts.

Bought this 133 MHz 486 PC locally. Nice case with a door, but dirty and yellowed, also missing one footrest.

Gorgeous system. Yesterday, I bought an AIW 7500 64MB AGP, external USB FDD (needs repairs as it doesn't read any 720K diskette I put in there and doesn't format), and 3.5" FDD head cleaning kit for $18 at a local computer thrift store/electronic recycling center.

This TNT2 Ultra and Glint 500TX / Delta.

bjwil1991 wrote on 2020-02-02, 20:05:

external USB FDD (needs repairs as it doesn't read any 720K diskette I put in there and doesn't format)

May be normal, many USB FDDs lack support for 720 KB.

Grzyb wrote on 2020-02-02, 20:08:

May be normal, many USB FDDs lack support for 720 KB.

The FDD supports 720K, 1.25MB, and 1.44MB according to the box. I think the issue could be the heads are bad or the FDD isn't working correctly. The FDD is more like a standard FDD that were in laptops back then and used a ribbon data/power cable. I have a spare one somewhere that I can test out, but I don't know where it is at the moment.