Old computer in need of ressurrection (big pictures)

Bayar · 09-25-2012, 06:37 AM

A friend of mine is leaving the country, and he gave me one of his old computers to tinker with. Now I'm no expert when it comes to PC's, so I'm turning to the playground for help.

The computer starts, but it gets stuck on the "No keyboard detected" error. Now, I don't know if the slot near the long printer slot is a ps/2 port for the keyboard or for a mouse. I plugged the keyboard there but it seems to not work. Would the other port that is a bit higher be a port for an older keyboard model ?

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The graphics card is not installed, but it has a port that connects directly to the motherboard. And those two slots that are above it, I have no idea what they are used for.

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This is how it looks on the inside. It's a mess of cables. Also, it has only three RAM slots.

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The front has a counter that displays something. I remember seeing it on old computers, but have no idea what it tracks.

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And a couple more pictures that show some info about the motherboard and the power source.

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I have no idea what OS it has installed on it (if any), plus it came with two extra hard drives and RAMs, so curiosity is eating away. Hope someone can help

Yora · 09-25-2012, 06:56 AM

What do you want to do and how doesn't it work?

Bayar · 09-25-2012, 07:01 AM

I want to start it up and see what/if kind of OS it has, what it has on the hard drives, what kind of components it has, but the problem is it does not detect the keyboard on bootup, so it sits there telling me to hit F1 to continue.

I removed the battery on the motherboard and hope that resetting it will do the charm.

Archonic Energy · 09-25-2012, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bayar

A friend of mine is leaving the country, and he gave me one of his old computers to tinker with. Now I'm no expert when it comes to PC's, so I'm turning to the playground for help.

The computer starts, but it gets stuck on the "No keyboard detected" error. Now, I don't know if the slot near the long printer slot is a ps/2 port for the keyboard or for a mouse. I plugged the keyboard there but it seems to not work. Would the other port that is a bit higher be a port for an older keyboard model ?

Spoiler

that's not a PS/2 port... it predates PS/2...

there used to be PS/2 to mini-din adapters... i'm not sure they do them any more

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bayar

The graphics card is not installed, but it has a port that connects directly to the motherboard. And those two slots that are above it, I have no idea what they are used for.

Spoiler

monitor goes in the one at the bottom. the others are 9 pin & 25 pin serial for joysticks and mice and such...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bayar

The front has a counter that displays something. I remember seeing it on old computers, but have no idea what it tracks.

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clock speed... *places large bet on 133*

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bayar

And a couple more pictures that show some info about the motherboard and the power source.

Spoiler

I have no idea what OS it has installed on it (if any), plus it came with two extra hard drives and RAMs, so curiosity is eating away. Hope someone can help

*places bet on Win 95*

Yora · 09-25-2012, 07:13 AM

Turns out that that strange big hole is indeed a keyboard connection. Which indicates that this computer is ancient. Since it has a PS/2 connection as well, it must have been made after 1987.

My guess would be that the computer is from about 1990, probably runs with Windows 3.

Edit: Oh wait, it says it on the side: 1996. So yeah, Windows 95 would be likely.

And of course it doesn't have a graphic card. Graphic cards as we know them today were only invented that year.

Rawhide · 09-25-2012, 07:22 AM

Hmm, with something old, I have to ask, do you want to make this a learning experiment, and do you mind spending a few bucks?

If so, there is an excellent resource I would recommend: Upgrading and Repairing PCs.

You won't even need the latest edition (in fact, I'm not sure if the latest edition keeps all the old stuff or if it abridges or drops it, so an older edition may be more useful).

Bayar · 09-25-2012, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archonic Energy

clock speed... *places large bet on 133*

166 actually.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rawhide

Hmm, with something old, I have to ask, do you want to make this a learning experiment, and do you mind spending a few bucks?

If so, there is an excellent resource I would recommend: Upgrading and Repairing PCs.

You won't even need the latest edition (in fact, I'm not sure if the latest edition keeps all the old stuff or if it abridges or drops it, so an older edition may be more useful).

Not really, but it's good to know what to look for later on.

Yora · 09-25-2012, 10:34 AM

If you would want to opgrade that thing, maybe the case could be reused. But I'm not sure if modern mainboards fit into it.

GeekGirl · 09-25-2012, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bayar

A friend of mine is leaving the country, and he gave me one of his old computers to tinker with. Now I'm no expert when it comes to PC's, so I'm turning to the playground for help.

The computer starts, but it gets stuck on the "No keyboard detected" error. Now, I don't know if the slot near the long printer slot is a ps/2 port for the keyboard or for a mouse. I plugged the keyboard there but it seems to not work. Would the other port that is a bit higher be a port for an older keyboard model ?

Spoiler

That looks like a PS/1 slot. you may be able to find an adapter.

Quote:

The graphics card is not installed, but it has a port that connects directly to the motherboard. And those two slots that are above it, I have no idea what they are used for.

Spoiler

From top to bottom, you have a Serial port on the audio card. Some old audio devices hooked up inputs that way.

I would guess an old printer port, though its not parallel.

Last in your video card.

Quote:

The front has a counter that displays something. I remember seeing it on old computers, but have no idea what it tracks.

Spoiler

It looks like a old Pentium 2 (or older) system, unless its a newer system in an old case, but thats what those displays did. That display told you the clock speed of the processor. the Old turbo button was a manual overclock.
You could possibly rig it up to show you the core temp

factotum · 09-25-2012, 04:35 PM

I don't think there was any such thing as a PS/1 slot. What he has there is a 5-pin DIN socket, and the last time keyboards that used *those* connectors were manufactured was a good 15 years ago. Buying anything that's going to fit this thing will be an exercise in patience (and probably eBay

), and it's got considerably less horsepower than a modern mobile phone.

Speaking personally, I'd be inclined to consign this to the dustbin of history where it belongs--most of the stuff you'd learn by getting it working would be irrelevant to a modern PC anyway.

Bayar · 09-25-2012, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by factotum

I don't think there was any such thing as a PS/1 slot. What he has there is a 5-pin DIN socket, and the last time keyboards that used *those* connectors were manufactured was a good 15 years ago. Buying anything that's going to fit this thing will be an exercise in patience (and probably eBay

), and it's got considerably less horsepower than a modern mobile phone.

Speaking personally, I'd be inclined to consign this to the dustbin of history where it belongs--most of the stuff you'd learn by getting it working would be irrelevant to a modern PC anyway.

Actually, my university had some of those keyboards around, might obtain one in a week or so.

Story Time · 09-27-2012, 09:07 AM

I love relics.

I also want to see what the computer progresses to. I'll bet Windows 98 ( First Edition? Second Edition? ) as an operating system.

Don't worry. There are still businesses that manufacture random access memory and other parts for a computer like that. But most have to be contacted directly for custom orders and shipping.

Are there any other plans for it beside turning it on? Word processor? Network node? Hub?

Bayar · 09-27-2012, 09:39 AM

Honestly, I haven't thought of that. If it turned out it was busted, i'd just stripped parts from it to use later on (like building a laser). But for now, I'll try and dig through it's hard drives and identify it's components before deciding. The fact it came with spare components (graphics card, two hard drives and two RAMs) gives me the option of setting it up as a gaming platform for all those old games that won't run properly without massive headaches on new devices (or, in the case of Soul Reaver, without buying it again from GOG).

Bayar · 10-09-2012, 07:12 AM

Finally found a 5 pin keyboard. Can't believe it was slated for the crusher. Anyway, plugged it in, the computer booted up, it has Windows 98 installed, but there is a problem. Seems that the hard drive is missing a file, msanalog.vxd, so unless I find my old windows 98 cd stashed somewhere inside an old cd driver box OR get a hold of a working floppy disk and boot up another computer that has a floppy drive, it won't start completely.

Thankfully, this issue seems to be a common one and it should not be anything more than an annoyance.

Story Time · 10-09-2012, 07:07 PM

...an Internet search page should be able to return web sites that serve as repositories for such files. I'd advise caution and use the more reputable ones, but a single file like that should not be a problem. The searches should also be able to determine where it goes.

At any rate, I am happy for Bayar. Thank you for the up-date!

Also: Yay! I was right! Windows 98!