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Dumpster find :)

A

aaron7

Experienced Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2003
Messages
456
Been a while since I saw an AT in the trash! Remember when they were -everywhere-?? :D

The system boots Windows 98 to a password prompt but of course hitting ESC bypasses it!

There is still software loaded but nothing interesting. Business stuff. I'll wipe it eventually.

Everything tested OK, even the floppy drive! Didn't test the Zip drive as there was no software loaded for it and I'm lazy :p

Only issue I could find was the AT keyboard connector feels a little loose on the mainboard. Connections seem to be fine and it worked OK so I'll just hot glue it.

I'd like to find a cache card for it. Were they all universal or motherboard dependent?

Specs!!
VTI Vextrec tower
Vextrec PTP-2005 200w AT power suply
Gemlight GMB-P56IPS motherboard
Intel Pentium 133MHz
64mb RAM (2x 32mb 72-pin SIMMS)
WD Caviar 32500 2.5GB hard drive
Samsung SV0844A 8.4GB hard drive
Acer 18x CD-ROM
1.44mb floppy
ZIP 100 drive
Diamond Stealth 3D 2000 2mb PCI video card (no upgrade sockets tho)
Creative CT4740 PCI sound card
USRobotics 3CP5699A PCI modem

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I'd like to find a cache card for it. Were they all universal or motherboard dependent?
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They're called COAST modules, and they're pretty much universal amongst Pentium systems. (There were a couple incompatible lookalikes, but those are pretty rare.) It seems to be easiest to find modules from big-name OEM systems, but they should work just fine.
 
Nice find. Now you just need to find a rebranded Novell NIC to put in there. :)
I see it has the DS1287 in it. I'd hope it has a connector to attach an external battery.
 
Hmm, I'll have to check that! Still had the right date & time though :)
 
Few years ago, I went to a local recycling place, this place just collects the stuff then ships it off to wherever, anyhow, I was there
to drop off my Sony TV which died and would cost more to fix than replace.

Standing around I felt compelled (like any Federation Capatain on a mission) to peek into these large plastic storage bins, some were
filled with computers, clones, just tonnes of them, and the place would not allow anyone to take any of, buy any of it,
basically you aint getting anything here.

You have to wonder how many valuable vintage things might have slipped through the cracks and ended up in a place like this............
 
Those things end up valuable just because they were all recycled. Every year there seem to be more collectors and less vintage stuff to buy.

I miss the local recycler I used to hit every week for stuff, but my place is full now anyway so if he was still around I would have no place for anything new. Still I am sure most of what gets scrapped now is newer then what was around a few years ago... there isn't an endless supply of 386's out there.
 
Agree there's more competition now for anything good at recycle places. At my local, anything collectible will be gone within 24 hrs and I see lots of geeky old guys wandering around looking suspiciously at each other. It's just luck to be there when something good is brought out of the sorting room. The Babyboom generation of geeks is retiring at an increasing rate. Prices rising, too.

Rick
 
There are some silly prices being paid for stuff. I guess it's realitive though if you consider the original pricing when they were new. On the other hand there are bargains to be had and even free bees. Right place at the right time and all that.
 
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Really cool find, and it looks mint BTW.

I have a really nice recycling center less than a mile from where I live, and the keeper will let me pick up stuff from time to time. There's a mix of all kind of electronics, but I did some amazing finds there. It's tough to get some pre Pentium machines though, even pre-Pentium III stuff are rare nowadays. I rarely keep the cases though, unless they're from a specific machine or they look good.
I did find a fully boxed Atari 2600 there, a superb 1997 Voodoo rig in absolute mint condition, a mint Thomson TO7-70, an IBM PS/2 Model 80, a Macintosh SE/30, an odd Philips 3386 with a gigantic motherboard, MCA ports and a Cyrix CX486DRx²...or last month a Compaq 6820s that the guy was about to throw right in front of me, he let it outside so the flat panel was toast (working though) and it was dirty, but after a good cleanup and a panel replacement (I had the same panel in a dead laptop I got in the same place), I found out the problem was only...the keyboard. 16euros later, I had a mint working laptop. People are stupid seriously. And I did countless good finds like these. I love this place :D
 
SuperDuty455 said:
People are stupid seriously. And I did countless good finds like these. I love this place :D
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Not necessarily. It's mainly the fact that it is an older piece of technology and the user doesn't know (or want to learn) how to use it, the problem is a very minor thing, or it works fine but the user deems it incapable of performing anything useful.

I am glad that I run an e-waste event. I'm always excited of what various old systems come in; and it sure beats eBay buying. :rolleyes:
 
Yeah for older hardware I can understand, machines from 1995 to 2002 are worthless today and pretty hard to use unless you have a special need for them (DOS games, controlling a machine, whatever) but that implies being computer savvy in the first place. And people don't necessarily know there are collectors of pre Pentium stuff out there.
Now for modern computers, that are still worth something and have more than enough power to run anything today, it's another story IMO.
 
Seems like I still got a lot of things to learn :D (I caught interest in older hardware only two years ago!)

I can understand those old Packard Bell are worth something today, they're pretty well built compared to the crap they make today. Same goes for Compaq machines.
 
Most people have a chip on the shoulder twoards PB for their quality problems and reputation in the early 90s. Plus, they recycled the same case design for many of their models. In the mid to later 90s, they regained themselves and hit a high point. I've got (probably) the rarest PB designed computer, the Packard Bell "Corner" Computer. For their sometimes over-used cases, they made up for that with this design.
 
Black-cased Dell Dimensions are the common find today. Packard Bells, Pentium IIIs and Gateways are starting to become scarce while you'll need to dig under piles of trash for the older stuff like Pentium I and i486. The more I drive by my streets on trash day, the more I see that big black box being thrown out.
 
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