You might think I'm insane....

[geekgrl]

Ok, so I've been told to sledgehammer the motherboard already, but it's junk, therefore it's still playtoy material.
Here's the story: some lady gave my mom an old 286. Yep, you heard me right a 286. Well, I decided, before she threw it in the trash, I would keep it and abuse it and play with it for a while. I booted it up, and it seemed to be booting - but nothing displayed on the monitor. Took it and hooked it up to another monitor, and still nothing. Any suggestions, ideas, tips, or hints? If not, I'm doing what was suggested and sledghammering the mobo for kicks http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

Edit - Nevermind - it was just a stupid power cord. I fixed it, now I have a working 286. *dying laughing* Why am I amused? I dunno, I have two good machines. Now any suggestions, creative suggestions, for this old piece of ****?

[This message has been edited by geekgrl (edited 07-26-2000).]

[tonym]

gg,

If you spent more than 3 minutes trying to get that boat anchor working, you've already spent more in time than it's worth!

Get sledgehammer and have some fun!!!


Tony

[Ultima]

You indeed would be insane, if you were to spend more time on that thing.

Go to the local museum and sell it to them, you'll probably be able to get a buck or 10 out of it.

Pim

[123]

!

[narayan]

Overclock it!

[Ygor]

Does it appear to be an AT layout or was there something else before that?
If it's an AT, you could try an FIC 503+ board (AT/ATX) in it and upgrade it. Show people what something that "old" can do!

That's only if you like the case a lot tho

[chipbgt]

I'll buy it from ya...I could use an upgrade.

[Hellmund]

Overclock it and see how high you can get before it auto-shutsdown or melts.Not like you got much to lose.
Hellmund

[linux_guru]

Install LINUX on it ! Forget running X on it though. It would be OK as a file/print server or as a firewall.

[seti]

I had a working 286 and a 386 around two years ago...and had the same problem...*what should I do with them*


In the end....there power supply fans were used to make a windtunnel that takes air in through two unused 5" bays and directs it down into the case.

That and ram keychains.

[skywalker[TSG]]

sledgehammer http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[nvksmt9984]

Install LINUX on it ! Forget running X on it though. It would be OK as a file/print server or as a firewall.
linux_guru, you must not be much of a guru. Linux wont run on a 286... it takes a 386 or better. Don't believe? Look anywhere... it requires the memory managing features of the 386 to run. PERIOD.

u better change ur name dude, cause i dont know much about linux... and I know that.

[JonmaTifa]

It's actually a government conspiracy... the 286's are actually far superior to anything we have today. All 286's are set by default to "ultra-slow mode", but if you modify the motherboard by splicing a few wires to it, you can have a machine that can run Quake 3 multipule times simultaniuosly without flaw.....

[jl123]

I had a IBM 286 6mhz too! http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif I took out the power supply fan because it was a good fan. Just have a little fun with it. Mine is now somewhere burried at the City of Irving Dump. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Have fun.

~Joel

[grunt]

Search abandonware sites and d/l a copy of Windows 1.0 to load on it. Hey, it would be a conversation piece for geeks!

[Jeff7]

Would be neat if you could immerse it in liquid nitrogen and then boot it, and see how many MHz you could squeeze out of it.

[CMonster]

I'm only answering this post because you advert to be fe-geek-male and that is entirely to attractive to me... http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

If it runs it runs - 286s rain from the sky these days - I rescued a 1989 vintage 286 that used to be a phone server for a large corp - and guess what?? it had 8 (yes eight) megs of ram! Do you have any idea what 8MB cost in 1989?? Furthermore the BIOS is good until the year 2099 - someone must have been a little forward thinking on that one.

The other day I found a complete PowerPC system (601 CPU, 250MB SCSI HD and 2x SCSI CDROM) lying out by the curb --I tell you it's raining computers out here in sunny socal.. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[gjwilson]

I,too, have a 286.We all had to start somewhere.No, I wouldn`t consider booting it up or parting with it but, hey, geekgrl, if you want to upgrade sometime I have an IBM PS/2 386 you can have for the cost of shipping. Gary( Minnesota to ????)

[mourikise]

Come on! Doesn't anyone here has a bit of romance in him??

I say keep it!! I would love 10 years from now to boot a 286! It'll remind me of my childhood!!

A month ago I was passing by a computer store that had some old 8088 M/Bs! I was just staring at them, dusty as they were, and felt like I wanted to cry! No guys. Sledgehammering that PC would be a crime. CRIME!!

P.S. OK, a little enthusiastic here, but I really should think these pieces must be kept, not thrown away.

[bdunn]

My brothers friend did not want to give up aan old machine but chose instead to upgrade it. I helped him remove jsut about everything from the chassis and install a Baby AT shuttle MB and a k6-2/450 combo. It

While it still looks like an IBM AT on the outside the looks are decieving.

[geekgrl]

Just updating you what I did with the computer - I gathered up some old, yet working disks from way back when.. math games, education type stuff, and I donated it to a family who doesn't have much.