This video shows off my new Retro Compaq Presario computer from 1996 (Model No. 4160). It includes the original monitor (Model No. 1525) with side speakers, keyboard and mouse.
@@curiousgeorgeSHS Do you remember a disc that came with it that had “cleaning out Grandma’s attic”? It was like some learning thing. Maybe the encyclopedia, idk. Sound familiar?
Oh wow, the nostalgia! This was probably the first computer I ever used. My grandma had this exact same model and setup. Man, the amount of hours I spent on it playing games and using Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 1996 😂 This is awesome!
I've never seen anyone with the exact model of Presario I grew up with! Modem in the exact same slot (56k) and I think it's even the same drive, 1.9gb when formatted? If you picked it up near the Carolinas I'd say it could be mine, eerie! So many hours playing the Neverhood and some old golf game with Fuzzy Zoeller.
My family had one of these as our main PC for years and years. This exact model. We used it until the monitor got so dim you could barely see it. The Q button on the bezel would take you into Compaq Homebase when the original OEM Windows 95 Installation was present. Homebase was basically a version of the Windows Welcome screen / user picker from XP and newer but created by Compaq themselves. Windows 98 broke Compaq homebase but it was worth it IMHO. Once I learned enough about computers one of the things that infuriated me about this machine was that it had the solder pads for the COASt module slot but no actual slot. This means it didn't have any Level 2 cache and it was one of the explanations as to why it was so annoyingly slow. I managed to beg, borrow, and steal ours up to 72MB of RAM - 4 16MB SIMMs + the onboard 8MB. Ours didn't come with the yuge Quantum Bigfoot HDD - we had a 2.1 Seagate drive of some description which failed and I specifically remembered the drive label saying the RPM was 4500 not 5400 RPM. It got replaced with a 6.4GB Western Digital Caviar. It eventually ended up with 2 of the same model of drive shoved into it with the second below the CD-ROM. When you put a discrete video card in this computer the volume controls on the monitor stop working - they seem to depend on the integrated video. The OEM installation had a neat onscreen volume display that looked like a 90s TV volume display with the green bars. I also overclocked this machine on the sly - but only a little bit. I moved the bus speed jumper from 60 to 66MHz thus making the 150MHz CPU run at 166MHz. Didn't ever seem to hurt it. Even with the hilariously wimpy heatsink this computer came with. That said - considering the years that have passed - If you're going to keep it and run it I'd suggest getting a proper Socket 7 CPU cooler with a fan and binning that sorry little thing. Even though this computer was not really a great machine, it taught me a huge amount about computers and influenced me in a lot of ways.
That's soo cool! 😁 I still have my first computer: A Compaq Presario 2297, and its original system restore disk! 😋 Booting it up and hearing the hard-drive get to work is music to my ears. 😊
Eu tive um computador desse na época, era super avançado e sofisticado na época. Posteriormente fiz um up grade nele melhorando memória, processador, inserindo uma gravadora de CD's e outros periféricos. Bons tempos 🍀🎁💯🏆🍾🥂⌨️💾💽😁👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
My elementary school got ONE Compaq PC that could connect to the internet. I think it was in 5th grade. It was basically this one but branded as a Deskpro.
hi, i always had this question, perhaps you know. The monitor has a microphone at the top, then at the back of the monitor there is a jack plug 3.5mm with the sticker of a microphone. So my question is, how does the volume wheel work on the monitor? I just don´t understand how the monitor wheel comunicates with the cpu box in order to increase or decrease the volume
I know this is a long shot, but i just rebuilt one of these for retro games, you wouldnt happen to have the recovery disc for it?? Im having issues installing windows on it as it doesnt have the BIOS partition on the new hard drive thats in there? Any suggestions?
Ours was much older than this machine, as it was a Win 95 pc. Also, PS2 connections being called the “old style??” I used a PS2 keyboard up to 2010 🤷♂️😊
