Restoring an IBM PC XT-286 from 1986 

To answer questions about the Hardcard: as expected, it doesn't work. t.co/GK2oUEfzQJ Every single one of them I've come across are in need of various internal repairs. Hopefully I'll get around to fixing mine up someday, but it'll be a time-consuming and fiddly process that I'm not exactly rushing to get involved in, haha.

Clint, Some notes about the machine (the rusty one with the leaked battery): This machine belonged to my father, who worked for a law firm in New York. This would be the reason for the disclaimer notice on startup. It was not his personal machine at work-- according to him, computers for every employee was not the practice yet, and he says the machine was most likely used for word processing. As for what the hardcard was originally connected to, he does not know. Later, in about 1991, the firm sold off the machines to the lawyers for use as personal computers, and my father bought his for practice using computers as well as the installation of Word Perfect which came installed on the machine. This was his first personal computer at home. He says that he remembers installing the modem card himself, and using it for some early internet functions like Compuserve and possibly Prodigy. Also, I am bummed that you were unable to try it with the original amber display that came with it. I had hoped to see that, but regardless, my father and I were very pleased to see you were able to boot up the old hard drive. I did try powering up the motherboard once myself, and I did not see any explosions from the tantalums, but if I remember correctly, I think some of the power supply rail voltages may have been reading incorrectly, so I would assess the power supply to be sure. Thanks!

We should take a moment to appreciate how those rear IO plates haven't changed in design at all since 1986.

Hello Clint, I have pretty crappy hearing and so usually watch RU-vid with subtitles. I really appreciate all the work you put into captioning your videos, rather than relying on auto-generated ones. The in-jokes (excited chirping, clumsy fiddling, cautious laughter) are a wonderful touch.

Anyone else find old pc noises and old hard disk noises to be highly satisfying?

LGR: Starts bashing the battery compartment with the screwdriver. ME: HELL YEAH NOW WE'RE RESTORING!

When those two PC's started booting up... I felt like I should hold on to something.

Everyone else: "Gotta wash my dishes in the sink." LGR: "Gotta wash my IBM in the sink, with slow sensual music."

I love the sound of that startup. It seems to say "Hang on to your hat, the engines are reaching FULL POWER"!

"Hey newer computer, can you tell me the time and date so I can tell it to this older computer?" Flerpelnerp: "yes"

I caught that Technology Connections reference at 9:07

My wife is deaf and I watch these with her sometimes, your captions {computer loudly whirls to life} is great!

Those stepper motor hard drives make such a distinctive sound, they're recognizable anywhere. At some point, one got sampled into a sound effects collection and you hear it all the time in movies and video games (including Black Mesa, most recently). Every time I hear it, I get this nostalgia flashback as a teenage nerd sitting in front of my dad's Mac Plus in like 1986.

It warms my heart to see somebody giving a shit And taking care of older hardware

Wow. From my birth year. My dad worked at IBM Germany at this time (30 years in all). Bringing home 'old' Computers from there. Sadly he died 5 month ago

"Hey Alexa, i've decided to that your name is now Flerpelnerp" Flerpelnerp: D:

Oh, man. Hearing that CRT ring when he powers up the monitor... it's like wince-stalgia.

Subtitles: [Classy Computer repair music]

LGR turns on two IBMs Whole city: Did the light just got dimmer or is it me?

I'm reminded of when my dad powered up an old full-height scsi hard drive he was testing. It sounded like a prop plane starting up. Womp womp womp womp womp whirr whirr whirrr...

12:06 "Hey Flurblenurp, what time is it?" "It's 11:08"

When I was 10/11 I came home from school to find my dad sat in the living room surrounded by these machines. Not a one of them worked! He gave up and gave me a screwdriver and let me have at it. It took me a week of guesswork, stripping and swapping parts before I finally had 2 working machines! And I joined the PC master race and left my poor old Amiga to rot.

"A lot of these are made by Kraft". They missed a huge opportunity by not manufacturing the Mac n' Cheese PC.

THAT'S THE SOUND!!!! I've been looking for a video of a HDD that sounds like that for AGES! That's exactly what my XT sounded like, I DEEPLY regret selling it.

I just started watching your videos not to long ago. This one so far is my favourite. I’ve been into computers since 2000. Self taught. Can be very frustrating at times but in the end if it all works out. That’s the reward. Love seeing these old pc’s still living. Keep up the awesome job. I still have lots to learn. And over learn lots In little time I’ve began watching your videos. And I’ll keep watching as king as you out then out there.

"What day is it? I honestly didn't know.." You and the rest of us, Clint.." =P

LGR: does literally everything That one panel: *bro I’m outta here*

So many memories! From the sound of them booting up to the cramped space inside the case. The through hole architecture. The (resulting) physical size of everything. I mean, that disc controller was enormous! It was just so much fun watching this video. Thanks so much!

The power up sounds is so nostalgic i actually miss these sounds like the floppy chatter.

Love how everyone who has them keeps saying how rare they are, and then casually shows 2 of them :) Lovely machines, but prefer the look and feel of the AT. But always great to see an old IBM restoration process !

That little Windows Movie Maker cutaway music made me laugh pretty hard

I don't even have a particular interest in computers, but I find a lot of your content satisfying, especially this one.

It's 2 in the morning, and I am watching Clint wash his cases in the sink.

One of these days were going to witness Clint restore a mainframe

It never ceases to amaze how fast Planet X3 is on just about anything under the sun. LOL

This brought back so many memories of my IBM XT 8088 as a teenager (which I really wish I could have held on to, but life got in the way). A very impressive restoration. Loading "Wheel of Fortune" was the icing on the cake.

Lovely restoration... the XT cleaned up beautifully and runs a champion! I love the simplistic, no-nonsense design of this era of machines... there’s something just so satisfying about the XT/AT/PS2 design and I’d love to build a sleeper in one if I could get a case.

>vid starts with subtitles on >*classy computer repairing music* ....okay, I chuckled at that

13:22 I like that this has become a meme

IBM build quality in the 80s was just something else, talk about 'over-engineered' !!

Hi LGR, I found your video of you visiting that computer place in Dallas, I really like how you talk about old shit you find and I can tell you have a passion for sharing your thoughts/opinions/information. I don't delve into stuff that pre-dates the early 90's but I was excited along with you opening these things up and seeing just how easy they are to fix with the large traces, large chips of silicon. I liked listening to the sounds of retro hardware/software, it all sounded like it means business

I'd love to hear more about those Hard Cards and (hopefully) see one in action in a future LGR Video or Blurb!

Is it just me or is it simply amazing how this 35+ year old tech just switches on and continues to just chug along. Besides the odd tantalum cap exploding or hard drive failing, most of these old IBMs simply work after setting them up again. Even with these old MFM hard drives I’ve had a decent success rate. Great pieces of engineering.

7:58 That's a re-badged AcuMOS AVGA card! Good performers, those! Also, they derive their clock from the ISA bus clock, so they're somewhat overclockable. One of the fastest 16-bit ISA VGA cards made.

I had one of these. It was my very first PC that I bought off someone I worked with in about 1991. Brought back a lot of memories. My Hard Disk made exactly the same noise! Awesome video.

The hard disk bring back memories of working a lab full of those machines in the early 1990's I recall playing karateka and doing lotus 123 and Word Perfrect.

I love it when the panel keeps falling down

Thank you LGR for bringing back to life the technology of yesterday. I really enjoy your videos! Keep it up man! :D

Watching you restore computers, giving them a good cleaning, getting excited about getting them powered up... it really soothes my soul. Thanks always, Clint.

Wahoo! I love watching these classic computers get the love they deserve, restoration videos are always welcome!

There's really nothing better than a 37 minute LGR video on a Friday :D

I started my computing life with a Color Computer 3 back in the 80's. I eventually moved up to a 286 machine a lot like the units you used in this video. Man does this bring back memories. I stepped up through the processors by building PC's on the XT and AT chassis'. So many advances in computers have happened since the 80's that it is mind boggling. I'm in my 60's now and still try to keep up with the DIY PC community. It is becoming a dying art because PC's aren't the driving technology for most of the computer systems in the world today. Keep up the good work and I will keep watching.

Very enjoyable! I think you got a taste of the best and the worst with those machines, but VERY glad it worked out for you! The results speak for themselves. THANKS!!

flat head screw : disintegrates LGR : Ok let's take the allen driver Allen part of the screw : *DISINTEGRATES*

I saw so many old PC restoration videos by yourself and some other RU-vidrs over the years at this point, still can't figure out why it is so satisfying to me. Please keep it up, let me waste away my life like this. I don't regret it at all :-D

That hard drive needs to put out a mixtape. 🔥

The slow but musical-sounding Seagate ST-225 is one of the most reliable hard drives ever made. But the huge, clunky ST-4038... not so much. I don't think I've ever come across a fully working one. They draw so much power that they like to burn out resistors on their circuit board.

"Hey Flerpelnerp" ...excuse me? :::Flerpelnerp Answers:: ...k

Can I just say that every time one of these videos gets released my hearts skips a beat of happiness and excitement. Something that feels normal and like home in times that absolutely nothing is normal 😂

@LGR The subtitles are fantastic “Chill assembly music” “whirs loudly to life” great stuff!

Back in the day, my friend played that version of Wheel of Fortune so much, he knew all of the answers as soon as they appeared. I think there were only a about 200 puzzles.

that hard drive looks like it would survive reentry into the Earth's atmosphere

This was so nice and relaxing and educational, as always. Had a stressful week, so this was much needed! Those old computer noises are heavenly. These were a bit before my time but they remind me so much of childhood computers and the comforting noises they make. A nice place to go back to with how things are now! I need to find a good resource for cleaning products to use when cleaning electronics. Want to open up some old consoles and clean em up a bit.

That happy smile after cleaning everything and setting it up made my day!

The sound of that keyboard brings back so many memories from working on one in my office back in the lat 80s! You could use that keyboard as a bat'leth!

> 30 Minutes Later [Windows ME Music] heheheh

These retro restoration video's are cathartic, thank you.

WOW Hearing that Wheel of Fortune start-up music instantly took me back to being a kid!!! Thank you for that.

Clint "I have two of them" I would expect nothing less sir

Laughed out loud @ the Windows Me noise and the Beck graphic from that CLASSIC movie used at 13:23.

I love your happiness at minute 33:24

What a fantastic find, and a great video! Stay safe, and please keep them coming!

Boy are those machines A-blast from my past. Those of the 1st P c's I actually repaired when I got into computer repairs. Thanks for the video in memory lane run.

3:41 My actual reaction when anything goes wrong on my computer.

The final result is incredibly satisfying. It looks brand new.

This is such a beautiful video. Thanks for making it. Just getting into old computers and I love seeing your content. So freaking cool. 🎉

"I like the way it snaps." Spoken like a true killer

Aaahhhhh a relaxing video with a cup of tea, thank you Clint!

I'm so glad your channel exists. Thank you for your videos

Great job! Looks fresh off the PC showroom floor. Have been a fan for a few years now. Gotta start participating more in the new videos. Always appreciate what you do!

ibm was probably using overstock of xt cases up to make these "bargin" 286's

Dad always asks me: "Why do you have so much computers?" Dad will never understand the pleasure in making then race against each other. The only race where the slower gets the prize

Good restore job. I remember playing that exact wheel of fortune game back in the 80's. Ah the good old days.

We have such compatiable all around hardware that is so fast and plays everything... Watching the older hardware and seeing all it took to get it running, the cords, the cards, the connections, all the floppies, even some machines used special ram, it's just so fascinating to watch the process of getting these older machines to run proper

People call me mad for having a room of "old crappy electronics" , until I remind them last time someone got involved I threw out things that are now selling on ebay for hundreds. I threw away graphics cards years ago that I cry about now, never again. Also if anyone wants to buy a Radeon 9800 series in 10 years hit me up as I have 11 of them all working :D

when you started both of the systems it sounded like the job center I went to in the early 90's . that unmistakable back ground drone from the power supply's would fill a room fast when you had ten IBM's going at once

I'm a relatively new sub to this channel, but I am SO hooked. Watching and listening to an LGR video is like snuggling up in a warm blanket on a crisp cool day during the late 90s on a plaid pattern love seat while the soothing cadence of nostalgia just washes over you in the form of LGRs buttery smooth voice. xD

Thanks @LGR i have had XT 286 for 2 years now waiting for project. Now i got it from storage, hit dos bootdisk in and gsetup. everything was working like charm after that... Now waiting for new cmos battery.

Now every time I hear that sound at 13:23, I think of that goofy video with the kid crawling through the tube (and Beck).

unbelievable the prices fetching for these, thirty two years ago my work sent fifty of them to the tip when we got brand new 386s, if only we kept them, we'd be rich!

Makes me heart happy to see these machines back up and running again.

Awesome video once again Clint! Had fun watching the restoration of these classic computer! Looking forward to more vintage PC restorations bro'! Anyway, stay safe (due to COVID-19), more power, and God bless from the Philippines!

Ah, HDD Instant Type 2. The good stuff.

Damn 1991, remind me a lot of my middle school years, playing those late 80s - early 90s dos pc games with 286 IBM compatible machine 😎✌️

Thank you for restoring these old machines; these beautiful, venerable things get to live again!

I love watching you restore IBM PCs, reminds me of the old IBMs I'd use in computer labs back in elementary school.

29:25 Twins in the shower! God _damn,_ now this is the content I'm looking for!

For that rusted case, look into getting some evapo-rust. They've got a liquid you can immerse things in and a gel you can spread. Does a great job of dissolving away iron corrosion and at least the liquid can be used more than once.

Dude.. Been a longtime viewer and this was one of your best videos imho. Thank you!

I don't understand a lot you talk about, but I still like to watch. I like computers, but I'm not knowledgeable about electronics. I bought my first computer in '93 and have loved them ever since.