What was your first computer?

[didjamatic]

What was your first computer?
Mine was a Texas Instruments TI-99/4A in Beige

[lowpoly]

I started on a Commodore CBM 4032 in school. Then I got a C64.

[Mnemonix]

Commodore 128D, complete with a Commodore 1802 monitor.

[HaaTa]

First computer I can remember using was a Compaq of sorts, mind you this was 1992 and I was 4 years old at the time...

Though my first actual computer was a Dell Dimension XPS D233:



Pentium 2 233 MHz
64 MB PC-166 (really hard to find and too expensive to upgrade, just like the Rambus RD-RAM on the next computer I got...)
4.3 GB HDD
17" Sony Trinitron Monitor
Dell Quiet Key (a crappy one, had to replace it)
Microsoft Intellimouse (1.2A I think)
28x NEC cdrom
STB Nvidia Riva 128 4 MB

Got this for Christmas in 1997.

[keyb_gr]

That Dell seems to swallow ordinary SDRAM, as far as a typical LX system will do. 64 meg or 128 meg sticks with 8 chips per side and a properly programmed SPD EEPROM should have worked (a BIOS upgrade may help). Now EDO DIMMs, that would've been exotic.

The first computer in the family, which I "inherited" a few years later, was an ASI 386SX-20 system in '91 or '92 (presumably assembled in the Robotron works). Originally equipped with 1 MiB of RAM and, I think, a 40 MB harddisk, it later got 4 megs and an Aztech 16-bit sound card. Multimedia baby The monitor was a 14" which rarely bothered to fill the whole screen. I don't remember the keyboard, it may have been a Silitek rubber dome. The mouse was a Qtronix, I still have the manual. Originally shipped with MS-DOS 5.0, we later ran 6.2 with Windows 3.1. I learned a good bit about DOS on this one.
Ultimately we sold the whole shebang to my uncle, where the monitor deflection was adjusted and the PC internals were replaced by something based around a Pentium 133.

The next one, a Packard Bell Pentium 75, served me well for a number of years, including my first steps on the internet. Then there was a PIII-500 on which I quickly replaced the incredibly noisy CPU cooler and bought a bigtower case along with an Asus P3B-F to replace a lame VIA-based board. The old case later housed an experimental dual processor system which ultimately (2 boards later) evolved into my main one. There were a few more upgrades but I never made it beyond 1 GHz. (As yours truly was hogging the PC, my parents ultimately got one of their own - different story.)

[pikapika]

mine was a crappy assembled p133 with a huge 16mo ram and 2.5go of disk, proudly running ms dos and win3.11

[ricercar]

Waitasec, the IMSAI was the first machine I helped buy. The first machine I coded on was years earlier, a Control Data CDC 64000 mainframe.

[ch_123]

Siemens Nixdorf Pro M5. Windows 95, 166MHz Pentium, 16MB RAM, 2GB HD, Soundblaster 16, 28.8Kbps external modem.

[chimera15]

Apple ][ , later upgraded to a +
 Not the e version, the one before it, with tape drive. hehe  Still have it too. I was like 6 when my dad bought it in like 1978 or 9 lol

[twokatmew]

The first "personal" computer I worked on was a TRS80 Model III.  When I was able to get my own computer, finally, I got a Leading Edge 286.  Then I had a Micron 486, and after that I started building my own.

[InSanCen]

First Computer was a, I have no idea, very early console though. The First one I remember owning myself, was a Sinclair ZX81.

In x86 ownership terms though, it was a 286 based Apricot Xen Xi (PC compatible). It ran Windows 1 (MS DOS executive!). I remember soldering enamalled wire back onto the motherboard when it got dropped moving it to another room.

It's fun to watch these threads, I remember trying my first Pentium 100, and thinking "****ing hell it's fast!" compared to my previously fast 386/40. I also remember thinking "fancy giving a Processor a name... Weirdo's!"

[Buckling_Summer]

My first contact was with a ZX Spectrum of a friend.
The legendary Commodore 64 is my first computer.
I remember I bought it at summer time.

80s and 8-bit.

[PRISONER 24601]

First, a C64
Then, my parents bought a Leading Edge Fortiva 5000 w/ 8MB of RAM and a 500MB HDD, Win 3.1. That was a great machine.

After that, I built my first computer- an AMD K62-333 on an Asus P5AB motherboard, 8gb HDD, and I think 32mb of RAM. It was pretty sweet. I broke it right off the bat, not knowing that you need to connect black->black with AT power supplies. What a n00b mistake! It was also housed in a gigantic black tower case, something like 3' tall.

[MFGorilla]

There's nothing like some good retro computing chatter.

My first computer was an Epson 386SX which ran at a BLAZING 16Mhz.  It came with something like a 10 MB hard drive, and maybe 1MB RAM.  Actually, as I think about that I think it came with less when my parents bought it and we upgraded it later.  The sound card and CD-ROM were added later, too.  

Looking back my parents were blissfully unaware of what their 12 year old son was doing to the computer they had just dropped two grand on.

[iMav]

My first computer was a TI-99/4a (silver/black) that I got for Christmas from my parents.  Took a Basic programming class when I was a senior in high school (as we had just received a few Apple ][e's (our first computers).  

Didn't own another computer until I purchased my first PC after I left the military...an Epson 286 (toggleable between 8 and 12MHz) and 1MB of ram.  I had no hard drive (swapped between a stack of floppies) and had a B&W VGA monitor.

[datamonger128]

My first computer was an Apple IIGS.  I couldn't do too much on it though since my dad was too freaking cheap to buy any software for me.  My first PC was an old Packard Bell Legend 627 (I think).  That thing had a whopping 2MB RAM and a 100MB HDD running MS-DOS 6.0 and Windows 3.1.

[hyperlinked]

My first computer technically was a Tandy Radio Shack Model-1 aka the TRS-80 or Trash-80, but it was really my dad's computer and I just messed around on it when I'd spend days in the summer at his office or later on when he finally moved the monstrosity home. The thing I remember more than anything else about that computer was the weight of the floppy drives. Each of the two floppy drives weighed more than the monitor and that doesn't account for the external power supply.

Some years later, I got my first computer that was mine. It was the first release of the  Atari 1040ST. I still have it stored in my garage and as far as I know, it still runs.

[ak_nala]

Atari 800XL with a Tape Drive.

[microsoft windows]

It was a long time before I ever used computers. My first one was an old Gateway 2000. After that, I got a Hewlett-Packard Vectra XM Series 3/90.

The pizza box was the same as this one except it had the old DEC monitor from 1992 I still use today and an even older keyboard. I got a lot of mileage out of that HP; I used it for 10 years.

[itlnstln]

My first computer was a Commodore 64.  Before that, the closest thing I had was an Atari 2600.

[Mr.6502]

My first computer was a Tandy 1000.  I have many fond memories of learning BASIC and playing King's Quest II on it.  I was very sad when it eventually stopped booting up.  For the whole time I had it (we got it used when I was a kid) it had to warm up.  When it first powered on it didn't do anything.  We would have to leave it running for about 20 minutes, turn it off, and turn it back on and then it would go.  Much like the cars we had at the time.

[keyb_gr]

Looks like that Tandy had a few dead electrolytics...

[overdriver]

Mine was Apple ][+ as well.
I remember I beat Ultima III, IV, V on that machine.. memories
I still have Apple IIc, II+, IIe though. I am trying to buy IIgs but my budget is tight arg.
I remeber my first portable PC: Packard Bell PPC640 from BEST (not best buy.. it's really old joint which is already closed down long time ago in Pennsylvania). that old Packard Bell was really something at that time.
BBS, modem, zmodem, etc.

[arfink]

My first was a Tandy PC1 (I think?) portable computer. Essentially a glorified calculator, with a qwerty keyboard and it looked like a silver paving stone and weighed about as much too. But it ran basic. Stupidest thing to try and type on ever.

That was back when I was in 2nd grade. In 3rd grade I got an Apple IIe. I used it literally to death, when the PSU went bad, the replaced the PSU and kept using it. Then I got an Apple IIgs. All of these machines were gifted to my family, and were quite obsolete at the time. I'm 21 as of this past June, so you do the math.

Anyways, I eventually chucked those machines (stupid choice) and went with more modern PC architecture. I got my first laptop, a Tandy 1100HD. Nice little machine, I think I payed a whopping 50 cents for it. Less than a year later I got an IBM PS/2 386 machine, and my first Model M to go with it. Then I got a 486, and a couple of Pentium class machines. Most of these machines are now either not working, in the parts bin, or in the landfill.

I have since replaced my IIgs and acquired a Tandy 102 and 200 with TPDD2. When I don't have to use my new laptop, I prefer to use the old rigs because they have real keyboards and do what I need 'em to.

EDIT: somewhere in that there should also be an Apple III. Dang, that thing was very cool, but I didn't have much software for it. Read games, I had tons of programming tools, Visicalc, word processing, etc. I really kick myself whenever I think of the time I threw that beast away.

[alipstadt]

An Apple IIc.  Last time I loved an Apple made computer. "Portable," heh.

My first x86 was a cast off PC/AT that my dad brought home from the (big name) brokerage he worked for at the time.  Dual 5.25, Full height 20MB Winchester... and a keyboard I'm now missing.

[microsoft windows]

Quote from Ripster:


--------

Now this is what makes those HHKB's look so modern...

[didjamatic]

Dual 5.25" floppies and a FH hard drive?

I thought ATs only had space for 3 HH drives, two accessible outside and one below them?

If you add a controller you could add as many drives as your IRQ's, case and power supply could support.  If you used SCSI, you could support significantly more.

[alipstadt]

Crank up the nostalgia machine, this is going to be a big one-

I've been trying to find an internal picture for you, but 3 stacked HH makes little sense, as there are only two open slots to the world (see wikipedia), and it was a while until there were half height drives. It was 2 external, 2 internal, side by side.

http://paulaxford.com/computer_collection/IBM_5170.htm

Is pretty close to a decent-

Hold the phone.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/29TGMR_li53itCjnRm2tiA

Or...

http://www.vintage-computer.com/ibmpcat.shtml

Anyhoo, mine had an EGA card, and I added a serial mouse and 2400 bps internal modem (the last time baud and bps were the same, I suppose).  Fun times with that machine.  Used to go BBSing (Qmodem FTW!)- or even occasionally just directly call a friend - with it and eventually managed to get access to a dial in university shell account... ah, pre-Web internet...

I remember later borrowing PCBoard 14.5 from my high school... and setting up a "BBS" to get the sysop discount and first batch buy-in on the Hayes Optima 28.8VFC (for the special price of $288)+Hayes ESP (I think these were $69) card. One pair went to me, one pair went to the school - we had an arrangement.  I even was there when a Hayes employee rang in (it was a fax line) and made sure it was an actual board (it wasn't).

(I promise, this did not cause Hayes to go out of business.)

We were promised a firmware upgrade to V.34 when it was finalized, and they were true to their word - I just don't remember if we had to send them in or if they shipped us a PLCC and a new faceplate (I remember having two faceplates, one V.FC, one V.34) - I think we shipped them in and got the old parts back.  

I miss the silver, black, and red.  Going from internal 2400 to external 28.8... well, do you remember the days of watching in horror as you realized you hit the wrong menu entry and your 1200bps connection would very slowly "draw" the wrong page... ? Before you liken it to loading the wrong webpage on a slow connection, remember, there was no stop button or a cached copy of the previous page.  You were stuck watching your error - and realizing you would also be waiting on the previous menu and then the actual screen you wanted...

It was nice to be free from that.

But what I want to know is, after all this time, why are file transfers in Firefox less reliable and recoverable than sz and rz?

[Hofy]

Sinclair ZX81 followed by a Commodore Vic20.

[keyb_gr]

What on earth did they do with a ceramic IF filter in that machine (the little orange 3-legger)? Seems like they threw a few random parts there for the pic...

[alipstadt]

It does seem there is a 3rd, internal, half height bay on the right.  Honestly, I had forgotten about that bay.  
Half height drives seem to date to about '85, so there would have been a use for it, but I didn't have access to one back then.

[williamjoseph]

gee, my first was a x86 machine that had win 3.1, a 3" and 5" floppy, 4mb RAM and a 40mb hd.  it was never on the internet, my dad had about 60 floppies he kept in a clear case for a total HD backup.  he would do that every 3-6 months.  it did have a mechanical keyboard that i threw away in my uthfull ignorance. i remember that had to talk to a loan officer to get it financed.  i was in 4th grade i think.......

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

The first ever computer in my house was an old Compaq Presario 4764.  Pentium MMX 120-180Mhz, 1mb graphics, Windows 95.  I still have and use that computer to this day.  I upgraded it to 80mb of PC100 RAM, a 3.6G hard disk, and I had Windows XP Pro SP2 running on it at one time.  It is really an awful computer.  I can't believe my mom paid $2000+ for that thing back in '96-'97.

[ricercar]

Bwhu? Your first computers had 16-bit buss, RAM measured in megabytes, and an off-the-shelf OS? Sheesh. Breadboarding an Intel 4004 was the BEST, with eight 2102 RAMs to make a byte by 2K, and LEDs for output.

The only part of my first Timex Sinclair computer I have left is the ****ty mylar keyboard that I stuck to the front of a 3-ring binder.

EDIT:



Webwit, blessings on your family for pointing me to that ZX81 KIT site. That's frigging amazing.

[microsoft windows]

I didn't use computers for years. The first one I ever really used was my old HP from 1995.

[ricercar]

I hooked up my Commodore SX64 with one of those to talk dirty.

[microsoft windows]

I like Microsoft Sam better. Especially in Windows 2000.

[sethstorm]

NCR Decision Mate V(from their employee "fire sale"), followed by a PC4, then a fully equipped IBM 5160(complete w/ Model F keyboard and CGA monitor).

Those kind of machines are why I'm inspired to seek(or build) quality, and not just get some knockoff.

I'll leave it up to Google to turn up a good photo of those.

[ricercar]

I like Microsoft Sam better.

Commodore 64 also had a SAM (software activated mouth). I used him for my answering machine messages, which my dad HATED.

[microsoft windows]

Funny. I use Microsoft Sam for my voice mail.

[J888www]

Acorn BBC Model B.   Seems a whole lifetime since I last seen one.

 

Loved the Red Function keys.

[czarek]

My first one was A500 later expanded with 68030/40 MHz card, 8 MB RAM and SCSI which is still used occasionally but for daily use I've got my fully loaded A2000. Here are pics of both:


And internals of my A2000:

[Chao]

Some Gateway 2000 back around 1994.

[Mercen_505]

I started out with a c64 around the time they were first released. A few years later, I got a 286, but I still remember those first few years playing c64 games on a black and white TV  

I was a bit nonplussed, as my 286 came with a CGA card, which was just this side of horrendous. A year or two later, I got an upgrade to EGA... followed by another long wait to finally hit SVGA.

[Superfluous Parentheses]

First computer I ever played with was an Atari 7800: http://hardwaremovile.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/51.jpg

Then I messed with a sony hitbit: http://www.computermuseum.li/Testpage/SONY-Computers.htm and a VIC 20: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_VIC-20

Then I saved enough money to get my own machine. The glorious C64, with a real disk drive and a manky old black-and-white monitor. http://www.computerwoorden.nl/woorden/wdb/gif/commodore.jpg

Swapped that later for an Amiga 500 and also worked on a few Windows machines, Mac classics and Sun sparcstations. Right now I've got a desktop machine running Debian, a macbook, and a bunch of netbooks running some variants of Linux and Windows.

[In Stereo!]

It was something like an IBM Thinkpad 340. I still have it somewhere in the attic.

[djones]

Macintosh classic with ram upgraded from 1mb to 4mb was the first comp I ever touched. Dad had a Next though. First actual computer, though, was a 486 33mhz full tower with 8mb ram.

[ricercar]

The Macintosh Classic had bootable MacOS 6.0.3 in ROM, so you could use it as a diskless  Appletalk terminal. That was kinda cool.

[hoggy]

ZX81.  The keyboard had a thumb sized dent where the shift key 'used' to be. A few years ago I had to clear out my collection of old computers - so this thread was a bit nostalgic.

The first keyboard repair I did was on an old Tatung Einstein.  Got it in a car boot sale for £5 - only to discover that the previous owner must have spilt something on the keyboard years before.  An entire can of switch cleaner, and even resorted to a bit of filing before I could get the keys to pop back up.

[platon]

Mine was a Commodore 64C. It had a tape recorder! I still remember pressing REC to save some small programs in BASIC, i was copying from the manual.