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Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2023 9:34 am
by AArdvark
With a 5-1/4 drive and a CD Rom, must be one of those transitional models.
Serial mouse and SoundBlaster Pro 2 board
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2023 9:39 am
by AArdvark
Gots that newfangled Windows installed in it along with a bunch of games
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2023 10:42 am
by Ice Cream Jonsey
NICE! I assume it's got a hard drive.
Flack and I can hook you up with more software than you can believe. Do you need an "in" there?
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2023 10:56 am
by AArdvark
Any software would be welcome! There's no modem or any way to connect it to another pc so I would have to burn stuff to my laptop CD drive and install it that way
I think it's a 256MB hard drive. I have to find my mouse with the round plug and then someplace permanent to put the thing. The monitor is going right to the recycling place, I have plenty of flat panel monitors floating around.
It's got some games installed already although most have copy protection (legit versions, can you believe that?)
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2023 12:12 pm
by Flack
If you don't have one, they sell USB 3.5 floppy drives pretty inexpensively on Amazon, so that's an easy way to move stuff back and forth. I had a USB card in my 486, but I think you have to have Windows 98 for USB support. I'll shoot you a list of the DOS/486 stuff I have. It's a lot.
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2023 2:35 pm
by AArdvark
Cool! I have a usb floppy drive from work.
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2023 12:09 pm
by Casual Observer
AArdvark wrote: Sun Aug 20, 2023 9:39 am
Gots that newfangled Windows installed in it along with a bunch of games
Me at college would have been super jealous. I knew so little about computers before I started at RIT that I was cool with my dad buying me a 386 when 486 was the jam. Not just any 386 mind you, the dreaded SX. You guys are in the know so I don't have to explain that the SX was a clever play to sell chips whose co-processor was deactivated (due to manufacturing errors I guess).
I was a fucking laughing stock.
My friends were ray-tracing shit in an afternoon that took my shit computer days to chug out.
Dune 2 ran like shit on my computer while my roomate was hacking the hex code of the game.
The only thing my computer could do well was . . . FINGER chicks on the college VAX system.
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2023 4:45 pm
by AArdvark
I am amused because I have a folder with a bunch of old old dos utilities that I backed up in the mid 90s and now I can actually use them
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2023 4:46 pm
by Ice Cream Jonsey
There are NEW 486 games being made that I'll link to for ya
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2023 5:09 pm
by AArdvark
Cool! I'm bringing my 4:3 flatscreen monitor home from work along with a non-usb mouse and I'll be ready to rock the 8 megs of ram!
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2023 7:29 am
by Ice Cream Jonsey
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2023 8:35 am
by Flack
Flack wrote: Sun Aug 20, 2023 12:12 pm
If you don't have one, they sell USB 3.5 floppy drives pretty inexpensively on Amazon, so that's an easy way to move stuff back and forth. I had a USB card in my 486, but I think you have to have Windows 98 for USB support. I'll shoot you a list of the DOS/486 stuff I have. It's a lot.
Link to list sent.
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2023 3:08 pm
by AArdvark
Daymn! That's a lot! I read through the list and realized I'll have to bring my 6gig drive home from work, the 256MB drive is just not going to cut it
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2023 5:20 pm
by Jizaboz
If you haven't finished any of the Ultima games, that thing is a great candidate to do so.
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2023 5:55 pm
by AArdvark
I've never played any of the Ultima games. I went from a Commodore 64 right into Windows 98 and Diablo

Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2023 5:11 am
by Jizaboz
AArdvark wrote: Wed Aug 23, 2023 5:55 pm
I've never played any of the Ultima games. I went from a Commodore 64 right into Windows 98 and Diablo
Interesting! There is a savegane editor for 4-6 if you run into some BS. You probably want to start with Ultima 5 (EGA) or Ultima 6 (VGA) and if you have interest work your way back or forward. Also, Ultima: Martian Dreams plays like shit even on proper hardware but is an excellent game.
If you want a cool first person experience check out Ultima Underworld. My 386 SX with 1 meg RAM couldn't handle it back in the day and I still play it occasionally.. and there is a sequel to that.
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2023 5:20 am
by Jizaboz
The original Quest for Glory I AKA "Hero's Quest" (Not the VGA version) by Sierra Online you should try too. Still waiting to see if ICJ can play Black Cauldron on his PC Jr...
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2023 6:29 am
by Flack
A person could probably spend years just going through all those old Sierra games -- King's Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, Quesy for Glory... not to mention all the one offs and knock offs.
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 1:04 am
by Jizaboz
Flack wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 6:29 am
A person could probably spend years just going through all those old Sierra games -- King's Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, Quesy for Glory... not to mention all the one offs and knock offs.
Yes sir. Those basically consumed much of my life from late 12 to almost 14. As well as the LucasArts graphic adventures. Monkey Island 1 and 2 especially. Leisure Suit Larry was awesome as a kid going thru puberty lol. I actually ended up liking the Police Quest games more than most of the King's Quest stuff.. but Space Quest I-V were my favorite shit. I still listen to the soundtracks from them time to time but I remember so much about the Space Quest games I doubt I'll play them again.
Re: Someone gave me a 486
Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2023 9:03 am
by AArdvark
Ah, my 6gig hard drive is too large for the bios to deal with.
I have to adjust some jumpers on the mobo. Details to follow