Computers

Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.

-- Pablo Picasso

Image of Compaq Deskpro 66M computer. (4472 bytes) Image of Compaq Deskpro 66M computer. (6476 bytes)

Rest In Peace (1993 - 2000) ...

Definitely not state-of-the-art now (Compaq discontinued all Deskpro /M models in 1995 and Compaq as a company does not even exist anymore!). But back in 1993 with its EISA bus, 8 MB of RAM, and top-of-the-line Intel 486/66 processor it was really sweet! The system also performed well and ran both Linux (starting with Slackware and kernel 0.9x installed in 1995) and Windows 3.11.

Compaq's Deskpro /M line was also the first "modular" system that was designed to be updated and modified with a wide variety of upgrades and options. And that is exactly what I did over the lifetime of this system and this is how I also managed to learn a lot about computer hardware and software.

But it finally suffered a sudden death in October of 2000. My best guess is that the power supply had finally died. Anyway, I disposed of this computer in 2008 by returning it to Hewlett-Packard for recycling. This system was replaced by my Dell Dimension 4100.

The Hardware

My first home computer setup consisted of the following:

The Software

This system was configured to dual boot into either Linux or DOS/Windows 3.11 using the LILO bootloader. Here is a list of the software packages and utilities that I've installed and used on this system over the years:

The Verdict

A solid well-designed desktop computer that was built like a tank and weighed just about as much as a tank (thanks to real made in the USA steel)! Here's my summary of this system:

Last Update: October 31, 2012.

Copyright © 1999-2012 by Lawrence Chan. All rights reserved.