486 sx2

  • Thread starter Thread starter Parks Allen
  • Start date Start date
P

Parks Allen

That right I said 486. My son just gave me a PB 486SX2 (1994) runing a
version of windows so old it has no teeth. I use a Mac at work and at home
so I don't know much about these old PCs. What can do if anything to perk
this thing up a bit. I'm sure there are serious limitations but tell me
what the latest of windows I can load on this dinosaur. Or is it destined
for file 13.

Thanks

Regards

PA
 
Personal opinion....toss it. Not worth the effort. Charities won't even
take 486s anymore....:-)

Windows 3.11 (3.1.1?) should run on it pretty well, but since I don't know
the specs (drive size, RAM, etc) I can't offer more than that. No idea if
Win95 or newer will run on it.

--
Kevin Hill
President
3NF Consulting

www.3nf-inc.com/NewsGroups.htm
 
Parks Allen said:
That right I said 486. My son just gave me a PB 486SX2 (1994) runing a
version of windows so old it has no teeth. I use a Mac at work and at home
so I don't know much about these old PCs. What can do if anything to perk
this thing up a bit. I'm sure there are serious limitations but tell me
what the latest of windows I can load on this dinosaur. Or is it destined
for file 13.

Thanks

Regards

PA
Click to expand...

LOL on the file 13!

Probably the newest Windows version that would work on it would be Windows
95. But it won't be pretty...

Donating it to a museum is your best bet.
 
My opinion is "What you see is what you get". Newer software just has more
overhead and ends up slowing things down. The original software was written
for that class of hardware.

If you have some programs like Excel/Word, etc. keep it and use them. If you
have to buy new software, you are better off just going to your favorite
computer store and buying a whole new package.

By the way, I am a computer professional and have multiple, relatively new
computers, but I also have an old laptop with a monochrome screen thats sole
purpose is to store data and drive a MIDI keyboard. Music wouldn't sound any
better (or play faster) with a new computer.
 
Windows 3.1 (3.11 is the workstation edition and will work just fine) ought
to run very well on most 486 machines. I had a 486/33 Mhz box that ran
Windows 3.1, and Microsoft Office 4.3 (the last 16-bit version of Office),
and could accomplish just about anything an individual computer user wanted
to accomplish, except surf the net with a graphic browser.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP
 
Well, I must confess that I have an old 486 set up in my back room. DOS
6.22, PCTools Deluxe, and Foxpro (DOS version..) are installed. When I just
can't cope with the complexities of Windows, or have faced one too many blue
screens of death, or am feeling hopelessly inadequate in the face of new
technology, I like to go back into my little room, and sit, just quietly,
and watch the lovely blue and yellow screen as I defrag my hard drive, or
tinker with ANSI codes in my old batch files or fiddle with my old Foxpro
database. I remember, with fondness, of the time when I was Lord and Master
of my computer, and I could make it dance and sing. When *I* was in
control.When there was nothing I couldn't do... sigh...

Fred
 
Well, I must confess that I have an old 486 set up in my back room. DOS
6.22, PCTools Deluxe, and Foxpro (DOS version..) are installed. When I just
can't cope with the complexities of Windows, or have faced one too many blue
screens of death, or am feeling hopelessly inadequate in the face of new
technology, I like to go back into my little room, and sit, just quietly,
and watch the lovely blue and yellow screen as I defrag my hard drive, or
tinker with ANSI codes in my old batch files or fiddle with my old Foxpro
database. I remember, with fondness, of the time when I was Lord and Master
of my computer, and I could make it dance and sing. When *I* was in
control.When there was nothing I couldn't do... sigh...

Fred
Click to expand...

<chuckle> While I have four suan-pan (also known as abacus); one is
mounted on the wall with a label "Break glass in case of emergency".

I'll sometimes take one out and add 12345679 to itself 81 times to see
if I correctly get 999999999.
 
Back
Top