I don't know if Glitches is the right place for such a discussion of members' first PC's, but I saw a thread on VOGONS where people were posting photos (we could use links to photos here) along with a description of the first computer they had - could we do the same here at GB?

You can post a link to a photo, but in general images aren't allowed (unless they're very, very small).

I was aware of this, Inland. I thought you were posting about your first home computer in this thread.

My first PC was an IBM 5150 -- I played my first game on an IBM System 370/168 (running MFT).

IBM 5150 Personal Computer

Things have progressed just a wee bit since those days.

What do you mean, "...progressed just a wee bit"? I thought computer technology was advancing too fast for some of the older generation to keep up with?

Back in the early 90's (1992 - '93) when we had the Packard-Bell in our old office back on Bettis Road, I wanted to tinker with computers then so I did a bit of exploring the available drives (a:\ b:\ c:\) in Windows 3.1 Device Manager while keeping my nose in the DOS/Windows for Workgroups user manual that came with it, but I kept being afraid I was going to make a mistake and crash the system, whereby I'd likely get hollered at by my-then 60-year-old parents and possibly threatened with some dire consequences in addition to likely getting scolded (like I was a little kid, although I was then entering my early 40's) by my younger-than-me brother-in-law who would likely be called on by my parents to restore the system, so bearing this scenario in mind, I gave up and stopped tinkering.

Then several years later (1996-98) I was given a very thick book from this brother-in-law (in fact, I still have it after all these years) but now that I took it out of cold storage, this book doesn't look that thick anymore
PC config handbook (from my brother-in-law)

and I still had that desire to tinker with computers so in 1997 - '98 I took a couple of computer courses at the local community college (the course I took in '97 we did a lot of hands-on stuff, this was "introduction to computers", and by mid-terms, I realized that I was exceedingly happy b/c I was tinkering with computers (we didn't tinker with PC hardware, we just did windows 95 stuff), and the following semester I took a Survey of PC Components class, hoping to do more hands-on stuff - but this course turned out to be about 3/4 "sit-in-your-seat-listen-to-lectures" and 1/4 hands-on where we were grouped in 2's or 3's, assigned a desktop PC which we disassembled down to the bare case and then reassembled, this class met only once a week from January to May, and boy, my tongue was hanging out for more of this kind of hands-on stuff!

Ok, here's a photo of the book that came with that Survey of PC Components course -
Upgrading & Repairing PC's

Then after I finished the PC Components course, passing with a "C" grade in finals, I wanted to build my next PC, but back then I wasn't ready, I ended up with Mom buying me a CTX W95 PC from Best Buy Memorial Day of '98, and after this didn't really tinker very much with PC's until now (starting this past Aug of '10).

Question for Jenny100/InlandAZ: Will these 2 old books I linked to here still be useful for when I go into the computer repair business some day?

If someone brought in a really old computer from before year 2000, then they might be of use. Current and future computers will have very different components from those covered in those two books. Not many people are using a computer made from before year 2000 unless they're interested in vintage computers.

The Upgrading and Repairing PC's book seems to be from 1997, and the PC Configuration book from 1990. Those books would be of most interest to someone interested in repairing vintage computers -- or to someone interested in computer history.

But you've bought newer books than that, haven't you?

My first computer was a custom built computer way back in 1998. I think it had whopping harddisk of 2 GB and maybe a 4MB ram videocard (or was it 16Mb?) If we count the first computer I ever touched, it was a computer my father got for business. It was the IBM 8080 computer way back in 1978 or 1979.

On a somwhat related the Biware demo for Dragon Age 2 is out tomorrow. It is 2 GB - precisely the same as my harddisk space was in 1998. How things have changed...

Mine was an Epson from somewhere in the eighties, no hard drive, no internet and had two 5 1/4" floppy drives, came with a dot matrix printer. Basically an overblown word processor, but was great for the kids reports. It had MS-DOS and GW-Basic discs, I thought it was cool to type in programing stuff I got from the library. My son-in-law used it for his police academy stuff, probably less than ten years ago, it still worked fine, games on discs and all. One day it just went belly-up. Sniff, sniff!

My first computer was a Sinclair, purchased at Alco's. I didn't keep it very long because I was simply ignorant of how they worked. This was a DOS only machine which, looking back, was why it went back to the store.

My next computer was an Atari 800XL, which I still have, in the original boxes. I used this computer for some time until I was able to buy a PC. When I finally purchased a PC, PCs had reached a point where they were fairly standard. Of course you had the different brands, but they all mainly used the same type of operating system.

So because I'd never know if anyone will bring in a vintage computer, do you think it would be worth it to keep these old books on hand or retire them?



Yes, Jenny, I have bought newer books - CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide (2009 Ed), Windows XP for Dummies, Windows XP for Dummies Quick Reference, How Computers Work, Troubleshooting Your PC for Dummies, Upgrading and Fixing PC's for Dummies, Switching to the Mac, Troubleshooting and Maintaining Your PC for Dummies, Build Your Own PC for Dummies, Dummies 101: Windows 95, and A+ Certification for Dummies (this book is several years old, but I believe it'll suit my needs - I'll buy the A+ Certification Workbook for Dummies in perhaps several years from now when I've got more hands-on experience/expertise in fixing PC's). To date I fixed only 1 PC, my friends are spreading the word among their relatives/friends that if anyone needs their PC fixed/or a new one custom-built, I'll be glad to do it for them but they will have to pay for parts and a little for labor.

Keep them. Books don't take up much space. And if any of your friends ever want you to set up a vintage game computer for them, you'll have them to refer to.

Or any of my customers, after I get into the computer repair business, correct?

My first Computer was an IBM PC Junior with real "floppy" disks. I still have it all!

My first computer was an Apple+ with a tape recorder to load games (with lots of mistakes and errors !!!)
When they came out with an exterior disk drive, for $500, we thought we had died and gone to heaven. No floppies either, these were the hard little ones.
I remember loving Space Invaders !! Adventure games were all text at that time until Roberta Williams (I think) came out with the first (very pixellated) video adventure game.

Boy are we spoiled now..lol

My first computer was an Apple 2+ with 48K of RAM. The first games played on it were The Wizard and the Princess (Sierra On-Line), Zork (Infocom), and Wizardry (Sir-Tech). Purchased the computer in November 1982.

My first computer was the Commodore 64 I got in 1982 ! There were actually some very nice games available for it. It also used a cassette drive !!

Then I got into the "Big Time" and spent $3500.00 on an IBM AT with 5 1/4 floppy drive - it had a whole 20 Meg Hard Drive and 2 Meg RAM !! Cut my teeth with Leisure Suit Larry on that bad boy!!

My first PC was the family Packard-Bell that we bought in 1989. It (IIRC) used a 5.25 inch floppy diskette, I used it to write stories in it using Word Perfect which were printed out on our dot matrix tear-sheet Epson printer that we bought with the PC.
Our Packard Bell of 1989

the accompanying Epson dot matrix printer we got w/ the pc

My first computer was the Texas Instruments TI 99, for those of you too Young to remember this one, here is a link for it.

http://www.spacious-mind.com/html/texas_instruments_ti_99-4a.html

I had lots of fun with this, actually learned how to type with this game, I think it was called Pirates or similar and needless to say, I got killed many many times….

Our 1st computer was the
Commodore 64
Can't believe what I had invested in that system
comparable to what I do now.

My first computer was an Amstrad in 1986, it was DOS only, but I enjoyed playing around with it, as I had just become disabled it passed the time and I enjoyed learning how to programme, I also obtained an illicit game, no pictures only text about a cave system where you had to explore and kill monsters I loved it!! Don't remember the name but I know it had Adventure in the title. Those were the days.