Help With Ancient Computer.

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CamH

564 posts

Ultimate Geek

#8406 27-Jun-2006 19:03

Hi, I have a old IBM PS/1 486 SX and I am trying to set it up for my brother so he can type on it. It has a 400mb hdd and 8mb ram. With Floppy drive and (Non Bootable) CD-ROM Drive. When I start the computer up it says Non-System Disk or disk error Replace and press any key when ready. I need a soultution on how to fix this so I can type on it. Thanks

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#39852 27-Jun-2006 19:07

Their is no Operating System installed on the PC. You will need to install one of these first but you'll probably only be able to use Windows 3.11 or DOS - maybe Windows 95 if it has more than 16MB of RAM.

CamH

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Ultimate Geek

#39856 27-Jun-2006 19:41

Thanks. Anyone got a Windows 3.11 That I could Borrow?

Bung

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#39857 27-Jun-2006 19:43

Something that old could have a hard drive that's stuck its heads to the platters. I've had to whack 1 or 2 drives to get them rotating.

CamH

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Ultimate Geek

#39858 27-Jun-2006 19:45

Also I really need a DOS BOOTDISK (Floppy) if any one could give/loan 2 me

CamH

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Ultimate Geek

#39860 27-Jun-2006 19:48

Hard Drive all good. It was checked before I Got it.

tonyhughes

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#39862 27-Jun-2006 21:24

reignofgold: Thanks. Anyone got a Windows 3.11 That I could Borrow?

Even old MS software is covered by copyright, you cant borrow it... thats illegal. No public discussion about sharing commercial software is allowed here.

Why not put linux on it? Get an older version if its just for playing around with...

paradoxsm

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#39865 27-Jun-2006 22:02

What about my "mini-windows" I hacked up from the Win95 installation diskette 1 and played around a bit to make it work (and it supports FAT32) Is that legal? I'd say not but interesting

it's a whole 2MB in size! now compare THAT to XP. I can help with aged standalone web browsers too.

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jpwise

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#39891 28-Jun-2006 10:19

reignofgold: Also I really need a DOS BOOTDISK (Floppy) if any one could give/loan 2 me

www.bootdisk.com

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CamH

564 posts

Ultimate Geek

#39894 28-Jun-2006 10:35

My PC And Laptop (That Work) Don't Have Floppy drives.

jpwise

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#39900 28-Jun-2006 10:42

reignofgold: My PC And Laptop (That Work) Don't Have Floppy drives.

http://www.dse.co.nz/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/en/product/XH8291

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CamH

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Ultimate Geek

#39901 28-Jun-2006 10:44

And I dont Expect to spend $62 on a floppy drive that im only going to use 1 or 2 times

CamH

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Ultimate Geek

#39902 28-Jun-2006 10:47

I have an In-built floppy in my PC With Win XP Home but every single disk comes up with This disk has not been formatted format this disk now (or something Similar) Any one got any ideas on how to fix the drive?

jpwise

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#39907 28-Jun-2006 10:49

PS: I'm in a bit of a one line reply mood. But on a sidenote once you get the boot floppy going you'll probably want to check if it can see the harddisk in the old machine. Depending on the history of the old machine it may be that either 1) if it's x-lease/business the drive has been wiped - just needs re-installing. or 2) the drive is dead, and you need to find a replacement drive.

If the drive's dead the older 486 machines have problems accessing drives over certain limitions. Depending on the bios in the machine you're probably best to stick below 2gb which 'should' be OK. You're extremely unlikely to be able to drop anything over 8gb in there. To top that off, if your Bios is very old it may not even recognise anything over 520mb without a DDO (Dynamic Drive Overlay - they're a real pain to work with). If you do avoid the 520mb drive limit, you've also got to allow for the fact that Fat16 (Win3.1x/Dos) has a limition of 2gb maximum (hence little point in over 2gb).

Have fun. ;p

Jp.

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jpwise

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#39909 28-Jun-2006 10:52

reignofgold: I have an In-built floppy in my PC With Win XP Home but every single disk comes up with This disk has not been formatted format this disk now (or something Similar) Any one got any ideas on how to fix the drive?

You could try running a head cleaning disk through it, but if it's doing that on just about every disk I'd say it probably needs replacing.

DSE one is ~$28 - http://www.dse.co.nz/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/en/product/XH5308

That said, floppy drives are a common component, give the local computer stores a ring and ask for a price on a replacement 3.5" floppy. They may also have better pricing on the usb floppy aswell. The DSE one is just convenient as there's usually at least one store nearby regardless of where you are in NZ.

On that sidenote: i'm assuming the 486 does actually have a 3.5" floppy drive, and not a 5.25" ?

Jp.

Working for Service Plus - www.serviceplus.co.nz

Authorised Service Agent for Apple, BenQ, Sony, and Toshiba - warranty & non-warranty repairs.

CamH

564 posts

Ultimate Geek

#39913 28-Jun-2006 11:01

O.k Thanks for every one's advice. Im really trying to find a soulution that costs nothing because the 486 only cost me $20. And I cant be bothered to get a floppy when they are almost non-existant and im going to save up for a blu-ray drive

the 486 hard drive is fine just need reinstall of OS

so thanks for all your solutions and if there is any that are free I would be even more greatful

yes the 486 has a 3.5" and a 5.25" floppy. Also would a bootdisk work off a CDROM? Im not sure if the CDROM in the 486 is bootable though (Creative 32x MX) Thanks again.

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