the XT is one of my favorites. When I first started messing around with vintage computers in the early 90s it was to sell and offer to repair PC/XT computers. I used to advertise in the local paper. I also supported GRiD laptops and Compaq PC's. I didn't call it "vintage computers" back then though of course. Bill
On Wed, Aug 12, 2026 at 4:33 PM Jim Brain via cctalk <[email protected]> wrote: > I apologize for interrupting more reasonable conversations about much > more interesting machines, but I would appreciate some assistance. > > I didn't plan on having any x86 systems here, save for a bench machine > to make images using Teledisk and relations. > > I did acquire a Kaypro 4+88 over time, which has an x86, as part of a > larger Kaypro rescue, for which I am grateful to those on list who > helped me with repairs and getting boot disks. > > However, a number of years back, someone offered me a 5150 PC with the > (unknown by me until that day) 5161 Expansion Chassis. That seemed > unique, and I wanted to mess around with the expansion chassis. > > Over the years, as part of rescues and helping out the VCF consignment > space years ago, a Compaq Portable I and a Portable 386 (with the plasma > screen) have ended up here, as well as a recent Panasonic Senior Partner > (cool system, IMHO). > > That said, I am sitting here looking at a pretty clean 5160 XT that has > been significantly stripped. No FDD or HDD, no HDD controller, no video > card, no KB, fully populated 256kB mobo, but only 1 card installed (AST > SixPac). Unit powers up to long beep and then short ones (video issue, > which is understandable). > > If I rescue a system, no matter what it is, I try to restore to > operational condition, with some practicality (using solid state media > instead of a HDD, stuff like that). This unit is going to need a lot of > work, and I am trying to decide how important it is to have both a 5150 > PC and a 5160 XT, since the XT was such a marginal update to the PC > (-cassette, bit newer BIOS, 8 slots instead of 5). The PC setup I have > already has 11 slots combined, an HDD, and full memory, video, and KB. > > Still, it is an original IBM PC XT, there's some history there. > > I'm struggling with how much importance to apply to this "needs a lot of > TLC" unit, and I would appreciate constructive points. VCF MW is coming > up, and if I want to get this into someone else's hands to > restore/enjoy, then would be an ideal time. If it's important to keep, > VCF MW is probably a great place to grab the pieces needed to restore it. > > Jim > > -- > Jim Brain > [email protected] > www.jbrain.com > >
