Recently, after envying my fellow techies with their vintage Commodore, Apple, and Atari computers, I turned to an old favorite. My first “real” PC was the first IBM desktop clone from Compaq. IBMs were too expensive for me. Not anymore. You can find really good machines on social media at favorable prices as the generation that bought them are downsizing.
Here are some resources I have found for researching your computer and finding information on your restoration:
- http://www.minuszerodegrees.net/ – A wealth of information on official IBM info and 3rd party add-ons
- BIOS Central – information on interrupts (which you choose, no plug & play) and BIOS updates
- https://www.pcjs.org/ – both an IBM PC simulation that runs in your web browser and source for software images of floppy disks. Use WinImage to convert .img files to DOS files.
- Vintage Computer Federation – their forums have some of the best information on PC details
On cleaning your find, here are some resources (always be very careful and research how to be gentle with 35 year old electronics)
- How to Clean your Model M Keyboard – from Adafruit!
- Adventures in Retrobrite – find the best method to restore plastic case
Do you have your favorite sites? Please post them in the comments below and post them on Twitter tagging @Adafruit and @MikeDigitalHome