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The problem with Micron MT 4264 RAM

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing November 8, 2026November 5, 2026 0 Comment

Watch a Youtube video about repairing a 1980s 8-bit computer, and you can flip a coin about whether the problem will be the presence of MT (Micron) 4264 RAM chips inside. MT RAM chips of mid 1980s vintage are notoriously unreliable. Apple, Atari, and Commodore all used them, and those chips didn’t age well.

I’ve seen them in Commodore 64s, Apple IIcs, Atari 800XLs, and Atari 65 and 130XEs.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He has written professionally about computers since 1991, so he was writing about retro computers when they were still new. He has been working in IT professionally since 1994 and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He holds Security+ and CISSP certifications. Today he blogs five times a week, mostly about retro computers and retro gaming covering the time period from 1975 to 2000.

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What happened to Transmeta, the last big dotcom IPO

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing November 6, 2026November 6, 2026 3 Comments

Transmeta was the last big IPO of the dotcom era, launching Nov 7, 2000. Some analysts call its $273 million IPO the last successful tech IPO until the Google IPO in 2004. Transmeta didn’t completely fit in to the dotcom era, because they were a hardware company. But they were still a technology company, and if their plans had gone well, they would have sold their product to dotcoms, but it didn’t work out that way for them. In this blog post we explore what happened to Transmeta.

Dave Farquhar

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Micron Computers’ rise and fall

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing November 5, 2026November 8, 2026 7 Comments

Micron Computers was a moderately successful attempt by Micron Technology, a maker of computer memory chips, to market PCs. First released in 1995, the venture succeeded very well at first, and survived in the marketplace until November 6, 2008. Although not widely remembered today, Micron made dependable, reliable PCs at a fair price.

Dave Farquhar

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The first Compaq computer

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing November 4, 2026November 4, 2026 1 Comment

The first Compaq computer was its eponymous Compaq Portable, announced November 4, 1982. It was a suitcase-sized clone of the original IBM Personal Computer, with an Intel 8088 CPU running at 4.77 MHz running Microsoft MS-DOS. It was hardly the first non-IBM computer to run MS-DOS, but it was the first legal IBM PC clone with a high degree of compatibility.

Compaq shipped the first unit about four months later, in March 1983. It originally cost $2995 for a single-drive unit. A dual-drive unit, which was much more useful, cost $3,590.

Dave Farquhar

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Charles Tandy, the mastermind behind Radio Shack

Dave Farquhar Retail, Retro Computing November 3, 2026March 15, 2026 0 Comment

Charles David Tandy was the chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer of the Tandy Corporation. He was born May 15, 1918 and died November 4, 1978. Tandy was involved in the creation or expansion of three retail chains: Tandy Leather, Radio Shack, and Pier 1 Imports.

Dave Farquhar

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Etoys.com and its rapid rise and fall

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing November 2, 2026November 2, 2026 0 Comment

So it’s November 1997. The Internet is catching on and you want to start an online business. You just need a big idea. How about selling toys on the Internet? That could be big, right? Hence etoys.com, a short-lived Internet retailer founded November 3, 1997.

That’s a bit of an exaggeration. While etoys was founded in November, the idea dated back to February 1997. That’s when former Walt Disney VP Toby Lenk joined up with Bill Gross, founder of a net startup incubator called Idealab, to start building etoys. They secured financing by September and launched in November, just in time for the 1997 holiday season.

Dave Farquhar

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IBM PC/XT drives stuck in the bay? How to free them

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing November 1, 2026July 11, 2026 1 Comment

If you are working on an IBM PC/XT model 5160 and need to remove a floppy drive, you may find it difficult to remove after removing the two visible screws that hold them in. If your IBM disk drive is stuck, I have a top secret tip that will help.

Dave Farquhar

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When Federico Faggin left Intel

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing October 30, 2026October 30, 2026 0 Comment

It was 52 years ago today, on October 31, 1974, that Federico Faggin (pronounced FAHH-jeen), the mastermind behind the early Intel CPUs, left Intel to try something else. His next big thing was the legendary Zilog Z-80 CPU.

Dave Farquhar

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IBM’s 2018 Red Hat acquisition

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing October 29, 2026October 29, 2026 0 Comment

It was eight years ago, on Oct 28, 2018, that IBM announced its intention to acquire Red Hat, the Linux vendor, for $34 billion. Its Aug 11, 1999 IPO had been the 8th largest first-day gain in the history of Wall Street at the time. The acquisition closed in July 2019.

Dave Farquhar

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TI-99/4A discontinued October 28, 1983

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing October 28, 2026October 28, 2026 0 Comment

42 years ago today, on October 28, 1983, Texas Instruments announced it was discontinuing the TI-99/4A computer and withdrawing from the home computer market. It was a stunning admission of defeat for a company that had everything it took to absolutely dominate the home computer market: vertical integration, name recognition, pre-existing relationships with retailers, and a compelling design. Let’s look at what went wrong.

Dave Farquhar

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