Fix slimy plastic

Fix slimy plastic

Rubberized plastic has a tendency to degrade and get slimy as it ages. So what was once a nice input device becomes too gross to use right about the time it gets retro enough to be cool again. Fortunately you can fix it. Here’s how to fix slimy plastic.

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How to burn a BIOS

How to burn a BIOS

Burning a BIOS isn’t as hard as it sounds. Here’s how to burn a BIOS and what to use to do it.

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Tandy 1000 value

Tandy 1000 value

The Tandy 1000 was an important early IBM compatible PC. It was by no means the first IBM PC compatible, nor was it the first successful one. But it was notable for being what the IBM PCjr should have been, and it was widely available at Radio Shack stores, making it one of the first mass market PCs. It has some cultural significance, and that cultural and historical significance drives its value.

Today, a Tandy 1000 is generally worth around $250 US. However, that amount does come with some caveats, including condition and whether the unit works.

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How Bill Gates became rich

How Bill Gates became rich

There are a lot of misconceptions and, shall we say, incomplete information about how Bill Gates became rich. But it’s an interesting and important story, so let’s cut through some of the misconceptions and the conspiracy theorizing of Gates and his early years.

Bill Gates made his money through software, first programming languages, and then operating systems. By getting into position to sell one or both products to virtually every computer manufacturer, Gates became a millionaire by age 23 and a billionaire by age 31.

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How to disassemble a Tandy 1000EX

How to disassemble a Tandy 1000EX

A Tandy 1000EX is harder to disassemble than a typical 1980s PC clone. And for as popular as this machine is, I couldn’t find any thorough explanation of how to do it. Even the 1980s service manuals for the machine gloss over or omit disassembly. So here’s how to disassemble a Tandy 1000EX, such as to give the case a thorough cleaning.

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MS-DOS 3.31: The DOS you couldn’t have

MS-DOS 3.31: The DOS you couldn’t have

When it comes to the best operating system to use for a vintage PC, if it has a 286 or better processor, there is little reason to use anything older than MS-DOS 5 or PC-DOS 5. But with an XT, it’s a little different. The best MS-DOS version to use is one you may have never heard of. MS-DOS 3.31 was an upgrade you couldn’t buy.

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Fixing my IBM 5170 motherboard

Fixing my IBM 5170 motherboard

After years of searching, I was able to locate an untested IBM 5170 motherboard about 2 hours away. Being untested, of course I was taking my chances. But I was able to get it working. Here’s how I fixed my IBM 5170 motherboard so I could restore my IBM 5170 with a true-blue IBM board to replace the clone board in it.

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Connect a Tandy 1000 to a television

Connect a Tandy 1000 to a television

The Tandy 1000 is easy to connect to a television. That was part of its original design. It worked better from a marketing perspective than a technical perspective, but that’s one reason it was successful. It can work better today than it did in the ’80s. Here’s how.

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Logitech C7 mouse: So bad it’s good

Logitech C7 mouse: So bad it’s good

I picked up a Logitech C7 mouse to go with my IBM 5170. It’s so bad it’s good. There is no way I would use it all the time, but in so many ways it’s perfect for the mid-eighties PC.

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Exit full screen in WinUAE

I always struggle to remember how to exit fullscreen mode in WinUAE, and it seems like everyone else wants to explain everything about the software. So here’s how to exit full screen mode in WinUAE, the Amiga emulator for Windows. It takes about three steps.

I often enter fullscreen in WinUAE accidentally and then can’t remember how to get out. You need to hit F12, then navigate the display menu.

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