Retro Computing Archives

DOS memory management on a 286

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 29, 2022April 18, 2023

This month, YouTuber Casual Retro Gamer rebuilt a 286 clone from the late 1980s. After his restoration work was done, he did what any of us would have done. He started upgrading it, because a handsomely restored retro PC is less fun than a souped up handsomely restored retro PC. And that’s where he ran into the oddities of 286 memory optimization. When he was done, he had 585 kilobytes of conventional memory available, and he speculated that might not be quite enough. Here’s how to get more.

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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Can you use Windows 95 in 2022?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 22, 2022April 16, 2022

When troubleshooting a Windows 95 build, I came across an interesting question: can you use Windows 95 in 2022? And a related question: is Windows 95 safe to use? As a retro computer enthusiast and a computer security professional, and one who specializes in software life cycle management at that, I take a special interest in questions like this.

Dave Farquhar

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Dell E1912HF and the Amiga

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 15, 2022March 5, 2023

Amiga monitors have never been especially easy to find, but as time moves on, they get even harder. In a pinch you can use a television, but that has some drawbacks. Fortunately there are some other modern alternatives. The Dell E1912HF is a good example, though not the only one.

Dave Farquhar

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3Com 3c509 in an 8088-based PC/XT

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 8, 2022October 22, 2022

Officially, the old reliable–and super common–3Com 3c509 Ethernet card requires a 286 or better processor. Unofficially, you can get one to work in an 8088-or 8086-based based XT-class system. Here’s the trick to using a 3com 3c509 in an 8088 PC/XT.

Dave Farquhar

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MCGA vs VGA

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 31, 2022July 26, 2022

VGA and MCGA were two new video standards introduced in April 1987 with the IBM PS/2 line. They were meant to make the new IBM computers more competitive with Amiga, Atari ST, and color Macintosh computers, all of which had ability to create high resolution graphics with more colors then IBM’s first generation of PCs. MCGA vs VGA confused people in 1987, and it can confuse people today.

Of the two standards, VGA proved the most enduring. The GPU in your desktop or laptop PC is fully backward compatible with VGA, and whatever graphics mode you’re using right now is an extension of VGA. The 15-pin VGA plug is still very common 35 years after the PS/2’s introduction. VGA approved to be the most enduring element of the PS/2 line.

Dave Farquhar

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Why did the Atari ST fail?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 24, 2022July 3, 2025

Why did the Atari ST fail? It is hard for me to be objective about the Atari ST, because I was a dyed in the wool Amiga fanboy in the early ’90s. I am not supposed to like the Atari ST. And I’m not sure if that makes it easier or harder for me to see it as a failure, but I don’t see the Atari ST as a failure.

Then again, since you probably are not reading this on an Atari ST, there is an argument that it did fail. So it could be that I am grading on a curve. I expected the machine to be a nothing burger, and it ended up selling 2.1 million units at a time when 2.1 million units shipped still was a pretty impressive number.

Dave Farquhar

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IBM 7496 Executive Workstation

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 18, 2022August 22, 2022

The IBM 7496 Executive Workstation is a rare IBM computer from the late 1980s. It gained some measure of fame in the early 2020s, when vintage technology Youtubers got their hands on them and rebuilt them. Their success, or lack thereof in one case, helped elevate this machine in enthusiasts’ minds.

The IBM 7496 Executive Workstation is some kind of a purpose built PC, derived from the PS/2 Model 30. About a dozen examples turned up in the inventory of Computer Reset, a now legendary Dallas-based warehouse of computers dating back to the 1980s that was liquidated from 2019-2022.

Dave Farquhar

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Is Windows XP obsolete or is it retro?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing May 9, 2022April 30, 2022

Windows XP is hard to classify. I still remember when it was brand new, and technologically it’s closer to today’s versions of Windows than it is to Windows 98. To my kids, it’s ancient history. But what should we call it? Is Windows XP obsolete? Or is it retrro?

Whatever you call it, it shouldn’t be your everyday operating system anymore. I’ve talked before about what to do if you are still running XP and need something else to migrate to.

Dave Farquhar

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Pros and cons of Compaqs as retro computers

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing April 27, 2022March 10, 2025

Compaqs get mixed reviews among retro computer enthusiasts. I had one in 1994 so I get it. They have quirks. But the news with Compaq isn’t all bad. So let’s look at the pros and cons of these machines, and why you may or may not want one.

Dave Farquhar

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Tandy 1000 vs Commodore 64

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing April 20, 2022September 1, 2026

In early 1984, IBM released its first home computer, the IBM PCjr. Commodore won that battle handily. But in late 1984, Tandy released its idea of a a PCjr-done-right, the Tandy 1000. When it comes to the Tandy 1000 vs Commodore 64, Commodore didn’t do as well. The Tandy 1000 eventually overtook the Commodore 64 to become the best-selling computer in the United States.

Dave Farquhar

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