General_Marketplace

Does the screen have to work and can you get a power adapter? I have a working Compaq Presario that I bought thinking I would use it for older games that wouldn't play through DOSBox or SCUMM. When I met the guy I bought it from, it was open and running. Once I got it home, I found I had to open and close it a few times to get the screen to come on. I opened the case and found the wires going through the hinge to the screen were damaged. I wasn't able to find a replacement, so I just used it connected to an external monitor. A few years later I was given a similar system that needed the power adapter, so I can't provide a power supply with it. I would probably just give it to you if you paid the postage.

Tony wrote:

I'd prefer it if it came with the power brick and battery so I know it works...I don't want to do any repairs or buy extra parts.

I got a few, ill get you a list this evening, I have a win 2000 one with brick and some xp ones

I have a windows 3.1 laptop that i haven't plugged in in years...

not sure of their actual working status, but they are both indeed older. You can have them on ship if you like @Oduomega ill send you pics on this when i did them out.

Any particular brand?

FinalFantasyForever wrote:
Not really. Anything would be okay as long as it can run one of the OS's that I mentioned. Would love to have something in the middle running ME, lol.

Hmm. I have an Acer netbook, with battery and adapter, Windows XP 32-bit - I'm not sure which level of SP it's got. The problem is something in it is failing, because it makes a clicking noise and sometimes does the BSoD. I have it with all original packaging (box and inserts), disc, manuals. The only thing after-party is an Anker power brick because the original power adapter failed/broke. If you're interested, let me know and I can get the specific model for you.

Oh, I had also upgraded the RAM to 2 GB, and I think I retained the 1GB RAM card. The upgraded RAM is a Crucial 2GB Single DDR2 800MHz (PC2-6400) CL6 SODIMM 200-Pin Notebook Memory.

Alaisiagae wrote:
Netbooks sound good. Small form factor, yes?

Oduomega wrote:

Yes, it is petite and portable. I don't know the exact dimensions off the top of my head, but I can check it later tomorrow.

I’ve got a Thinkpad I recently obtained running Linux. I can install Windows though. I believe it will run 98/ME decently.

I also have a more capable older Thinkpad running Windows 10.

ryanflucas wrote:

I'm specifically looking for older machines that can't connect to modern internet so it won't distract from the tasks I want to do with the system. Anything Win 7 and newer can still connect via WiFi or a physical wired connection.

Windows 95, 98, ME/2000, and XP all can't connect to modern internet without some finagling that I'm just not capable of.

Oduomega wrote:

Any machine can "not connect to modern Internet" if you just don't connect it to the Internet. If you're worried it will get up, walk over to the router, and plug itself in, you can always just disable the network adapter. Even for the non-technical, disabling a network adapter is WAY easier than posting around to find a super-old machine and then paying someone to ship it to you, just so you won't be "burdened" with "modern Internet". I can't help but feel that whatever you're trying to do here is totally misinformed. Your description of your needs does not jibe with reality. Perhaps if you explained what you were trying to do then people would not have to waste their time offering you machines that don't meet your criteria.

lain21us wrote:
Wow, pretty harsh there, huh?

I'm tech-savvy, and I know this for my Win10 laptop. The problem for me comes where if the temptation is there to connect (even if only for a moment to check something), I can totally derail my productivity (ADHD et al). I am interested in an older system that doesn't even have the option to connect (through either dial-up or broadband, which are kinda obsolete). Removing the option to do so is the best option for me, and something older (95/98/ME/2000) that at least has USB 1.0/1.1 connectivity for a 128MB flash drive would work best for my needs (writing workstation).

I do apologize to everyone for not clarifying what I was looking for, but I did specify the OS range that I was looking for (which I guess was a poor clue to let people know I was looking for systems that were 2001 or older?).

Oduomega wrote:

That's fair, sorry, hope you find what you're looking for.

My Netbook behaved itself, though Opera can barely load anything but Google's search engine. I was finally able to update the firmware on my OSSC, reset the button mapping on my Fragnstein, and format a USB stick to FAT16 for my Action Replay Max codes. And the netbook didn't crash once! I'm tempted to hang on to it. It sucks trying to multitak, it maxes out the RAM and CPU so easily with even one program.

If you're looking for one 2nd hand, it's an Asus Eee PC, model 1005HA.

Most modern laptops can have the wifi chip removed. I've done this for businesses creating closed systems. As long as they don't need bluetooth and don't connect to wired local ethernet, there's no way to connect to any Internet. I assumed you were going for an older system to play classic computer games. That seems to be the most popular reason to resell older laptops.

I have these available:

IBM Thinkpad T41
Laptop, battery, AC Adapter
Pentium M 1.6GHZ, 1GB ram, 6GB Hard Disk, Optical drive
Windows XP Pro License, Linux current OS
$50 + shipping

Lenovo Thinkpad T400
Laptop, battery, ac adapter
Core 2 Duo 2.26ghz, 4GB ram, 120GB Crucial SSD, No optical drive but instead a selectbay tray currently empty but can hold an additional SATA hard drive
Windows 10 Pro
$100 + shipping

I picked up two Dell WYSE slim systems today. I plan on keeping one but the other would be available. It's really low spec though. Celeron Dual Core 1.58GHZ, 16GB Flash storage, 4GB ram, Windows 7 Embedded standard. $40 + shipping

ryanflucas wrote:
I mostly want it for a writing workstation. Something completely bare-bones that can handle a word processor and little else. It doesn't need a CD drive, just support for USB 1.0/1.1.

I might just go shop on eBay and see if I can't find a 95/98/98SE system.