Re: New toys in the house

On Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:31:09 -0500
Jim wrote:


Also, a Compaq Aero 4/25 sub-notebook, for the paltry sum of $1.00. DOS
6.2, Win 3.1. Very retro. This thing is sooo kewt, I just *have* to find
a use for it. Both machines needed JB-Weld enhancements to broken case
parts. But they do work.

Oooo... an Aero! Cute things and they can do all kinds of neat stuff with the
proper software. If you have the full 20MB of ram in it, you really need to up
the BIOS to the latest version, the SP1992 IIRC. Without the latest BIOS, the
computer can see the full amount of ram only sporadically.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareIndex.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodNameId=96746&prodTypeId=321957&prodSeriesId=96243&swLang=8&taskId=135&swEnvOID=26

For more information you might want to consult this place as a beginning:

http://www.zenspider.com/~pwilk/aero_stuff.html

Ulrich Hansens website also has a lot of good information on the small laptops
but as of right now, I cannot connect to his server. Uli runs it off his own
*DSL with a dynamic DNS so the uptime is not always perfect.

http://ulihansen.kicks-ass.net/

I know I have the HMM for the Aero here somewhere as a PDF but finding it can
take a week or two.

And before I forget, replace the BIOS battery right now
before you use the laptop again, it has a habit of hosing the BIOS if the
battery voltage goes too low. The battery is a normal 1220 so that is not a
problem. When cracking the case open, you need to remove the display bezel
first, then remove the top of the case. The top does not come off with the
bezel still in place.

If the main battery is dead as I suspect it is, remove it and run the
box straight off the power brick and under no circumstances use a "replacement"
power supply on the damn thing. It is known to blow a cap on the planar
destroying the laptop if the power supply is not the correct one. If you are
lucky with the dead main battery you only hose the BIOS. Reflashing it
obviously requires some serious tinkering with a prommer.

Pity the mailing list is underground again, it was pretty active a while ago.

--

shingouz the other aeronaut, 2x 4/33c and 1x 4/25


.

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