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I
actually used a computer like this back when they were new, in the late
1980s. I'ts a Zenith AT clone, with an 8 Mhz 80286 processor, 640k conventional
memory, and 512k extended memory. I got the original 21mb hard drive working...after
much fiddling and low level formatting. Running MS-DOS 3.30, and windows
1.04. We played Reversi on these machines at work.. .much to the bosses
dismay.
This is a Zenith Data Systems military spec "ruggedized" computer, circa
late 1980s. They made some of these for the Army. I heard from one fellow
who used to be a Ranger, and said they were used in the home offices only.
There is no military nomenclature on this one. It is heavy...it could be
used as a wheel chock for a deuce and a half. The processor is a 16 Mhz
386, and it has a whopping 640 Kb of RAM, which takes up a whole expansion
board! The system uses a backplane board, so the processor board can be
removed and upgraded. The display is a monochrome EGA amber plasma...wierd,
because you have to push the little button next to the R G B lights to
see what's displayed. It will display any combination of red, green, and
blue drives (in amber) depending on what you select. I loaded DOS 5.0 and
Windows 3.0 onto the 31 Mb hard drive, it seems to run just fine. I can
also play flight simulator (version 4.0). There is a 3.5" floppy drive,
as well as a 5.25". The hard drive is easily removed--you just turn the
quick release wingscrews a quarter turn, and pull the drive out! It would
be difficult to upgrade the hard drive, as the wiring is the old MFM style
with two separate cables, not the more modern IDE style. The top cover
unscrews, with 20 screws, allowing access to the boards. There are 3 fans
in it, plus the fan in the power supply, so it is rather noisy.
This
is one of my Zenith Supersport laptops. It was made about 1987, and has
a 80C88 processor, with 640k RAM. It has one 720k floppy drive, and a 20mb
hard drive. The monochrome LCD display runs at CGA resolution, 25 lines
by 80 columns. It has DOS 5.0 on it, but I may reinstall DOS 3.30 to make
it more original. It also has WordStar 6, of all things. Apparently
it was owned by the Air Force at one time, judging from the stenciled markings
on the bottom.