HISTORY
This is an ancient computer that was given to me for data retrieval. Of course, once the data was retrieved, the owner had no further interest in it. It is much too old to even think about installing Windows XP on it, and it would definitely not be fit for use in the modern, online world. What, then is the point in restoring this to a working condition? There are a few possibilities: It could be used to play old DOS based games, it could be used to run mission-critical, legacy software that will not run on modern operating systems, or it could be used as a word processor. I had not heard of Colossus before but believe they were related in some way to the famous 'Time Computers' brand.
INITIAL SPECIFICATIONS
Machine Type: Desktop Tower
Model: COLOSSUS 362-50-163
Year of Manufacturer: 1998
Motherboard: ECS P5ST-A REV 1.0A
Chipset: SIS 5598
Processor: IBM 6X86MX PR233 166MHz (Socket 7)
RAM: 64MB EDO (2x 32MB 72-PIN SIMM)
Hard Drive(s): 6GB 3.5" PATA
Optical Drive(s): CD-ROM 5.25" PATA
Graphics: Integrated (SIS)
Audio: Integrated (ESS)
Network: None
USB: 1.1 (2 Rear)
Power Supply: FSP 300W (Replaced Power Win 250W)
Other Features: 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive, Dial-Up Modem
COA: None
INITIAL INSPECTION
Due to the age of this PC, I was not surprised that a number of issues cropped up during testing. The power supply and hard drive both failed diagnostic tests and had to be replaced. Fortunately, I have a large stock of hard drives and was able to find one with the same capacity with no bad sectors. The CPU fan was also noisy, and lubricating it did not help. I got a cheap replacement from eBay which did the job nicely.
REPAIRS & MODIFICATIONS
- Power supply replaced
- Hard drive replaced
- CPU fan replaced
- CD-ROM lens cleaned
PREPARATION
After the repairs were completed and the system cleaned and re-assembled, diagnostics on the memory and replacement hard drive completed successfully, so I was ready to install an operating system.
SETUP
Although no COA was present, I was able to extract a valid license key from the faulty hard drive for the original version of Windows 98, so this was the obvious choice here. With no updates to install, installation was very straightforward, and I was able to find drivers for the graphics and sound with relative ease. I did come up against a problem with a blue screen crash on startup after installing the graphics driver. It turns out that 597v113.exe (part of the driver package) needs to be added the 'Autoexec.bat' file in the root of drive C: to avoid this.
CONCLUSION
Whilst this will definitely be an offline PC, I still think it could have some value, somewhere. I was amazed at how fast Windows 98 was, even on such basic hardware, which is a reminder of how bloated modern software has become. Combined with a printer, this could make a great word processor system for somebody who has very limited computing needs. Fortunately, I also have a printer and monitor to give away with this system, so hopefully it will be put to good use.
