The Blog

IBM PS/2 Model 30 8086 Sound, Video and CPU Upgrades

Nix McRetro // 25th October 2012 // IBM PC, YouTube

Easiest to start with the CPU upgrade, I suppose. NEC V30 and 8087 I replaced the original 8 MHz 8086-2 with an 8 MHz NEC V30 and installed an 8087-2 math coprocessor. The V30 is a pin-compatible 8086 replacement and executes many instructions more efficiently. Running a few basic benchmarks... Continue reading

Osborne 486 Windows 95 Installation Demo

Nix McRetro // 24th October 2012 // IBM PC, YouTube

Finally got the video together. Windows 95 is installed and running on the Osborne 486. The CD-ROM drive works most of the time, but it is extremely selective about burned discs. With some burned discs, the system also tended to lock up. In my testing, the TDK Gold 80-minute CD-Rs... Continue reading

Osborne 486 Boot-Sector Virus Cleanup with F-PROT

Nix McRetro // 23rd October 2012 // IBM PC, Repairs

Osborne 486 Boot-Sector Virus Cleanup with F-PROT

Looks like I am not the only one who has a virus at the moment. The trusty old Osborne ended up with what appeared to be an MBR or boot-sector infection. The Sound Blaster 16 installation disks I had been using were also detected as infected. At the time I... Continue reading

Osborne 486 5.25-inch Floppy Drive Addition

Nix McRetro // 22nd October 2012 // Apple, IBM PC, YouTube

The 5.25-inch floppy drive now living in the Osborne came from the Wyse 286 desktop I had a quick look at earlier. The Wyse isn’t mine anymore because someone else wanted it. All I really needed was the floppy drive anyway. It is always a little disappointing when an eBay... Continue reading

Aiwa Sega Mega-CD CSD-GM1 KSS-210B Laser Replacement

Nix McRetro // 22nd October 2012 // Repairs, Sega, YouTube

Compared with everything else this Aiwa has thrown at me, this was almost a straightforward repair. The video above covers replacing the Sony KSS-210B optical pickup in the CSD-GM1 CD mechanism. I had suspected the pickup earlier because the drive was struggling to read discs, although I had not wanted... Continue reading