Odin
| odin | |
|---|---|
| Hardware | |
| Vendor: | Zia Computer Systems |
| Model: | 4DX266 |
| CPU: | 486DX2@66MHz |
| Bus: | VLB, ISA |
| Software | |
| OS: | SCO OpenServer |
| Collection Data | |
| Acquired: | 1994 |
| From: | Don Knapp |
| Paid: | $1600 |
| Relinquished: | 2004 |
| Relinquished to: | Picacho Middle School Dumpster |
| Catalog Data | |
| Location: | Location Unknown |
| Usage Info | |
| Role: | Various |
Original Purchase
My dad purchased this in 1994 for my mom, from Don Knapp of Zia Computers. I was its first user, however, using the machine until my Zia Computers 90MHz Pentium machine was delivered.
Multimedia Upgrade
Around 1997, a Creative Multimedia Upgrade kit was added, and the machine was upgraded to Windows 95 and Office 97. I had a heck of a time getting the multimedia kit working properly. This machine was often used by me during this time period to generate Windows 95 boot disks, and after I moved out in 1999, when my mom was away, Joel Martinez and I would house-sit for her, often using this machine to listen to music, including Coal Chamber's "Sway", some Brak recordings, including "Barbecue" and "Drivin' Down Highway 40 In My Big Old Pickup Truck".
I still have a CD collection of all the music we listened to on this machine.
Martinez Era
Joel Martinez used this machine for instant messaging, running Windows NT Workstation 4.0. During this time, the Windows color scheme in use was "Storm".
1830 Anderson Era
At this point, SCO OpenServer 5.0.5 was loaded onto this machine and it ran as a server in my computer room closet. Not sure if this was before or after the motherboard swap. Heat buildup from running in a closet with little airflow is what I suspect led to its decline in reliability.
Trailer Era
The reliability of the machine declined. It was sitting on the floor at the bottom of the Black Box rack. See the Historical Summary below.
Specifications during Trailer Era
- Advanced Microdevices 4DX4 100MHz (Intel 486 DX4 clone)
- 20MB RAM
- 420MB Conner IDE hard drive
- Intel EtherExpress 16 ethernet adapter
- SCO OpenServer 5.0.5 (basically XENIX)
Naming History
- odin
- dionysus (Windows NT Workstation 4.0)
- chloris (SCO OpenServer 5.0.5)
Historical Summary
Note that the information presented in this section was retrieved from my old personal website, The VAX Pirate's Lair, and is not likely to be entirely accurate or timely. Spelling errors have been kept intact for the purposes of historical preservation.
This computer has been named odin, dionysus, and chloris at various times since I've owned it. It was purchased for my mother way back in 1994, and has switched owners several times since. The motherboard has been swapped out so many times that I've lost track. It was originally a 66MHz 486DX2 with 4MB RAM running MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11. At some point, it was vested with a Creative multimedia upgrade kit which included a 4X CD-ROM, a 16-bit SoundBlaster, and some cheap un-powered s peakers. My mother finally got tired of the dismal performance of this machine and gutted it for most of its peripherals. I ended up with the case, motherboard, etc. Its motherboard is not currently the original one, but rather one from an old DFI system which I no longer own. It was running SCO OpenServer 5.0.5 most recently, but has developed strange problems that make me think the motherboard and/or multi-I/O card are dying. It crashes randomly, and the BIOS always comes up with a FDC failure error. It beeps a lot too. I eventually plan on building a rackmount Pentium III server to funcionally replace this machine, although I doubt I'll end up using many (if any) of the current components.