Windows NT 4.0 didn't have a startup sound by default, and I didn't bother enabling one. (Not to mention, it would play after login, I didn't log in during the video.)
Alright, here are the operating systems known to run on this machine: Windows NT 3.5, Windows NT 4.0, AIX 4.1 through 5.1, a beta version of OS/2 Warp, a beta version of Solaris 2, plus a few Linux and Open/NetBSD distributions.
No Mac OS, no Amiga, No BeOS, no i/OS, no Haiku, no Plan 9, no Morph.
Shame on Microsoft and Apple for abandoning the PowerPC platform to go exclusively Intel. Windows 2000/XP kernel ported to PPC (and yes, they had a prototype) could have made the computing landscape during the last decade look very different. At least MS will be porting Windows 8 to ARM. But what a missed opportunity for not porting the lightweight XP kernel sooner to ARM and runnable on almost all mobile gadgets.
@Iisztnut Not possible. Apple PowerPC hardware cannot run Windows NT for PowerPC. You can run Linux or BSD, though. (Both options use a 'bootloader' that is really a Mac OS application.
@alonsog1997 Would I try it? Sure. But it won't happen. The 'Classic' Mac OS is too dependent on Apple-firmware. There are Mac emulators, but those require emulating the firmware, something this can't do in hardware.
If you mean OS X, then no. This system is WAY too slow for Mac OS X. Even the equivalent Apple systems of the time aren't OS X-supported, and for good reason! (I have gotten OS X to run on an equal-age Mac, it sucks.) Plus this system only has 16 MB of RAM, WAY too little for OS X.
@eMGeeGFX I'm trying to get OS/2 PowerPC Edition on it, but am having difficulties. AIX always struck me as the "workstation/server" OS, and IBM made this specifically as a "desktop" style computer, rather than a "workstation", so the more consumer-focused OSes always seemed more appropriate for it.
Just so people can get an idea of how much things have changed...back when the Power PC 850 was released, it was upwards of $12,000...I think most people would be hard-pressed to spend 1/6th of that now. The 820 started at about $6000...
@bravo3000pirate No, just IBM inside, the same as the Apple's of the same generation.
PowerPC was co-developed by Apple, IBM, and Motorola. Motorola sold PowerPC workstations, too, that were not at all Mac-compatible. (Later, when Apple opened up a market for clones, Motorola did also sell Apple clones, but those were just re-boxed Apple-designed Macintosh motherboards, not unique designs.)
IBM sold both PPC UNIX workstations plus a very few PPC "desktops" and ThinkPads that ran Windows NT.
That's amazing for this laptop to have an optical drive (in this case, CD-ROM). I used a similar laptop, a Compaq Armada similar spec back in the early 90's for school. It only had a floppy drive.
@talldude123 At the time, this was a *VERY* high-end laptop, so it included it even then. The higher-end model even had a webcam accessory that would snap onto the top of the display.
@talldude123 They technically marketed it as a "videoconferencing" camera, not "webcam", but yes.
I owned a Sony "PictureBook" in 1999 with what an integrated camera we would now call a webcam.
Connectix was selling black and white webcams (the "QuickCam", later bought by Logitech who still uses the name,) back in the early '90s; before the "web" was even popular enough to warrant naming it after!
@atarimon This could not run Mac OS. Apple had the Mac OS locked down tight so that it would only run on "approved" systems (aka: Apple Macintosh systems.)
It could run (at the time of launch) one of two OSes: Windows NT (3.5, later to include 4.0,) or AIX 4.1 (later up to 5.0.) IBM teased that they would release a copy of OS/2 for PowerPC; but it never reached much more than "late beta" status. They did ship it to customers who complained, though. Solaris was also supposed to be ported.
In theory, QEMU can emulate a "PReP" PowerPC machine, which is what this ThinkPad is, so it SHOULD be possible. I would have no idea about it.
The PowerPC version of NT4 (as with the DEC Alpha version and MIPS R6000 version,) are capable of running 16-bit x86 code, such as programs for Windows 3.1; but it is not capable of running 32-bit x86 code, like about 99.999% of all Windows NT programs. In my searching, I have not found a single native PPC NT4 app.
awesome im buying my own windows nt 4.0 too. i hate pirating isos off google
RBGHfan 1 month ago
No BeOS, wrong firmware type.
Windows NT 4.0 didn't have a startup sound by default, and I didn't bother enabling one. (Not to mention, it would play after login, I didn't log in during the video.)
Alright, here are the operating systems known to run on this machine: Windows NT 3.5, Windows NT 4.0, AIX 4.1 through 5.1, a beta version of OS/2 Warp, a beta version of Solaris 2, plus a few Linux and Open/NetBSD distributions.
No Mac OS, no Amiga, No BeOS, no i/OS, no Haiku, no Plan 9, no Morph.
ehurtley 4 months ago
What about BeOS? Could it run that?
gschjetne 5 months ago
That, sir, is a neat piece of hardware!
44Bigs 5 months ago
Shame on Microsoft and Apple for abandoning the PowerPC platform to go exclusively Intel. Windows 2000/XP kernel ported to PPC (and yes, they had a prototype) could have made the computing landscape during the last decade look very different. At least MS will be porting Windows 8 to ARM. But what a missed opportunity for not porting the lightweight XP kernel sooner to ARM and runnable on almost all mobile gadgets.
Mequa32 6 months ago
Wow, very rare
JesdaG 6 months ago
@Iisztnut Not possible. Apple PowerPC hardware cannot run Windows NT for PowerPC. You can run Linux or BSD, though. (Both options use a 'bootloader' that is really a Mac OS application.
ehurtley 8 months ago
@ehurtley Yes, I know, but if someone did a hack similar to OSx86 (but for PC's designed for windows nt and for System 7), would you try it?
alonsog1997 8 months ago
@alonsog1997 Would I try it? Sure. But it won't happen. The 'Classic' Mac OS is too dependent on Apple-firmware. There are Mac emulators, but those require emulating the firmware, something this can't do in hardware.
If you mean OS X, then no. This system is WAY too slow for Mac OS X. Even the equivalent Apple systems of the time aren't OS X-supported, and for good reason! (I have gotten OS X to run on an equal-age Mac, it sucks.) Plus this system only has 16 MB of RAM, WAY too little for OS X.
ehurtley 8 months ago
Could this, with some software hacks, run Mac OS?
alonsog1997 8 months ago
@alonsog1997 Nope. Mac OS will only run on Apple-authorized PowerPC systems (either Apple-made or one of the official clones.)
ehurtley 8 months ago
Why don't you install AIX on it?
eMGeeGFX 8 months ago
@eMGeeGFX I'm trying to get OS/2 PowerPC Edition on it, but am having difficulties. AIX always struck me as the "workstation/server" OS, and IBM made this specifically as a "desktop" style computer, rather than a "workstation", so the more consumer-focused OSes always seemed more appropriate for it.
ehurtley 8 months ago
nt rules
mdfool1 8 months ago
best pc
mdfool1 8 months ago
i owned this laptop for 1 year
mdfool1 8 months ago
better then windows 7
mdfool1 8 months ago
Just so people can get an idea of how much things have changed...back when the Power PC 850 was released, it was upwards of $12,000...I think most people would be hard-pressed to spend 1/6th of that now. The 820 started at about $6000...
gregoryrussellcosta 9 months ago
it could run ppc AmigaOS , does it?
beteigeuze1314 9 months ago
@beteigeuze1314 I have never tried. I believe AmigaOS requires *VERY* specific hardware, though.
ehurtley 8 months ago
Apple inside....?
bravo3000pirate 11 months ago
@bravo3000pirate No, just IBM inside, the same as the Apple's of the same generation.
PowerPC was co-developed by Apple, IBM, and Motorola. Motorola sold PowerPC workstations, too, that were not at all Mac-compatible. (Later, when Apple opened up a market for clones, Motorola did also sell Apple clones, but those were just re-boxed Apple-designed Macintosh motherboards, not unique designs.)
IBM sold both PPC UNIX workstations plus a very few PPC "desktops" and ThinkPads that ran Windows NT.
ehurtley 11 months ago
@ehurtley thanks for the information. I thought PPC was Apple and IBM together, just the same CPU. So today again I can say I learned something!
bravo3000pirate 11 months ago
That's amazing for this laptop to have an optical drive (in this case, CD-ROM). I used a similar laptop, a Compaq Armada similar spec back in the early 90's for school. It only had a floppy drive.
talldude123 1 year ago
@talldude123 At the time, this was a *VERY* high-end laptop, so it included it even then. The higher-end model even had a webcam accessory that would snap onto the top of the display.
ehurtley 1 year ago
@ehurtley Wait, there were webcams in the 90's? I thought that webcams were introduced in 2000
talldude123 1 year ago
@talldude123 They technically marketed it as a "videoconferencing" camera, not "webcam", but yes.
I owned a Sony "PictureBook" in 1999 with what an integrated camera we would now call a webcam.
Connectix was selling black and white webcams (the "QuickCam", later bought by Logitech who still uses the name,) back in the early '90s; before the "web" was even popular enough to warrant naming it after!
ehurtley 1 year ago
Could this thing run Mac OS? Or just the PPC WinNT?
atarimon 1 year ago
@atarimon This could not run Mac OS. Apple had the Mac OS locked down tight so that it would only run on "approved" systems (aka: Apple Macintosh systems.)
It could run (at the time of launch) one of two OSes: Windows NT (3.5, later to include 4.0,) or AIX 4.1 (later up to 5.0.) IBM teased that they would release a copy of OS/2 for PowerPC; but it never reached much more than "late beta" status. They did ship it to customers who complained, though. Solaris was also supposed to be ported.
ehurtley 1 year ago
woah.. i would like to put linux on this little guy <3
beteigeuze1314 1 year ago
seeing the PowerPC logo on a non macintosh is quite cool....
Arakmatzu 1 year ago
Wow, you got an Apple PowerCD! I really like the design! What Macintoshes do you have?
marvin4578 2 years ago
In theory, QEMU can emulate a "PReP" PowerPC machine, which is what this ThinkPad is, so it SHOULD be possible. I would have no idea about it.
The PowerPC version of NT4 (as with the DEC Alpha version and MIPS R6000 version,) are capable of running 16-bit x86 code, such as programs for Windows 3.1; but it is not capable of running 32-bit x86 code, like about 99.999% of all Windows NT programs. In my searching, I have not found a single native PPC NT4 app.
But 16-bit IE4 for Windows 3.1 works.
ehurtley 2 years ago
that's pretty cool. so i guess this could run in qemu on my power mac with a native ppc, and that would be faster than emulating an x86... thanks!
iPodTouchGenie 2 years ago
Nice video! I'm curious, can the PowerPC version of NT4 run all the normal software that the x86 version can?
LoneWanderer83 2 years ago
@LoneWanderer83 Nope, only 16-bit (Windows 3.1) x86 code
ThePhoneUpdate 1 year ago