Compaq Contura Aero 4/25

[LennyTheLizardKing]

I have this exact laptop with original box cables manuals etc. The laptop is mint unused and most of the manuals are still in sealed packaging.. What is the value of one of these??

[smartalex61]

@LennyTheLizardKing Hmmm, I'd say about $70 to $100. I think I payed around $35 for this

[lmalflv24]

@LennyTheLizardKing Do you still have it?

[Dakkiller1]

I have this system and its power brick but I'm missing the power cord that goes with the brick

Do I need a specific cord to connect to it or it doesn't matter?

[smartalex61]

@Dakkiller1 Hmm, good question. I'm not anywhere near my house right now so I can't tell you for sure, but I'm almost positive that it's proprietary.

[bacovia2004]

@smartalex61 You could put Win95 on that 486

[smartalex61]

@bacovia2004 Yeah I've thought about it, but then it would feel less "original" I suppose

[ZVONIMIR111]

windows 3.1 booting in popcorn mode...

[HeadfirstLuke]

We have one!

[kbhasikevin]

can you run calmira on that?

[smartalex61]

@kbhasikevin Yes I'm sure that I could. I was never a big fan of Calmira though because I have yet to find a way to uninstall it without having to reinstall Windows 3.1 in case I ever wanted to go back. Unless they've updated it since then? I think the last time I tried it was probably around 2006

[KartSeven1]

@theodorgh Compaq Contura Windows Aero 4/25 =D

[pato4294]

Wow

This was my father's first PC back in the 90's.

I remember the Beeep Beep Sound from the Compaq BIOS and the Microsoft Windows Versión 3.1 with the Compaq logo (In spanish, so I live in Arica, Chile).

My memories.... I used this in late 90's to play "Aldo's Adventure" and "Raptor: Call of shadows"

[theodorgh]

*looks at laptop name* Aero... Oh the irony. XD

[disbuylshite]

Wow. Just listen to that hard drive. It sounds like it's in pain. I found an old TIME magazine that was advertising this computer. They had it listed for $2,000 dollars. I can't believe the progress that we have made in the past 17 years.

[smartalex61]

I know! I think I got this for about $30 on eBay. And nowadays nobody would even dream of spending that much on a laptop, my personal cap would be at $600.

[daniloymarce]

hi, you know install windows 95 or windows 98 in this laptop????

[smartalex61]

I could do 95 if I wanted to, but it would probably run too slowly. Plus it would be hard to do because I would need lie 50 floppy disks.

[ZVONIMIR111]

@smartalex61 it would not, the requirements say that windows 95 needs 386DX processor and 4 mb of ram.

[Lachlant1984]

I take it that computer doesn't even have a sound card, it just has the PC speaker, I've seen other computers without sound cards that play the tada and chime sounds through the PC speaker, but how do you do it? Is there an option that allows you to activate those sounds and play them through the PC speaker?

[smartalex61]

You're right, it only has a PC Speaker. There is a special driver for Windows that allows you to play sounds (but not midi files) through the PC Speaker. The quality is not that great though, and you can't hook up a microphone.

[coolioman529]

i have the 420c edition it has windows 95 it pretty good for its age it older than me thow

[Supenmanu]

I love the Aero series... first i had a contura Aero, then an Aero 2100 then the Aero 1550 then i started using the Compaq Ipaq (good decision) and when they where made by HP i started using the HP Ipaqs (bad decision as they weren't as reliable as when Compaq made them).

Now last week i finally got the device i always wanted - a Compaq Aero 8000 - and i have to say this is the best choice (better than any of the newer crap) as it is the most sturdy and most reliable...

[smartalex61]

Yes, that's my cat. She has a very loud purr.

[KaleFGB]

can you get like windows 2000 or higher upgrade with that computer i have the same one but i never use it?

[smartalex61]

Nah, the highest you could go on this computer would be Windows 95, but I wouldn't recommend it because you'd have to use like 20 floppy disks to install it, and it would be very slow.

[marcvie9]

I hear a cat?

[mattsprinter]

You must have a different windows 3.1. The original made a TADA sound. Not the chime sound. What windows 3.1 version is this? NT, 3.11? What?

[smartalex61]

It's Compaq's version of Windows 3.1, so maybe that's why it's different. Or either that I just changed it along time ago and don't remember.

[mattsprinter]

I saw a COMPAQ windows 3.1 and had a tada sound. The chime sound was a shutdown sound.

[phreakindee]

Hmm, on my version of Windows 3.11 it's the chime sound at startup and chime at shutdown by default. Oh, and I also have a Contura Aero, the 4/33c

[Lachlant1984]

The same was true with our old Win 3.11 machine as well, this is a good thing as I hate the Tada sound, that decending chime sound is just so much better in my opinioin.

[Toothpick356]

Listen to that drive! LOL

[gunner456787]

can you upgrade to windows 98

[smartalex61]

Nah, I could upgrade to Windows 95, but that would take the "Vintageness" out of it. Plus, Windows 95 would run a bit to slow.

[drum00]

i can never find old pcs :(

[gunner456787]

can you go on the internet with it because i was going to bid on two for about 20$

[smartalex61]

Not as it is now, but you may be able to get a PCMCIA modem (for Dial-Up) or a PCMCIA ethernet card (for Cable internet). I'd recommend using Arachne to browse the internet; there are no good internet browsers out for Windows 3.1.

[jobert512]

@smartalex61 I found one and its called Netscape navigator. its very easy to use and completely supports LAN connections compared to Internet Explorer 3.0

[ZVONIMIR111]

@smartalex61 What about IE 5.01? I got that one and it works like a beast.

[themaritimeman]

I just bid on a Compaq Contura Aero 4/33C. I forgot to ask the seller if it works, though! O_o. It better, it's 40 bucks shipping to here in Canada!

[smartalex61]

Huh, I got mine for about $30. But it was worth it!

[themaritimeman]

Oh BTW, do you need a specific sound driver installed in Windows 3.1 to get full-featured sound (like I heard with your's when Windows started up) or does Windows's generic Sound Blaster driver work on this laptop?

[smartalex61]

Actually, this laptop has no sound card at all. I used a special driver that allows me to use the built in PC-Speaker as audio output. The quality's not that great and you can't play Midi files, but it's better than nothing. If you really wanted a sound card though you could probably find a PCMCIA sound card on eBay.

[themaritimeman]

Oh yeah! Microsoft's internal buzzer driver - I read about that in my "Windows 3.1 for Dummies" book.

[themaritimeman]

I just recently heard of the Compaq Contura series. Funny, I think I told you in another video that Compaq put their logo on the Windows 3.1 boot screen, and I see it here.

Too bad it doesn't have a color screen. A great laptop, though!

[smartalex61]

Yeah, Compaq did tend to do that. So did NEC PC's. There were actually two versions of this laptop, the second one had a color, but slightly smaller, screen. I got this one from eBay for about $25 about 3 years ago, and I remember I was so determined to get it that I didn't even care if it were the color or black and white version (the pictures on the site were unclear).

[poopskinTheLiar]

my PS/2 l40sx has pretty similar specs, but it's a 386 and i'm not sure about the hard drive.

[smartalex61]

Lucky! I wish my PS/2 worked.

[brandonkr]

Compaq is always a good computer. mine is from 2002 and is still my main computer.

[smartalex61]

I agree, my first computer was a Compaq from 1994 and it still works great (I have a video of it, Compaq Presario CDS 520). My main computer until a few weeks ago was also a Compaq from 2004 (SR1320NX), and since I moved it's an HP from 2004 also. I was a little disappointed when Compaq merged with HP, but HP is actually a very good computer company as well.

[brandonkr]

ya hp is good. our family main computer is an hp. its getting old but still fast. im also a fan of dell. that is going to be my new main computer when i get enough money.

[WillianZuillian]

lol!!

I Have an Compaq Contura 4/25.

200MB HDD

8MB RAM

no PCMCIA modems

no sound

VGA monochrome screnn.

The motherboard battery is dead but i'm gonna to buy another.

[smartalex61]

200MB HDD? Lucky! Mine only has 80 MB.

[EnglandBeat]

Are those obnoxious scratchy noises coming from the laptop? D:

[smartalex61]

Yeah, the hard drive is pretty loud. I've noticed that most older Compaqs have loud hard drives.

[EnglandBeat]

It's still a nice little machine. I really dig old laptops. I have a Jornada 728 that's about 9 or 10 years old (I believe). It's even smaller but is very silent. I use it as a portable word program, because writing is my hobby. People ask me why I don't just get a new laptop. Price, size, problems, and the fact that their not worth what you bought them in about a months time. I click the power button my my mini and bam. It's up. No loading. Windows CE. And it has 14 hours of battery life. :D

[elreservista]

Very nice video.

[sportboy1208]

can u get internet on these things

[smartalex61]

Yes, in fact I have two dial up PCMCIA modems that I could use with a Windows 3.1 version of AOL.

[sportboy1208]

well my friend brout me 1 of these and i have no idea how 2 work it

[smartalex61]

Well, you'd have to learn how to use MS-DOS if you don't already have Windows, which isn't that tricky if you already know a fair amount about computers.

[samssoftwareuser]

is the a pigeon in the background?!

i love pigeons

[smartalex61]

Nah, it's probably just a radio or TV or something.