ScuzzBlog: Diaries January 2022
Entry 15th January 2022: Post 1: Compaq Deskpro 4000 - Amiga and Acorn support.
Compaq Deskpro 4000 - Amiga and Acorn support.
Back in the late nineties early 2000s , hard drives were still
very expensive and not very large. So every time an old machine
was tagged for the dump I nabbed it to use for data storage. One
such computer was the Compaq Deskpro 4000 which I guess was a
Pentium 166 from the label. This had been used at home by one of
the administrators using SAGE for salaries and the like. My plan
was to hook it up to the Amiga for data storage.
To do this I used a cable and software provided by AmiPC. It was
slow but worked very well. I named the computer Caprice after
the supermodel Caprice Bourret, and she sat in the workshop on a
shelf for years hooked up to an Amiga 1200.
Sadly one day she just fell over and I couldn't get her to boot.
Unfortunately this was a Compaq and they did love making it very
difficult to access the hardware without being a Compaq dealer.
The BIOS is on a hidden partition and password protected. There
are ways to bypass this but I had no idea of the password or the
means to short circuit the process.
It is possible to obtain the PC Diag Disk through various sources
but even then it is likely you will not be able to create the
necessary bootable disk to then generate the three disks to make
a Diag/Boot Disk. All very tricky and at the time not worth the
trouble.
And so it was that Caprice was junked and yet another PC slotted
into place which interestingly is still connected, albeit via
Ethernet and no messy AmiPC cable, which restricted the location
I could place the computer.
Having discarded the Compaq I had to find a home. I was quite
interested in the shape of this machine with the swept curve of
the fascia. I had felt the same about an IBM that I acquired with
similar front fascia features. Fortunately both these machines
are of the same width and so when standing on end gave the same
height. I had been looking for somewhere to locate the Acorn
5000 and this conveniently sat on top of the two PCs side by
side. That was like a decade or so ago and during my recent
testing of the Acorn 5000 I thought I would drag out the very
dusty interior of the Compaq and take some pictures.
I have tried all kinds of networking options for the Amiga that
include AmiPC, PC2Am, Aminet, Parnet etc. None work better than
the Ethernet using SAMBA. I do have any number of PCs linked to
the Amiga and still find data transfer very useful for ZIPS and
the like. The joy is that with just one Amiga I can access a
dozen PCs which whilst being a little confusing is most useful.
You won't find a PC in this house without a share and an Amiga
folder filled with all my archives.
As for starting a retro collection with a Compaq I would advise
against it. Just why Compaq went to these extremes to protect
their business, when others didn't is puzzling, given that it
truly does scupper the second hand market for these units.
Sticking the BIOS ROM on a hidden diagnostic partition is just
bonkers... utterly bonkers. Think about it. I have a feeling
that all that happened is the battery failed. But its enough to
warrant a visit from an authorised dealer... Never mind.
Compaq Deskpro 4000 - Amiga and Acorn support.
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