Unboxing Some Vintage Laptops! - ZEOS 386 and Sony Vaio Pentium 3

[@GameBreakerZero]

Thought I cleared all the personal data from the Vaio. Oops. Glad both machines made it safely and I hope to see them again.

[@MichaelMJD]

Hey! Thanks again for the donations. I will wipe the data from the Vaio so don’t worry about it!

[@Alephbeth17]

@@MichaelMJD that's honesty is extremely rare to find during this pandemic. You got my respect. Great content, dude.

[@ACardboardBox_]

An Old Laptop? My Pentium 1 Is NOT EVEN WORKING

[@Connorplayer123]

I’m still rocking a Pentium 122 as my main

[@NoahClevinger]

There's just something magical about vintage laptops. I just love the overall aesthetic that they had.

[@retrochristmas7329]

Before they all just looked the same and every company just does "A Simplistic design" im sick of aluminum and glass

[@CasioMaker]

Yep! Vintage laptops had a very “utilitarian-yet-catchy” kind of design which is both timeless and dated at the same time but modern laptops are nothing more than almost carbon copies of MacBooks (in most cases) or gigantic slabs with more computing power than most people would ever need in the lifetime (I’m looking at you, Acer Predator)

[@WilburJaywright]

I somewhat disagree, since I actually used vintage laptops for the first half of my life, while trying to run brand new software on them. But still, nostalgia…

[@bitwize]

Sorry, but most 2000s laptops looked like ass. PowerBooks and ThinkPads being the standput counterexamples.

[@WilburJaywright]

@@bitwize That’s just because they were more egronomic for seats. Dually purposing things as furniture was common back then. PS: I made that up.

[@FreightDawg7474]

The chill jazz music and calm environment and looking at older tech is awesome :)

[@techsupportguyofficial]

ikr

[@letrolle6481]

Old pcs are very cool, but old laptops are magnificent!

[@xaviafh7269]

And we all said amen

[@realswaglord]

SO TRUE

[@PhilipMurphy8Extra]

So great to see a upload of older laptops today from Micheal, This here is why KZbin is better then watching broadcast TV folks.

[@wojtekpolska1013]

the ZEOS looks like it was very high quality laptop when released, like all these little details, the high quality bag etc.

[@blueexorcistmoviespecialsu2856]

It costed around a 1000$ at the time, So yeah

[@NijiDash]

@@blueexorcistmoviespecialsu2856 apparently more like $2200 to $3500 back in the day, without adjusting for inflation. The bag would most likely be sold separately, remember that laptops were almost exclusively used by businesses back then and that would be an essential accessory.

[@blu9821]

19:09 The Vaio sound got me a good nostalgia for my Vaio laptop that my dad had with Windows XP

[@BilisNegra]

The still good RTC battery in the ZEOS is so amazing! That said, keep an eye on it, and don't forget about its danger as a corrosive leak time bomb. A machine that old will for sure NOT have a coin cell type one. I'm also surprised it worked with the newer hard disk, I thought there would not be auto detection in a machine that old, and you'd have to specify all kind of nerd detail about the cylinders, sectors, and some more obscure things regarding the specific drive.

[@kaitlyn__L]

There’s a few BIOSes from back then which can auto-detect, but the added engineering expense in programming them versus bashing out a typical one of the day meant they were a rarity :)

[@Arc_RL]

I used to be a Sony VAIO user, my Vaio was a Sony VAIO VPCF235FA

[@cutieclysm]

great video as always Michael! can't wait to see these laptops again 😊💗

[@probanity]

I love vintage laptops. Old things always have a nice aesthetic.

[@WatercraftGames]

I really like the design of this laptops, they're so cool

[@milorad9301]

Love the long videos, hopefully we get another one this week! Happy thanksgiving!

[@MrGerritsen112CODE3ResponsesNL]

I used to have a Sony Vaio Pentium 3, it was the first laptop I got from my neighbor as a kid back in 2004/2005 with Windows XP installed on it. A few years later it had to be repaired and the fantastic Windows 98 SE was installed :) I loved the laptop a lot although it was outdated and therefore sometimes a bit slow. These were the good old days. Watching this video brings back memories :)

[@Arthur-bk9wn]

I love how you can be so dynamic in your unboxing while being unscripted! Great vid!

[@MichaelMJD]

Thanks!

[@darkyassin]

I like the small bezels on the Sony laptop.

[@Michael18751]

Something I picked up while using a toolkit like that is to try and fit the bit in the screw (if you don't know what size it is) from smallest that you can tell, going bigger until you can't feel any more wiggling (what you would feel if you use a small Philips bit for a large screw for example). Then you can grab your driver and insert it into the bit that you still have on the screw and remove all the screws with minimal damage/stripping to the screws!

[@KristianNowak]

"The date is correct" October 22, 2021 Bruh had this video in his videos folder for that long damn

[@nlk294]

Still have my 18 inch vaio from 2007 and it’s really nice. Has a core 2 duo btw

[@TheJuggtron]

are you running it with windows 10?

[@nlk294]

@@TheJuggtron no 10 sucks right now it runs 8.1 (10 doesn’t even run on it bc driver issues) but I will put vista on it with the extended kernel. Vista runs fine on it.

[@blueexorcistmoviespecialsu2856]

@@nlk294 Just put win 7, should be compatible

[@nlk294]

@@blueexorcistmoviespecialsu2856 you could and technically that will work but 1st it was originally delivered with vista 2 Nd under 8 there are no drivers for the webcam you can only get them on vista

[@blueexorcistmoviespecialsu2856]

@@nlk294 can i know your Vaio model number?

[@hydrooxy84]

Hes got the greatest voice could do so much with just his voice not to mention the retro content love the videos man

[@nidulaperera]

Imagine 40 years later he will be looking at vintage window xp laptops

[@hamzasafdari9360]

Yeah

[@jamesdriver0317]

No in 40 years it’ll be vintage Windows 11 laptops

[@maxtornogood]

I like the idea of a 'period correct' hard drive in the ZEOS if you can even find them these days. Rare, expensive & perhaps untested. Most people just settle for CF-IDE adapters & be done with it.

[@SonicHacki]

I have a suspicion that the whining sounds at 19:04 and the blinking power LED (21:13 onwards) suggests that the universal charger is a bit too underpowered, whether volts or amps, to the Vaio It's best to check if the charger actually supplies the appropriate voltage and amps just to be safe! :)

[@MichaelMJD]

I had checked beforehand and they both did, but that footage was cut from the final video.

[@gentuxable]

That Sony Laptop we also had at school (but ours had an AMD CPU). It was the first Computer that showed me that the explorer in XP on the Details view actually has a shade on the column that you sorted. I have never noticed that on any computer before it.

[@SuperLander84]

Do we never see this guys face? Just the hands and voice? 🥲😂

[@UKSCIENCEORG]

It would be good to use an IDE to SSD (or SD card) adapter on the 386

[@BeesonsCars]

The bezels on the Vaio are impressive for the age!

[@brianoconnell6459]

The only thing that stood out for me about the VAIO, is that it was at least twice as expensive as other equivalent PCs, I guess it was selling primarily on looks.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Ain’t that the case for all VAIOs? 😁 I remember lusting after their designs in the early 00s just as much as Apple laptops. Then I’d saved up for an Aldi-type Medion laptop instead. (And to be fair, Sony would often use better-binned, more reliable components; not to mention the other features like FireWire/iLink which other manufacturers tended to lack.)

[@exilenderart]

Back when computers were becoming popular in my area, my grandma got a Zeos desktop as her first computer! It's been years since I've heard that name lol

[@V6Thema]

Nice ZEOS laptop. This was also branded as a Sanyo mbc-18nb and a Commodore C386 SX-LT. Any chance you could archive the utilities disc? My Zeos has a dead backlight and apparently the only way to switch to an external monitor is via a software utility and a copy of which has so far proved elusive. From what I have gleaned the utility is possibly called eagle, with this I could actually use it for something.

[@blueexorcistmoviespecialsu2856]

Are you talking about this? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Computer#Eagle_utilities It says about some restore software!!

[@entaled]

I would also really like to see an archive of that ZEOS Utilities disk. I have the video utilities, if you want to connect on some other platform let me know, I don't think I can just drop a link in the YT comments.

[@joeyscleaninglady2877]

zeos wow in very good shape they used to advertise like mad in pc magazing back in the 80s and 90s

[@andrive]

I still don't know why LCDs weren't centered back then

[@kaitlyn__L]

Getting all the driver, (backlight when appropriate), etc boards arranged properly often had one bigger than the other, and so to centre the screen you’d have to re-engineer the board or increase the screen thickness, etc. That’s why generally early PowerBooks would be centred but a lot of their competitors weren’t. (And even then some PowerBooks were only centred horizontally, not vertically.) Once laptop screens got large enough that the driver board would be behind the screen anyway, it was much more trivial to centre the screen.

[@Thensi72]

Retrospective videos are some of my favorite!

[@anormalcubefromgeometrydas568]

We are One of the biggest fans of you introducing new videos about tech! 💻

[@grantm902]

I guess you could say your channel is timeless

[@TechNetworkUK]

You’ve got me into buying a old Dell latitude C610. I also brought those cool case stickers you done a video on

[@VSigma725]

I have a 40MB Conner drive in an AST 386SX laptop and after adjusting jumpers on it I got it to work, it's not something I can rely on long-term but don't give up on that Conner drive just yet!

[@dreammfyre]

Very cool. I sense a Windows 3.1 video incoming.

[@freissatelier9325]

I have the Sony vaio pentium 3, it's my mum's old PC. When I was little I used to play minesweeper and make drawings on Ms paint

[@MTN1601]

when vaio laptop was one of the slimmest laptops in that time

[@vishnumenon6541]

That Vaio startup sound has its own charm

[@arnlol]

I think these conner hard drives like the one in the 386 are subjet to the melting rubber sticking the heads in parking, so you may be able to fix it by opening it and putting something to cover the melting rubber so the heads can no longer get stuck

[@V6Thema]

Had this on mine but unfortunately the disc was still dead.

[@ErikZarth]

Even my 486 laptop didn't have a dial up modem included. Very nice.

[@sreerag_]

Thank you Alex for making our day better!!!!

[@martijnholland1714]

1.8tb in use for OS, office and some programs, nice 😊

[@craigjensen6853]

You can sometimes get some action out of those old old Ni-Cad batteries by putting them in the oven at 350F for a couple of hours.

[@sfmn2396]

19:18 wow these bezels look so modern

[@Headshotnoby]

6:08 in the indistinct subtitles he says "And here you can tell the hinge is yep." (sorta?)

[@MichaelMJD]

Just fixed it! Thank you, must have missed that one when I was reviewing the subtitles.

[@therandomtechcave7366]

I have that same Sony Vaio but with a Pentium 4 and the original copy of Windows XP home edition

[@therandomtechcave7366]

@@NintendoDude888 It dosnt actually get that hot, I have 2 Toshiba satellites with P4 chips and those are heaters

[@ScottBalkum]

Hey, awesome video. And sooooo timely. I pulled out my old Sony the other day to check it out and my hard drive has failed. I replaced it with another and was able to get Windows 98 on it but I don’t have any of the original Sony bloatware/drivers etc. It looks like your has the cabs/installs for them still on there. Is there any way I could get a copy of them? I would greatly appreciate it.

[@jargon343]

Those laptops bring me nostalgic memories, and I never even had one lol!

[@hibbiea8841]

Mjd what is the music in order?

[@Vamsheedharan]

Let's go!!!! ANOTHER VIDEO FROM THE MAN!

[@savagligorijevic1932]

this man cures sadness.

[@mrorigen]

I remember my aunt having that VAIO laptop or something similar many years ago.

[@crazytom2k2]

Still trying to work out if that transition music has anything to do with the old PlayStation Store

[@marksmith9566]

Would like to see Wolfenstein on the Zeos 386!

[@erwing.3902]

I think the ZEOS is an OEM-Version of the Commodore C386-LT. But I would like the ZEOS more because of its smooth housing plastics - the Commodore had such a mat "velvet" coating.

[@Headshotnoby]

3:03 i can hear the AVGN screaming "what the fuck were they thinking!?"

[@goqwertygo]

That Vaio has thinner screen bezels than some modern laptops😄

[@Mercenary1996]

That Sony vaio is a huge chungus 😮

[@mcosta3810]

Your DOScember video came out just a few days early! :-)

[@GaryBeltz]

My ex wife had a Sony vaio similar to that one if you can get your hands on the restore media and find out what software came with it it might be the same one I would restore it anyway just to get the employer data off

[@juanfra1997]

That massive charger only deliver 1 amp is just ridiculous

[@bitwize]

Oooh, ZEOS! Right up there with CompuAdd and ALR in terms of retro brands!

[@lolman123401]

I have a VAIO pentium 4 (DESKTOP pentium 4!) and the battery is still good in it. can't get drivers from sony anymore tho which sucks, but it works pretty well in XP. extremely slow for anything internet, but the screen is excellent on there. one of the best LCDs I've ever seen

[@DhavidSetiawanKilluaDhavid]

17:04 damn that VAIO DC In plug still used on some thick modern VAIO Does it still used 19.5 V ???

[@koseki_stuff]

imagine in 50 years someone will be looking at vintage windows 11 laptop

[@WolfMan8930]

Oh that is so awsome, Its my dream to own a vintage one

[@CesareVesdani]

I know a computer brand that begins with the letter Z. That is Zoostorm laptops.

[@theretromillennial]

I always thought the Vaio machines (desktops and laptops) were so cool. Not as cool as the clamshell iBooks, mind you, but I still wanted one as a kid.

[@acid3129]

i always wanted one of those vaio laptops

[@DaxtonAnderson]

You should put an APC UPS on that clock in the background so it stays accurate 😂

[@windowsbuilderthegreat3121]

13:18 did you see that one of the capacitors have leaked (see bottom right of laptop)

[@strule]

I guess that vaio at least will never gonna let you down

[@ytaken154]

I have that exact same Vaio! It has Windows XP SP3 and can barely run Half-Life

[@yussafmalik7712]

I watch retro pc videos for hours to my wife’s detriment

[@sparkmel672]

I'm early for a MJD Video once again, this is nice. :)

[@Itazueta]

I had the exact same Sony laptop for my first portable pc. I got feelings when u showed it man. 😮☺️☺️☺️☺️

[@gavinisdie]

Idk why but the name ZEOS is pretty badass

[@iTunes2001]

it's hilarious that the bgm is from getting over it

[@rexthewild]

It's a Mjd video... so the scotch can't be broken, or the bubble wrap could pop on itself XD

[@CoasterMan13Official]

Hey Mike, what are your thoughts on the Dell Inspiron 3521?

[@fouadlagziri4471]

Do a speed test with the 2 laptops 💻

[@-bruhmoment-4383]

The return of the carpet

[@HeyRusse]

i like your clock on the background

[@gravitytech]

Old tech is so cool 😆

[@singeslayer8367]

That power adapter is playing in the same league as the xbox 360 power brick

[@iSamYTBackup]

btw ms dos laptops from the 386/486 era don't read hdd's over 8 gigs

[@WilburJaywright]

9:20 I just so happen to have an alarm clock with a back up battery that keeps the time when it’s unplugged. Sony dream machine, vintage. I was listing it for $20 on eBay, but do you want it?

[@MichaelMJD]

I’ve actually got an old Dream Machine lying around but I appreciate the offer!

[@mrneptune64]

where do you get those universal laptop power adapters? I have some older laptops that have no cables with them that I'd like to test

[@Mustardnote3943]

i have a vaio laptop like that, its similar. it runs windows XP.

[@swirrllfolfsky9803]

The clock is accurate???? Wow.

[@igors_lv]

9:45 watch the time 22-22-22 oct 22 nice!

[@zeos386sx]

Zeos made the best computers, and I'm definitely not saying that because it was the computer I had when I was a kid.

[@Eric_VP2020]

POV: You haven't watched halfway yet (Also waiting for a Michael MJD Discord server)

[@macecail]

same

[@WindowsG]

10/10 would watch again

[@iamgermane]

I am going to work where there is a stack of about 50 old laptops....

[@ashwath877Z]

me watching at 00:12 AM Ahhhh

[@gojordan]

I actually have one of those Sony Vaios running Windows XP