New find: Headstart Explorer

From: Russ Blakeman <rhblake_at_bigfoot.com>
Date: Wed Apr 11 17:09:11 2001

He's right and I thought up the names/locations I was thinking of after I
sent the last post. When I had to reload the last one Phillips still had a
file/info base on the web intheir support area, not sure that they still do.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org
> [mailto:owner-classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of bill claussen
> Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2001 4:22 PM
> To: classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: New find: Headstart Explorer
>
>
> Vendex was bought by Philips Electronics. I am a service center
> for Philips, I
> could ask if any info is still available if anyone is interested.
>
> Bill Claussen
> elecdata1
>
> Russ Blakeman wrote:
>
> > Headstart had a cd to load it with and most people neither have
> the CD nor
> > do they have the boot floppy for the cdrom. I retored one back
> to factory
> > load about 3 yrs ago but I've since lost all ties with where
> the Headstart
> > links have gone.
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: owner-classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org
> > > [mailto:owner-classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Robert
> > > Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2001 2:46 PM
> > > To: classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org
> > > Subject: Re: New find: Headstart Explorer
> > >
> > >
> > > My wife's family still has one although I don't know if her
> > > younger brother has
> > > 'experimented' with it yet. It worked when I saw them last and I
> > > know they had
> > > a bunch of games and programs for it. It ran what looked like a
> > > version of
> > > windows. I can ask if they still have any programs for it.
> > >
> > > Robert
> > >
> > > Mark Gregory wrote:
> > >
> > > > I came across a neat little PC/XT clone on the weekend, a Headstart
> > > > Explorer (made by Vendex according to some Web info I found).
> > > It's an 8088,
> > > > with an unusual level of integration: mono/CGA video card,
> modem (300
> > > > bps?), serial port, parallel port and external disk drive port
> > > all on the
> > > > motherboard. There's an internal 720K 3.5" drive, and a bay
> for an MFM
> > > > drive. Comes in an unusual pseudo-portable case, where the
> > > hinged keyboard
> > > > folds up and stores upside down on top of the case. There's
> a single ISA
> > > > slot under a cover on top. Apparently, there was a monitor
> > > available that
> > > > came with a custom stand that fit neatly over the desktop case.
> > > >
> > > > It has several features I've not seen before: the folding
> keyboard, a
> > > > mono/colour switch on the video output, and the PS/2 style
> > > mouse and heavy
> > > > integration on a clone of this vintage. Also, as far as I could
> > > tell, there
> > > > was no trace of the manufacturers name anywhere. I had to take
> > > the system
> > > > to pieces to find the Headstart Explorer name on the PCB,
> and the name
> > > > Vendex wasn't on it anywhere.
> > > >
> > > > Does anybody have the custom version of DOS that came with this
> > > thing, that
> > > > supposedly included a very annoying shell program, or any
> > > additional info
> > > > about this beast? I didn't get any manuals or docs with it (why
> > > oh why do
> > > > thrift stores never keep system components together?)
> > > > and the HD was missing.
> > > >
> > > > Thanks,
> > > > Mark Gregory
> > >
>
Received on Wed Apr 11 2001 - 17:09:11 BST