New find: Headstart Explorer

From: bill claussen <elecdata_at_kcinter.net>
Date: Wed Apr 11 16:22:17 2001

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 - 16:22:17 BST