New find: Headstart Explorer

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(a)classiccmp.org > [mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Robert > Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2001 2:46 PM > To: classiccmp(a)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 >