Do you remember your first computer?

United States
March 5, 2008 1:25am CST
I bought my first computer for $100.00. Well, you get what you pay for and I quickly learned how to take the darn thing apart and put it back together. It also had next to no memory. So I would have to delete programs to fit others on. LOL. I think that was about 10 years ago. Now I have a desktop PC and a a laptop, both with plenty of memory and I don't have to take a screwdriver to either one of them. So how long ago did you get your first computer?
18 people like this
84 responses
@mykaylala (214)
• United States
6 Mar 08
my first computer was 5 years ago. My brother-in-law made it for me. It couldn't hold any more than 156mb of RAM which caused me to have problems all the time with programs crashing. The video card ended up going bad because they discontinued updates for a lot of the hardware i had on it. Now I have a dell with a lot of ram and cant imagine having to go back to what I started with!
• United States
6 Mar 08
I think we would all agree that we would never want to go back to what we started with. Heaven forbid.
1 person likes this
@lancingboy (1385)
• United States
5 Mar 08
The first computer I ever bought was bought in either 2000 or 2001. I'm using it right this very moment to respond to your discussion lol. I'm amazed it is still working after all these years. It was made by my cousin and I bought it for $200, (which that same cousin gave me for a graduation present lmao!)
1 person likes this
• United States
5 Mar 08
Thats great that it is still running. Have you had to replace anything on it since your purchased it? Or have you just updated your software? Some older computers can't take the newer versions of Windows because they don't have the space.
• United States
5 Mar 08
Ouch, that must have hurt.
• United States
5 Mar 08
Well once I got so upset with it because it wouldn't play a game that I wanted, so I kicked and hit it. Bad mistake because it stopped working completely! It took a few years before I got my cousin to fix it for me. It needed a new motherboard.
1 person likes this
@sacmom (14192)
• United States
6 Mar 08
Yes, I remember a little something about my first computer. I had asked my dad for one when I was 16 and to my surprise, he got me one! However the one he gave me had no way to get online and it was so limited it was basically useless, but I used it anyway as I was so happy to have a computer, even if it didn't have any real function. LOL I guess I should have explained it better to my dad when I said I wanted a computer as I had wanted to be able to get online with it, as the Internet was still new and exciting. But I didn't think about it at the time, so I lost out. Then again I would have had to been dreaming as there is no way my dad would have gotten me a computer like that. LOL
1 person likes this
@sacmom (14192)
• United States
7 Mar 08
No, not really. I could have learned 'the basics' on a typewriter. :P LOL
• United States
6 Mar 08
Perhaps it gave you the opportunity to learn the basics before you went on line?
1 person likes this
@catbvq (364)
• Philippines
6 Mar 08
I remember my first computer way back in the early 80's. It has no hard drive nor CD Rom, I only use floppy disks. There was no "Windows" then, and the software I used were DOS-based like Word Star/Word Perfect and Dbase. It's funny how we do manage back then.
@catbvq (364)
• Philippines
7 Mar 08
May be it had one, but I am not familiar with computers then, I'm not aware that we can save our files somewhere else aside from floppy disks. It's my first computer and computers were not common household item in our country at that time. I am just too thrilled to have one.
• United States
6 Mar 08
It has to have had a hard drive. All computers need a hard drive to run. Maybe not a cd-rom, but definitely a hard drive.
@paid2write (5201)
5 Mar 08
I still miss my first computer. I bought it in 2000 and used it until 2006. It developed all sorts of strange quirks, probably because when I first got it I knew nothing about security, and I was completely self-taught in using a computer. I now only have a laptop but would prefer to use a desktop.
• United States
5 Mar 08
I prefer a desktop pc too, even though I own a laptop. I just wish I had a wireless mouse. The darn cord drives me nuts.
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
6 Mar 08
I remember in one of the computer Magazines I subscribed to a couple of years ago,that some guys came up with a tether to stop a wireless mouse falling off the desk and busting itself up :)
1 person likes this
6 Mar 08
i learnt to use a computer because my parents are computer illiterate and the first computer i got was an acer with windows 94 on it it was scary
1 person likes this
• United States
5 Mar 08
I got my first computer last 2 year. Just 1 GB Memory, 160 GB HD, 3.2 GHz CPU.
• United States
6 Mar 08
Wow, only a year ago, what were you doing before that?
• United States
28 Mar 08
I mean my own computer. :) Before this one, I got one pc and share with my brothers and sister.
@shi_2000_21 (2680)
• India
6 Mar 08
I got my first computer five years back, and it was second hand one. It was Celeron 500mhz processor with 128MB Ram and 20 GB Hard disk. I bought it for 140$.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Mar 08
I'm impressed. $140 was a great deal for what you got. Even if it was second hand.
@mummymo (23706)
5 Mar 08
My first computer was shared with a cousin and it must have been at least 20 odd years ago! lol I can remember it but it was nothing like the computers we have nowadays! i also used to build computers so I hope you used ESD protection when you took your computer apart! lol xxx
1 person likes this
@mummymo (23706)
13 Mar 08
Sorry if I confused you sweety! ESD is electro static discharge and we all have static electricity in our bodies - the danger is when that is discharged and you are touching computer parts you can blow microchips etc in those parts and your computer won't work properly! I f you have ever bought replacement or upgraded parts for your computer it should come in an esd bag, usually a special grey plastic! Any enclosed parts are usually ok - such as your power supply etc but anything with exposed circuitry, boards , cards even drives with some exposed circuitry are vulnerable! xxxx
• United States
6 Mar 08
That would be a great big negative. I'm not sure I even know what it is.
1 person likes this
@lexus54 (3572)
• Singapore
6 Mar 08
The very first computer I ever purchased was way back in 1982. It was an Atari computer, which cost me about S$5000. My colleague then owned one of these machines and brought it to work. A number of us were so addicted to it that we couldn't tolerate without one, and so we also purchased a set each for our own enjoyment. The Atari was then a forerunner of the IBM PC, and at that time, only the Apple II was around with its green monitor, while the Atari already had a color monitor. While we could program in Basic language, we used the machine for arcade games more than anything else. In the early 80's, the Atari was the superior game machine over all others. I remember parking my Atari in my girlfriend's house (then we were not married yet) and she and I had lots of fun playing games like Pacman, Space Invaders, Galaxian, Missile Command and Donkey Kong. The games came in cartridges, and had to be slotted into the Atari console. This system lasted me four years, and I must say paying $5K for such a system was a hefty sum at that point in time. Since that Atari, I've had an IBM XT, 486, Pentium 2 and now 2 Pentium 4 PCs. And I do much more than buying a computer to play games only. I've come a long way since that first system that I purchased.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Mar 08
Yes a Pentium 4 is a long way from a 486. And I remember those Atari cartridges. Now you can't give them away.
@lynnchua (3412)
• Singapore
5 Mar 08
Of course I remember because this is my first computer the one I'm using now. Can't afford to have one when I'm in my younger days.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Mar 08
Consider yourself lucky that you didn't have to deal with the trials and tribulations of some of the older computers.
@lynnchua (3412)
• Singapore
6 Mar 08
Ya should do, but it take me quite some time to learn how to use it.
1 person likes this
@aconites (768)
• United States
6 Mar 08
waw that was long time ago .. i think it was 6-7 years ago.. i was in school at that time .. it was expencive .. did you said you bought it for $100 thats very cheaaap .. waw.. we paid about $800 or 900 not sure exactly .. but at that time i wasn't living in u.s i was in jerusalem ..
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Mar 08
I bought it for $100 only because someone put it together for me and it was as close to just a frame as you can get. LOL.
• Philippines
6 Mar 08
I had a tandy 1000 back in 1987. It had no harddrive only ROM. Everything had to be stored externally using 3.5 disks. But boy, they were small even back then. They're sleek and all. But everytime I tried to install a game, most RPGs then were 10 disks. You had to do it in that order too. Well now even with new pcs, it's no different. There's still a lack of memory, & speed. When will we ever catch up? lol
• United States
6 Mar 08
Thats true, even the operating system was on disc and you had a million to install in a certain order. God forbid you lost one of the disks.
• United States
6 Mar 08
I do remember my first computer. I was 15 and just moved out of my dads house due to, well lets say differences. I lived with my boyfriend and his father. His dad bought a brand new computer for me. I was in heaven I never had anything so new before. Well, we basically were renting to own it from Circuit City. Anyways back then I didnt know how to clean it out or anything like that so it got really bad. Then after that the pipes upstairs leaked and got all over it and pretty much fried the thing. I was so sad. But Ive had a few computers since then. Older ones that ive had to mess around with, sometimes for days. It was so aggravating. Now I have a new one again and hope it can last a lot longer now that I know a bit more about them.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Mar 08
First of all that was really nice of your boyfriend's dad to buy you a new computer. Too bad you didn't realize its worth at the time and take better care of it. But at least you have a new one now.
• United States
6 Mar 08
My first computer was a 133MHz, when on Turbo. Fantastic for its day, but it stuck around for too long, if you ask me. It's fun to poke around with nowadays.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Mar 08
Oh you made me laugh, I forgot all about turbo. How funny.
@Ohara_1983 (4117)
• Kuwait
5 Mar 08
my first computer is 8 years ago, know i ahve my own Acer PC desktop & one Hp laptop, it really great.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Mar 08
From what I know both of those are really good brands. My laptop is an HP.
@gantwick (849)
• United States
6 Mar 08
My first was a brand new Commodore 64, which cost about $300 back in 1984. I thought I was on top of the world, rockin' with 64K of memory and a tape drive.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Mar 08
We all thought we were on top of the world when we got that first computer. Now we have to laugh at it.
@tonyllenium (6252)
• Italy
6 Mar 08
yes i remember as well..also because i have it and it works nowadays too!!it is an assemblated computer very old style..so big..!!the os run in it is dos very old version and one of the first windows version ehehe!!i changed it because havnìt the possibility to connect to the different net but even now for basic operation it works!!in reality this i use now it is my second one so even if it is 6 years old but it works good as the first day;)
• United States
6 Mar 08
I guess some things are just built to last. LOL.
@luvstochat (6907)
• United States
5 Mar 08
My aunt bought me my first computer. It was really slow and you could only hook up dial up connection to it and it was very very slow. There was alot of things you could not do with it. I would have to guess I got that computer about 9 years ago somewhere in that area.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Mar 08
Dial up is horrible, but actually if you use it enough, you kind of get used to it.
@jf0948 (7)
• China
6 Mar 08
I come from China!computer for us is not cheap!Last year I bought " china lenovo " for almost 700$!
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Mar 08
Unless you buy it second hand, I don't think buying a computer anywhere is cheap.
• United States
5 Mar 08
First computer I had and still do was a old HP Pavillion, runs win 98 and has next to no ram. It was/not anymore tight.. Got it to long ago to remember. Sorry its not as old as your alls but that was my first one.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Mar 08
Are you still running Win 98? Can't you upgrade it to XP?