The Tandy 1000 TL/2 - The Best PC for DOS Gaming in the 80s | CGQ

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  • Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
  • Episode 73 - In celebration of SepTandy 2022, here's basically everything you might want to know about the Tandy 1000 TL/2. This computer was another Craigslist find, back around Christmas of 2020. I honestly don't remember what I paid for it, but I'm sure it was around $200 or so. Even though I already had (and still have) a 1000SX, this newer style of T1000 is what I more closely associate with the series, so I didn't hesitate to scoop it up when I saw it for sale.
    After doing a standard overview of the computer, I installed a new Noctua power supply fan to help cut down on the noise a bit. Most (but not all) full-sized Tandy 1000 desktops take a standard 80mm 12V fan so replacing them is a cinch. I ended up using a 2200 RPM fan however so it is still fairly loud. I should replace it with a 1200 RPM model.
    I also showed the process of installing an XT-IDE card along with a compact flash adapter. A compact flash card then becomes the computer's silent, solid-state hard drive, and set up the way I have it here, is accessible from the outside of the computer so that you can easily take out out to add more software. If it's not set up precisely correctly however it will not work properly, so I demonstrate the entire process.
    The video finishes up with us checking out the Tandy DAC chip in Deskmate, and then spending quite a bit of time playing games. If you're looking for a computer for playing 80's CGA and EGA PC games from the era before VGA graphics and sound cards became standard, you can't go wrong with any of the computers in the Tandy 1000 line. In fact, I would say that they're the best computers to have for that application due to their enhanced graphics and sound capabilities when compared to other IBM PC clones.
    While I doubt he'll see this anyway, I have to give a huge shoutout to @vwestlife who makes my favorite videos about old computers, and was the inspiration for this one. If anyone watches this video and picks up on a vwestlife vibe, that was my intent when I made it.
    This video is super long, so let's do chapter markers, shall we?
    00:00 Beginning
    00:45 Intro & Overview
    05:11 The 1991 Radio Shack Catalog
    07:40 First vs. Second Generation Tandy 1000's
    19:00 Installing a New Fan and XT-CF Card
    26:03 Setting Up a Compact Flash Card
    36:27 Disabling the Joystick Ports and Adding a Game Port Card
    40:05 BIOS Settings
    47:05 Sound and Music in Deskmate with the Tandy DAC
    53:47 Deskmate Solitaire
    56:30 Three Versions of Tetris
    01:13:17 Star Trek 25th Ann. w/ Enhanced Tandy Graphics
    01:16:01 Stunts
    01:22:09 Arkanoid & Revenge of Doh
    01:27:15 Jack Nicklaus Greatest 18 Holes
    01:34:45 Space Quest 3 w/ The Tandy DAC
    01:40:55 Frenkel's Tandy 1000 Commander Keen 4 Port
    01:45:03 Test Drive II: The Duel
    01:47:59 Outro
    Show Notes:
    - At just under 35GB, I think this is the largest video file I've ever uploaded to UA-cam.
    - I mentioned this at one point in the video, but the segments for this episode were shot out-of-order, which made things challenging because I would often repeat myself and then have to edit things out.
    - The "syncroscan" feature of the Panasonic GH5 gets all the credit for the footage of the CRT looking so clean. That camera was the best show purchase I ever made.
    - Most of this video was shot with me wearing an older lapel mic of mine, so that I could move around and not have to worry about talking into a mic, but I hate the way this particular microphone sounds. A better one would have been more effective at rejecting the background noise (primarily the fan in the computer.)
    - Zed, this one's for you.
    Support CGQ on Patreon: / cgquarterly​
    The new CGQ Fan Shop: www.cgquarterly.com/shopcgq​
    Send me a postcard:
    Classic Gaming Quarterly
    PO Box 73126
    Davis, CA 95617
    #SepTandy #Tandy1000
  • Наука та технологія

КОМЕНТАРІ • 175

  • @CGQuarterly
    @CGQuarterly  Рік тому +92

    Just a few comments about this episode. I originally created this video for the side channel, CGQ+. In fact, once it was done I uploaded it to that channel so that Patreon supporters (Patreon? Who said Patreon?) could have early access. A good friend convinced me that for a variety of reasons, I should release it on the main channel instead, and it really got me thinking about some things.
    I'm sure it hasn't escaped anyone's notice that I don't upload nearly as often here anymore. I never intended to be the "launch video guy" or the dude who reads old magazines, though I do love making those videos. I started a UA-cam channel as a way to have fun and goof off while being creative. I did stupid stuff like the "Explosive Diarrhea" review , the Neo-Geo Pocket Color reaction video, the RC Pro-Am video where I taped a video camera to the top of a cheap RC car, all because they made me laugh and because no one watched my show anyway. I used to get excited when any of my videos reached 100 total views.
    But when the channel got bigger things got formulaic and less creative because I spent more time worrying about living up to the expectations of both fans and critics and stopped just having fun. On the other channel I have a blast making videos for a smaller audience because I defined from day 1 that I would just make whatever random stuff I wanted to. But the fact is, a lot of the videos that got uploaded over there and only seen by a relatively small number of people should have been uploaded here, and that's going to change going forward. I mean, look at this video. It's ridiculously almost 2 hours long, about a 30+ year old computer sold across America by chain of strip mall electronics stores that sat in between a Pay-Less Shoe Source and a Sally's Beauty Supply or a 31 Flavors and a Ross Dress-for-Less. I had so much fun making this video, and that's what Classic Gaming Quarterly was always supposed to be about.

    • @Reluctant_Hero
      @Reluctant_Hero Рік тому +11

      Do what you love, man. You keep making’ videos and I’ll keep watchin’ them.

    • @commodorechronicles
      @commodorechronicles Рік тому +6

      It seems as if most of my favorite UA-cam creators have run into a sizeable amount of burn out and haven't made regular videos in some time.
      I think what you are doing here is brilliant. Your charm is well suited both formats, off the cuff/walkthroughs and scripted content.
      I thoroughly enjoyed this, thanks!

    • @Mujangga
      @Mujangga Рік тому

      Perhaps you're overthinking these things a bit. Good video.

    • @RetroGamingNook
      @RetroGamingNook Рік тому +2

      My first DOS compatible was a Tandy 1000 RLX w/single speed CD and Monkey Island 2. This kind of video is exactly why I am here... Thanks!
      Sorry that UA-cam is a PITA. I'll be watching 100% Spot on with Radio Shack's top 5 adjacent businesses!😂

    • @roberto1519
      @roberto1519 Рік тому +3

      Yeah, once things become a 'job' they suck out our energy and creativity.
      CGQ+ may have a smaller audience, and I'm one who follows there too, I enjoy simple videos, even if you're reading old magazines or talking about our past in the 80's and 90's, or Christmas specials, packages you receive from all over the world, etc. Sometimes you give us the impression we're old friends talking and chilling out.

  • @zed-xr4353
    @zed-xr4353 Рік тому +21

    It's impossible to overstate the amount of nostalgia I feel when seeing the Tandy logo. Getting a new Radio Shack catalog, or even just a sales flyer, was an event in my childhood and I would read them cover to cover like some kids would read a comic book.
    Our local Radio Shack was a bit of a larger format store, in the mall right across from the Ames anchor store entrance. Going into Radio Shack back then was like walking into the future. I could have spent hours at a time just looking at (and dreaming of having at home) the computers, games and peripherals on offer.
    It really was an amazing era and I think a lot of younger people won't understand how fascinating early PC technology was. And by extension Radio Shack's role as something of an institution for that early tech, especially if you lived in a rural area where specialized computer and technology stores weren't exactly commonplace.
    Thanks so much for putting this video together.
    👍

    • @demonsty
      @demonsty Рік тому +1

      do u ever wonder how diff your life would have been had you grew up with commodore 64 though?

    • @ryanyoder7573
      @ryanyoder7573 Рік тому

      Completely agree. I grew up in PA and in multiple small towns. One had a Radio Shack downtown and it was the most tech filled space in town. Back then most people didn’t have computers so we were in a special club.

    • @demonsty
      @demonsty Рік тому +1

      @@ryanyoder7573 yup. i remember going to radioshack where my parents got mine trying to get them to show me how to use gwbasic. they hated me!

    • @telesniper2
      @telesniper2 4 місяці тому

      Absolutely! This was a key factor in this machine that people today don't understand. They had a ready to go sales and support network for it in the Radio Shack stores. That was really critical back then! Lack of a dealer network is what really doomed the Amiga. In my area, we had the venerable MicroCenter store, which carried Macs and PCs, software for both, books and peripherals. They even had OS/2. But no Amigas. There was no internet back then to read up on stuff or make purchases. You got your info from books and magazines. There was mail order for stuff, but your average normie wasn't gonna buy a bunch of parts from Computer Shopper (remember that one?) and go it alone piecing it together.

  • @TravisSurtr
    @TravisSurtr 9 місяців тому +3

    Thanks a lot for your very thorough Tandy 1000 TL/2 overview. Since it’s Septandy, I wanted to show my appreciation for the work you put into this.

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  9 місяців тому +1

      Hey, wow, thanks! Shoot, I forgot that it's Septandy time again...

  • @ZombieJesus1987
    @ZombieJesus1987 Рік тому +12

    oh man, my first computer was the original Tandy 1000. with the double 5 1/2" floppy drives and the big red power button and a monochrome monitor. had so many great games on it like Kings Quest, Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Sharks, Frogger.

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  Рік тому +3

      My first computer had a monochrome monitor, as well. As dumb as it sounds, I miss that thing.

  • @byronlaw6491
    @byronlaw6491 Рік тому +6

    Thanks again for fantastic and relaxing content. Very informative as usual. I would also enjoy watching a full round of golf.

  • @BrianJones-wk8cx
    @BrianJones-wk8cx Рік тому +2

    While I was stuck with a secondhand TRS-80 Color Computer 2, I lusted after this machine. What a wonderful trip down Tandy memory lane-thank you for your work!

  • @TheReasoner
    @TheReasoner Рік тому +3

    Loved this movie-length episode. I used to use a Tandy in school sometimes. My middle school still had a computer lab full of them in the late 90s. Played some Oregon Trail and other edutainment titles. I think we had ones with the TL2's case design - it seems more familiar than the first generation case.
    Cutting in all the old commercials was a great idea. They're a lot of fun. Along with the catalog pages, they helped give some context for the era Tandy lived in.
    I enjoyed the in-depth look at the CPU & settings, and all the games. It felt like being over at a friend's house and checking out a cool piece of hardware.

  • @dtttd
    @dtttd 9 місяців тому

    You're in my top 3 channels bro. Love throwing on one of your videos and listening to you talking about my childhood wonder while I fall asleep.

  • @zanesdad913
    @zanesdad913 Рік тому +4

    Love that you showed off Space Quest 3 use of the DAC! Thanks for remembering that. Loved the video! And yea...Tex Elec makes some fun stuff for Tandy's. Now I need to do that fan mod myself!

  • @danieljackson2581
    @danieljackson2581 9 місяців тому

    This was brilliant. I've got my childhood TL/2 and have been running it through its paces and this brought back so many memories.

  • @spencerdrake6871
    @spencerdrake6871 Рік тому +4

    Yes!!!! A new CGQ video and I have an hour drive to work. Perfect timing!!!

  • @shponglefan
    @shponglefan Рік тому

    Great video! Loved the in-depth coverage of this wonderful machine!

  • @DE-GEN-ART
    @DE-GEN-ART Рік тому +1

    I worked at an egarbage heap at a thrift store once harvesting pcbs and vacuum tubes, and I busted open probably 3 dozen Tandy's. I also tore up a silicon grafix indigo. Didn't know what it was at the time or I would have brought it home and restore it

  • @wojiaobill
    @wojiaobill Рік тому +1

    great video as usual Chris, thanks!

  • @Genesisdoes87
    @Genesisdoes87 Рік тому +1

    Great video as always, man!

  • @dumpnchase
    @dumpnchase Рік тому

    Thanks for the videos. Always great content!

  • @MattH-nd9qk
    @MattH-nd9qk Рік тому +3

    Great video, i didnt own any of this stuff but my friends all had them, brings back so many memories when i was younger. Watched nearly all videos on your channel, keep it up!

  • @nyohan
    @nyohan Рік тому +1

    I enjoyed every minute of this, thank you!

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  Рік тому

      Thanks so much! Glad you liked it.

  • @tardis9436
    @tardis9436 Рік тому +1

    Thanks Chris, so many great memories.

  • @kevgret
    @kevgret Рік тому +1

    I owned a Tandy 1000SX growing up... such fond memories of that computer.. I still remember playing Summer games, lode runner, space quest, kings quest, etc... good times!

  • @meh6722
    @meh6722 Рік тому +1

    Solid review. Still watching, but thanks for the CGQ+ freebee!

  • @tarstarkusz
    @tarstarkusz Рік тому +2

    "Resident Tetris" is in the form of a type of program called a TSR or (T)erminate and (S)tay (R)esident. This allows you to say load lotus 123 and work on your spreadsheet when the boss is looking, but then hit the hotkey combo to switch control of the computer over to the TSR, in this, a game. Usually TSR programs were utilities and fax programs and the like.

  • @Shanesshiit
    @Shanesshiit Рік тому +1

    I love Tandy computers. My first was a CoCo 3, now I am always looking out for anything Tandy to collect!

  • @chocolocojames213
    @chocolocojames213 Рік тому +1

    Cool video Chris. Hopefull, more to come 😊😊😊

  • @JimLeonard
    @JimLeonard Рік тому +4

    Stunts and Test Drive II didn't share an engine -- otherwise, great video and great demonstration of what makes the Tandy TL series unique and set them apart from other Tandys and systems of the time. I appreciate showing off some of the Deskmate software.

  • @tempestfury8324
    @tempestfury8324 Рік тому

    Another great video, very informative and entertaining. Thank you Chris!
    We never had a Tandy computer, which is strange because I loved going to Radio Shack with my dad. I was only about six or seven when I joined the free battery of the month club which I thought was so cool.
    Thanks for the tip on the Radio Shack catalog website, I find that extremely interesting.

  • @shibolinemress8913
    @shibolinemress8913 Рік тому +1

    Thanks so much for including those old commercials! They add so much nostalgia!
    Does the golf game have gators in the water hazard? 😄

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  Рік тому +1

      Glad you enjoyed it! Not sure about the gators. I hope not!

  • @retro_oddity2242
    @retro_oddity2242 Рік тому

    Glad you mentioned this video in your podcast, it never showed up in my feed ;-;

  • @Dooblecaine
    @Dooblecaine 6 днів тому

    Ahh my dad had this one and gave me the CoCo2. I think I eventually ended up with the TL/2. I don't recall mine having a hard drive. I do remember booting the drive with one disk, then getting to a DOS prompt and swapping disks to whatever game I wanted.
    I had Test Drive I and eventually II (as seen here). I loved those late 80s Porsches and dreamed of owning one when I got older. Now I'm well of age to own one and the more affluent have priced them far out of range! Fun memories on the PC though and going to the local Radio Shack.

  • @ToddsNerdCave
    @ToddsNerdCave Рік тому +3

    Great video and fantastic machine! I really like how Tandy tried to make the machines nice looking and not simply boring IBM clones like Compaq and many others did.

  • @jkajmo
    @jkajmo Рік тому +3

    Yay! My favorite channel is back! So good to see you Chris. I never had a Tandy, we had Commodore 64 (lived in Poland, all we really had) & then a Packard Bell when I moved to the States. Played the DOOM shareware to death on the Bell. Now please do a video on the PsOne in '98.

    • @Michael-im5mq
      @Michael-im5mq Рік тому

      I would visit my cousins in Poland and I LOVED playing on the C64! The Super Mario Bros clone was the best!

  • @aaronlochard7360
    @aaronlochard7360 Рік тому +2

    Great video! Fdisk in DOS 3.3 I think only supported FAT12 with a 32 MB partition limit.

  • @paulpreuss4528
    @paulpreuss4528 Рік тому +1

    Oh no, the duel runs waay better than Stunts I would say. Your setup is pure beauty!

  • @manterprise
    @manterprise Рік тому +2

    Thank you!

  • @markshade8398
    @markshade8398 11 місяців тому

    I worked at Radio Shack back in those days. I think the /3 models (TL/3, SL/3) had switched to ps/2 style connectors and included the mouse from then on.
    These were good machines in that time. And very price compatible.
    And you hit it on the head that the reason for the odd parallel port was not for the purpose of being unique or separate but because RS had already had printers for more than 14 years or so. And in the old days, every manufacturer had different specs because there was no standard until about 85 or so. And even then the "standard" changed constantly. It wasn't until about 90 and on that the wide variety of machines/brands/etc started to settle down really well.
    Nice machines for the day!

  • @ricardoediza2690
    @ricardoediza2690 Рік тому +1

    Time to CGQ and chill 😉

  • @InfectiousGroovePodcast
    @InfectiousGroovePodcast Рік тому

    The first home computer I ever interacted with was a friend's Tandy Color Computer 2. It was mind blowing at the time. I mostly went to PC clones from there, so I never knew much about the later PCs like the 1000 from Tandy.

  • @dinofirechief40
    @dinofirechief40 Рік тому

    "That's just CGA graphics and nobody wants to see that." - I laughed so hard. Loving your videos. Thank you for making them!

  • @Mujangga
    @Mujangga Рік тому

    Whoa, that TV commercial contradicts much of what I've been told about the past and present, I can't handle this...

  • @soteful9949
    @soteful9949 Рік тому

    I had an SL/2 back in around 1988. Interesting, would like more like this.

  • @thomaseller3866
    @thomaseller3866 Рік тому

    BOSS mode was an important feature that was used to hide the game with a keyboard shortcut when your boss was coming for a surprise visit...

  • @AmyGrrl78
    @AmyGrrl78 Рік тому

    This was the computer I had growing up. I wish I still had it. I miss this computer so much.

  • @ninjasec
    @ninjasec Рік тому

    These we just a dream as a kid, our first computer was windows 95 /pentium 75 and we were only able to afford it because my mom's work was offering special to their employees but this also helped them phase out typewriters in the office,encouraging everyone to become comfortable with computers

  • @DMo2345
    @DMo2345 Рік тому

    Test Drive II The Duel!!! I played that on my grandma's computer when I was a kid. Can't remember what PC, but I definitely recognize the joystick in your intro, so maybe it was a Tandy. Tried to get a sealed copy of The Duel for my collection but at the time the prices were nuts.

  • @jameshenderson4089
    @jameshenderson4089 Рік тому

    Every year I asked for a Tandy I ended up with a Nintendo product to hopefully make me forget about a computer. Great video. Really made me nostalgic.

  • @uncario
    @uncario Рік тому +1

    Watching this vid I came to realize my dad had a crazy good computer back in 1991 lol. I always thought it was crap because we had it until like 1999, but it musta been a beast back in 1991 when he first put it together: Intel 486 dx33mhz with 4MB RAM and a 1MB ISA VGA card that supported up to 1024x768 @60hz with 16bit colors, and a 14” SVGA monitor too. And a 100MB hdd. The only thing it lacked was a CD rom drive.

  • @grafxgear
    @grafxgear Рік тому

    35:00 This brings me back to my days working Tech Support at Maxis. So much of our time was spent writing boot disks for people.

  • @zed-xr4353
    @zed-xr4353 Рік тому +1

    I agree there is just something about 5-1/4" floppy disks. Even though they were largely obsolescent by the time I had a IBM compatible PC at home, I just really like the look and feel and there is something satisfying about inserting the disk and lowering the locking arm on those drives.

    • @zanesdad913
      @zanesdad913 Рік тому

      For some reason the smell of 5.25" floppies gets me in the nostalgia feels.

    • @zed-xr4353
      @zed-xr4353 Рік тому +1

      @@zanesdad913 I was going to mention the smell too, but I thought people might think I'm just a weirdo. 🤣

    • @zanesdad913
      @zanesdad913 Рік тому +1

      @@zed-xr4353 Everybody can know I'm a weirdo. It's fine. I used to store my 5.25" floppies in a wooden slide out drawer...and the drawer had a pressed wood smell to it that added to the floppy smell. I still have that pull out drawer but not the wood surround part of it...and I found it recently in a box...and it still had that smell of wood and floppy plastic. It was like a drug hit of playing Sierra games smacked me in the face. :)

  • @tonberryhunter
    @tonberryhunter Рік тому

    Alla Turca was the demo tune from the battery powered keyboard my family had from the late 80s early 90s. My brothers would drive me crazy by playing that demo song over and over. lol I just had a slight PTSD episode hearing it again in all its midi sounding glory.

  • @MrLurchsThings
    @MrLurchsThings Рік тому +2

    The Tandy 1000 series is such a great line of machines. PC’s in general kinda bore me. They were either boring business machines and then generic white boxes. Don’t get me wrong tho, the gaming on them could be terrific.
    But I kinda always feel with the 1000’s, Tandy kinda went “Ok, let’s see if we can make these fun” with their Tandy graphics and sound. And as such, such a huge step up from CGA and the PC speaker.
    I haven’t had my HX or 1000 out for a while. Might have to change that.

  • @pussywran
    @pussywran Рік тому +1

    Not sure if this is considered a game console but you should review the
    " Socrates "

  • @markcritic2409
    @markcritic2409 Рік тому

    The Space Quest 3 title makes a great showcase of the Tandy XT vs 286 machines... on the 286es, the logo pieces *slide* into place (etc) but the XTs will merely pop in. There's lots of other bits where the 286 is just very enhanced... made me wish my parents sprung for the TX instead of SX! ;-)

  • @jackilynpyzocha662
    @jackilynpyzocha662 10 місяців тому

    I had the 1000 RLX HD in the 1990s. Great machine and times.

  • @rigues
    @rigues Рік тому

    Pretty impressive multimedia capabilities for a 286!
    Rondo Alla Turca became famous as one of the songs in Lemmings.

  • @jackilynpyzocha662
    @jackilynpyzocha662 10 місяців тому

    I loved and miss my 1000 RLX

  • @alk7934
    @alk7934 Рік тому

    I got a Tandy similar to this from my grade school when I was young. It would not boot to DOS in ROM, so they thought it was broken. I took it home and reseated the floppy drive cable and all of a sudden it booted. So it seems the ROM DOS won't boot without a floppy drive hooked up. At least that was the case with mine. That was a good computer. I wish I kept it.

  • @Cowclops
    @Cowclops Рік тому +1

    Right there with you on dos 5. I ended up using dos 5 on all the retro pcs that it was appropriate to run on because I had working 720K dos 5 disks that came with a computer my parents bought in 1992. It seems like there aren't a ton of benefits OR drawbacks to using dos 5.0 or 6.22 on retro machines, since they'll both run essentially any dos software and the primary benefits of 6.22 are the addons it came with. I just use 5 because it was the lazy option, but there's no real reason not to.

  • @sewart
    @sewart Рік тому

    Thanks for this wonderful trip down memory lane. We were a Tandy 1000RL family.

  • @ice_fox
    @ice_fox Рік тому

    Damn, I need to get me one of those hard drive computer systems.

  • @Canadas_Very_Own
    @Canadas_Very_Own Рік тому

    Ah, boss keys. From that time when a lot of people still didn’t really know how computers worked.

  • @silentfanatic
    @silentfanatic Рік тому +1

    RIP the late 80s when everyone apparently kept their $4000 computer in the kitchen.

  • @CrazyMan_Engineer
    @CrazyMan_Engineer Рік тому

    I had one with the 30 mb hd upgrade kit. I played space quest 3 on it with Tandy sound by the way don't touch the metal plate. It also had a talking parrot.

  • @8bitwarrior
    @8bitwarrior Рік тому

    You need Silpheed and oils well from sierra.. great video

  • @shireoryx6153
    @shireoryx6153 Рік тому +1

    IIRC didn't those Tandys have proprietary connectors, other things? I seem to recall buying my 1st internal 3.5 hddd for my generic 286 and noticing Tandys were "different"

  • @ztothepunk
    @ztothepunk Рік тому +1

    I have a full working 1000 T/L and original monitlr (not the 2) and I've replaced the hdd with CF card reader. But I got a vga card for it bc some games weren't loading displaying using the TGA graphics and some were crashing when loading the TGA versions on some discs. But then worked with vga. But then using VGA caused me to lose sound or music in some games. Then I found a utility the lets me switch between both tga or vga when I need to but I've not tinkered with it recently enough to try it.

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  Рік тому

      Regarding the games crashing when loading the TGA version, how much memory do you have allocated to graphics in the BIOS?

    • @ztothepunk
      @ztothepunk Рік тому

      @@CGQuarterly thats a good question. Are you asking without the vga card installed? Bc that comes with video memory of its own.
      I originally attributed game crashes to possible corrupted sectors of old physical media floppies. Other than during the installation of the dos and desk mate to the cf card I've not messed with bios much to make note of my ram use

  • @user-or6yn8pm3c
    @user-or6yn8pm3c 7 днів тому

    The PC only made it as a game platform when VGA graphics was introduced in the late 80s. Prior to that Commodore had the best computer gaming both the 64 and the Amiga.

  • @lap456
    @lap456 Рік тому

    Mine was a version that came after the TL/2; but it was my 1st computer. Man I never tough CD-ROM drives were an option for computers in the 1980s. Since my 1st real induction to the CD-ROM was part of 1st big computer move DOS to Windows 95; and man it was not easy to learn. It was the computer I got after that with Windows 98 that I finally cound work with it without any iusees since at that point I learned how to use it and doing thing's I never did before. The cost was sread out since at the time my mom worked for school borad and my dad worked for PHI so didn't pay like the $3,000 shown in the video.

  • @briannorthFW
    @briannorthFW Рік тому +1

    RadioShack’s biggest issue was they were never able to move on past their early success, they felt like they never kept up with the scene, sort of like burying their heads in the sand and continue doing the same thing-sort of stuck in time. It was a fun place to come in, but as you said you’d go get your electronics somewhere else

    • @Schush
      @Schush Рік тому +1

      I wish Radio Shack remained being an electronics store. Once they started removing certain electronics and replacing with cell phones - it was over. I recall the last Shack store I went to, it was basically a cell phone store - seems to coincide with their demise.

  • @changkwangoh
    @changkwangoh Рік тому

    I love this comp. We used this in typing class and I played several DOS games on it.

  • @RobinFowler1982
    @RobinFowler1982 Рік тому

    My first PC :)

  • @fnjesusfreak
    @fnjesusfreak Рік тому

    Several versions of Arkanoid 2 have a level editor.

  • @juanbermudez964
    @juanbermudez964 Рік тому

    What do you mean that looking at old computer hardware insides is not interesting? I believe is just as amazing as the outside and the software, so please do, I want to see more inside of old computers, I love to see how the old computers and consoles that I had when I was little look from the inside,... I love old tech hardware, its fascinating

  • @Retrocidal
    @Retrocidal Рік тому +1

    Hope your doing OK I am.also struggling wish you the best stay strong

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  Рік тому

      I've had a bit of a crazy year so far but I'm getting there. You do the same!

  • @AsifAlli
    @AsifAlli Рік тому

    Loved your video. Where did you get all your sierra games from? Is there a downloadable link? Or did you purchase them used from ebay?

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  Рік тому

      I have physical copies of a lot of them, just from scouring the thrift stores back in the day. A good place to look for downloadable copies is The Internet Archive.

  • @saratov99
    @saratov99 Рік тому

    Chris, Commander Keen is famously EGA, not VGA. I know it blew my mind as well when i realized that, use of color is so good! In fact all pre Wolfenstein 3D ID Software games were EGA. BTW i seriously consider Secret of the Oracle as greaterst platformer ever. And Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion as top 10 as well.

  • @jongeo
    @jongeo Рік тому

    I think rather than the mic input being stereo, it could also be expecting a balanced (TRS) connection.

  • @MrEd-qg8td
    @MrEd-qg8td Рік тому

    I noticed that your TL/2 has some empty RAM sockets. Should be 4 of them. What you can do is install 4 4464 type RAM chips into those sockets and then set a jumper to give you 768K of RAM. The advantage of doing this is that the extra 128K of memory will be used by the video controller giving you back 128k or there abouts of conventional memory. I did it to my 1000 TX.

  • @MrDarchangelomni
    @MrDarchangelomni Рік тому

    u should be able to switch to resident tetris from inside any other non protected or "real" 8088 mode dos app. like from inside edit, or dbase for example.

  • @fandangobrandango7864
    @fandangobrandango7864 Рік тому

    There's a great electronic rock band called Master Boot Record.

  • @Skipntosh
    @Skipntosh Рік тому

    Chris is going the distance!

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  Рік тому

      Funny you should say that because I've had a Cake song (though a different one) stuck in my head this morning.

  • @trr94001
    @trr94001 Рік тому

    The TX/TL series machines had 286 processors but they were still XT class machines otherwise. Likely Stunts would run a bit better on a 286 with a fully AT compatible board.

  • @fuchnorris6277
    @fuchnorris6277 Рік тому

    I know not the best but I loved my Franklyn Ace 500 apple lle knock off lol

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  Рік тому

      Dude the Apple IIe was one of the heavy-hitter home computers of the 80s!

  • @golinart4570
    @golinart4570 Рік тому

    Hello, I recently came across a Tandy 1000 with CM-11 monitor. (Think it's the same one used in your video) Would it be possible to hook up an RGB scart computer with an adapter? I want to hook up a SCART device to the monitor using an adapter.

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  Рік тому

      I don’t believe that’s possible.

  • @demonsty
    @demonsty Рік тому +1

    i had that game pad!

    • @joe--cool
      @joe--cool Рік тому

      Still have it. Even with the little screw in joystick. It's a great piece of hardware.

  • @juanbermudez964
    @juanbermudez964 Рік тому

    1:29:18 I love golf games too, one of my favourite games for the neo Geo AES is big tournament golf, I can play that game for hrs, one single button gets me hrs and hrs of fun, Ans yes I do own a copy of that game and yes I paid over $2.5k for it back in 2007 everyone called me crazy, right. Now. Its costs way more then that, the same thing with my metal slug games, my mom called me crazy. When I fly out to Japan to buy of those games, spend over 30k in Japan, now only couple of games are worth the $30k, and I loved my trip to Japan, that was one of the best times of my life, I almost stayed there for ever, its an amazing country, only thing I don't like is the earthquakes lol they got a very big one while I was there.. A different time a few years ago

  • @DookNookim
    @DookNookim Рік тому

    Frenkel here. Thank you for running Commander Keen 4 on a real Tandy computer. This is the first time I see my port running on a computer with a real CRT monitor. That black bar at the bottom is kinda annoying. Maybe it's less annoying if I give it the same color as the border.
    The graphics can get corrupted if there's not enough video memory. Was it set to 128K in the BIOS? The game expects at least 32K. I use ADJMEM -16 in PCem to set it to 32K.
    BTW, did you cut the opening purple text screen that shows which hardware is detected and how much memory is available to the game from this video?

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  Рік тому +1

      Frenkel! Yeah, I think you're right. I changed the video memory from 16k to 128k but I think I did it after playing Keen 4. And yes I did cut that hardware detection screen out just because I didn't have anything interesting to say about it. I didn't notice the black bar while playing so I don't think it's a big deal, but of course it's your port! Thanks for making it, and exciting that you saw my video!

    • @DookNookim
      @DookNookim Рік тому

      ​@@CGQuarterly The transition from the DOS prompt to the title screen was seamless, so I thought there was a bug that caused the hardware detection screen to be skipped.😅
      If you had set the video memory to 128k, you would probably get errors in the game that there's not enough memory. The Tandy version is quite memory hungry, because the sprites take up almost twice as much memory as in the EGA version. The first level is one of the most memory intensive levels in the game, so you get the not enough memory errors quite early in the game.

    • @DookNookim
      @DookNookim Рік тому

      The bar isn't black anymore in the newest version, it's the same color as the border.
      I've also added a check to see if there's 32k of video memory.

  • @marccaselle8108
    @marccaselle8108 7 місяців тому

    I never find computer games at thrift store and when i do its all the hidden object and casio games.
    Besides. I have dosbox and games on my tower 🙂

  • @jackilynpyzocha662
    @jackilynpyzocha662 10 місяців тому

    You can get an anti-glare screen; it was worth it!

  • @markshade8398
    @markshade8398 11 місяців тому

    Minor correction... Not " in ROM on the hard drive". ROM is a chip on the motherboard. Hard drive is hard drive. Even machines with no hd had the ROM... All of them did.
    A minor point but an important one.

  • @Whyteeford
    @Whyteeford Рік тому

    I played stunts endlessly on my Tandy lol. But no Midnight Rescue or Doom?

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  Рік тому

      No way Doom would run on this PC. It's not even fast enough to run Wolfenstein, which also requires a CPU capable of running protected mode software. But there were of course many variations of the Tandy 1000, and if you had one with a 386 or better in it, then you could run more games.

    • @Whyteeford
      @Whyteeford Рік тому +1

      @@CGQuarterly true. Pretty sure mine was a 486

  • @ez054098
    @ez054098 Рік тому +1

    Status “A” is active partition.

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  Рік тому +1

      Yeah, I realized that while I was editing the video. “Oh, A is ‘active’… Duh.”

    • @ez054098
      @ez054098 Рік тому +1

      @@CGQuarterly The MS DOS takes me back. I worked for Fidelity National Title in 1992 doing some IT. Windows 3.1 and Novell 3.12.

  • @thepirategamerboy12
    @thepirategamerboy12 Рік тому

    1:47:19 For me, I've had the complete opposite experience. I find computer games way more often than console games.

  • @cameronpickard7456
    @cameronpickard7456 Рік тому +1

    you seem like computer genius wish were my it guy

  • @Lachlant1984
    @Lachlant1984 Рік тому

    I presume you have external speakers connected to the Tandy 1000, yes?

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  Рік тому

      Yes, they’re up the shelf with the 1000SX.

  • @biffrapper
    @biffrapper Рік тому +2

    You may say 80s but this computer did not exist in the 80s. The Tandy 1000 SX/TX line were the mid-80s Tandy machines that were the best for DOS gaming until 1990.

  • @wetrucken1689
    @wetrucken1689 Рік тому

    Had the exact same computer as a kid my parents paid $3.000 for the whole thing they also got the printer with it I thought it was a great computer

    • @demonsty
      @demonsty Рік тому

      $3 thats a good deal.

  • @alexshadowfax1119
    @alexshadowfax1119 20 днів тому

    I know very little about the mechanical parts of a computer but wouldn't you want to keep an older vintage computer with its stock parts? Is it not like people who collect older cars? They usually try to keep it as stock as possible, im just curious, thank you.

    • @CGQuarterly
      @CGQuarterly  5 днів тому

      I didn’t do anything destructive to the computer. The hard drive appears to have died after I bought it, and those hard drives are a bit hard to come by so I chose to go with the CF card solution, but I could totally take that back out if I found a replacement hard drive.

  • @jonathont5570
    @jonathont5570 Рік тому

    Americas Technology Store ... RIP

  • @BollingHolt
    @BollingHolt 7 місяців тому

    What a great video! I just acquired a TL/2 yesterday (recapturing my youth). Came with no floppies and no hard disk, so I'm obviously going to be installing a solid state solution. Do you have a link to any of the utilities you used here, such as the SETUPTL2 executable?

  • @Fate07-Omega-
    @Fate07-Omega- Рік тому

    Well I must be even lucky er I found a complete set in the trash in very good condition still works and everything but don't know how to us it most likely gun a just sell it