TBT: My First Laptop

In this “Throwback Thursday”, I will recall my first experiences with getting a laptop.

My first modern (new) computer was a 2006 HP Pavilion that ran Windows Vista. Prior to that, I had used a Gateway 2000 running Windows 3.11 which dated from around 1993 or 1994.

While the Vista machine was a nice experience, I always wanted a portable computer. Something which I could fold up and take on trips or take to my room. I always dreamed of having a laptop and being able to tote it anywhere I wanted.

My dream come true one time when my parents brought home a Dell Inspiron laptop. It had a Crimson Red case, with a black keyboard. It ran Windows Vista. And yes, it was definitely portable.

I can remember using the internet on it. We had dial-up internet, since we lived in the middle of nowhere. The Inspiron had a built-in modem, but I can still remember running about 30 feet of telephone cord/RJ11 to connect the computer to the telephone outlet – which there was only one of inside of our house. (And yes, I also remember having to disconnect when my parents were expecting a telephone call, or they needed to call out.)

After about a week, I wasn’t satisfied. The store which my parents bought the Inspiron from had a trial period of two weeks (or something like that), so we were able to return the computer.

Later, I would get the Acer AspireOne (which I still have somewhere – although I haven’t been able to locate it since we moved.) Currently, the ThinkPad T420 is my “daily driver” with the newly-acquired IBM ThinkPad T42 being the machine which this post was written on.