Any info available for a very vintage Acer 1100LX laptop can anyone help?

Jomac

I am the proud owner (?!) of a very vintage Acer Anywhere 1100LX laptop which dates back to 1990. I am struggling to fine any information, manuals, guides etc for this piece of vintage computing, can anyone help?

TIA

[Edited the thread to add model name to the title and to add issue detail]

billsey

Acer doesn't seem to have any online onfo on that old of a model. :(

JackE

It should have a 486DX CPU. It might be able to run up to Win98 or WinME with difficulty depending on how many RAM sockets it has. It would probably work best with Win3.x or DOS5.x since it probably only has 4MB of RAM in stock condition. Do you at least get a BIOS POST boot screen when turning it on?

Jomac

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1183629#Comment_1183629

No, it is a 386/20 CPU with 2Mb of RAM When this machine was launched the software options were either Windows 2.0 or WIndows 3.01 I've yet to decide which of the two I will install, probably Windows 2.0. Yes I do get the BIOS post screen but because it's lost it's configuration in CMOS many things don't work.

JackE

Simply going into the BIOS menu and saving settings will automatically re-detect basic i/o hardware that hasn't failed yet. Until the CMOS battery is replaced, it'll probably lose its mind again if it's turned off for more than an hour or so. The 386 should still run Win3.1 fine with 2MB of RAM. Win2 graphics aren't as nice.

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1183635#Comment_1183635

I use to have a 1989 386/20CPU with 2MB RAM with Win 3.01 and it worked perfectly for a business that I had in those days (it cost me a fortune) that I would hate to think how much this Acer Anywhere 1100LX laptop would have cost in those days, my computer also had a 28.9Kbps modem also which was way out there😁don't know where you are going to get any info or manuals, guides on this dinosaur of a pc. Get into contact with Acer and see what you come up with.

There is one for sale on eBay for 22 EURs here, what a beautiful dinosaur, keep it as its a classic collectors piece, maybe Acer will buy it from you😁

JackE

Simply going into the BIOS menu and saving settings will automatically re-detect basic i/o hardware that hasn't failed yet. Until the CMOS
battery is replaced, it'll probably lose its mind again if it's turned off for more than an hour or so. The 386 should still run Win3.1 fine
with 2MB of RAM. Win2 graphics aren't as nice.

Jomac

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1183688#Comment_1183688

Ah…….this is where the fun starts JackE. When you first boot the latop it does it's first POST and complains that there are CMOS errors telling me there are no settings, one of the settings is the floppy disk it cant see or load, the post continues and then you get the message to press Shift/Alt/Esc which is supposed to take you into the BIOS settings but it wont. You get the option of pressing F1 to continue and at which point it should ignore the errors and at least boot from floppy but it can't, because there are the earlier errors including floppy disk. This is where I need the manual to see whats going on.

Jomac

This laptop was made the same month that Windows 3 came out so I have the choice of installing Windows 2 or Windows 3

Jomac

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1183682#Comment_1183682

I wasnt cheap back then Steven and running Windows 2.01 and Windows 3.01 on my Microsoft Surface Pro in a virtual machine, its hard to image how excited we were bakc then with this cutting edge technology. I have a copy of WIndows 1.0 to play with but yet havent had the time. I was given this laptop by a friend of a friend whose father used to own it. I am not exaggerating whrn I say its in an absolutely pristine condition and weighs a ton. It still has its original carry case with Acer Anywhere embroidered on the outside, that as well is unmarked in any way. What did surprise me was the original battery pack date coded 4490 or week 44 1990 is still in tact and still holds a charge after 33 years, I manually charged the battery externally and left the laptop switched on and it shut down at 1hr and 42 mins, the specs say 90 mins battery life. It uses a horrible Dallas Real Time Clock module for the CMOS clock etc, I have a new one here ready to fit, I'm hoping this will cure the issue with the CMOS errors.

JackE

You must enter the BIOS before it completes the POSTs and spews out errors. In the olden days, tapping ESC or DEL or F1 or F2 (try all 4) immediately after turning on the machine will get you in there if the BIOS hasn't failed.

billsey

Very likely the CMOS battery is a standard coin cell, so go ahead and put a new one before trying to get farther. I'd put Windows 2 on it, just for authenticity sake, since you are unlikely to be using it for actual computing. :)

Jomac

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1183884#Comment_1183884

Actually Billsey you are wrong, I wish it were as simple as this. The real time clock and BIOS settings are stored inside a small module Made by Dallas Semiconductors, its the Dallas DS1287. This module not only contains the BIOS settings, its also the Real Time Clock which is in fact backed up by a small lithium battery as you suggest. Unfortunately, Dallas then filled these modules with Epoxy making virtually impossible to not only get inside, but to swap the battery. There are crude ways you can get inside using a Dremel, cutting two pins to the battery and connecting an external battery socket and a 2032 Lithium cell.

JackE

Cheap substitutes seem to be available. Should be recently manufactured though or risk getting another dead cell inside.

Jomac

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1183945#Comment_1183945

I found a seller on eBay who was selling these as ‘NEW’ so I ordered one. When it arrived I saw it had a date code 1995! He just couldnt grasp the fact that these modules have shelp life of only 10 years and the 10 years start the second the battery inside is connected!

reninjapan

I've just found my old Acer Anyware 1100Lx conplete with manuals, disks and a carry bag. I bought it in Saudi Arabia in I guess 1990. Weighs a ton ! Anyone interested in buying a piece of vintage cutting edge computing ?