Page 6 The COMPAQ DESKPRO 386 PERSONAL COMPUTER MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE GUIDE is a troubleshooting, maintenance, and repair guide that can be used as a reference when servicing the COMPAQ DESKPRO 386 Personal Computer. All troubleshooting and repair procedures are detailed to allow subassem- bly/module-level repair only. The COMPAQ DESKPRO 386s is the first personal computer to tailor the power and per- formance of 80386 technology for users currently considering an 80286 personal computer Compaq introduces the COMPAQ DESKPRO 386s. Never before has so much power and performance been made available.

A Compaq Deskpro 6333 from the late 1990s.

The Compaq DeskPro 386S currently on display at the Living Computer Museum in Seattle, Washington. Microsoft PowerPoint is running on the computer.

Compaq Deskpro motherboard (1997) with Pentium II processor and three different slot types (AGP for graphics adapter, three PCI and three ISA slots for legacy cards)

Compaq Deskpro Evo motherboard (2001) with Pentium 4 processor (hidden by cooler fan), three DIMMs, one AGP and three PCI slots

The Compaq Deskpro was a line of business-oriented personal computers manufactured by Compaq, then discontinued after the merger with Hewlett-Packard.^[1] Models were produced containing microprocessors from the 8086 up to the x86-based Intel Pentium 4.^[2]

The original Compaq Deskpro (released in 1984), available in several disk configurations, was an XT-class PC equipped with an 8 MHz 8086 CPU and Compaq's unique display hardware that combined Color Graphics Adapter graphics with high resolution Monochrome Display Adapter text. As a result, it was both considerably faster than the IBM PC and had a much better quality text display compared to an IBM PC equipped with graphics.^[1] Like the earlier Compaq Portable, its hardware and BIOS were 100% compatible with the IBM PC Model 5150 (a characteristic that few other PC workalikes shared so soon after the establishment of the IBM standard).

Compaq Deskpro 386 Bios

In 1985, Compaq released the Deskpro 286, which looks quite similar to the IBM PC/AT. Then in September 1986, the Deskpro 386 was launched^[3] after Intel released its 80386 microprocessor, beating IBM by 7 months on their comparable 386 computer, and thus making a name for themselves.^[4]PC Tech Journal honored the Deskpro 386 with its 1986 Product of the Year award.^[5] The Deskpro 386/25 was released August 28, 1989 and cost $7,999.^[6]

The form factor for the Compaq Deskpro is mostly the desktop model which lies upon a desk, with a monitor placed on top of it. Compaq has produced many tower upright models that have been highly successful in sales, and are usually convertible to a desktop form factor. An SFF (small form factor) desktop version was also produced during the Deskpro's lifetime. The Deskpro was replaced by the Evo in 2001.

The many different models include the:

Deskpro 286e
Deskpro 386 released as the first MS-DOS, PC-compatible 32-bit computer with 386 processor.
Deskpro 386S (Second Generation 386 introducing 16-bit bus 386SX processors)
Deskpro XE 486 ISA and IDE
Deskpro XL High-End workstation with EISA and SCSI either and 486, Pentium, Pentium Pro
Deskpro M 386, 486 and 586 early Pentium models
Deskpro 2000 Pentium 1, Pentium Pro and Pentium 2
Deskpro 4000 Pentium 1 with MMX & Pentium 2
Deskpro 6000 Pentium 1, Pentium Pro and Pentium 2 and scsi
Deskpro DX
Deskpro EXD, SB , EN , ENL: Pentium III based
Deskpro EVO500 series, the last of the range with Pentium 4 processors

References[edit]

^ ^a^b'Compaq Deskpro Model 1 - Computing History'. www.computinghistory.org.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
^Information from https://web.archive.org/web/20010604204030/http://www.compaq.com/products/desktops/index.shtml
^'compaq deskpro 386'. dfarq.homeip.net. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
^'Exhibits - Living Computer Museum'. www.livingcomputermuseum.org. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
^'Deskpro 386 at 30 | OS/2 Museum'. www.os2museum.com. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
^'Compaq Deskpro 386/25 Type 38 - Computing History'. www.computinghistory.org.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2016.

Bibliography[edit]

Compaq Computer Corporation. Reference Guide: Compaq Deskpro 2000 Series of Personal Computers. 3rd edition, January 1998. Part Number 278019-003.
Compaq Computer Corporation. Reference Guide: Compaq Deskpro 4000 Series of Personal Computers/Compaq Deskpro 6000 Series of Personal Computers. 2nd edition, September 1997. Part Number 270844-002.

Weblinks[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Compaq Deskpro.

Compaq Deskpro 386s Cmos Battery

Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Compaq_Deskpro&oldid=992072842'

August 24th, 2010, 08:47 PM

Hey guys,
I just found a Compaq Deskpro 386/20 today. It seems to be in REALLY good shape. Very little yellowing on the computer, and the monitor looks brand new. Anyways, it does power on, but after checking the 8MB of RAM, it prompts me with:
162-System Options Not Set-(Run Setup)
Insert DIAGNOSTIC diskette in Drive A:
(RESUME - 'F1' KEY)
After pressing F1, it makes two beeps. After that, it tells me that there is either a non-system disk or a disk error. There aren't any disks in the machine except the HDD, which is a 'Type 35.'
Firstly, what is this diagnostic diskette, and do I need it? I don't have any boot disks with me, so I can't boot it up fully yet. Also, how can I tell the health of my hard drive? Lastly, since I don't see ANY 386/20s on eBay, can I assume that this is a more uncommon computer? After all, it was ~$9000 in 1986 dollars, which is about $17,000 in today's dollars. Pretty expensive!
The monitor is an orange monochrome Compaq. The computer has a Type 35 HDD, a combo 5.25'/3.5' floppy drive, and a tape drive. What kind of tapes would this use?
There was also a leaking Eternacell 7.2V lithium battery inside, velcroed to the metal right above the monitor power plug. It did corrode the metal quite a bit, but I think I can clean it up. It did drip onto the motherboard, but I don't think it did any major damage.
Thanks!
Kyle