Poasters Computer Forums

Off the Wall => The Poast Office => Topic started by: JimS on March 20, 2008, 21:21 hrs

Title: Any Quantex still running out there?
Post by: JimS on March 20, 2008, 21:21 hrs
My son, Joseph, the newest member of Poasters, has been using my old Quantex for a few years now.  It's a P-3 800 mHz system, originally shipped with 512 mB of RAM and a 30 gB 5400 RPM hard drive.  I also added a CD/DVD drive, a CD writer, and a 250 mB Iomega Zip drive.  Since then, I've added memory, a 160 gB hard drive, a wireless network card and an LCD monitor.  I'm now looking to buy a boat, because I already have an anchor: the 20" Quantex CRT that I bought with this system.  After installing Windows XP Home (it was never very stable with W98; with XP, it's finally an honest-to-goodness reliable system), the best upgrade was adding four small 1" wheels to the case; these pick it up off of the carpet (surprisingly much less dust in the case) and makes it easier to slide out from under the desk when attention is needed.

I had the terrific wisdom to purchase this three weeks before Quantex went belly-up, and even though my profile says I joined Poasters in 2001, I'm sure it was in 1999, or maybe 2000.  I remember Poasters when Bear, Joannie and Scuzzy were the big guns (I think Scuzzy shot them), and there was this miscreant named Ace lurking around.  If I recall, we intermittently had some ex-Quantex employees on board.  The screen back then had a black background, with, I believe, yellow text.

Anyway, a primary reason Poasters was originally started was to help Quantex owners.  Dell users were also fairly well represented, but Quantex was #1 here.  So I'm wondering, besides my son, who else is still using a Quantex?
Title: Re: Any Quantex still running out there?
Post by: scuzzy on March 20, 2008, 22:16 hrs
Well, I'm certainly not. Never have for that matter. I figured that if Ace bought a Quantex, then Dell was the better way to go. So, I represented Dell on original boards. To wit:

The Ace went down to the Q-Chat, he was looking for a Dell to steal.
He was behind on his rent again, and was willing to make a deal.
When he came across a cat named Scuzzy; really good lookin' and cool.
Then he tripped on a hickory stump, making himself look like a pretty big fool.

As the Ace got up, he started with a nasty cough.
Then said, "Cat, you really tick me off.
Now you're pretty good lookin', that's obviously true.
But I�ll bet this mouse of gold against your Dell, 'cause you really make me blue."
The cat-dude said, "My name's Scuzzy, and you've got an ugly face.
But I'll take your bet, and you're gonna regret, 'cause I'm the best around this place."

Ace said, "I'll get this show on the road!"
And he booted up his Q, as fire flew from the motherboard.
Then the printer made an evil hiss, and the cooling fan went wild.
As sparks jumped from the keyboard, Ace ran from the smoldering pile.

Scuzzy was amused, all right, but not for long.
And then he booted up his Dell before the growing throng.
It began to hum, then it began to scream.
It ripped through applications, and Ace knew that he'd been creamed.

So he set the golden mouse on Scuzzy's desk.
And as he turned to walk away, Scuzzy said this to his face:
"Ace, you just come on back anytime you want.
I done told you once you son-of-a-gun, I'm the best around this place."

Scuzzy; those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end.
Title: Re: Any Quantex still running out there?
Post by: Joe on March 21, 2008, 01:09 hrs
Yes, I still have a Quantex 400 of about 1997 vintage, running windows 98.  It seems to work as well as it ever did, but I've relagated it a closet rather than keep it fired up.  I've got two Dell's, including a new XPS 420 that keep me occupied.  I've junked several computers over the years, but the old Quantex I keep around out of nostalgia, I guess.  What a great, solid metal case they had!

I also go back to the original Poasters group, and recall the early years, and the fine work of the original administrators that you mentioned.  I don't poast too regularly now, but I do like this site; it was especially useful as an information source to me during those salad years of the home PC world, and I know it continues to benefit many people.

Joe
Title: Re: Any Quantex still running out there?
Post by: Ace on March 21, 2008, 06:36 hrs
Criminy, Scuzzy, do you have that stupid song imprinted on a tee shirt? Or just as your desktop wallpaper?

And, I'm not a miscreant.  I'm a complete creant, and I didn't miss it at all.

I do fondly remember the blackboard yellow print chatroom.  A Quantex was a computer brand, J.  Of which many of us loyally purchased and supported, although not Scuzzy as noted, so go figure why he's even here.  Mine died when I gave it to my idiot relatives who ruin everything they own (mostly cars) so I don't blame the Q for finally giving in.  Like an idiot, I bought my Quantex in the Christmas Rush of 1997 with Windows 95 v2 right before 98 came out.  And was able to get it without any of the software disks, so nothing was fully installed making it pretty much not effective.  I did immediately buy MS Links Golf and Diablo, so at least I could play games as that's the main purpose of a computer anyway.  Well, that and chatroom meetings.

With the demise of Quantex (after purchase by the Fountain Corp) the Q techies naturally were also no more, so the civilians took over the tech advice and support role.  Which, is now you guys.  I suppose I'm the last audience member left, since everybody knows more about computers than me.  Well, at least the right things.  I've experienced the dark underbelly of my piano black Sonata case, as far as that goes.

I'd like a BSA motorcycle too, but I'm afraid of death so I don't go near motorcycles.  I prefer they not go near me, too.  Unless my Monarch (gee; another extinct computer brand.. don't I learn) suddenly ejects a CD violently and nails me in the forehead I at least would hope my PC can't kill me. 

Ace; good thing I don't mess with power supplies.
Title: Re: Any Quantex still running out there?
Post by: Ace on March 21, 2008, 13:49 hrs
First off, that was one cool banner.  They even got the Jester right.

Now, that Wikipedia thing was bogus... There aren't just "memories" left of Quantex.  There are some dang fine people, as well as a few operational units plus spare parts floating around.  The cool thing of Quantex was that they had a real range of parts options and configurations; way more than Dell.  So you could special order about anything, just like Monarch did.  Before they died.  Too. 

No, they weren't my fault.  My gosh, I ordered from them.  If anything, I kept them alive long after they should have croaked.  Just like this chatroom.  Heck, this thing ground down to 1 1/2 people at one point, and 1/2 of them weren't even here.  And the dang lights went out when Dave forgot to leave them on.  And that, alone, is Legend.

Legend like in one last guy on earth, and a cat, and a bunch of zombies.

Ace; I don't remember Stevenage. 
Title: Re: Any Quantex still running out there?
Post by: pat on March 23, 2008, 10:24 hrs
My Q is long gone and stripped for parts. I did consider keeping the case, but the sun had yellowed the plastic parts to an ugly color of yellow and I just recycled it.

I do remember the black backgrounded forum with the trailing off of the poasts angled down the page. I didn't participate much back then and only poasted a couple of help requests.
Title: Re: Any Quantex still running out there?
Post by: JimS on March 24, 2008, 21:15 hrs
Okay, so we've got one Joe and one JoeS, each with a Q.  Anyone not named Joe still running one?
Title: Re: Any Quantex still running out there?
Post by: Bill on March 25, 2008, 06:05 hrs
My one and only Q is still in service with my daughter in LA.  Don't remember purchase date or model.  I upgrade the HD and replaced the PSU but all is still well.

Bill
Title: Re: Any Quantex still running out there?
Post by: wilhelm on March 28, 2008, 01:34 hrs
I still have my trusty-rusty Quantex (my brother actually has it).

I'll never get rid of it, as it was my first computer.

Ah, yes. April '98 ---

PII 300MHz w/Win95; 6.4GB Western Digital; 64MB (upgraded to 384, I think); 4MB STB video; Ensoniq sound (later flashed/updated to a Creative Labs); Altec Lansing speakers w/Sub - I still use these speakers today. They are the old beige color, but they still rock!; 17" NEC Chroma Clear monitor (Quantex badged) - it was a great monitor at first - crapped out on me after 3 years. I put it on the curb. Probably coulda had it fixed, but I didn't know any better at the time. Replaced by a 15" Sony Trinitron - I still use this monitor as my 'lab display'.

I still rave about my Quantex, after all these years.

It's cool that there are other people that still have theirs too!

"Dollar for dollar, spec for spec, you can't do better than a Quantex". Or something like that.

- Wil

Title: Re: Any Quantex still running out there?
Post by: Chandler on April 17, 2008, 01:37 hrs
I have a Quantex running in the loft running Linux which acts as a CCTV monitor for the garden (running ZoneMinder) and it also runs Claws Mail to download my e-mails and forward any important ones (certain contacts) to my cell phone.  It sits there 24/7 doing it's job, and it's still using the original motherboard (Biostar M6VCG) and CPU (Pentium III 650) but I swapped the original nVidia Vanta graphics card (was causing lockups) for an ancient SiS 6326, removed the sound card (no need for it), fitted a larger hard drive, added a TV card to capture the TV and a network card.  The graphics card, TV card and network card were all old cards surplus to requirements but they do their job under Linux.  The TV card was given to me for free via an eBay purchase as defective (the tuner is dead but the S-Video input works great) when I bought a replacement remote control.

I have a second Quantex which has been updated a bit (Intel D815EEA motherboard, Pentium III 1.0GHz) and serves to run old games etc that require DOS and/or Windows 98.  The Quantex monitor went to a neighbour.

They've both got new power supplies.  Those HIPRO units Quantex shipped had a tendency for the fans to get extremely noisy after a couple of months.
Title: Re: Any Quantex still running out there?
Post by: specialbrew on March 15, 2009, 20:48 hrs
In a moment of idleness, I Googled Quantex and found this thread: yes, I still have my old circa 1997 Quantex running (it is my main machine) but, of course, none of its innards (bar the floppy drive) now date back to then.  I've kept the case, I suppose, out of a perverse nostalgia - on purchase it was a cracking machine and quite a few of its components gave years of use, not least the awesome Mag monitor which I only retired about three years ago.  I imagine when I get round to my Windows 7 overhaul/upgrade I'll have a difficult choice, but I'd like to think the big Q's still got a few years in it yet.


Title: Re: Any Quantex still running out there?
Post by: Chandler on May 28, 2009, 15:11 hrs
Both of my Quantexes (Quanti?) are now running as servers. The most important one is configured as I stated in my previous poast in this topic, but the RAM has been upped to 768MB (the maximum it can take). It came into its own today. This morning, before heading off to work, my dad noticed that the side gate was open, but this gate is always kept closed and has never been known to blow open in wind etc. When he checked the ZoneMinder system it turns out that two scroats were sneaking around the garden at around 1am, trying the doors to our outbuilding and some french doors on our house. It isn't a great image because the camera doesn't function too well at night (might have to get some IR bulbs in the garden to help it out since it's an IR sensitive camera), but it was enough to show the local police officer and for them to identify who it is. In the 2 years the system has been configured with ZoneMinder, this is the first time it's actually been called upon, but it passed with flying colours.

The other Quantex is loaded with 4x PCI digital satellite tuner cards and 2x USB digital terrestrial tuners, and it streams TV across the network with DVBViewer. Having the TV backend on a central server is useful because it can be left to do TV recordings without activities on the "workstation" PCs affecting it. This server is power-managed so that it sleeps when it's not in use, and wakes via Wake-On-LAN as and when it's required.

So, two Quantex computers in my home, one doing an important job, and one doing a useful job. Both have outlived all of my other computers by several years (apart from a couple of ancient laptops).
Title: Re: Any Quantex still running out there?
Post by: JimS on June 08, 2009, 20:53 hrs
Joseph learned the hard way about static electricity and motherboards, so the old Quantex has been on the shelf for a few months.  Just today, though, I won an eBay auction for a new DFI LANparty PS85-BL Rev_B1 socket 478 ATX Motherboard, which we'll install in the Q.

So, it still has a pulse.