I had a C64 from 1984 to around 1997 I think. I say 'think' because it got stopped being used around 1989 when I got a C128. The C128 itself stopped being used in 1990 when I got my first PC. Both the 64 and 128 went to a church later on.
But the C64 I had a lot of fun with. You have a later version of the 1541 drive. I had two, but one came from the VIC-20 era while the second was bought with the computer in 1984. Later on I got two 1581s. I recognize your printer too, but never had one of those. My dad got me a Star Micronics SG-10 instead. I did have one of the large Commodore monitors though - the one with the dark plastic front and the large power button on the side and two large adjustment dials up front.
We (my family) knew a guy in 1984 that also had a C64 and he was quite involved with board level modifications. He installed his own reset button on his C64 and we asked him to do that for mine (which he did). So, whenever the computer froze up (as it often did) it was just a matter of pressing the reset button instead of turning it off and back on.
One of these days I will track down a C128D and some drives (1581 mainly).
It's really a whole bunch of nostalgics (and having some disposable cash now)!
I too, as a teenager, grew up with both the C64 and the TI-99/4A, they were really my very first steps into computers.
It sort of ended up being my livelihood, so in a way they did have an immens impact on my adult life!
Basically the reason you see both in my collection!
The TI-99/4a is the very actual computer I used as a kid, it popped up during an attic clean-up a bit after my dad passed away, never really realised it was still up there. Booted up on first try
I do remember the first model of the 1541, with the pull down lock instead of the turning lock like on the later version like I have. That first one had lots of issues if i remember correctly.
Main reason I'm also into those 68K Macs, my dad used to work in the graphical sector (a repographer), I remember as a kid he went to the USA on training courses with Aldus (later to be bought by Adobe), we ended up having some of those machines at home, in times where they could cost several months worth of salary!
Today, they do have a pretty sentimental value as my dad used to take me to his workplace every so often to show of the latest computer stuff they used!
Personally in early adulthood it was only Intel/Dos/Windows machines for me, as i went in a more technical direction (automation).
Somewhere on the right you'll see a Toshiba T3200 (with the orange plasma display) which I owned since the early 90's and still has the original software on for programming the PLC's we used back ten (mainly Siemens and Hima).
