Windows NT 3.5.1

[bunnspecial]

I'm always somewhat amused when I run across one of these. In the early days Microsoft ported Windows NT to a LOT of different platforms, among them PowerPC.

I actually have systems with two of the "alternate" processor types listed on the label, and I'd venture to guess the systems I have are the most common systems using these architectures. Even so, Windows NT won't run on any of them.

Specifically, Windows NT won't run on PPC Macs(again, I'd guess by far and away the most PPC computers) since there is BIOS(at least as I understand it). I suppose that it would likely only run on the couple of(rare) PowerPC systems IBM made.

In addition, NT 3.5.1 will run on certain MIPS processors. The major user of MIPS processors at the time was Silicon Graphics, but again NT won't run on an SGI system. I have no idea what MIPS based system it would run on.

I'm mostly just throwing this up here for general interest-I think that both the fact that early versions of NT would run on PPC but not on Macs is well know, but it's always amusing to me when I see it.

 

[Surrat]

My guess at least regarding PPC, is it might work on the early microchannel IBM RS/6000 systems.

 

[weckart]

PPC Windows needs ARC to boot and thus limited to a very few IBM machines. The problem remains that, unlike Alpha Windows, there is virtually no PPC software to run on them once installed, although they can run 16 bit Windows software under emulation. Basically, the same problem you had with OS/2 Power PC Edition.

I had my eye on this baby, which would be a suitable candidate for NT PPC but the price rocketed in the last few minutes more than it was worth to own an oddity that lacked a HDD.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IBM-Think...aptop-Power-PC-Power-Series-850-/271932741120

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Ooof, the ThinkPad 860, the last of the PowerPC ThinkPads (this one is one of those that was sold after the discontinuation of the PowerPC "ThinkPad" line, and is basically the same as the ThinkPad 860, just rebranded as "RS/6000 860" instead.

I have one of the older/slower models, along with an "IBM PC Power Series" (also vaguely derived from the RS/6000 desktop line.) I have NT 4.0 on both. The ThinkPad even runs Microsoft Office 4.0 and Internet Explorer 5 (both officially the x86 versions for Windows 3.1,) just fine. I wish I could find the PowerPC-native version of Office 4.2... (IE3 was the last IE native for PowerPC, so I run the 16-bit IE5 instead.)

There were a few MIPS systems that were NT-compatible - the biggest maker of them was NEC: Old InfoWorld Ad.

I'm still trying to get my hands on a DEC Alpha system - then I'll have at least one of every architecture machine release versions of Windows can run on.

 

[weckart]

I'm still trying to get my hands on a DEC Alpha system - then I'll have at least one of every architecture machine release versions of Windows can run on.

Go for a Tadpole Alphabook 1, instead. Think of the kudos...

...but not your bank balance.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Go for a Tadpole Alphabook 1, instead. Think of the kudos...

...but not your bank balance.

Just like I'd love to have the Tadpole SparcBook... (I didn't even know they made an Alphabook!)

And the SGI laptop from Twister (which was sadly really just a "laptop-looking monitor and keyboard" connected to a desktop SGI Indy offscreen, pretending to be a real laptop.)