It seems like just yesterday that you couldn’t do anything on a computer without installing drivers via floppy disk, and the sound of a dial-up modem was the unofficial soundtrack of Internet connections worldwide. Let's reminisce about what IT professionals (and others) faced in the 1990s and early 2000s. Brace yourself for an attack of nostalgia.
Be warned: if you were born after 2000, a lot of this may come as a surprise to you =)
Installed drivers via floppy disk or CD
After assembling a new computer or reinstalling the Windows operating system, device icons with exclamation marks would appear on the screen. This signified that the OS couldn't find some drivers you needed for everything from video sound cards to your mouse or keyboard. You had to find the floppy disks or CDs that came with the hardware and install the drivers from them. And if the floppy disk or CD was lost or damaged, you had to figure out how to transfer the drivers from another computer.
We shared data using floppy disks or USB sticks
3.5-inch floppy disks were the primary storage medium in the 1990s–2000s. They had a capacity of 1.44 MB, so even a basic presentation or text document could take up several floppy disks. Moreover, the files often got corrupted thanks to physical damage. Every time you tried to load them, it was a roll of the dice whether it would work or not.
Then, USB flash drives appeared. Flash drives for 64 or 128 MB were considered a luxury. In 2005, a 128 MB USB drive cost $20 to $30 in the US.
Your computer connected to the Internet via Dial-up
Here’s how it worked – the modem was connected to a telephone line with a standard telephone cable. The modem was either external, connected via a COM port or USB, or built into a computer. The phone line could be used either for the Internet or for calls but not at the same time.
The sound of a dial-up connection definitely became a Pavlovian trigger in that era =)
The pure delight brought by the phrase, “Hello, World!”
Outputting the phrase “Hello, World!” is traditionally the first task you take on in any programming language. Outputting “Hello, World!” in the console or Visual Basic meant that your code worked.
Programming in Visual Basic
Visual Basic is a powerful environment for creating Windows applications. Visual programming made this kind of work accessible even for beginners. You could simply drag and drop the interface elements with your mouse. Beginners were thrilled when a button worked after writing just a line of code.
We configured TCP/IP manually
There was no DHCP. We configured IP addresses for all the computers on the network, the gateways, and DNS. If everything worked first try, you were not just a sysadmin, but practically a god.
Installing Windows NT 4.0
Windows NT 4.0 was an operating system for serious work – for servers, workstations, and corporate computers – don’t try this at home.
Correcting QBasic and Autoexec.bat
You’d never be considered a real sysadmin if you didn't know how to correct autoexec.bat or config.sys to make an old computer work like a well-oiled machine. And if you knew how to write small programs in QBasic, you’d be sure to enjoy the respect of your colleagues.
Connecting to routers via Telnet
Real admins connected to routers via Telnet, without any graphical interface. Just a black screen and a few commands – keeping it real.
It seems like this all happened a century ago. What aspects from the history of IT make you feel nostalgic? Let us know in the comments what points above made you relive your youth! 👇