Packard Bell 486 DX2 66mhz

This is where I got my start. Purchased in 1994 for my mother to go back to school. It was promptly torn apart and reassembled many times including tears as I lost important files of her coursework. It did come with stereoscopic 3D glasses.

While old and outdated, this is where I got my start in technology and engineering. It stirred my curiosity at a time when the internet was used less for entertainment. It forced people to understand how-it-works.

Yes, there are benefits of today’s technology requiring only a power button: cellular networks, refined user interfaces, and a 3yo child can be entertained. However ask someone born after the year 2000:
“How does the internet work?” or
“How does your cell phone work?” or, taking a different angle,
“How does your car work?”

Young people have less desire to know how-it-works; partly because it works often without them understanding. One of my goals for our family and children is they develop a passion for learning and understanding how-it-works. Mechanical, electrical, and in life: going deeper in learning about cultures, faith, and that our family values equip them to be firm in their beliefs and in respecting others.

Packard Bell 486 DX2-66 Hardware:

  • Processor – 486DX2-66
  • Memory – 8MB
  • Hard Drive – 840MB
  • Graphics Chip – 1MB Video
  • Sound Card – Sound Blaster 16
  • Optical Drive – 2x CD-ROM
  • Floppy Drives – 1x 1.44MB 3.5″
  • Operating System – MS-DOS 6.0/Windows 3.11 for Workgroups
  • Modem – 28.8Kbps


I vividly recall installing Netscape Navigator and later the Netscape Communicator suite. Communicator included Composer which was an early WYSIWYG editor for creating web pages. It took hours to download Netscape Communicator which I believe was around 15MB.

Click the links; brings back memories!
Here were a few Packard Bell included software titles that are remembered fondly: