First post, by viper32cm
So it looks like my next door neighbor may be sitting on a cache of vintage hardware. I'm not sure of the specific date ranges, but he was 100% certain he had CRTs as well as systems going back to the 386-era and he mentioned systems through perhaps 2002. I think a lot of it is OEM stuff--he mentioned HP a few times and even mentioned he had a few old Macs. Further, it sounds like he or his wife may have systems going back into the early-80s or late-70s. I'm going to go to his house in the next few days to check everything out that he has here. He takes good care of his cars, lawn equipment, house, etc., so I expect the equipment will be well stored and not abused. However, it is stored in his basement, and I know I've had some humidity problems with my basement over the past few years.
That all said, I'm trying to think of a way to systematically go through everything and catalog what he has and assess its condition. I know I shouldn't just start plugging things in and seeing what turns on, and I'm very concerned about the condition of the batteries and capacitors. Further, I know almost nothing about old Mac hardware, so I want to be extra careful with that stuff, lest I fry a valuable system. Additionally, I'm assuming he has system and driver software to go with these computers, at least some of which should be on floppies. The preservationist in me immediately says I need to image it all.
I don't know what the endgame is for all of this stuff, which I suspect will largely depend on my estimation of the value of what he has. That said, I do not want him to throw any of it away, even if it is rather mundane equipment.
Any advice or thoughts as to what I should do and bring with me tool-wise would be greatly appreciated.