I think it must be a recurring dream for (almost) all computer enthusiasts: a warehouse full of hardware. Take what you need. If you enjoy retro systems, the truth is that such a place would be even more spectacular, full of components that are now almost impossible to obtain. Clint from the LGR channel had a unique opportunity: visited an old store called Computer Reset in Dallas, with a 3,500-square-meter warehouse full to the ceiling of old hardware and software still in their original boxes.
Playing with retro hardware is a very satisfying experience... until a critical component fails. We do everything in our power to repair the damage, but sometimes luck runs out, and the system ends up collecting dust in a corner. That's how the painful online search begins, hoping that someone will offer what we need at a reasonable price. In most cases, that doesn't happen.
Our minds wander to forgotten depots and warehouses lost in time, where computers from the '80s and '90s wait in their original boxes, official spare parts ready to be installed, and classic programs with their seals intact. The LGR channel already gave us a taste of that in the past when it opened an IBM 5170 after 29 years. But this time... this time he hit the jackpot:
Computer Reset: The Retro Paradise
Long story short, because the video is basically a documentary: Clint from the LGR channel received information from David (The 8-Bit Guy) about a “small” used hardware store called Computer Reset in Dallas. Another youtuber (Texas Nerd House) offered to find some things for his IBM laptop, and in less than 48 hours he got everything. However, several problems arose, starting with the deterioration of the owner's health, and the store itself on the verge of collapse.
In one of the last communications, Clint received the notice: the store was going to close permanently, the entire place would be demolished (with hardware and software destined for the landfill) and he only had three days to travel to Dallas and visit it. Even with a half-broken ankle, Clint got on the plane, traveled there, and found the store... closed. There he discovered that the story was even more complicated. The owner's family wasn't so agreeable with those sporadic visits, especially when strange people started appearing at the front, taking photos.
Fortunately, the whole situation came to a good end, the necessary permissions were negotiated, and now entry to Computer Reset is carried out in very small groups coordinated via Facebook. To be honest, the front of the store falls into the category of hoarding, and it's evident that at some point things got out of control. Many of the computers there were sent to be repaired and never picked up. Boxes, and boxes, and more boxes of sealed software cover the shelves, special areas for laptops and monitors... nightmare and paradise at the same time.
But the warehouse surpasses everything. It's like the final scene of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, only full of hardware and software. Clint found incredible components there, like original Hercules cards dating back to the early '80s, piles of IBM PC Jr. (someone bet very hard on that platform and lost), Compaqs, Macs, Tandys, old keyboards (oh, the Model M's there, sir!), clones, chips... the list goes on.
Clint only rescued a handful of things: an original 30-megabyte disk for the IBM PS/2, some cards, a copy of Lemmings, a lid for his IBM laptop, several programs (including original and sealed copies of Windows and OS/2), a Compaq portable computer, and what appears to be a development kit based on a PC Jr. belonging to Sierra On-Line. There will surely be more news about it, and if this almost hour-long video isn't enough for you, it's enough to search for Computer Reset on YouTube.
