Compaq Portable II
Announced:February 1986
Price:US$3499 - $4999
Weight:26 pounds
CPU:Intel 80286 @ 6 or 8MHz
RAM:256K - 640K
Storage:One 360K 5.25-inch disk drive
10Meg or 20Meg hard drive
Display:internal 9-inch monitor
monochrome, 80 X 25 text
Ports:1 parallel, 1 serial, 1 CGA.
OS:MS-DOS 3.2



Portable I (1982)Portable II (1986)


The Compaq Portable II is a smaller and lighter upgrade of their popular Portable I, with a faster CPU, and an integrated hard drive data storage system.

There are actually four different models of the Portable II:
  • Model 1 - $3499 - 256K RAM, 1 floppy drive
  • Model 2 - $3599 - 256K RAM, 2 floppy drives
  • Model 3 - $4799 - 640K RAM, 1 floppy drive, 1 10Meg hard drive
  • Model 4 - $4999 - 640K RAM, 1 floppy drive, 1 20Meg hard drive

    • It is called a portable computer, but there are no batteries, you still have to plug it into the 110VAC power outlet. It is probably better described as self-contained - most people call them 'luggables'.

    The Portable II is capable of switching between 6 and 8 MHz with a <Ctrl><Alt><\> hot key combination. If you hear *one* beep when it boots up, it is running at 6 MHz; if *two* beeps, then 8 MHz.


    History of the Compaq Computer Corporation

    • 1982: February - Compaq Computer Corporation is founded by Rod Canion, Jim Harris, and Bill Murto, all former senior managers of Texas Instruments who were unhappy with how TI was running its computer business and they thought they could do a better job.
    • 1982: November - Compaq Computer introduces the Compaq Portable PC.
    • 1983: March - Compaq Computer begins shipping the Compaq Portable PC.
    • 1983: October - Compaq Computer introduces the Portable Plus.
    • 1983: December - Compaq Computer makes its first public stock offering, raising US$67 million.
    • 1986: February - Compaq Computer introduces the Compaq Portable II.
    • 1986: April - Compaq Computer joins the Fortune 500 list faster than any company in history.
    • 1986: April - Compaq Computer ships its 500,000th personal computer.
    • 1986: September - Compaq Computer introduces the first 16-MHz Intel 80386-based PC, the Compaq Deskpro 386.
    • 1987: October - Compaq Computer introduces the Compaq Deskpro 386/20.
    • 1987: October - Compaq Computer introduces the 20-MHz Compaq Portable 386.
    • 1987: November - Compaq Computer makes its 1 millionth personal computer.
    • 1988: February - Compaq Computer reports sales for the year reach US$1.2 billion, setting the record as the fastest company to reach that mark.
      Source: Chronology of Events in the History of Microcomputers



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