Posted on July 16, 2021
Compaq LTE 5380
With the LTE line, Compaq was among the first to offer portable computers with the base dimension of a paper sheet, coining the new term “Notebook” to describe smaller, less bulkier Laptops.
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Historic Overview
The Compaq LTE series lasted over a period of 8 years, from 1989 until 1997. The 5000 series lineup hit the market in 1996, just few months after the Windows 95 debut.
The 5000 series continued the LTE series evolution. With screen sizes from 10.4″ to 12.1″ and resolutions up to 1024×768 on the 12.1″, Pentium CPU ranging between 75 and 150 MHz clock speed, and the capability to equip up to 80 MiB of RAM, the machines were truly at the height of their time.
Using the docking station, the LTE 5000 could easily be used as a desktop replacement. It features a modular front bay, that could accomodate both a 3.5″ floppy and a CD-ROM drive, bringing full flexibility. A handy feature is, that the hard disk tray is easily accessible from the front, allow for quick swapping of harddrives.
One noticeable issue the 5000 series was known for was the long POST delay, that was imminent with the latest 7.32 BIOS version. Systems running the earlier 7.20 BIOS version didn’t expose this particular problem.
Specs
The PHINTAGE Collection currently holds a Compaq LTE 5380.
| Vendor | Compaq Computer Corporation |
| Model | LTE 5380 |
| Released | 1997 |
| Original Streetprice | unknown, guestimated around 4000-5000 US$ |
| Weight | TBD |
| Dimensions | 30.8 x 23 x 5 cm |
| Builtin Display | yes, 12.1″ TFT |
| Builtin Battery | yes, 2.2Ah |
| CPU | Intel Pentium @133 MHz |
| RAM | 32 MiB |
| Storage | – 4 GiB PATA HDD (replace the original 1.2 GB HDD) |
| Network Support | optional (via PCMCIA), infrared serial |
| USB | no |
| Video Output | 1 VGA |
| Other | 1 RS232, 1 Parallel Port, 1 PS/2, 1 Docking Connector |
| Operating System | Windows 95 (OSR2.0) |
| Overall Condition | – working condition – casing in good condition, some yellowing – battery worn down – Trackpoint needs a new cap – issue with non-functional speakers |
| Restoration Parts needed |
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Gallery
Coming soon.
Downloads
Here’s a list of SoftPaqs providing you with the necessary drivers and tools in order to fully operate this machine.
The original files are located at ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/.
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