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---
title: IBM PS/2 Model 25
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1987'
cpus:
- Intel 8086
params:
name: PS/2 Model 25
image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_model25_1s.jpg
company: /companies/ibm
company_name: IBM
specs:
- label: NAME
value: PS/2 Model 25
- label: MANUFACTURER
value: IBM
- label: TYPE
value: Professional Computer
- label: ORIGIN
value: U.S.A.
- label: YEAR
value: august 1987
- label: END OF PRODUCTION
value: Unknown
- label: KEYBOARD
value: Full stroke keyboard, PS/2 type
- label: CPU
value: Intel 8086
- label: SPEED
value: 8 MHz
- label: CO-PROCESSOR
value: optional Intel 8087 (math co-processor)
- label: RAM
value: 512 KB, upgradable to 640 KB
- label: VRAM
value: Unknown
- label: ROM
value: Unknown
- label: TEXT MODES
value: Unknown
- label: GRAPHIC MODES
value: 'MCGA graphics : 640 x 480 in monochrome, 320 x 200 in 256 colours'
- label: COLORS
value: 262 144 colours palette
- label: SOUND
value: Internal PC buzzer
- label: SIZE / WEIGHT
value: Unknown
- label: I/O PORTS
value: Parallel port, 9pin serial port, 2 x ps/2 ports, 2 x internal expansion slots (8-bit)
- label: BUILT IN MEDIA
value: one or two 3.5'' floppy drives (720 KB each)
- label: OS
value: OS/2, DOS
- label: POWER SUPPLY
value: Built-in power supply
- label: PRICE
value: Unknown
tabs:
- photos
photos:
- title: MODEL 25
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_model25_1.jpg
- title: REAR
subtitle: ''
text: Thanks to Brandon for this picture
image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_ps2-m25_rear.jpg
- title: MOTHER BOARD
subtitle: ''
text: Thanks to Brandon for this picture
image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_ps2_m25_mobo.jpg
- title: PS/2 RUNNING WINDOWS 3.0
subtitle: ''
text: |-
Windows 3.0 running in high resolution with 16 shades of grey due to a VGA card installed.
Thanks to Brandon for this picture
image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_ps2_windows3_ss.jpg
comments:
- author: Peter Gaylord (USA)
date: Thursday 21st January 2021
text: I bought one of these in 1988. Mine had two floppy drives and no hard disk. It came with a copy of Windows 1.1 that was on three floppy disks. I normally used DOS, but did get it running on Windows to test it out. Only Word Perfect wouldn’t run on Windows. Called Word Perfect Tech Support to see if I could run it under Windows and they told me not to bother. Windows would never go anywhere they said. Just use DOS. Hilarious. A couple of years before Microsoft Word replaced Word Perfect as the most popular word processor and they went out of business. Ran “Quattro� as a spreadsheet program. $90 knock off of Lotus 1-2-3, before Excel took over. This machine cost about $2,000 in 1988 dollars!
- author: Chris S. (Illinois, USA)
date: Friday 21st August 2020
text: I \*suspect\* we had a setup of these in the early 90s at my elementary school in the Chicago suburbs. I always wondered what the mainframe setup was. It seemed like the computers themselves were used more like ANSI terminals to the mainframe than actually running software locally.
- author: Bob (USA)
date: Monday 21st October 2019
text: To Anthony in MISSOURI, I meant! (Sorry, I was still thinking about the wild card game the Brewers should have won!)
- author: Bob (USA)
date: Monday 21st October 2019
text: To Anthony B. in Wisconsin. I have an old IBM PS/2 model 25 with learning games, including "your" MATH BLASTER "Rocket Launcher." If you contact me at bdaniels30@excite.com I''ll provide more details and possibly help you obtain a PS/2. Do you also remember Word Munchers, Trash Zapper, and Number Recycler? Those were the days!
- author: Anthony B. (Missouri, USA)
date: Wednesday 4th September 2019
text: |-
Ah, nostalgia. This was the very first computer I ever learned on! When I was in Elementary School, we had a computer lab that were all these IBM machines. Granted, by this time, they were getting a little long in the tooth (It was the late 1990''s), but nonetheless, they were my first foray into Computers. I even have a picture my teacher took in my 2nd grade class of me by the computers.
I still remember the typing program we used, as well as the educational game where you would solve math problems to help the characters build a rocket ship, have it take off, and then land again.\
Can''t remember the name of the game though. I wonder if the school district still has a few in a forgotten corner of a warehouse somewhere?
- author: paul (usa)
date: Tuesday 23rd October 2018
text: There were a lot of field returns for these 2 mother boards. I was the bench tech that repaired them at north american philips in Tampa. The via''s in the boards were horrible. The most common cause of a mother board failure was a thru hole connection between layers. These would usually read about 6 ohms with a meter, but the signals would not pass. there was another common failure to of the post i think the code was 1165, it was the RTC. a port 80 card was very handy for trouble shooting
- author: Kris
date: Monday 5th June 2017
text: Can anyone out there tell me what ic''s I need to get to do I ram upgrade for my 8086 model 25. I have the parity ram in the slots but I''m missing the 6 chips that are located near the bios and rom
- author: Shawn
date: Sunday 28th February 2016
text: '@ larry you need a reference disk the internal battery died and it does not know it has a hard drive installed with out that reference disk you can down load them for free on the internet'
- author: Rob T.
date: Monday 7th September 2015
text: |-
@Larry (USA): Press Alt and then use the arrow keys to navigate to Exit if you are in QBASIC.
If you are in standard BASIC, type ''SYSTEM'' and press return (i think?).
- author: Rob T.
date: Monday 7th September 2015
text: |-
I have a Model 55 I recently picked up from Ebay and got working with 16 bit color 640x480 on Windows 3.1. Got a 12 GB ide HDD to work albeit only 2 GB available and got an Acer CDRW to work with some very off the wall Panasonic drivers.
Plans are to pick up an ISA Ethernet card and upgrade the CPU to a 86 MHz Pentium OverDrive and 128 MB RAM.
For those that aren''t aware, you can actually upgrade the VRAM for the Cirrus Logic video accelerator as well, these Model 55s were surprisingly robust compared to all the other models. Anyone needing advice or assistance with locating drivers (except sound) can email me if you''d like.
- author: Larry (usa)
date: Friday 5th June 2015
text: I have a model 25 that loads Basic at the end of it''s boot-up and I can not figure out how to close Basic and get to a DOS prompt. The unit has a hard-drive and a 3.5 floppy (720 or 1.44?) . Has anyone dealt with this issues?
- author: Chris (USA)
date: Saturday 27th December 2014
text: The model 25 also came in a 286 version with IDE AND there was ALSO a Model 25SX that came with a 386 processor, VGA and IDE. I have both the Model 25sx with 12 meg memory and 8 gig storage on compact flash with sound card and the Model 25 286 with a sound card and hard drive. Both of these are in the all in one design shown above and the 386 sx version is thought of to be very rare.
- author: rob (usa)
date: Sunday 5th October 2014
text: i recently saved one of these from the trash its a model 55sx but sadly the dallas clock battery is dead causing it to lose its cmos settings which requires a reference disk to fix i removed the old clock battery untill i could get a replacement but the computer shows no image on the screen with out it installed and i can no longer find the old one
- author: rob (usa)
date: Sunday 5th October 2014
text: i recently saved one of these from the trash its a model 55sx but sadly the dallas clock battery is dead causing it to lose its cmos settings which requires a reference disk to fix i removed the old clock battery untill i could get a replacement but the computer shows no image on the screen with out it installed and i can no longer find the old one
- author: rob (usa)
date: Sunday 5th October 2014
text: i recently saved one of these from the trash its a model 55sx but sadly the dallas clock battery is dead causing it to lose its cmos settings which requires a reference disk to fix i removed the old clock battery untill i could get a replacement but the computer shows no image on the screen with out it installed and i can no longer find the old one
- author: Lee (USA)
date: Thursday 25th September 2014
text: The school I have worked at for the last 16 years has a number of these that I have stored in a closet. Also Model 25SX $ Model 30/286''s and some others. I pulled this one out this week (9/2014) hoping to put it on display for the kids to see, plugged it in along with a matching IBM keyboard and it fired right up! Has a 20G Hard drive in it and came right up to the C:$ prompt. This is the way IBM used to build equipment!!
- author: Wyatt
date: Wednesday 18th June 2014
text: I saw one of these in a local electronics repair store today - it''s had the same image on it''s screen every day for the last year, which is sad - it''s probably badly burned in. But it was missing the classic keyboard - it had a HP keyboard in its place. Whoever sold the computer to them had decided wisely to keep the keyboard for himself. I have one of the keyboards too - the keyboard is great, but I would have liked to have the computer, to go with it.
- author: Karns (USA)
date: Tuesday 18th December 2012
text: I just got one of these cool little computers. I had one when i was a kid, but didn''t understand DOS at the time. It then had other issues with the monitor, and unfortunately it met it''s demise. The one i just got runs perfectly fine. though it needs a few cosmetic things like drive covers.. etc.
- author: Jeff
date: Wednesday 28th December 2011
text: This was the first computer I ever owned. I bought it used in 1990. I had the 001 type and I just loved it. Others have mentioned it was built like a tank, and I concur. I loved the curly cord from the keyboard to the unit$ great for moving around and getting comfortable. I really miss it$$there was something calming about its simplicity and friendly look.
- author: Fireb0y (Spain)
date: Wednesday 21st December 2011
text: These machines have the longest and toughest keyboards of all time, the MODEL-M IBM PS2 Keyboards. They are supposed to support by a million or more strokes, each key! Personally I have 2 of these, and work flawlessly even they have suffered moisture, almost all type of liquids, etc... They are so indestructible and reliable! And the typing is really a must, it''s a somewhat mechanical sense, that gives a special feel that no other keyboard can offer.
- author: Dave
date: Wednesday 28th September 2011
text: The PS/2 Model 25 if it is only an 8086 would not run OS/2. OS/2 required at least an 286 processor or later. This would have been a dos only machine.
- author: Tara (USA)
date: Wednesday 27th April 2011
text: Tough machines? I''ll say so. I just literally found one that had been sitting outdoors under a trailer for god knows how long- YEARS. and exposed to a small amount of snow, rain, weather, extreme cold etc.. I plugged it in and the damn thing worked! I think the floppy drive is frozen though, and I don''t have a keyboard for it, but it goes through the memory and then asks for a keyboard or something. They don''t make them like they used to!!!
- author: Mike (USA)
date: Friday 15th April 2011
text: |-
I have the Model thirty, 16 mb ram took from mac lc, 80 mb hd, windows 3.11 wfw dos 6.22, bunch of games, came from a school, 1993 is the yr, has the front bezel for volume up/down and 2 headphone ports. can add cd rom, or a big floppy drive, and it can run windows 95, thats the highest it can run, but forget 95, old dos games baby!! lol.\
saved it from someone that likes to destroy crap. i love old computers, i think sometimes they outlast these new ones.
- author: YO (US)
date: Monday 17th January 2011
text: Still have one of the later type 4 models, still works, had to replace the HD. Runs Win 1.4x w/color and Sound! Fancy.
- author: chichi (US)
date: Wednesday 12th January 2011
text: |-
still have a working one. 8086 processor... runs windows 1.x in mono.
Does have color, and floppy and a 20mb hard card.
- author: Markus (Germany)
date: Wednesday 4th August 2010
text: |-
Right, a PS/2 Model 25 (and they had an Intel 8086! check Wikipedia) was unable to run Win 3.1 because of the processor. Windows 3.0 was the last Windows to be compatible with the i8086.\
The PS/2 Model 25 and 30 came with PC-DOS 3.3, every other PS/2 came with OS/2, but the Model 50 was free to run DOS 3.3 also because OS/2 was finished a bit later.
- author: Roel Vossen (USA)
date: Tuesday 30th June 2009
text: I used to own one and I''m really sure it had a 286 processor.
- author: Leland (USA)
date: Tuesday 9th December 2008
text: |-
When I got ahold of this system years ago it had a 286 CPU socket but with some 3rd party 286 to 386 DX CPU. Also the system had a Kingston memory board with what looked like a 72pin stick of 4MB. Sadly I couldn''t get the system up and running due to no internet access to download the setup floppy and the IBM tech support were no help.
Also up to last year the local Publix used these systems as their Point of Sale system.
- author: PoopskinTheLiar (Za Warudo)
date: Sunday 7th December 2008
text: |-
Why is there no section for the PS/2 p70?!\
I have a p70, it''s a very well built machine, aside from the odd positioning of the floppy drive...
- author: Brandon
date: Monday 19th May 2008
text: |-
These machines can NOT run Windows 3.1. Only Windows 3.0.. (there is a big difference actually, different kernel, different running modes).
I tried to send old computers, pics of this machine, but they aren't responding. So here's links to pics I took. I got Win 3.0 running in high res with 16 shades of grey due to a VGA card I installed (some modding required). Also replaced the CPU with a V30, to get that VGA driver to even work, and for faster speeds.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/m25/1.jpg\
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/m25/2.jpg\
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/m25/3.jpg\
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/m25/4.jpg\
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/m25/5.jpg\
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/m25/6.jpg
And the quality of the CRT (my car picture): http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/car.jpg
- author: Ryan V. (USA)
date: Tuesday 23rd October 2007
text: I used to have one of these computers... Although I was very young... I remeber running windows 3.11 on it (Barley)... It also had a mouse and a hard drive cant remeber how big it was though I think 20mb or something like that....
- author: pip (AL)
date: Sunday 21st October 2007
text: did these machines come with os2 or dos
- author: David Whitcomb (USA)
date: Tuesday 18th September 2007
text: These machines were all over my elementary school while i was attending. throughout the time i was there, i saw the flexibility of these machines first hand, they went from OS/2 to some DOS SHELL, all the way up to Windows 3.1 Thinking back, i also recall this machine being one of the first to promote the TokenRing topology networking.
- author: Ed (Portland, OR, USA)
date: Wednesday 11th July 2007
text: 'Memory: We had these systems setup in highschool (Portland, OR) and were used as word processors, etc. I was able to get access to be able to do some BASIC programming and had fun. All proprietary PS/2 style hardrives, floppys (that I remember, etc). Was also used as an electronic "card catalog" in the library.'
- author: Robert Talada (USA)
date: Tuesday 19th June 2007
text: |-
If I remember correctly, this was my first computer, discarded from the elementry school in the early nineties. It came with a 486DX (running at I think 75 MHz) processor and it's sound card was wired directly to the system speaker in the front panel of the computer. It had an 800 MB HDD and a quad speed CD-ROM Drive. This leads me to believe that I had the Model 30. I remember installing windows 95 on it and my friend laughing at me when the "It is now safe to turn off your computer" screen popped up. Every other computer in 1996 had a "soft" controlled power supply.\
Furthermore, the computer supported 256 colors in 640x480 resolution. Windows 95 was so painfully slow, I downgraded it to Windows 3.11 workstation which put a lot less strain on the 32MB of RAM that I got for free from the library maintenance dept. mind you the 32 MB was MAXIMUM. 8MB per slot with four slots.
It eventually was trashed when I blew the proprietary power supply and found it could not be replaced.
It was my favorite PC
- author: Kia Purity (Kansas)
date: Sunday 22nd April 2007
text: |-
As there's no page for IBM/PS1. I thought this was IBM PS/1 at first (from the pictures) until I read closely and it said PS/2.
As it turns out that I guess that IBM had two versions of this machine and they didn't look all that different either. I have decent pictures of the PS/1 system which I no longer have.
However, I do have documentation for PS/1 from 1990... which indicates that PS/1 is younger than PS/2.
- author: Aaron (Boston)
date: Saturday 10th February 2007
text: I don't think that the 8086-based version of the Model 25 was able to run OS/2--it was a strictly DOS machine. I do not know if there as ever an 80286-based version. The IBM Model 30 also came in an 8086 form, and then, later, an 80286 (The Model 30-286) which could presumably run OS/2. OS/2 was an operating system designed specifically for the 80286 (and better) chips, because it was multitasking and could take advantage of the extended memory and capabilities that the 286 offered and that the 8086 could not offer.
- author: D. Allen Mays (USA)
date: Wednesday 24th January 2007
text: My Ibm Model 25 came straight off the showroom floor in 1987 with dual 1.44meg floppies, Dos 3.0, 2 button mouse, and an analog joystick. I had microsoft flight simulator, Ikari warriors, Thexder, and Pc paintbrush
- author: Darrick Burch (USA)
date: Sunday 14th January 2007
text: |-
I fondly remember using these machines in elementary school. They had no local storage apart from the built-in floppy drives. Instead, the machines would boot staright into our school's token ring network. Our network ran NetWare 3.12 and supported an IBM-built application called ICLAS (IBM Classroom LAN Administration System) that allowed teachers and the network administrator to control what applications and printers were available to students. Quite a spiffy system, really...
I seem to recall that the 320x200 MCGA mode was more or less compatible with VGA; I snuck in a few games on floppies that would use this mode. Some Sierra On-Line games would also support the MCGA mode, but they often only used 16 colors, probably as a workaround for the EGA mode that this machine does not support.
This isn't the only "all in one" system from IBM. IBM released several similar machines under the EduQuest name, though they were a little bigger physically. For one, the EduQuest machines had a full 14" display (I can't recall the Model 25's screen being any bigger than 12-13"). Oh, and those machines offered 386 and 486 processors, HDD and CD-ROM drives, and built-in ROM DOS, but I digress...
- author: Andrew Bellows (Earth)
date: Friday 8th December 2006
text: I recieved one of these second hand from a private high school. It ran well for what I did with it (mainly text editing and Sid Meyer's Civilization in 256 color VGA mode). I had it running the 30MB HDD from the IBM 30 for a while until it inexplicably stopped functioning. It was tricky but I also had it using an Intel 8/16 Ethernet adapter to connect to my home network. The entire machine was functioning still with 2 3.5" 720k floppy drives the last I saw of it. Mine also had a headphone out port on the rear.
oc_id: 1183
source:
url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608093550/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1183
date: '2023-06-08'
---
IBM was struggling in 1986 against Apple's Macintosh series, so IBM set out to create something that would defeat the Macintosh. IBM came up with a all-in-one similar to the Macintosh. However, the Model 25 & 30 were the low-end (budget) models of the PS/2 range.
The PS/2 Model 25 became quite popular with businesses, but never made it strong with the home market.
The PS/2 Model 25 & 30 were the only system using the MCGA (Multicolor Graphics Adapter) standard. They came with this video features built-in. MCGA offered all text and graphic modes of the CGA standard plus 640x480 monochrome and 320x200, 256 colors (out of a palette of 262,144). It announced the future VGA standard which will become much more popular.
Model 25 & 30 were also the only PS/2 systems using an 8-bit ISA bus (like PC ATs), as opposed to other PS/2 models which used a 16 or 32 bit MCA bus.
Thanks to **Alex Rushing** for info and picture
Further information from **Brandon**:\
The model 25 came in two models, a monochrome model, and a color model. The monochrome model usually is called "Type 001", the color one being "Type 004".. There never was a type 002, or 003.\
The motherboard for the color and black and white models are exactly the same, minus some revisions on the later years. They were always surface mounted though (most of the chips anyway).\
They are a tough machine, though when you install one in a new room, it NEEDS to let sit in the room for a couple hours, otherwise the power supply/motherboard will die.\
While the floppy drives were 720KB, they "could" use 1.44MB drives, as long as the interface was the same.\
They contain TWO BIOS's in them. One called the CBIOS, and the other called the ABIOS.. CBIOS is "Compatible BIOS", and is used for DOS or Windows 3.0 and under... ABIOS, or "Advanced BIOS", is used when it runs OS/2.. OS/2 is the native OS to this unit. They also had an option for a hard drive.
<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>