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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: AticAtac on July 07, 2003, 07:29:53 PM

Title: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: AticAtac on July 07, 2003, 07:29:53 PM: Hi,Always faniced an Amiga...anyway managed to get a A600 at car boot at weekend! Problem!!!
NO instructions!! Machine just boots up with a disk drive animation an doesn't seem to do anything else!!
Please Help!!!! never having owned one before i don't have a clue!!
Title: Re: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: Etho on July 07, 2003, 07:34:15 PM: If you you want to load up workbench you need to have the Workbech disks. It should be labelled Workbench 2.05, if you insert this it loads up the Workbench desktop. This is the same procedure for games aswell just insert the disk. It sounds like it doesn't have a Harddrive in it so you'll be running all your software from floppies I'm afraid. Anyway hope you have fun!

BTW, how much did it cost you?
Title: Re: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: AticAtac on July 07, 2003, 07:38:18 PM: Cheers! There is 1 disk that says workbench 2.05 when i insert the disk it starts to load and then just comes back to the disk animation again.
Is the drive knackered??? same with any games too!!

£5 btw
Title: Re: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: Etho on July 07, 2003, 07:41:40 PM: Does the machine reset itself or does the drive light just flash for a second? I had a problem on my 200 a while ago where the floppy cable had come off from the drive alittle, so the drive flahed for a moment then just went back to the insert floppy image.
Title: Re: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: AticAtac on July 07, 2003, 07:44:41 PM: The light comes on for 3-4 secs and then goes back to the animation.
I'll have a quick look inside..............
Title: Re: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: Dietmar on July 07, 2003, 07:47:50 PM: Quote
Is the drive knackered??? same with any games too!!

Or the disks you are using might just be defective, magnetic media often become unreadable after some years. As to the drive, those like to collect dust at exactly the wrong places (the heads). If you have the patience, take it apart and clean out the dust. However, your error description does not sound like an unreadable disk, AmigaOS normally tries to saw those into pieces (well, that is what it sounds like anyway). That said, cleaning won't do no harm :-)
Title: Re: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: The_Editor on July 07, 2003, 08:06:10 PM: It might just be Workbench "Extras" disk !! (or the like)

In which case the floppy wont have an Install boot sector.

Try a game.
Title: Re: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: AticAtac on July 07, 2003, 08:07:51 PM: Its not looking good!,I have checked the internal connections which are ok. The disk sounds like it starts to load then resorts back to the disk screen.
I'll have a go at cleaning the drive. I can't believe all the disks (100+) are knackered!!
Title: Re: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: AticAtac on July 07, 2003, 08:39:58 PM: Yes I think the drive has gone. Any suggestions anybody???
Title: Re: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: 4pLaY on July 07, 2003, 08:42:47 PM: Depends on how dead it is but if your in no position to repair it the only option is to buy a new one! then again it would perhaps be cheaper to buy just another used A600 and use this one for parts! it also depends on wich country your from as it depends from country to country what the prices and availability is for parts/cheap machines.
Title: Re: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: amigamad on July 07, 2003, 09:44:41 PM: I have an a600 here if the drive works in it ill have to test it and your in the uk maybe i can take it out of the the a600 i have and send it to you for nothing ill check it tommorow to see if it works . :-D
Title: Re: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: Markus_Bieler on July 07, 2003, 11:57:55 PM: Quote
[color=CC0000]Is the drive knackered??? same with any games too!![/color]

You cold try this.

Press CTRL A-left and A-right at the same time (reset) and right after that both mousebuttons.
Now you sold bee in the bootmenu.
Chose booting without startup-sequence.

Now enter at the promt:

[color=00CC00]df0:c/dir df0:[/color]

What do you get?
Title: Re: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: Tenacious on July 08, 2003, 06:06:58 AM: You could try cleaning the drive with a cleaner disk, the kind you squirt a little isopropyl alchohol into. This has brought a few drives back to life for me.
The A600 was an under estimated machine. It's easy to add 2.5" IDE (laptop) hard drive, the interface is already there. Commodore left the drive light pin out of the connector on some units, but, it's easy enough to add another one. Together with a 2Meg fast ram expansion, I used an A600 to surf the web when I first got online. It's amazing how much the old machines can keep up with modern trends.
Title: Re: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: Agafaster on July 08, 2003, 11:28:21 AM: I had a MacIIci given to me about 5 years ago, cos the floppy was knackered. I took the thing apart, had the floppy out of it, and used the hoover (yes you heard me right!) VERY carefully to suck out all the dust and crud that had gathered. worked a treat after that - I was even able to upgrade the OS to 7.5.3.

if you cant get it working (even after the Isopropyl treatment mentioned earlier) you could either try eBay, or one of Eyetech, Power Computing or Analogic .

Nice nick by the way ! which character did you prefer ? :-D
Title: Re: Have I bought a dead duck?
Post by: AticAtac on July 08, 2003, 09:40:14 PM: Well,thanks everyone for all your help....Ive cleaned out the drive & still nothing. When I get a minute I will have another play around!!!!

Btw

My favourite character was the Serf...........oh how life imitates art! :-D