Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: epx on May 22, 2011, 05:16:49 PM
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Well, I am not 100% new, I used to mess around on my friends A500 back in the day. A few years ago, I was given an A2000. The other day, I cleared the dust off and powered it on. Everything seems to be working. It has what looks like a ram card and maybe an accelerator card.
My question is, what to do now? I doesn't have a NIC, is that something I can find on ebay? Mostly I just want to play the old games. The system I was given came with a ton of old games we used to play.
Would any linux run on it? just wondering what sort of tinkering I can do.
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Welcome back! You should have a peek into the computer and see what kind of accelerator and its speed is in the Fast Slot. Probably a GVP 030 combo card would be my guess. NIC cards are available and pop up on eBay once in a while. For a list of various peripherals, the BBOAH is a great place to start:
http://www.amiga-hardware.com
Does your systems have a hard drive? If its got an 030 and a hard drive, check around the net for something called WHDLoad.
Unix is available also for the Amiga - but might be a pain to install and probably not worth putzing around with unless you're really into that sort of thing.
Do you know what version of AmigaOS you're running by chance? 1.3, 2.1 and 3.1 are typical in old A2000's systems. If all you want to do is play games off of floppy, 1.3 will be good enough. 2.1 is pretty much a waste of time but you can do lots with 3.1. Upgrading the OS on an old Amiga would probably be the first thing I'd tackle if you're wanting to do more than just play games...
(forgot about the battery, great advice Scuzzb494!!)
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First thing to check is whether there is a barrell battery and if it is leaking.
http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz109.htm
Networking isn't that much a problem really if you just want to play games.
Check card for any details. And post again with what you see. Don't mess around too much though if things are working. Take photographs of the whole set up before you do anything.
What does it say on the screen regarding workbench kickstart and memory. And is it twin or single floppy ? Do they work OK ?
Has it got cork feet ?
And has it got a hard drive ?
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There is Linux available for the Amiga, (http://www.linux-m68k.org/debian-amiga.html) but you'll need at least a 68020 accelerator to run it (and I'm going to hazard a guess that X will be a lot more usable if you have an RTG card of some sort, though I've never tried it.) Probably not worth the trouble if you aren't really into Linux - the Amiga's native OS is much better-suited for its capabilities.
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Amiga 2000 naked....
http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz276.htm
Amiga 2000 HD with the single floppy.
http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz181.htm
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Yeah it has a hard drive and boots into something. I'll take a look when I get home to see if the cards have some sort of manufactor/model number on them. It was given to me with a bit of stuff, there is also an additional card it came with that isn't plugged in. I would have poked around a little more, just forgot to grab the keyboard and mouse before I powered it on :)
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Well, I am not 100% new, I used to mess around on my friends A500 back in the day. A few years ago, I was given an A2000. The other day, I cleared the dust off and powered it on. Everything seems to be working. It has what looks like a ram card and maybe an accelerator card.
My question is, what to do now? I doesn't have a NIC, is that something I can find on ebay? Mostly I just want to play the old games. The system I was given came with a ton of old games we used to play.
Would any linux run on it? just wondering what sort of tinkering I can do.
Welcome to Amiga.org.
Congrats on deciding to start playing with your A2000 gift now, after having it for a while, Amigas are like that. They can sit for years in a closet or attic and then somehow tempt the owner to get them out again and turn them on.
If all you are interested in is playing old games, you probably don't need a NIC for it, but it wouldn't hurt, as then you could connect it to other computers you own which are faster and better at downloading things from the Internet, and you could then transfer the files to your Amiga via your local network, instead of using "Sneaker Net" and floppy disks, or some other method to transfer the downloaded files.
eBay is not the best source for buying Amiga gear anymore, as there seem to be several delusional sellers there now that are charging outrageous prices for items. Sometimes 2 to 3 times the amount an items would have cost new back in the late 1980's to early 1990's. You can find better prices (sometimes) at AmiBay, or if you are lucky, you can find gear & software at local thrift stores and garage sales, but those sources are becoming more rare.
I doubt you will enjoy trying to run Linux, or Unix on your A2000, but other "tinkering" is the Amiga's middle name.
Have fun and let us know how your experience develops.
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Welcome epx!
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Welcome.
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Ok took a look at the system yesterday. Has 2 cards plugged in, one has a scsi cable plugged into it, couldn't see any manufacture or model number. The other is a memory board with 8mb worth of simms on it. The card not plugged in is a pc card, barely looks like it was ever used. I also has an A520, Perfect Sound, DigiView and Color Splitter. Not sure what they used it all for.
I will have to find a video card that will let me use a flatscreen. Any suggestions?