New Amiga Owner Wants Opinions

[jasongins]

I never had an Amiga - my parents wouldn't upgrade me from my C64 at the time. They got a PC, so that was the direction I wound up going. I got a used Amiga 500 a while back, but I think the floppy drive or power supply/connector may be flakey.  Floppy drive operation is very inconsistant and sometimes improved by lifting up on the power supply connector while it is plugged in the unit.

Anyway, on to my question:

I recently aquired an Amiga 500 new-in-box refurb.  My original thought when I ordered it was to use it.  I was hoping to see what I missed. Anyway, the unit has arrived, and I got the feeling upon examining it that maybe I shouldn't disturb it. Everything is sealed, packed, and mint. The question I have is this: Would it be "wrong" to unpack it, open the manuals and disks, and start using it? Does keeping it packed and stored do more forAmiga 500 preservation than becoming a user? What do you think?

[jasongins]

I should probably investigate the floppy drive issue further. Do the newer HD floppies work properly in the older drives? It seemed the unit had difficulty duplicating disks (the duplicates didn't work upon completion), and the drive seemed to have difficulty mounting disks. Jiggling the power connector seemed to promote drive activity, but I can't say it made any real improvement. Any suggestions?

[jasongins]

The box itself isn't sealed, but the mouse is in bubble wrap, all the documentation is sealed except for the Amiga Basic book, and the A500 itself has some kind of foam wrap on it. Are the boxes normally sealed in plastic when new?