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Author Topic: Amiga 500 intermittently reboots for no reason!  (Read 9250 times)

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Offline meega

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Re: alternative explanation
« on: December 21, 2007, 11:11:34 AM »
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circlip wrote:
I've never received so much help from a forum before

You've been going to the wrong forums then! :lol:
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Offline meega

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Re: alternative explanation
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2007, 12:13:46 PM »
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The led colours on the keyboard are: power=orange, floppy=greenish


That sounds like an A500+ ... (or I suppose it might be a late A500, I can't recall which way round they are on my 500+, are they the right way round?). What colour is the boot screen when there is no floppy in the drive, what version Kickstart is it?

Ed: ok, you're running it into some green-screen monitor (as you said in another thread), so what does the boot screen tell you...
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Offline meega

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Re: alternative explanation
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2007, 01:35:17 PM »
There is a difference between Kickstart and Workbench, an A500Plus will also boot into 1.3 and give the blue Workbench display if you put a 1.3 system disk in the floppy drive. Try removing the floppy, and give it the three-fingered salute (Ctrl+Amiga+Amiga) and tell us what it shows then.

(But you should know if it's an A500Plus, because it says that on the badge on top of the case.)

And further eds: I might just be wasting your time, you might well be entirely correct. The keyboard looks like either an A500 or else a US layout, A500Plus uses the International keyboard with a different Return key.

Also, apologies if I'm getting this wrapped around the wrong way... Rereading your posts makes me think it is indeed an A500.
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Offline meega

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Re: alternative explanation
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2007, 03:00:21 PM »
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circlip wrote:
Hi meega,

Well, I don't have workbench yet...

But basically it asks for WorkBench 1.3... white screen, blue coloured disk icon. There is no "Plus" badge anywhere.

Yep, I believe it's an A500. You were quite correct - but I seem to remember a big red LED, on early ones at least...

When you get the Workbench disk, make sure you get the Extras disk that goes with it as well - and enjoy the font editor  ;-) I think it's just the two disks that you need (but there are one or two others with some versions). Also, you probably won't need them for a lot of games - they often just use the ROM.

When you get your system disks, COPY THEM and use the copies for everything. Never work with the original disks - make them write-protected and leave them that way. The originals are your source disks, make as many copies as you require for your own needs.
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Offline meega

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Re: alternative explanation
« Reply #4 on: December 21, 2007, 05:02:22 PM »
The major risk to a disk is if the machine is actively writing to it (not just reading) when it resets or loses power. That can corrupt the data on the disk, which is why you should never use the original disks as anything other than sources to clone for everyday use. Recovering data from a corrupted disk can be done, with varying degrees of success. Diskdoctor might manage it. Transfer anything you do manage to recover onto a fresh disk. If a disk is corrupt, a reformat will normally allow you to carry on using it. As long as there are no hard errors, it should take and hold a format.

When ejecting a disk, make sure it comes out swiftly and smoothly - sometimes your finger can slip, and the thing gets stuck halfway or pops back in... again there is a risk of physical damage to the floppy surface, but it is quite a slight risk. A good firm press on the button should make the drive eject cleanly. Amiga floppies are amazingly durable, and you should experience few problems. Do beware of hairs trapped in the mechanisms (pet owners), and try to avoid very dusty atmospheres with fans blowing dirt onto the machine.

Ed: as you are in Oz, look out for spiders. :-)
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Offline meega

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Re: alternative explanation
« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2007, 05:37:41 PM »
Just don't kill the power, press eject, or reboot when the disk is spinning - if it's working at all then let it finish.

Ed: except of course you are allowed to reboot if you know for a fact that it is only reading and not writing.
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Offline meega

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Re: alternative explanation
« Reply #6 on: December 22, 2007, 10:47:35 AM »
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circlip wrote:

ED: meega, I found a little yellow sticker that fell out when I opened the A500 up again. it said "A500 P" and then a serial number. What's the difference between an A500 and A500+ ?

The ROMS, the custom chips, and the keyboard itself. That's about it. It allows more chip RAM (1MB standard, and another 1MB can go in the trapdoor), and offers some more video output modes from the Enhanced Chip Set (ECS). Does the A500 have a battery-backed real-time clock as standard? A500+ does. It also uses Kickstart/Workbench 2 (ROM and disks), and is mostly backward compatible for software - especially if the programmers actually followed the rules.
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Offline meega

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Re: alternative explanation
« Reply #7 on: December 22, 2007, 11:13:20 AM »
Is that it in your avatar?
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