Noob with an A500

[Naton]

Hi there, I hope you guys don't mind some really newbie questions, since I guess most Amiga users these days atleast recall the basics.. However I just bought my first Amiga. I used my dad's one as a kid, and when I saw one at a recent gaming exhibit I had to get one. It's a second hand A500 and I'm really excited about it, but I don't really know what to do with it.
Some of my problems are software related sorry for putting them here but I didn't want to start two threads
Firstly, before I even turn it on, I'd like to clean it, open her up and get any dust out, and to check for any problems like battry leakage which I head can happen. I'm a little worried about doing this so if there are any tips you can give to prevent me breaking the thing in the process that would be great
I'd also like to 'reformat' it, if that's the right word for this kind of thing, reset it to its original state, you know :roll:
It also came without any software, as far as I know it already has an OS installed, but no kick start disk or anything, and I don't know which OS version is most suitable for this machine.. Would appreciate advice :-D
Lastly, if there are any hardware addons you think are worth getting I'd like to hear them! The more bits and pieces the better (it came with a 512k ram expander installed)

Sorry if any of these questions seem stupid or a bit much, but thanks for any help you can give, eager to explore what this ol' computer can do :-D

[bloodline]

You are going to need a "Workbench Disk" at least... all software is on floppy disks... try and hunt some down... there is nothing installed on the machine.

Turn it on, and a white screen with a hand holding a blue floppy disk will appear.. that is your cue to insert either the Workbench disk or a game.

[Xamiche]

Well, since the A500 doesn't have a battery you don't have to worry about leakage. However, some 512KB RAM expansions have a battery on them, so you might need to watch for leakage there. Buy yourself a can of air and give it a good clean out. Though try not to breath it in. It is an aerosol after all.

All you need to fire up the OS is a Workbench 1.3 disk. Assuming you don't have a later ROM installed. As far as resetting it to it's original state, it pretty much already is. There's no internal harddisk that needs reformatting, or any flash memory that needs resetting. You just need a WB1.3 disk or whatever games you have and you're set.

Expansion-wise, I'd definitely be looking to upgrade the kick ROM to version 3.1. Though some older software may not be compatible. A ROM switcher can solve that, so you can switch back and forth between the ROMs. A hard disk expansion is a good thing to have, for obvious reasons. The A590 was a good HD expansion.

[madsjm]

@Xamiche: I don't think you should recommend upgrading the kick rom to version 3.1 without knowing what he wants to use his A500 for.

If he for example intends to use it mainly for classic games, he should definitely stick with the old kickstart version. In that scenario, upgrading to 3.1 would mostly be a waste of time and money. In fact, it would just get him into a lot of compatibility troubles.

Who uses a (vanilla) A500 for newer apps anyway? :-)

[Naton]

Thanks, this is all enlightening :-D
I cracked the front of it open (those weird shaped screwes required some unconventional tools to get out) and while the dust clogged keys were bad enough, there's actually a dead spider that's made a small web on one of the chips in the top right.. It's only a little one but it scared the crap out of me!
(If it's still working) I think I will look into a hard drive (mainly because it looks cool plugged into the side of it like that ;-)) but is Workbench 1.x or 2.x more suitable do you think? I mainly intend to play old games like Agony and some of the other programs.

[Fingers]

Maybe if he shows his location some friendly person will be willing to teach him some basics, throw him some disks, etc?

*Disclaimer* - This is my first post here...I'm not him phishing for help...LOL :lol:

PZ.

[bloodline]

Naton wrote:
Thanks, this is all enlightening :-D
I cracked the front of it open (those weird shaped screwes required some uncontentional tools to get out) and while the dust clogged keys were bad enough, there's actually a dead spider that's made a small web on one of the chips in the top right.. It's only a little one but it scared the crap out of me!
(If it's still working) I think I will look into a hard drive (mainly because it looks cool plugged into the side of it like that ;-)) but is Workbench 1.x or 2.x more suitable do you think? I mainly intend to play old games like Agony and some of the other programs.

http://www.amiga-hardware.com is good for internal pics etc...

With an A500... it's really best to leave it in stock condition... and use an Emu if you really need to use more modern software :-)

[Xamiche]

madsjm wrote:
@Xamiche: I don't think you should recommend upgrading the kick rom to version 3.1 without knowing what he wants to use his A500 for.

If he for example intends to use it mainly for classic games, he should definitely stick with the old kickstart version. In that scenario, upgrading to 3.1 would mostly be a waste of time and money. In fact, it would just get him into a lot of compatibility troubles.

Who uses a (vanilla) A500 for newer apps anyway? :-)

Which is why I suggested a ROM switcher. Plus it gives him access to WB3.1. It's exactly what I've done with my 500 and I've never regretted it. I not only recommend it, it's the best thing I ever did for my old beasty. Of course if you can't find a ROM switcher you might have trouble.

Maybe if he shows his location some friendly person will be willing to teach him some basics, throw him some disks, etc?

That's a good idea. There are many users world wide who post here. You're bound to find someone near by who can help you out with wb disks and such.

[Naton]

The ROM switcher certainly sounds interesting, versitility's always a plus!
I removed the spider's remains, hope I don't run into any more nasty suprises like that, but now I'm up to the metal grate, and can't see any way around the metal prongs holding it in place :-?
I live in Melbourne, I hear there's still a lot of Amiga users around here. ;-)

[Fingers]

Bend the prongs outward so that they line up with the slots they are protruding through...then the top RF shield will slip right off :-)

PZ.

[Xamiche]

Melbourne? Cool. If you have trouble locating a WB disk, let me know and I'll send you some.

To get the metal RF shield up, you need to bend up the 4 tab/prong thingies that poke through the RF shield, then undo the 2 screws at the front, and the 2 screws on the left side switch hold the expansion guard in place. That should see you good. You're gunna need one of those special star type screw drivers though.

[Fingers]

Stuff the special drivers, file one edge off a large "small precision screwdriver" and it'll get the screws out, then just replace with regular items of appropriate thread pitch.

As for the WB disks, I reckon Xamiche's probably got you covered...but I'm in AU too, so anything he hasn't got (doesn't seem likely that he's without anything), I can try help too.

Get ready man, you are in for a wild ride...I got myself an A500 2 years ago thinking just to advance slightly over the C-64...now I own 8 Amigas, 6 of them expanded in some manner...after next week's arrivals it will be 13!

PZ.

[Naton]

Thanks Xamiche, cool having local in the community, after I look around a bit I might take you up on the offer :-D
I got the screws out with the end of a nail file ;-)
That sounds like quite a collection Fingers :-D If the price is as good as this one I can see my self snatching up a few more machines eventually ;-)
I got the metal plate case off and apart from a few more cobwebs everything looks fine! I'll give it a quick dust and put it back together and fire it up and see how it goes.

[Naton]

Hi again. So I got my Amiga hooked up to my TV and turned it on. It gave me a white screen, but no disk image, so I removed the RAM expander and bingo, she works! But looking at what I pulled out, I'm not sure that's what it is.
The machine came with it installed. The seller sent me the box for an A501 RAM expander, saying he assumed it was already in the machine, but this doesn't look anything like the picture on the box. Can anyone tell me what this is?
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/3903/img54052ig4.jpg
I also tried running a floppy with a demo version of the lost vikings on it (only amiga disk on hand) but inserting it takes me to a workbench 1.3 AmigaDOS window, what should I do here? :-?

[Xamiche]

From the picture I can tell you its a RAM expansion with a battery backed-up clock. There were dozens of different makes available so it may not match the box. Try re-inserting the RAM expansion and testing it again. It may have had a non-contacting pin or something. It happens. If you do get it working I recommend removing that NiCad battery. It looks like it's starting to leak already and that will kill the board for sure, if it hasn't already. Those caps near U1 and U2 look a little funky. Looks like the battery has already leaked unto the some components. If you're going to remove the battery and clean the board, know that the substance is not acid as most people think. It's actually a base. Potassium hydroxide (KOH). After removing the battery, get yourself some isopropyl alcohol to clean the affect parts as best you can.

With the demo, try looking for a draw/folder. Open it up and you'll probably find the programmes executable file in there. Just double click it.