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Conference 7.286::atarist

Title:Atari ST, TT, & Falcon
Notice:Please read note 1.0 and its replies before posting!
Moderator:FUNYET::ANDERSON
Created:Mon Apr 04 1988
Last Modified:Tue May 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1433
Total number of notes:10312

1072.0. "Need Help with Hardware problem." by CACT63::PEDONE () Mon Feb 18 1991 01:47

    I have a problem with my 520st.  It seems some games will work and some
    won't.  These games are all store bought.  I was wondering if I might
    have a memory problem.  I asked at the local ATARI shop and he said 
    it would cost alot and they would have to change the whole board.
    Games like Joust and Moon Patrol work, Games like Gunship and WizBall
    don't.  Any Wizball tells me when I boot it that it is a copy and it
    is not.  Has anyone seen a problem like this.  Any places locally to
    take my machine (Chicago).  Any diagnositic programs out there?  Any
    way to get board diagrams?  Are there any DEPO services out there for
    board swapping?
    
    Thanks in advance.
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1072.1there's a memtest prg around in the netUFHIS::BFALKENSTEINMon Feb 18 1991 05:5314
    
    
    It must not neccessarily be the hardware that causes your problems.
    It might also be a TOS version that does not work correctly with
    your mentioned programs. Also some of the programs won't work with
    520 kB of memory, they need 1 MB.
    Try out to boot those problem diskettes on the same machine you have
    in your Atari store, then on other configurations (more memory, other
    TOS version).
    If you had a serious hardware problem, other programs wouldn't work
    either.
    
    Bernd
    
1072.2SIEVAX::JAMIEHaving wrubble with your turds ?Mon Feb 18 1991 08:5022
    Wizball and Gunship don't need 1mg to run.
    
    It may be your disk drive. Some games use some pretty naff copy
    protection schemes and this might be the cause of your problem. It
    could also be that perhaps the disks that don't work store data on
    tracks that some drives can't access (above 82?). I know my drive can
    definitely read/write up to (I think) 84 tracks but some drives can't
    make this.
    
    Considering Joust and Moon patrol are a couple of the VERY early ST
    games, not needing much disk space and having no copy protection that I
    can recall... and that Wizball and Gunship are much later pieces of
    software that DO (at least Wizball) have copy protection, I'd suspect
    that your drive is the problem.
    
    
    Just a guess though!
    
    
    Cheers,
    
    				Jamie.
1072.3Yeh, probably the disk drive... :-(KORG::MISKINISMon Feb 18 1991 22:559
    	Yeh, it's most likely your disk drive.  I have a "flaky" floppy
    drive, and have problems with several games.   I can format normal
    floppies, and read/write to them OK however.
    
    	The same games boot fine on other STs...
    
    One of these day's I'll replace my 2nd internal dsdd floppy with a 3rd!
    
    _John_
1072.4Not always the drivePRNSYS::LOMICKAJJeffrey A. LomickaTue Feb 19 1991 13:042
I repaired a similar problem in an ST by replacing the DMA controller.