Muzz73

Does anyone out there know if they are the same as for other models? As I understand it, the Model I and the Model III used the same cable, but what about the Model 100? And does anybody know where I can get one? Thanks!

Man, I'd love one of those. What do they usually run (cost wise)?

The best way to archive old Atari floppy disks is to put them into the floppy drive and make copies, one at a time, onto new 5.25" disks... Ha ha... I know, you said you wanted to use modern media, but I just had to throw this out there!

I have only a vague idea what might have happened with the release of the 7800 or what went on between the three aforementioned companies. I was just going by some of what Leonard said at CommVEx in July (the video is posted online). He did seem to have trouble remembering some of the stuff that went on 30 years ago during Q&A, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were some errors. I also might have misunderstood some of it. He focused primarily on Commodore stuff, as that was the theme of the gathering. It would have been great to hear more. If only he had more time...

I was at CommVEx this past summer and saw Leonard Tramiel while he was there, answering questions. The 7800 was one of the questions that came up. He said that in 1984-85, there was a three-way pissing match between Commodore, Atari and Amiga; because of all of the changing of hands between the three companies, they were all suing each other to get things settled. While this was going on, it caused delays in the release of some products, like the 7800. As far as the NES is concerned, he said that Nintendo had approached them about marketing the NES as a new Atari system is the U.S., but Atari was focusing a lot of their time and resources into developing the ST as quickly as possible, so they declined for that reason.

They all have their charms... I think the gameplay/overall flow of the games are best on the Apple ][ versions. While the C=64 versions are generally nicer looking and have less annoying sound effects, the loading speed on the drive is disgraceful. Even with an EPYX FastLoad, it's not nearly as fast as the original Apple ][, though it is tolerable. I haven't played the A8 versions just yet, but they seem to be the happy medium from what I have observed. Does anyone know how many of the Ultima games for the Apple ][ supported the Mockingboard? I know that Ultima V supported dual boards in slots 4 & 5, for a 12-voice, quadrophonic soundtrack, but I only knew one guy in high school that had a Mockingboard, so we never got to try two.

Very nice!

Isn't there a 4GB limit on FAT32 partitions?

Yes, I can't wait to have my Incognito installed. I am a doofus when it comes to soldering, so I am waiting for a friend of mine to do it. Waiting... and waiting... :/

I'm sorry for the sporadic posts. My internet service at home is terrible and I can often only connect for a few minutes before losing carrier. It sucks, so I have to post quickly. OK, I have four single density DOS 2.5 floppies that I got from B&C, none of which work in either drive, on either computer with any of the five SIO cables that I have. When I turn the computer on with the drive empty, it gives me BOOT ERROR in slow mode. When I put an Atari DOS master disk in and turn the computer on, I get BOOT ERROR in rapid mode. I haven't cleaned the heads on either drive, yet, but am hoping to have that done soon. If cleaning the drive heads doesn't help, should I consider that My Atari DOS disks may just be blank?

OK, the latest news is... both drives give the repeated BOOT ERROR when plugged in and no disks in them at all. I've tried every combination of 800, 800XL, 810, 1050 and five separate SIO cables. Ugh!

Agreed. Star Raiders is still the best spaceship combat game I've ever played, classic or contemporary. No matter how spiffy the graphics are or how advanced the gameplay might be on modern machines, people still stop and watch when I play Star Raiders on the old 800. It was WAY ahead of its time and it's still pretty impressive to me that it runs on a 1.7x MHz machine with 16K RAM. You'd be hard-pressed to find a modern game running half as well on thousands of times as much memory and processing power. OK, I'm down off of the soapbox... I don't need to keep ranting about SR. It speaks for itself! As I mentioned in another string, a used 1200XL was my first A8 and I was hooked! Even with the screwy picture of the 1200XL, I loved the graphics... still do!

I was using some single density Atari DOS 2.5 disks I got from B&C (new) and two different 50w PSU's that I got from Best (also new). I'll try disassembling and cleaning the drives in a few days (I have an out-of-town wedding to attend this weekend). Thanks for all of the help! I'll post an update soon.

Yes, I had them set to different ID #'s when they were daisy-chained, but had both set to drive #1 when they were hooked up individually. Ugh. I'll try my other cables, too.

Yes, I had them set to different ID #'s when they were daisy-chained, but had both set to drive #1 when they were hooked up individually. Ugh. I'll try my other cables, too.

After pulling my 1050 and 810 put of storage (they were in there for a few years), neither of them work! I tried both my 800 and my 800XL, two different SIO cables, daisy-chained and individually, but all I get is "BOOT ERROR!". Have any of you seen this before? Am I missing something? I still have a few more SIO cables I can try, but I thought I'd put the word out, just in case. Thanks in advance!

Being a Commodore guy for several years, I got into the A8 line out of sheer curiosity. All those years of everybody squibbling and the "mycomputerisbetterthanyourcomputer" nonsense made me want to own one of everything (C=64, A8, Apple ][, etc.) so that I could appreciate them all, each in their own way... and I still do!

Yes, I suppose I'll need to get another 1200XL at some point. I found one at a thrift store, bought it and loved it (my first 8-bit Atari), but an Atari collector friend in France REALLY liked it, so I donated it to his collection when he came out to visit back in 1998. I think it had a fairly low serial #, too (if we were reading it right). I liked the fact that it still used a simple PSU like the 400/800 line, had a side-mounted cartridge port and, well, being that it was my first A8, it was just special.

I'd love to get one of each of the most common A8's. I have an 800, an 800XL and a 600XL, so that puts me halfway there. I need a 400, a 65XE and a 130XE. I may be coming into a 400 soon and one can still get new XE's from B&C and Best, so I hope to get there, someday.

I can't remember the brand of microdrive that I have (I remember it being a common name, though), but it's a 3GB CF form factor. It's the same one that I use in my 800XL's MyIDE2, so I am hoping that it works well with the Incognito. I'll let you all know how it goes (whenever I can get this thing installed). Colleen is also going to get a POKEY stereo board once the Incognito is up and running.

Ah, yes... I have an Incognito and am waiting very patiently to have it installed... I am a fool when it comes to soldering and don't want to ruin anything. I also have a brand new 3GB microdrive waiting to marry up to it, as soon as everything is installed. I'm really looking forward to it!

An update to all: it looks like we have a few broken wires, which is minor. Again, I'll keep you all informed as things change.

The affair that I shall call simply "A8" began years ago, with the mistress known as 1200XL. It continued with the maidens 800XL and 600XL, and lasted for several glorious years. Then along came Colleen, also known as "800". She hasn't been in my life for long, but she has had an effect on me unlike any other. Whether it's late nights playing Qix or Star Raiders together, or my senseless noodling about, in repeated (failed) attempts at learning Atari BASIC, she always seems more than happy to suit my needs at the proverbial drop of a hat. I introduced her to my wife, who seemed to approve, or at least wasn't bothered by her presence. Our future together seems quite promising, and I am a very lucky man. OK, in all seriousness - yes, I came into an Atari 800 a few months ago and there's something about it that makes me like it so much more than my 800XL or my 600XL (I donated the 1200XL to a collector friend years ago). In browsing these forums, I see that there are many others who prefer the 800 to the others as well. What is it you like best about it? The keyboard? The styling of the case? The fact that it's built like a tank? Opinions, please.

Thank you both for the helpful information. It seems that my Atari 800 was built sometime between Nov. 1st and Nov. 7th of 1981... I was in the 2nd grade (8 years old). How cool!

Hey, all... I was about to tear my 800 apart (for upgrading and preventative maintenance) and took a good gander at the serial #. This is what I saw: On the back and bottom of the machine, there are labels marked "SERIAL NO.", then below it, we have " G 16K 441 7498". On the bottom, I see "ATARI / 441" stamped into the plastic. Further down, there is another label with "G 175 AW202007 - 16 10/26 L40 P" on it. Does anyone out there know what these mean? Is there some sort of hidden meaning, like where it was made and/or when? I just thought it would be kind of neat to find out some history on this machine from before I got it. It's pretty obvious that this was originally a 16K model, but apart from that, I have no clue. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!