Atari 800: How the heck do I load a game? Please help.

[vespertillio]

Hello all, I'm delving into the world of Atari computers. I recently purchased an Atari 800 w/ a disk drive. However it didn't come with any documentation. I also got a couple of games Archon and Archon II which I would love to play, but I have no idea on how to load them. Can any one out there help me with this. All suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks to all and Happy Holidays to you.

 

Fred

[Nukey Shay]

Forgive me if this sounds like I'm talking down to you...but I don't know how much you already know about systems.

 

Make sure all power is off/disconnected to everything.

Open the top cover to the 800 computer. Pull any cartidges (straight up) out of the computer, and snap the cover closed.

There should be a thick black cable...plug one end into the side of the computer, and the other end into the back of the drive.

The computer and the drive need their own power adapter. They are interchangeable...so you don't need to worry which is which. Plug one into the computer and one into the drive...and plug both into the wall.

Hook the black cable coming from the back of the computer into the TV switchbox.

On the disk drive, turn the power on. You will see the ready light come on and a soft whirr for a moment. Place the disk of your choice into the drive. The label should be facing up and the oval cutout facing toward the drive (away from you). Slide it in gently, and depress the front door of the drive...you should not need to force it closed.

Finally, flip the power switch on the side of the computer. If the sound is turned up on the television, you will hear a series of bleeps. This is normal as long as the screen is not showing the message "BOOT ERROR". After a few moments, the game screen should come into view. Plug a joystick into the leftmost port (on the front edge of the computer) and enjoy. The orangeish buttons to the right of the keyboard are the most common ones used for games.

If you want to switch to a different game, remove the first disk from the drive...turn the computer off, and place the other one into the drive and turn the computer back on.

 

Note: some games require that you keep the disk in the drive the entire time that you play them...but Archon and ArchonII are not one of those.

[Bill Lange]

Also, if the power indicator on the disk drive is on, but it doesn't seem to load, check the switches on the back of the drive to make sure it is configured as drive #1.

 

WRL

[Nukey Shay]

Go to the site gamefaqs.com and search for the game Archon there (type it in the window)...if you need instructions how to play them. You should try out Archon before ArchonII...since the sequel is a little more advanced.