greg@walt.cc.utexas.edu (Greg Harp) (08/02/90)
I am having some trouble with my A500 on boot-up. First, I'll list my
entire system:
A500 (Forgotten the revision number, but this one shipped with 1.2 in it)
A1010 drive
A1084 monitor
SupraRAM 512K expansion/clock in the trap door slot
Panasonic KXP1180 printer
El Cheapo used VCR (the tape mechanism finally died, so I use it to tune in
stations on my monitor)
This is all plugged into the same power strip, which I use as a master switch
for everything. (Don't cringe! I have never experienced trouble with this
before.)
Anyway, I recently (last weekend) gave up an bought a 1.3 ROM so I could
autoboot from RAD. I was very careful in installing this, and I was well
grounded (with one of those little wrist-straps connected to a _secure_
earth ground).
The problem: Occasionally, I come in and switch my computer on with the
boot disk in the drive. (My father leaves it in there. I don't since I
don't particularly like the idea of the head being in constant contact
with the disk when the computer isn't even on.) Anyway, if I don't pop
the disk out and let my Amiga think about life (read: put up a request for
the WB disk) for a second, I get some trash on the screen. One time the
machine gurued by attempting to free memory that was already freed.
This never occured under 1.2, but I have not had time to go back and try
the 1.2 ROM yet. I also haven't had a chance (geez! I've been _busy!_)
to try turning on everything separately. However, I have not had the
printer turned on.
So far (due to lack of time again) I have only been using my Amiga (since
the 1.3 ROM installation) to call other computers. The boot disk I have
been using contains enough of a startup sequence to run (yes _run_)
vt100 (version 2.8). The trash appears on the vt100 (separate) screen
soon after connecting. (BTW, I didn't think about doing a SetPatch in
the startup. What exactly gets patched by 1.3 SetPatch (not 1.3.1 or
1.3.2))
I can only come up with the idea that my power supply (on the A500) is
not getting enough time to stabilize before booting, but that seems almost
a little too far-fetched. I am pretty confident that I didn't do anything
to damage my 500 when I installed the ROM. Also, I haven't done the
1MB chip hack, 14Mhz hack, or any other hack for that matter.
Anyone have another idea why this might be happening. Is there any known
problem using 1.3 in an early (well, not _that_ early) 500? If need be,
I can open the machine back up and get the revision number.
Also, I have always had a problem with the 500 recognizing a good boot disk
vs. a bad one. Sometimes I have had to pop the disk out and re-insert it
(more than once in some cases) to get the machine to accept a good disk and
start booting.
Thanks for your help!
greg...
_ _ Disclaimer: "What I _really_ meant was..."
AMIGA! ////
//// "Run to the bedroom, in the suitcase on the left you'll find my
_ _ //// favorite axe." --Roger Waters, Pink Floyd's The Wall, One of My Turns
\\\\////
\\XX// Greg Harp greg@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu