[comp.sys.amiga.misc] Possible hardware prob with A3000

tagreen@lothario.ucs.indiana.edu (Todd Green) (05/22/91)

I recently got an A3000-25/50 and a 1950 monitor.  All in all I really
like the machine, but I seem to be experiencing some problems that I
hope someone could help me with before I call the 1-800 number. BTW,
for those that are interested I took 8 days for the Amiga to arrive
after I ordered it, and it was shipped with 2.0.3 and a new mouse
(i.e. different from the mouse that was shipped with 500's, but not
the same as the three button unix mouse).

Anyway, I seem to be having problems with screen updates.  I thought
it was just 2.0.3, but now I'm really beginning to wonder.  Here are
the symptoms:


The screen does not correctly draw itself quite frequently. That is if
if move a WB window garbage sometimes is left on the screen where the
window used to be (or the window itself gets corrupted).  I have not
had any problems with programs doing this under 2.0.3, just WB itself.
Actually I take that back.  The clock program that C= provides also
leaves artifacts on the screen when it updates its hands. If I select
"ResetWB" the screen corrects itself.

Well I wanted to see if I could duplicate this under 1.3.3 and it
seemed to run ok, no probs.  Thus I thought I'd try to reinstall 2.0.3
from the floppies provided (note the 50 meg drive was preinstalled of
course ).  Well I just got Dungeon Master and it has similiar problems
(running under 1.3). There is random garbage drawn onto the screen,
and worse periodically the screen just goes blank and the only
recourse that I've found is ctl-amiga amiga. (and no I'm not running
any type of blanking program.) Even weirder is when it asks for the
"save game disk" I insert it and it says that I have not inserted the
correct disk, I hit "ok" again and it accepts it.  Same thing goes for
the DM disk.  Every first time it fails, only succeeding on the second
attempt. Thus this leads me to believe it isn't 2.0.3 Brilliant
deduction eh ;) ;).

I also experienced the problem of the screen going blank in Eye of the
Beholder. 

Anyone with any words of wisdom?  I really like this machine, but this
periodic problem is driving me nuts.  I guess I'll have to backup the
drive and try reinstalling to see if that will help, but it seems to
be a hardware prob.

Thanks for any help you can give.


Todd


-- 
Internet: tagreen@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu
NeXTMail: tagreen@lothario.ucs.indiana.edu
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daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) (05/30/91)

In article <1991May22.040952.7767@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu> tagreen@lothario.ucs.indiana.edu (Todd Green) writes:

>The screen does not correctly draw itself quite frequently. That is if
>if move a WB window garbage sometimes is left on the screen where the
>window used to be (or the window itself gets corrupted).  I have not
>had any problems with programs doing this under 2.0.3, just WB itself.
>Actually I take that back.  The clock program that C= provides also
>leaves artifacts on the screen when it updates its hands. If I select
>"ResetWB" the screen corrects itself.

That sure sounds like a bad Agnus chip to me.  Many moons ago, we had some
early prototype 512K Agnus chips, back before the A500 and A2000 were out,
that did that.  I don't know of anything else that could cause it.  I guess
a poorly socketed Agnus might do that 1:10,000 times or so....



-- 
Dave Haynie Commodore-Amiga (Amiga 3000) "The Crew That Never Rests"
   {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh      PLINK: hazy     BIX: hazy
	"This is my mistake.  Let me make it good." -R.E.M.