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From: manes@vger.nsu.edu ((Mark D. Manes), Norfolk State University)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: A2091 PROBLEMS MUST BE RECOGNIZED! (Open letter to CBM)
Message-ID: <519.279db576@vger.nsu.edu>
Date: 23 Jan 91 20:10:29 GMT
References: <87541@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Lines: 129

In article <87541@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>, watters@skink.cis.ohio-state.edu (david r watters) writes:
> After feeling a little betrayed by the way CBM quietly dumped A2500's out, only
> to launch a totally new machine (A3000) days later, I tried to keep quiet and 
> enjoy what I had.  BUT IT IS GETTING TO DAMN COSTLY!

You know its hard.  Its a decision at this point, should I flame him or
try to talk sense.   I guess I will do a bit of both.

In my opinion, the first paragraph is completely irrelevant to your 
problem.  Further, the A2500 has not been "dumped" and in many ways
it is more viable in some applications then the A3000.  

>  
> After putting up with the "location 0" crap and writting a little routine to
> be able to use TurboSilver and Imagine, who can't stand lacation "0" being
> anything but 0, I was getting totally annoyed by the constant "drive lockups" 
> during operations that I could not avoid.

Though I grant that location 0 problem is a problem, put the problem where
it lays.  The manufacturer of the software should not repeat not use 
location 0 for anything.  The software is at fault.  You should take this
up with Impulse and not Commodore.  Heck, it probably is nothing but a 
pointer that was not allocated properly. 

This has been described very clearly from day one.

>  
> I constantly have to copy very large image files between two drives and I am 
> so damn sick of reconstructive all my partitions after they become currupted 
> by the "lockup" while writting.  This also means that any work that I have 
> rendered must be rerendered making my financial gain half as much based on
> time put in.  I should NOT have to back up my partitions EACH day.

I am _assuming_ that you have two hard disks connected, I don't know 
enough about your configuration to comment.

I suspect you could work around this by copying your file to memory
and then to the other disk drive.  You could easily write a command
procedure to do this. 

>  
> I was glad to see someone from some part of CBM recognize the problem, sort
> of, and told someone else to turn the reselect, a feature for which you paid
> for by buying a drive that supported it, off! 
> 
> well.....   IT STILL SCREWS UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That certainly is going to get their attention.  It probably will fix it
so that the reader will just want to read your whole article and even
extend a helping hand.  Perhaps you should slap a bit harder, maybe
somebody will give you a new machine!  Whaddya think?
  

> 
> Sure, I am a bit hot.  But there is nothing quite as disturbing as seeing
> all the work done for a project that is due get lost AND at the same time
> reminding yourself that you paid >$3000 !!!! for a "Business/Multimedia/
> Graphics/Higher Educational/Workstation complete with a new sevice image" that
> CAN NOT copy a 1meg file between two of it's drives.

You know I don't think that Commodore did this on purpose nor did they know
the problem existed when it was released.  They are a company with limited
resources.  You have got to admit there is not many people out there
who need to copy > meg files between two different hard disks.  I can see
how this could go undiscovered.  Can't you?  Or are you perfect?

> 
> Let's adress the service issue.  Amiga Dealers.... HA!  There is a serious
> problem here that supposedly has a warranty upgrade solution.  Has my dealer
> contacted me: NO  Would my dealer know about this: NO  Would I have to pay
> a $50 bench fee + $10/hr labor for a warranty fix: YES

This is the whole reason that I answered this thread.  I work as a tech
support rep for a Commodore Amiga dealership.  Damning all Amiga dealers
for the action of one is not only wrong, it is criminal.  

I do not know your situation with your dealership that is local to you, 
but I can assure you that if you came into my store with the attitude that
you are expressing in this letter, you would get nothing out of me
either.

Bench fees pay the tech for his/her time.  $10 an hour seems extremely
reasonable to me.  Commodore does not provide funds for the diagnosis of
a problem, they only pay the dealer when the hardware is returned to 
them.  Unfortunately we have yet to find a tech that will work for free,
so alas, we also have a bench fee.

Further, you did not indicate this, but I mention it anyway.  If you
bought this system on the educational program, you wrote a check to 
Commodore Business Machines and not your local dealer.  Your local
dealer gets a percentage [a small one] that is applied toward their 
bill at Commodore.  This means that while it is important to your 
dealer that he got your business, it is not as crucial as a retail 
purchaser.   You got a lot of hardware for few bucks.  You make 
comprimises.  I am not dismissing a dealer obligation, but I am 
pointing out that you are on thin ice.  

I also suspect that you did not get the Amiga from Commodore with
two hard disks installed.  If you did this installation yourself, 
you are voiding your warranty anyway.  At least those are the 
current rules.  (I don't make 'em!) 

I suspect that if you went in your Amiga dealership with a reasonable
attitude and reasonable expectations you will get resasonable response.
If you don't get reasonable response, then you should privately send 
a letter to Commodore and not wash it in public.  Public bashing not 
only hurts you, it hurts all in general.  It also almost insures that
you never recieve satisfaction.

> 
> 8<--------  Cut here and reply to comp.sys.amiga.hardware  ------->8

[Assine and insulting questions deleted.]

> --
> "All of us get lost in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer by the stars. 
>  All of us do time in the gutter, dreamers turn to look at the cars!" - RUSH
> David watters@cis.ohio-state.edu  "It's 12:35... and Michigan STILL sucks."
> _-_-_-__---_---_---__-_-_-____ TurboExpress : The Neo*Geo of portables _____

 -mark=
     
 +--------+   ==================================================          
 | \/     |   Mark D. Manes                    "Mr. AmigaVision" 
 | /\  \/ |   manes@vger.nsu.edu                                        
 |     /  |   (804) 683-2532    "Make up your own mind! - AMIGA"
 +--------+   ==================================================