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From: ppugliese@pimacc.pima.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm
Subject: Re: Enhancer 2000 compatability
Message-ID: <1991May17.014851.6068@pimacc.pima.edu>
Date: 17 May 91 08:48:50 GMT
References: <91136.105602XWUU@PURCCVM.BITNET>
Lines: 44

In article <91136.105602XWUU@PURCCVM.BITNET>, XWUU@PURCCVM.BITNET writes:
> Someone recently posted an Enhancer 2000 disk drive for sale and listed it
> as 1541 compatible.  Anyone considering such a purchase should know that this
> unit is NOT 100% compatible.  It is in the area of 95-98% combatible with
> 1541 oriented software.   I own an Enhancer 2000 and her's what I have found:
> 
> 1) It is slower than a normal 1541 by several RPM's.  It is a full 20-30
>    RPM's slower than my Excelerator plus drive.
> 
> 2)  It will NOT run GEOS 2.0.  It probably has something to do with GEOS's
>     copy protection scheme - calls to the drives's ROM and all.
> 
> 3) It will run nearly any piece of commercial software created before 1988.
>    It seems to run all games and programs written in BASIC just fine.
> 
> 4) It has some trouble with the newest games - again...could it be due to
>    copy protection schemes?
> 
> So...I have my own questions...
>  The ROM is labelled as written by the Enhancer people.  I have forgotten
> the actual statement and copywrite notice that I found through software.
> My Excelerator has an actual Commodore ROM in it.  Does anyone know if I
> can replace the stock ROM with a Commodore ROM (either 1541 or 1541II)?
> 
> I have not seen the Enhancer listed in any of the disk drive modifications
> such as Jiffy DOS, etc.  Does anyone know if these modifications would work?
> 
> Any input as to why the Enhancer 2000 will not run GEOS 2.0; please post - the
> discussion might spur on some interesting programming/application ideas.
> 
> BTW - Everytime I have called a shop or a software outlet and asked if a
> product will work on the Enhancer, I get a groan on the other end of the line.
> It seems that old timers remember the compatibility problems and say:
> "Yeah, I remember that unit - you'll notice that the manufacturers are no
>   longer in business!  Good thing , too!"
> 
> Kirk
> xwuu@purccvm

                      
My opinion is that the new 'super-warp speed' disk drive accelerators are 
frequently the culprit in these cases. The routine will sometimes use non-
standard entry points in the DOS ROM & that is what really tests the com-
patibilty. PHIL