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From: wrd@tekigm2.UUCP (Bill Dippert)
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari8
Subject: Re: ATARI 800 and ATARI 800 XL
Message-ID: <876@tekigm2.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 10-Aug-86 14:28:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekigm2.876
Posted: Sun Aug 10 14:28:45 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 12-Aug-86 14:14:56 EDT
References: <139@uwmacc.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, OR
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In article <139@uwmacc.UUCP>, pwu@uwmacc.UUCP (Peter Wu) writes:
> ---
> What's the difference between the 800 and 800 XL other than the
> built-in basic? About half of the games I have that worked on
> the 800 doesn't work on the 800 XL at all. Is there any way to
> fix this?
> 
> peter

Different OS's which if the game producers had of used legal entry points would
not have made any difference.  However, a lot of the early games used areas of
the OS that they should not have.  The 800XL still conforms to what Atari calls
out in their documenation.  The solution happens to be simple, tho.  Most Atari
dealers or user's groups have what is known as translator disks.  You use the
translator disk to boot up initially rather than your game disk.  Then it
prompts you when to load the game.  It in effect changes the OS from the XL to
the OS of the older 800.  If this explanation does not make sense, you probably
will have many others trying to answer your question also.  Atari Corp. C/S
also used to have the translator disk available, but I don't know if they still
do or not.  There are two sides to it: translator A and translator B.  I have
always used only the TA side, do not know really what the TB side is for.
I think that TB was for the 1200XL OS.  Now that I think about it, there are
some games that will run on my 800XLE or 130XE, but require the translator for
the 1200XLE.   Normally dedicate the 130XE for word processing and
telecommunications and keep the 800XLE free for games.  As a result, I seldom
use the 1200XLE and virtually never for games.  (800XLE/1200XLE are
800XL/1200XL with 256k memory expansions--Newell Industries version).

		 --Bill--