Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!nuchat!peter
From: peter@nuchat.UUCP (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Booting disk software on an 800XL reliably.
Message-ID: <612@nuchat.UUCP>
Date: 30 Jan 88 23:29:53 GMT
References: <8480@pbhya.UUCP> <1895@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Organization: Public Access - Houston, Tx
Lines: 53

In article <1895@bsu-cs.UUCP>, cfchiesa@bsu-cs.UUCP (Christopher F. Chiesa) writes:
> Here's the scoop on booting disks on the 800XL:

> 1) Turn on at least Drive 1 BEFORE turning on the computer.  Wait for the
>    little red light to go out (about 5-8 sec).

OK, I do that.

> 2) Place an autoboot disk (not ALL disks CAN autoboot, for one thing) in
>    Drive 1.

OK, I do that, too.

> 3) Whether or not you have any cartridges in the slot is up to you; if you're
>    gonna use, say, ACTION!, you need to have that one IN.  SPACE INVADERS or
>    whatever, you'd want OUT...

Action? Not me. I'm a C66 fan. Anyway, check.

> 4) If not using a cartridge, to boot WITHOUT "built-in" BASIC, hold down the
>    OPTION key, and continue holding it down while you go to step 5.  If you
>    want to boot WITH built-in BASIC, DON'T hold anything, just go to step 5!

Yeh, I got that from the manual. Do that, too.

> 5) TURN ON THE POWER TO THE COMPUTER!

Bingo. This sequence as often as not dumps me in NOTEPAD.

>    At this point, the disk should begin twirling, the light on the drive
> should come on, and you should hear the bee-bee-bee-bee-beeps of the disk-
> read operation.

After 2-5 tries I get here.

>    If you don't mind my asking, how'd you get to own an 800XL with all those 
> drives, and NOT KNOW THIS stuff?  Seems well-nigh inconceivable to me; I'd 
> think it'd not only be in the manuals, but would be just about the first
> thing ANY computer owner would pick up in the first two hours of ownership...

I guess I'm just lucky enough to have got a lemon. Oh well, for $69 I can't
complain too much. Guess it's time to dump the 800XL and go back to my 800.
If I could get BoulderDash for the Amiga I wouldn't bother.

>    Oh well, maybe I'm biased; I'm quick with these things.  If it can be flow-
> charted, I can comprehend it.

"The flowchart is the most oversold peice of program documentation ever"
	-- C.A.R. Hoare.
-- 
-- a clone of Peter (have you hugged your wolf today) da Silva  `-_-'
-- normally  ...!hoptoad!academ!uhnix1!sugar!peter                U
-- Disclaimer: These aren't mere opinions... these are *values*.