Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!umd5!umbc3!pete
From: pete@umbc3.UMD.EDU (Pete Hsi )
Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm
Subject: 1541 fast load cartridges
Message-ID: <852@umbc3.UMD.EDU>
Date: 11 Mar 88 01:43:32 GMT
Organization: Univ of Maryland Baltimore County
Lines: 39
Keywords: 1541 disk-drive fast-loaders


Yes! I FINALLY got tired of waiting for my 1541!

I'm looking to buy a fast load cartridge and I would like your opinions and
experiences about the following products:
  Mach 5 (Access)
  Mach 128 (Access)
  Turbo Load/Turbo Save (Better Working)
  Fast Load Cart. (Epyx) -- I heard this one was crappy... true?
  Vorpal Utility Kit (Epyx) -- claims 15 times faster using special format
  Explode! (Soft Group) -- claims 98% compatiblity and 500% faster
                           loading times.
  Final Cartridge II and III (H&P) -- this is a "do-it-all" cart...
                                      pretty expensive
  Super Cartridge (?) -- Competitor for the Final Cart.

In particular, I would like to know the following:
  1. Do you MUST re-format your files to take advance of the speed?
  2. How convient are the utilities (copiers, fast formattors, etc)?
  3. How compatible is it with copy protected programs?
  4. Does it work when used with REL, SEQ, etc files types (from word processor
     and spreadsheet output files)?

Either post or E-mail your repsonses. If you would like a summary of responses,
send me mail and I'll be happy to send one your way.


*** butane lighter on ****
50 lashes with a wet noodle to whom ever was responsible for designing the
1541 ;-) I just worked on an IBM PC for the first time and boy what a
difference in load time!
*** butane lighter off ***


Thanks in advance
--Pete,  Univ of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC = "U Must Be Crazee" :-)
  ARPA: pete@umbc3.umd.edu -or- pete@umbc2.umd.edu
  Bitnet: pete@umbc
"Cobol is a virus from outer space"
"Friends don't let friends program in Cobol" --Scott Paisley, UMBC