Believe it or not.. my first Amiga!

14 May 2001, 14:53

After my C64 came instead of the Amiga 1000/500 a.... PC! A 10Mhz XT to be exact. This was during the mid 80s and since it was my dad's choice - well, what could I say about it.

Anyway, I've always wanted an Amiga 500/2000. Friends of mine had all Amiga's and I just liked the machine way better than the PC.

Over the years I did manage to play all my fav Amiga games using Fellow and WinUAE on my own PC which I kept upgrading and it's currently now a TB900@1Ghz, 256MB, GeForce2 GTS, SB Live, bla bla bla.

And still... there is something missing. I never had a real Amiga!

So now I can get an used Amiga 2000 complete with monitor, mouse, a nest of joysticks and 2 additional diskdrives (1 internal, 1 external). All this for 30 pounds.

This raises a few questions:

1. Is this a fair price?

2. There are no disks with it what soever. To write my workbench or other ADF disks back to real Amiga disks.. I will need a working Amiga. Now without any disks at all (and since this A2000 has no HD), where could I get hold of some workbench or other boot floppies so I can transfer my ADF's back to the A2000 and write them back on disk?

3. I still have Quantum Fireball 1GB SCSI-II HD catching dust in my attic. Can I use this HD with "my" A2000 if I can get hold of a SCSI controller? It's 50 pins SCSI-II.

4. I read somewhere that some guy managed to use an old 8/16bit ISA PC Network Card with his A2000? Is that true? Can I actually use older 8/16-bit ISA cards with the A2000? If so... I still have an old Adaptech SCSI-II controller, 16bits ISA, somewhere.. I'm not sure about the exact type number .. AH-1050 or so. Can I use this one in the A2000? Or do I need to get one of those bloody expensive GVP4008's? One of these will cost more than the entire A2000!

As you can see I know very little about Amiga's..

So don't slaugther me.. I'm just curious about it and I want to get one to toy around with .. and to fiddle with it. This A2000 seems quite interesting to me and the price didn't seem too bad either.

So.....if someone would care to answer a few questions... I'd sure appreciate it!

Twistin'Ghost · 14 May 2001, 19:10

30 pounds sounds like a good deal to me. The A2000 is pretty expandable. I'll let someone else answer the disk transfer questions, but since you're in Europe, finding Workbench disks should be a doddle.

I had an A2000 with a Quantum Fireball, so I know you can use that on that box with the right SCSI card, just avoid the CBM controllers!

I heard the same thing about ISA network cards, but I think the problem may be finding drivers. Not sure about this one...

I need a network card for my A2000 too, but there may be a facsimile in my Siamese package, I just have to check.

Amiga1992 · 14 May 2001, 19:10

This is amove you won't regret. The price is MORE than fair, I'd say it's a steal (as long as everything works, of course)

Now, to answer your questions...

1. As I said, it's a steal. If it all works, of course. If it does, do not doubt and grab it.

2. No disks with them? Not even the workbench ones? you'll have a tough time transferring anything. I might be able to plug you with disks, if needs be. Workbench ones and a couple otehr tools. What kickstart does the machine have?

3. If you get a SCSI-II controller for your 200, the answer is yes. I think there are controllers of this kind, I recommend you checking eBay.

4. I think you need an ISA board for that, and even that way, you might not be able to find the needed drivers. I suggest you sticking to Amiga peripherals, they will have more support and better compatibility.

I hope that helps. If you do get it, and need the disks, let me know. But I'll need to know the kickstart the machine has. Ask teh seller, he must have at least one disk to boot it up. How are you gonna test it otherwise?

14 May 2001, 19:56

Well the thing is.. the guy first said he probably WOULD have several boxes of old disks with them, but he had to find them first.

Now it turns out that he borrowed the disks to a friend who when gave them away years ago without telling him. He ain't too happy about this either but you mention a very good point.. I want to see this Amiga 2000 WORK before I buy it.

I also want to see the inside to check for Battery leakage!

Hmm so I do need an Amiga SCSI controller. These babies are VERY expensive here in Holland, a shop shells the GVP4000 series for Amiga 2000 but it's asking well over 100 pounds for it. A bit silly as I'm paying 30 pounds for the whole Amiga.

eBay...mwoah I dunno, never had much trust in the quality. Does anyone know a store in the web that sales used Amiga parts for a fair price and is reliable?

Funny, a 1 Gig HD won't be missed in my PC yet it seems pretty big for the A2000. I hope it will work.

Thanks for the replies.. interesting that you mentioned how he could test the A2000 without the disks!

There is also an extra memory board in it.. it comes with 1 MB extra I think. He was so kind to send me some pictures, let me post a few here:

http://nitefly.50megs.com/cgi-bin/i/Amiga/Pict0008.JPG
http://nitefly.50megs.com/cgi-bin/i/Amiga/Pict0021.JPG
http://nitefly.50megs.com/cgi-bin/i/Amiga/Pict0010.JPG
http://nitefly.50megs.com/cgi-bin/i/Amiga/Pict0012.JPG
http://nitefly.50megs.com/cgi-bin/i/Amiga/Pict0009.JPG

EDIT: I seem to be unable to post these images directly so I just post the link. Hope you don' t ... I'd appreciate it if you guys could have a look at this A2000 and see if it's in good shape.

... So this is hopefully my to-be A2000. Any comments? Anyone recognize that expension card and can you confirm how much memory this A2000 will have?

Sorry for all these questions.. I'm just overly excited but I don't want to go buy something bad .. I just can't wait to have an Amiga!! Funny though. 2001 and I'm buying an Amiga 2000.. call me retro or what?

I appreciate all the input!

Amiga1992 · 14 May 2001, 23:20

Battery leakage? What kind of battery you think might be leaking in there?

I don't think there are batteries in there, and if they are of the lithium type, they should not be leaking. Not like you will find a D battery in that thing eh?

Anyway, yes, do not buy it if you don't see it running.

As for eBay, it's excellent. Nothing's wrong with the quality, you just need to browse smartly, and ask sellers the right questions. That will let you identify where to bid and where not to

The machine *looks* in fine shape. That extra board is not 1Meg though, a board that big must be hosting 8MB of Fast RAM, but then again, I could be wrong. The 1GB HD will be more than enough for your needs, yes, try to get that SCSI card. GVPs are neat but you might look elsewhere too.

2001 and I'm buying Commodore 64s.

14 May 2001, 23:30

Well there is a NicD battery to preserve system date on the mainboard isn't it? I read some on some Amiga site that you always should check the battery.

Yes that board certainly looks like a 8MB board, but only the top row seems to be filled. Extra memory is also insanely expensive here so I better look at eBay too?

How much memory will I "need"? It can have a max of 8MB and I have no idea how to picture performance with that..

I still have 3 C64's in the attic with 2 1541's and 1 powersupply...and no you can't have them, sorry

They're just too dear to me!

Amiga1992 · 15 May 2001, 03:46

Hmm NiCD? Shit, I don't know, that'd be dumb

Twistin' will surely know about this, he's the local A2000 expert

You'd have to check how much mem each IC has, I suppose the board might have 4MB total, then. Looking for new chips of that type might be expensive, might be not (I've seen some pretty cheap ones)... Perhaps I woudn't bother. You don't need more than that for just games, and as a matter of fact, for some games, you will have to _disable_ this extra memory.

Extra memory won't make your system go faster either. This ain't no shitty PC, so the extra mem will allow you just to run more programs at once in the Workbench, and will allow some games to load more onto the extra RAM to reduce loading times. That's all. If you have 4MB I say stick to that. I suppose the machine is loaded with 1MB chip though, if not, DEFINITELY you will need an expansion for ship memory (RAM in the board will be Fast memory)

I don't need your C64s, I have a breadbox C64, a C128, a Plus/4 and an SX-64

15 May 2001, 11:21

Well I guess I'll just get the A2000 (can't go very wrong for that price) and work from there. My ultimate goal would be to fit this A2000 with a 1GB HD and basically play my good old games on it and run my fav demo's and mods.

I guess it has 1 MB memory, I'm not entirely sure.. but we'll see. I saw that you can fit 30 pins SIMMS onto a GVP 4008 controller. Is that the same memory in the old 386/486's? If so I still have a bunch of that memory in the attic.. I'll just rip open some of my old 486SX25's (crap things anyway) ..

Amiga1992 · 15 May 2001, 19:28

The 1GB hard drive is overkill

If it costs too much for you to get it running, I wouldn't bother. Most games are not HD installable by default, and most don't even have the option... (well, now you have WHDLoad and JST installers...)

Yes, the same simms. I have a wasted 386 with a couple of megabytes I might need someday for other better computer

15 May 2001, 20:59

You're right, you're right.. that 1 GB is way too big but.. It's the only SCSI HD I have and well.. in my 2nd PC there are already 2x 4.3GB HD's in there so who's going to miss that extra 1GB ? It's pretty slow compared to those DMA33 disks, it's only SCSI-II.

Ofcourse when the board is simply too expensive, then I'm not going to bother.

I did see a C= 2091 on eBay though, for 80 USD I think but ofcourse they don't ship to Europe...

I bet I can't write these ADF's to disk on my PC and then read those disks in my Amiga can I? That would definitely solve my "no disk problem".

Amiga1992 · 16 May 2001, 01:12

No, you can't do that, BUT if you have more than one meg, you could transfer the ADFs to your A2000s Ram Disk, and from there, make teh new disks. This way you don't need an HD.

Get a CHEAP 3.5" IDE hard drive, 500MB or some shit, and get an IDE controller, which would be MUCH cheaper.

And about eBay sellers not mailing to Europe... just email them and ask. More than most, they are willing to send you the stuff, as long as you pay the shipping, of course. I do not live in the US, and nevertheless, buy lots of stuff from there. The odd seller or two might deny, but most are helpful chaps who will send you the goods wherever you live.

16 May 2001, 01:25

Now you mention it, I still have a 520MB Quantum Fireball IDE HD somewhere. It'll probably take me a weekend to dig it up again though..

So now I'd be looking for an IDE controller.......for an Amiga 2000?? Things sure are getting weirder by the day.

Exactly what kind of controller do I need? You have any names or types for me?

Don't tell me I can just stick a regular 8/16 bits ISA controller into an Amiga? :eek

Amiga1992 · 16 May 2001, 05:41

No, you can't :P You have to look, of course, for an A2000 IDE controller (duh)... GVP is the first name that comes to mind, as always, but surely thre are others. I suppose they'd be cheaper than SCSI II controllers, just take a look.

Twistin'Ghost · 16 May 2001, 06:23

OK, I have the battery backed-up clock on my A2000, but I don't know any more about it than that.

As for doing IDE, I am not aware of any IDE controllers for the A2000, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. The first time I remember IDE being available for Amigas was when the A1200 was launched.

I disagree that 1 gig is overkill. I have a 1-gig drive on my A2000 and I wish I had more because it STAYS full! I have lots of apps installed...a lot of graphics programs, which I use, and thus fill up hard drive space with. ADPro I used with my Epson scanner and did box scans, record scans, pic scans, etc., so I was piling on the data. Then there's Amiga files. On my PC right now, my AmigaDMS directory is more than 6 gigs - these are compressed files! An ideal A2000 setup will have lots of WHD/JST games and demos installed because not only are the games hard drive installable (finally!), but they are also degraded and offer sweet things like being able to quit! And I was always downloading Aminet files, new games...all sorts of files from the net, so if you are gonna really use the box, filling up a gig will be a doddle. Especially if you already have the drive just lying around anyhow.

Ebay: I have bought a variety of items from the US as well as the rest of the world. To date, I have never had a bad experience. Common sense helps (those numbers beside the sellers' names are the ticket to who you wanna do business with!)

Memory: the usefulness of extra memory for me on my A2000 comes mainly when using graphics apps (like ADPro, etc.) and with the ram disk. Most of the stuff PC users have to do on their hard drive (decompressing files, etc.) I always do in RAM because it's faster and safer. PC's will always suck for not being able to wade in the memory pool. Period.

16 May 2001, 11:47

Thanks for the replies.

I did find an IDE controller for the Amiga 1200 on eBay, complete with FixIDE99 (whatever that may be). From the picture it looks like a little tiny thing, just an Amiga slot card with 2 IDE connectors of them and a few ICs next to it.

Will this also work in the Amiga 2000? I know, it might be the most dummest obvious question but I gotta sort somewhere.

I did contact the guy who was selling the C= 2091 SCSI controller complete with GURU ROM (once again - whatever that might be) - all in box for $ 75,00 (USD) + shipping to Europe.

Is that a fair deal or am I better off with this IDE controller?

Amiga1992 · 16 May 2001, 17:29

You had lots of workfiles in there Twistin', thus 1GB is not overkill

If you just want t oplay games, 1GB si more than enough, methinks.

Anyway, Tazz, NO, you can't use the A1200 interface :P It's just for the A1200, so don't waste your cash.

16 May 2001, 18:01

Darn.. well so much for that IDE controller. I think I'll go for that C= 2091 with the GURU-ROM. Been reading up about it and it seems to be better than the regular C= 2091. Since the GURU-ROM alone is sold for $ 50,00 USD here.. that 75,00 USD for the whole thing doesn't seem to be that bad.

Twistin'Ghost · 18 May 2001, 13:36

Quote:

Originally posted by Tazz
I did contact the guy who was selling the C= 2091 SCSI controller complete with GURU ROM (once again - whatever that might be)...

The Guru Rom improves the performance and compatibility when using the A2091 and GVP Series II host adapters. Some of the areas it increases performace in or restores compatibility issues are RDB (rigid disk block), SCSI firmware bugs, internal SCSI chip bugs, misc. software issues, 64-bit support, increased transfer speed, and a few more technical areas. One of the developers is the author of the Amiga Guru Book. I have one in my A2000, btw...

Quote:

Originally posted by Tazz
I also want to see the inside to check for Battery leakage!

OK, here's the scoop on the A2000 battery issue: apparently, A2000's original battery backed-up clock had leaking issues at some point after wearing out. The signs to look for are corrosion which is bad for the motherboard. I wasn't aware of this, so I am glad you brought the subject up. I am currently trying to obtain a replacement for mine, just in case. There is a replacement battery called the NiMh that allegedly will not leak and will also work in the A3000/A4000 and in the A501 trap door card for the A500.

Amiga1992 · 18 May 2001, 19:32

In addition, NiMh batteries will last a lot more. It would be good to switch to those if you can, Tazz.

19 May 2001, 17:35

I'll see what I can do about that battery when I have the A2000. Just got an email from a sole surviving Amiga store here, telling me that they doubt if the A2091 (With Guru ROM v6.13) will work with SCSI2 harddisk and recommend me a GVP 4008 or the older A200HC8 model SCSI controller. (first is 200 USD, second one is 130 USD.)

Think they are right or bs-ing me?

14 May 2001, 14:53	#1
Tazz Posts: n/a	Believe it or not.. my first Amiga! After my C64 came instead of the Amiga 1000/500 a.... PC! A 10Mhz XT to be exact. This was during the mid 80s and since it was my dad's choice - well, what could I say about it. Anyway, I've always wanted an Amiga 500/2000. Friends of mine had all Amiga's and I just liked the machine way better than the PC. Over the years I did manage to play all my fav Amiga games using Fellow and WinUAE on my own PC which I kept upgrading and it's currently now a TB900@1Ghz, 256MB, GeForce2 GTS, SB Live, bla bla bla. And still... there is something missing. I never had a real Amiga! So now I can get an used Amiga 2000 complete with monitor, mouse, a nest of joysticks and 2 additional diskdrives (1 internal, 1 external). All this for 30 pounds. This raises a few questions: 1. Is this a fair price? 2. There are no disks with it what soever. To write my workbench or other ADF disks back to real Amiga disks.. I will need a working Amiga. Now without any disks at all (and since this A2000 has no HD), where could I get hold of some workbench or other boot floppies so I can transfer my ADF's back to the A2000 and write them back on disk? 3. I still have Quantum Fireball 1GB SCSI-II HD catching dust in my attic. Can I use this HD with "my" A2000 if I can get hold of a SCSI controller? It's 50 pins SCSI-II. 4. I read somewhere that some guy managed to use an old 8/16bit ISA PC Network Card with his A2000? Is that true? Can I actually use older 8/16-bit ISA cards with the A2000? If so... I still have an old Adaptech SCSI-II controller, 16bits ISA, somewhere.. I'm not sure about the exact type number .. AH-1050 or so. Can I use this one in the A2000? Or do I need to get one of those bloody expensive GVP4008's? One of these will cost more than the entire A2000! As you can see I know very little about Amiga's.. So don't slaugther me.. I'm just curious about it and I want to get one to toy around with .. and to fiddle with it. This A2000 seems quite interesting to me and the price didn't seem too bad either. So.....if someone would care to answer a few questions... I'd sure appreciate it!

14 May 2001, 19:10	#3
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,645	Congratulations! This is amove you won't regret. The price is MORE than fair, I'd say it's a steal (as long as everything works, of course) Now, to answer your questions... 1. As I said, it's a steal. If it all works, of course. If it does, do not doubt and grab it. 2. No disks with them? Not even the workbench ones? you'll have a tough time transferring anything. I might be able to plug you with disks, if needs be. Workbench ones and a couple otehr tools. What kickstart does the machine have? 3. If you get a SCSI-II controller for your 200, the answer is yes. I think there are controllers of this kind, I recommend you checking eBay. 4. I think you need an ISA board for that, and even that way, you might not be able to find the needed drivers. I suggest you sticking to Amiga peripherals, they will have more support and better compatibility. I hope that helps. If you do get it, and need the disks, let me know. But I'll need to know the kickstart the machine has. Ask teh seller, he must have at least one disk to boot it up. How are you gonna test it otherwise?

14 May 2001, 19:56	#4
Tazz Posts: n/a	Amiga - here I come :) Well the thing is.. the guy first said he probably WOULD have several boxes of old disks with them, but he had to find them first. Now it turns out that he borrowed the disks to a friend who when gave them away years ago without telling him. He ain't too happy about this either but you mention a very good point.. I want to see this Amiga 2000 WORK before I buy it. I also want to see the inside to check for Battery leakage! Hmm so I do need an Amiga SCSI controller. These babies are VERY expensive here in Holland, a shop shells the GVP4000 series for Amiga 2000 but it's asking well over 100 pounds for it. A bit silly as I'm paying 30 pounds for the whole Amiga. eBay...mwoah I dunno, never had much trust in the quality. Does anyone know a store in the web that sales used Amiga parts for a fair price and is reliable? Funny, a 1 Gig HD won't be missed in my PC yet it seems pretty big for the A2000. I hope it will work. Thanks for the replies.. interesting that you mentioned how he could test the A2000 without the disks! There is also an extra memory board in it.. it comes with 1 MB extra I think. He was so kind to send me some pictures, let me post a few here: http://nitefly.50megs.com/cgi-bin/i/Amiga/Pict0008.JPG http://nitefly.50megs.com/cgi-bin/i/Amiga/Pict0021.JPG http://nitefly.50megs.com/cgi-bin/i/Amiga/Pict0010.JPG http://nitefly.50megs.com/cgi-bin/i/Amiga/Pict0012.JPG http://nitefly.50megs.com/cgi-bin/i/Amiga/Pict0009.JPG EDIT: I seem to be unable to post these images directly so I just post the link. Hope you don' t ... I'd appreciate it if you guys could have a look at this A2000 and see if it's in good shape. ... So this is hopefully my to-be A2000. Any comments? Anyone recognize that expension card and can you confirm how much memory this A2000 will have? Sorry for all these questions.. I'm just overly excited but I don't want to go buy something bad .. I just can't wait to have an Amiga!! Funny though. 2001 and I'm buying an Amiga 2000.. call me retro or what? I appreciate all the input!

14 May 2001, 19:10	#2
Twistin'Ghost Give up the ghost Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: U$A Age: 33 Posts: 4,662	30 pounds sounds like a good deal to me. The A2000 is pretty expandable. I'll let someone else answer the disk transfer questions, but since you're in Europe, finding Workbench disks should be a doddle. I had an A2000 with a Quantum Fireball, so I know you can use that on that box with the right SCSI card, just avoid the CBM controllers! I heard the same thing about ISA network cards, but I think the problem may be finding drivers. Not sure about this one... I need a network card for my A2000 too, but there may be a facsimile in my Siamese package, I just have to check.

14 May 2001, 23:20	#5
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,645	Battery leakage? What kind of battery you think might be leaking in there? I don't think there are batteries in there, and if they are of the lithium type, they should not be leaking. Not like you will find a D battery in that thing eh? Anyway, yes, do not buy it if you don't see it running. As for eBay, it's excellent. Nothing's wrong with the quality, you just need to browse smartly, and ask sellers the right questions. That will let you identify where to bid and where not to The machine looks in fine shape. That extra board is not 1Meg though, a board that big must be hosting 8MB of Fast RAM, but then again, I could be wrong. The 1GB HD will be more than enough for your needs, yes, try to get that SCSI card. GVPs are neat but you might look elsewhere too. 2001 and I'm buying Commodore 64s.

14 May 2001, 23:30	#6
Tazz Posts: n/a	Well there is a NicD battery to preserve system date on the mainboard isn't it? I read some on some Amiga site that you always should check the battery. Yes that board certainly looks like a 8MB board, but only the top row seems to be filled. Extra memory is also insanely expensive here so I better look at eBay too? How much memory will I "need"? It can have a max of 8MB and I have no idea how to picture performance with that.. I still have 3 C64's in the attic with 2 1541's and 1 powersupply...and no you can't have them, sorry They're just too dear to me!

15 May 2001, 03:46	#7
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,645	Hmm NiCD? Shit, I don't know, that'd be dumb Twistin' will surely know about this, he's the local A2000 expert You'd have to check how much mem each IC has, I suppose the board might have 4MB total, then. Looking for new chips of that type might be expensive, might be not (I've seen some pretty cheap ones)... Perhaps I woudn't bother. You don't need more than that for just games, and as a matter of fact, for some games, you will have to _disable_ this extra memory. Extra memory won't make your system go faster either. This ain't no shitty PC, so the extra mem will allow you just to run more programs at once in the Workbench, and will allow some games to load more onto the extra RAM to reduce loading times. That's all. If you have 4MB I say stick to that. I suppose the machine is loaded with 1MB chip though, if not, DEFINITELY you will need an expansion for ship memory (RAM in the board will be Fast memory) I don't need your C64s, I have a breadbox C64, a C128, a Plus/4 and an SX-64

15 May 2001, 11:21	#8
Tazz Posts: n/a	Well I guess I'll just get the A2000 (can't go very wrong for that price) and work from there. My ultimate goal would be to fit this A2000 with a 1GB HD and basically play my good old games on it and run my fav demo's and mods. I guess it has 1 MB memory, I'm not entirely sure.. but we'll see. I saw that you can fit 30 pins SIMMS onto a GVP 4008 controller. Is that the same memory in the old 386/486's? If so I still have a bunch of that memory in the attic.. I'll just rip open some of my old 486SX25's (crap things anyway) ..

15 May 2001, 19:28	#9
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,645	The 1GB hard drive is overkill If it costs too much for you to get it running, I wouldn't bother. Most games are not HD installable by default, and most don't even have the option... (well, now you have WHDLoad and JST installers...) Yes, the same simms. I have a wasted 386 with a couple of megabytes I might need someday for other better computer

15 May 2001, 20:59	#10
Tazz Posts: n/a	You're right, you're right.. that 1 GB is way too big but.. It's the only SCSI HD I have and well.. in my 2nd PC there are already 2x 4.3GB HD's in there so who's going to miss that extra 1GB ? It's pretty slow compared to those DMA33 disks, it's only SCSI-II. Ofcourse when the board is simply too expensive, then I'm not going to bother. I did see a C= 2091 on eBay though, for 80 USD I think but ofcourse they don't ship to Europe... I bet I can't write these ADF's to disk on my PC and then read those disks in my Amiga can I? That would definitely solve my "no disk problem".

16 May 2001, 01:12	#11
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,645	No, you can't do that, BUT if you have more than one meg, you could transfer the ADFs to your A2000s Ram Disk, and from there, make teh new disks. This way you don't need an HD. Get a CHEAP 3.5" IDE hard drive, 500MB or some shit, and get an IDE controller, which would be MUCH cheaper. And about eBay sellers not mailing to Europe... just email them and ask. More than most, they are willing to send you the stuff, as long as you pay the shipping, of course. I do not live in the US, and nevertheless, buy lots of stuff from there. The odd seller or two might deny, but most are helpful chaps who will send you the goods wherever you live.

16 May 2001, 01:25	#12
Tazz Posts: n/a	Now you mention it, I still have a 520MB Quantum Fireball IDE HD somewhere. It'll probably take me a weekend to dig it up again though.. So now I'd be looking for an IDE controller.......for an Amiga 2000?? Things sure are getting weirder by the day. Exactly what kind of controller do I need? You have any names or types for me? Don't tell me I can just stick a regular 8/16 bits ISA controller into an Amiga? :eek

16 May 2001, 05:41	#13
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,645	No, you can't :P You have to look, of course, for an A2000 IDE controller (duh)... GVP is the first name that comes to mind, as always, but surely thre are others. I suppose they'd be cheaper than SCSI II controllers, just take a look.

16 May 2001, 06:23	#14
Twistin'Ghost Give up the ghost Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: U$A Age: 33 Posts: 4,662	OK, I have the battery backed-up clock on my A2000, but I don't know any more about it than that. As for doing IDE, I am not aware of any IDE controllers for the A2000, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. The first time I remember IDE being available for Amigas was when the A1200 was launched. I disagree that 1 gig is overkill. I have a 1-gig drive on my A2000 and I wish I had more because it STAYS full! I have lots of apps installed...a lot of graphics programs, which I use, and thus fill up hard drive space with. ADPro I used with my Epson scanner and did box scans, record scans, pic scans, etc., so I was piling on the data. Then there's Amiga files. On my PC right now, my AmigaDMS directory is more than 6 gigs - these are compressed files! An ideal A2000 setup will have lots of WHD/JST games and demos installed because not only are the games hard drive installable (finally!), but they are also degraded and offer sweet things like being able to quit! And I was always downloading Aminet files, new games...all sorts of files from the net, so if you are gonna really use the box, filling up a gig will be a doddle. Especially if you already have the drive just lying around anyhow. Ebay: I have bought a variety of items from the US as well as the rest of the world. To date, I have never had a bad experience. Common sense helps (those numbers beside the sellers' names are the ticket to who you wanna do business with!) Memory: the usefulness of extra memory for me on my A2000 comes mainly when using graphics apps (like ADPro, etc.) and with the ram disk. Most of the stuff PC users have to do on their hard drive (decompressing files, etc.) I always do in RAM because it's faster and safer. PC's will always suck for not being able to wade in the memory pool. Period.

16 May 2001, 11:47	#15
Tazz Posts: n/a	Thanks for the replies. I did find an IDE controller for the Amiga 1200 on eBay, complete with FixIDE99 (whatever that may be). From the picture it looks like a little tiny thing, just an Amiga slot card with 2 IDE connectors of them and a few ICs next to it. Will this also work in the Amiga 2000? I know, it might be the most dummest obvious question but I gotta sort somewhere. I did contact the guy who was selling the C= 2091 SCSI controller complete with GURU ROM (once again - whatever that might be) - all in box for $ 75,00 (USD) + shipping to Europe. Is that a fair deal or am I better off with this IDE controller?

16 May 2001, 17:29	#16
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,645	You had lots of workfiles in there Twistin', thus 1GB is not overkill If you just want t oplay games, 1GB si more than enough, methinks. Anyway, Tazz, NO, you can't use the A1200 interface :P It's just for the A1200, so don't waste your cash.

16 May 2001, 18:01	#17
Tazz Posts: n/a	Darn.. well so much for that IDE controller. I think I'll go for that C= 2091 with the GURU-ROM. Been reading up about it and it seems to be better than the regular C= 2091. Since the GURU-ROM alone is sold for $ 50,00 USD here.. that 75,00 USD for the whole thing doesn't seem to be that bad.

18 May 2001, 19:32	#19
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,645	In addition, NiMh batteries will last a lot more. It would be good to switch to those if you can, Tazz.

19 May 2001, 17:35	#20
Tazz Posts: n/a	I'll see what I can do about that battery when I have the A2000. Just got an email from a sole surviving Amiga store here, telling me that they doubt if the A2091 (With Guru ROM v6.13) will work with SCSI2 harddisk and recommend me a GVP 4008 or the older A200HC8 model SCSI controller. (first is 200 USD, second one is 130 USD.) Think they are right or bs-ing me?

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