Ebay Hastle

kratam · 07 June 2005, 14:57

I recently bought and amiga 1200 off ebay. The seller said all the drives worked including the external drive. I booted the amiga and all worked well for half and hour then the disk drive broke and could not read any floppy disks at all. I tried to use the external drive and this did not work as well. The seller sent me another amiga 1200 this worked fine for a day (he had tested it and said the drive was ok). After an hour this stopped working. I have had to send the amigas back to him. What could a possible reason be for the disk drives failure and where do i stand on a refund?

IFW · 07 June 2005, 15:19

Actually it sounds you broke the drives yourself.
Some dirty disks inserted can cause exactly the same symptoms with what you described.

07 June 2005, 15:58

Hi, I had a similar problem some time ago. I setup an amiga and a friend dug out his old demo disks, after a couple of demos the drive was broken. It was the old disks which had been in storage for several years which killed the drive!!!!!!!

kratam · 07 June 2005, 16:18

i broke the drives even though all the disks were supplied by him! i dont think so. all i did was insert them. the disk should have been checked before the sale.

IFW · 07 June 2005, 16:21

Yes, you have.

Unfortunately you can't really check disks for particles etc, before inserting them.
Once you broke the drive you can try and clean it, there is no way around it. It has happened way too many times for loads of people.

This is the risk of using 1-2 decades old media, that has physical contact with the read/write head of the drive.
Any dirt is likely to kill the drive head either temporarily or forever.

Smiley · 07 June 2005, 17:15

If a secondhand item works when you get it you cant really complain. Its not as if the seller somehow tampered with the drive to make it brake after an hour. If the item was sold as brand new then you could complain.

Computolio · 08 June 2005, 03:33

This has happened to me. Just get a cleaning disk and keep running it through, then throw out the offending disk.

Methanoid · 08 June 2005, 09:34

Sounds like at least you had a helpful Ebay seller that he went to that trouble. If they work and then cease it can hardly be his fault. Its life. There is no guarantee and he did at least supply 2 working 1200s.. its just bad luck that they did work and then ceased.

andreas · 07 July 2005, 18:19

Well, IFW you're from the CAPS project; so why not tell about your marvellous page on caps-project.org? Forgot about it?

Seriously, I've been using this method since 1988. (Without reading this FAQ

)
And I've managed to get lots of disks working again that made the drive grind "errr-errr-errr" before ...
(but I've NEVER EVER used cleaning fluid!

)

Overdoc · 08 July 2005, 01:50

Hehe, I have done this 'trick' too since I got my first A-500 in 1990, but it has never ever helped me. Seems my disks never had dirt problems but indeed had physical errors or got broken by some virus.

andreas · 08 July 2005, 13:33

I will tell you something that is NO joke:
With an important (work) disk that had lots of valuable data on, that always showed errors but nothing on the surface, I even OPENED this disk under extreme caution, never touching the magnetic surface with my hands though, but use a tissue instead between my hands and the "disc" (Just as if you want to apply compound to your heatsink: one touch with your hands can be deadly for the effect due to skin fat!)

Yes, you can believe me: the disk was 100% readable after that. There were no errors on the surface, but a handful tiny crumbs were INSIDE at the position usually covered by the plastic casing! Even by blowing into the disk, you cannot get these as they'e ABOVE the oval hole, which is a position you can't reach if the casing is around!

Methanoid · 08 July 2005, 13:36

HASSLE is not HASTLE... I think we need an EAB Spelling Mod

Effy · 10 July 2005, 10:43

Methanoid : not everybody has perfect knowledge of English

07 June 2005, 14:57	#1
kratam Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Huddersfield Age: 42 Posts: 44	Ebay Hastle I recently bought and amiga 1200 off ebay. The seller said all the drives worked including the external drive. I booted the amiga and all worked well for half and hour then the disk drive broke and could not read any floppy disks at all. I tried to use the external drive and this did not work as well. The seller sent me another amiga 1200 this worked fine for a day (he had tested it and said the drive was ok). After an hour this stopped working. I have had to send the amigas back to him. What could a possible reason be for the disk drives failure and where do i stand on a refund?

07 June 2005, 15:58	#3
Stigodump Posts: n/a	Old Disks Hi, I had a similar problem some time ago. I setup an amiga and a friend dug out his old demo disks, after a couple of demos the drive was broken. It was the old disks which had been in storage for several years which killed the drive!!!!!!!

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07 June 2005, 15:19	#2
IFW Moderator Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: ... Age: 52 Posts: 1,838	Actually it sounds you broke the drives yourself. Some dirty disks inserted can cause exactly the same symptoms with what you described.

07 June 2005, 16:18	#4
kratam Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Location: Huddersfield Age: 42 Posts: 44	i broke the drives even though all the disks were supplied by him! i dont think so. all i did was insert them. the disk should have been checked before the sale.

07 June 2005, 16:21	#5
IFW Moderator Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: ... Age: 52 Posts: 1,838	Yes, you have. Unfortunately you can't really check disks for particles etc, before inserting them. Once you broke the drive you can try and clean it, there is no way around it. It has happened way too many times for loads of people. This is the risk of using 1-2 decades old media, that has physical contact with the read/write head of the drive. Any dirt is likely to kill the drive head either temporarily or forever.

07 June 2005, 17:15	#6
Smiley Amiga-less! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: UK Posts: 1,350	If a secondhand item works when you get it you cant really complain. Its not as if the seller somehow tampered with the drive to make it brake after an hour. If the item was sold as brand new then you could complain.

08 June 2005, 03:33	#7
Computolio Registered User Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: California Posts: 174	This has happened to me. Just get a cleaning disk and keep running it through, then throw out the offending disk.

08 June 2005, 09:34	#8
Methanoid Retired Quartex Sysop Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Roman Verulamium Age: 58 Posts: 1,874	Sounds like at least you had a helpful Ebay seller that he went to that trouble. If they work and then cease it can hardly be his fault. Its life. There is no guarantee and he did at least supply 2 working 1200s.. its just bad luck that they did work and then ceased.

07 July 2005, 18:19	#9
andreas Zone Friend Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Germany Age: 50 Posts: 5,857	Well, IFW you're from the CAPS project; so why not tell about your marvellous page on caps-project.org? Forgot about it? Seriously, I've been using this method since 1988. (Without reading this FAQ ) And I've managed to get lots of disks working again that made the drive grind "errr-errr-errr" before ... (but I've NEVER EVER used cleaning fluid! )

08 July 2005, 01:50	#10
Overdoc Commodore Collector Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Austria Age: 53 Posts: 944	Hehe, I have done this 'trick' too since I got my first A-500 in 1990, but it has never ever helped me. Seems my disks never had dirt problems but indeed had physical errors or got broken by some virus.

08 July 2005, 13:33	#11
andreas Zone Friend Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Germany Age: 50 Posts: 5,857	I will tell you something that is NO joke: With an important (work) disk that had lots of valuable data on, that always showed errors but nothing on the surface, I even OPENED this disk under extreme caution, never touching the magnetic surface with my hands though, but use a tissue instead between my hands and the "disc" (Just as if you want to apply compound to your heatsink: one touch with your hands can be deadly for the effect due to skin fat!) Yes, you can believe me: the disk was 100% readable after that. There were no errors on the surface, but a handful tiny crumbs were INSIDE at the position usually covered by the plastic casing! Even by blowing into the disk, you cannot get these as they'e ABOVE the oval hole, which is a position you can't reach if the casing is around!

08 July 2005, 13:36	#12
Methanoid Retired Quartex Sysop Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Roman Verulamium Age: 58 Posts: 1,874	HASSLE is not HASTLE... I think we need an EAB Spelling Mod

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

10 July 2005, 10:43	#13
Effy http://www.amigaclub.be/ Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Belgium Age: 56 Posts: 677	Methanoid : not everybody has perfect knowledge of English