amiga 500 suddenly stopped!

31 July 2002, 21:55

please help an amiga illiterate whos dependant on his a500 for midi sequencing with music x.dormant for 2 month with a file disk left in it (i know!)now when boots it goes to white screen with disk as usual and then goes either through usual load process allway(then goes to software failure as follows) or goes straight to black screen with software failure in red box red text.the music x copy backup does similar.yesterday it would repeat this continually when i tried to reboot.today after 24 hours rest it went and loaded ok but crashed to software failure after 5 mins ---it has always been most reliable software hence my dependance.is there a solution ? the disc left in was a midi file disk not music x itself.i have no other amiga discs other than a utils copy disk and its all i use it for.any help gratefully recieved as im so skint that to midi my pc and learn new sequencer would really waste my time and cost me dearly (ie i have no funds!)

blackcornflake · 31 July 2002, 22:25

More info, please.

That error message is known as a 'Guru Meditation'. The first set of digits on screen tell you what type of error has occurred, and the second lot show the address in memory where the illegal instruction occurred.

It sounds like a hardware problem to me, as you state that the backup Music-X disk causes a crash too. Both disks becoming corrupt would surely be too much bad luck! Possibly a floppy drive problem, or a chip problem. Is it the same error each time? Does it only occur when loading something?

Please post again with error number. We'll get to the bottom of this...

Overdoc · 31 July 2002, 22:29

When you say that all your disks worked ok before and now all of them give you software failure/guru medidation then it could either be a hardware problem or a virus destroyed your disks.

Did you use some disks from somebody else lately, or download some as ADFs from the net, so that disk could have infected your own disks ?

If it is a hardware problem then you could first try to push on every chip and reseat them into their sockets. Some of them like to wear themselves out of there sockets and then have bad contact.
Another possibility could be a weak power supply. Do you have access to another psu from a friend you could borrow for testing ?

If you just leave the Amiga alone after powerup without inserting a disk, does a guru occur after some minutes then ?

Amiga1992 · 31 July 2002, 23:02

I am inclined to think of a PSU fault too... Try what Overdoc says, power up teh Amiga without any disk in it, leave it on for a while and see if it GURUs (or see if the PSU blows up! :P)

31 July 2002, 23:15

many thanks for the very prompt interest - even if my amiga's doomed im very grateful for your offers of help....techno samaratins!! viva la internet !!!! top site too!

bloody thing wont even boot up now to quote you the number of the guru meditation---just coming up a white screen ! so i'll give it a rest and try tommorow.no i havent used any other disks or use it for net so little chance of virus ? no access to another power source (never a previous problem) i reckon either dirty or fed up drive from having a disk stay too long......i'll quote that code asap ---

Overdoc · 01 August 2002, 01:07

Disconnect everything the Amiga doesn't need to operate, like joystick, mouse, memory expansion and so on.
Open up the Amiga and even disconnect the drive and the keyboard.
Now see if it will at least show the startup screen....
Problems like this are rather hard to find, especially if you don't have no 2nd Amiga or spareparts for trying around what might be the culprit.
But it could well be possible that reseating all chips and blowing out dust and dirt will help

Amiga1992 · 01 August 2002, 01:53

Listen to Overdoc here, he's CBM hardware-Meister

I don';t think a disk or a diskdrive could be causing this. I think that, unluckily, your problem is more serious

By the way, don't you want to register to the board?

01 August 2002, 08:01

hi - no time to try the dismantle option yet (will take a few days to find a few mins) guru number when trying to load music x is #00000004.00C05128 .same guru number each time.doesnt guru or crash when just switched on with no disk just stays on white screen with workbench disk on it. will try and open and gently blow and reposition chips (hope its as easy you make it sound!)only has mouse and midi port connected other than monitor.may be weekend before i try the dismantle will post then with further results.

re signing up didnt initially feel i can contribute much and as i say i only use it for one thing that i know very well and comes second nature for making music..........dont spend too much time surfing either......fsmily and all those things.......

Overdoc · 01 August 2002, 11:36

Hmm, just to clear some thing up:
When you turn your Amiga on and DON'T insert any disk:

1) do you get a white screen WITH workbench hand and HEAR the drive clicking

2) or do you just get a white screen WITHOUT workbench hand and CANNOT HEAR the drive clicking ?

3) or do you get a guru after some time ?

If the Amiga always behaves like 1) then I think it is more a sotware/disk problem instead of a hardware failure.

01 August 2002, 19:53

yes typically 1 . i only end up getting 2 if i insert a disk that then goes on to guru and the i reset then it behaves like 2 without loading a disk .if left alone (ie no disk) for long time it stays on 1 continually and doesnt GURU.i asked a IT person at work who said perhaps my file disk could have left info behind that is posing a prob.........but she is a pc specialist not amiga !

to further complicate matters music x has loaded this eve and hasnt guru'd yet after 5mins so maybe it'll get this phase out of its system ........maybe ?????? thanks again for the help

Amiga1992 · 01 August 2002, 23:20

Quote:

Originally posted by Unregistered
i asked a IT person at work who said perhaps my file disk could have left info behind that is posing a prob.........but she is a pc specialist not amiga !

Blah, what an idiot! where would it have been left for so many years? captured inside a capacitor? :P You dont even have an HD!

I hate the PC mentality. Perhaps she told you to check your registry

Stick with us mate, if there is a solution to your problem it will come from the awesome heads of the people in this board

Looks like a disk/diskdrive prob to me now. worst case scenario, you can grab anotehr A500 for peanuts

03 August 2002, 11:08

now sat and my amiga has now loaded music x as normal without any guru's !!!! none of the previously mentioned things happened ---just like it should do

is this weird or what ?---perhaps the computer is in sync with me and having a midlife crisis ? do the have brief week long "blips" like this ? providing stays as this i'll be happy .

Amiga1992 · 03 August 2002, 20:38

Perhaps it was flaky for being kept all those years in the cupboard....

Keep an eye on it, it might get flaky again or, if yer lucky, work forever from now on

31 July 2002, 21:55	#1
Unregistered Posts: n/a	amiga 500 suddenly stopped! please help an amiga illiterate whos dependant on his a500 for midi sequencing with music x.dormant for 2 month with a file disk left in it (i know!)now when boots it goes to white screen with disk as usual and then goes either through usual load process allway(then goes to software failure as follows) or goes straight to black screen with software failure in red box red text.the music x copy backup does similar.yesterday it would repeat this continually when i tried to reboot.today after 24 hours rest it went and loaded ok but crashed to software failure after 5 mins ---it has always been most reliable software hence my dependance.is there a solution ? the disc left in was a midi file disk not music x itself.i have no other amiga discs other than a utils copy disk and its all i use it for.any help gratefully recieved as im so skint that to midi my pc and learn new sequencer would really waste my time and cost me dearly (ie i have no funds!)

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31 July 2002, 22:25	#2
blackcornflake Moderator Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Cereal box Posts: 804	More info, please. That error message is known as a 'Guru Meditation'. The first set of digits on screen tell you what type of error has occurred, and the second lot show the address in memory where the illegal instruction occurred. It sounds like a hardware problem to me, as you state that the backup Music-X disk causes a crash too. Both disks becoming corrupt would surely be too much bad luck! Possibly a floppy drive problem, or a chip problem. Is it the same error each time? Does it only occur when loading something? Please post again with error number. We'll get to the bottom of this...

31 July 2002, 22:29	#3
Overdoc Commodore Collector Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Austria Age: 53 Posts: 944	When you say that all your disks worked ok before and now all of them give you software failure/guru medidation then it could either be a hardware problem or a virus destroyed your disks. Did you use some disks from somebody else lately, or download some as ADFs from the net, so that disk could have infected your own disks ? If it is a hardware problem then you could first try to push on every chip and reseat them into their sockets. Some of them like to wear themselves out of there sockets and then have bad contact. Another possibility could be a weak power supply. Do you have access to another psu from a friend you could borrow for testing ? If you just leave the Amiga alone after powerup without inserting a disk, does a guru occur after some minutes then ?

31 July 2002, 23:02	#4
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,651	I am inclined to think of a PSU fault too... Try what Overdoc says, power up teh Amiga without any disk in it, leave it on for a while and see if it GURUs (or see if the PSU blows up! :P)

31 July 2002, 23:15	#5
Unregistered Posts: n/a	many thanks for the very prompt interest - even if my amiga's doomed im very grateful for your offers of help....techno samaratins!! viva la internet !!!! top site too! bloody thing wont even boot up now to quote you the number of the guru meditation---just coming up a white screen ! so i'll give it a rest and try tommorow.no i havent used any other disks or use it for net so little chance of virus ? no access to another power source (never a previous problem) i reckon either dirty or fed up drive from having a disk stay too long......i'll quote that code asap ---

01 August 2002, 01:07	#6
Overdoc Commodore Collector Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Austria Age: 53 Posts: 944	Disconnect everything the Amiga doesn't need to operate, like joystick, mouse, memory expansion and so on. Open up the Amiga and even disconnect the drive and the keyboard. Now see if it will at least show the startup screen.... Problems like this are rather hard to find, especially if you don't have no 2nd Amiga or spareparts for trying around what might be the culprit. But it could well be possible that reseating all chips and blowing out dust and dirt will help

01 August 2002, 01:53	#7
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,651	Listen to Overdoc here, he's CBM hardware-Meister I don';t think a disk or a diskdrive could be causing this. I think that, unluckily, your problem is more serious By the way, don't you want to register to the board?

01 August 2002, 08:01	#8
Unregistered Posts: n/a	hi - no time to try the dismantle option yet (will take a few days to find a few mins) guru number when trying to load music x is #00000004.00C05128 .same guru number each time.doesnt guru or crash when just switched on with no disk just stays on white screen with workbench disk on it. will try and open and gently blow and reposition chips (hope its as easy you make it sound!)only has mouse and midi port connected other than monitor.may be weekend before i try the dismantle will post then with further results. re signing up didnt initially feel i can contribute much and as i say i only use it for one thing that i know very well and comes second nature for making music..........dont spend too much time surfing either......fsmily and all those things.......

01 August 2002, 11:36	#9
Overdoc Commodore Collector Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Austria Age: 53 Posts: 944	Hmm, just to clear some thing up: When you turn your Amiga on and DON'T insert any disk: 1) do you get a white screen WITH workbench hand and HEAR the drive clicking 2) or do you just get a white screen WITHOUT workbench hand and CANNOT HEAR the drive clicking ? 3) or do you get a guru after some time ? If the Amiga always behaves like 1) then I think it is more a sotware/disk problem instead of a hardware failure.

01 August 2002, 19:53	#10
Unregistered Posts: n/a	yes typically 1 . i only end up getting 2 if i insert a disk that then goes on to guru and the i reset then it behaves like 2 without loading a disk .if left alone (ie no disk) for long time it stays on 1 continually and doesnt GURU.i asked a IT person at work who said perhaps my file disk could have left info behind that is posing a prob.........but she is a pc specialist not amiga ! to further complicate matters music x has loaded this eve and hasnt guru'd yet after 5mins so maybe it'll get this phase out of its system ........maybe ?????? thanks again for the help

03 August 2002, 11:08	#12
Unregistered Posts: n/a	now sat and my amiga has now loaded music x as normal without any guru's !!!! none of the previously mentioned things happened ---just like it should do is this weird or what ?---perhaps the computer is in sync with me and having a midlife crisis ? do the have brief week long "blips" like this ? providing stays as this i'll be happy .

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03 August 2002, 20:38	#13
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,651	Perhaps it was flaky for being kept all those years in the cupboard.... Keep an eye on it, it might get flaky again or, if yer lucky, work forever from now on