Re: My rev-zero Apple II lives again!

[mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon)]

Stephen Adams wrote:

<snip>

>While the nieces were here, I successfully booted up Galaxian, however 
>Battle Chess and Yeager's Flight Simulator didn't get past the initial 
>disk reading stage. Those latter two games used some sort of copy 
>protection scheme that I'm sure had to do with disk drive rotational 
>speed, which may be off after all these years in storage.

If the disk drive has not been operated for a long time, and is of
the full-height belt-driven kind, it is likely that the rotational speed
is quite uneven, corresponding to the shape "memory" of the belt.

The more the drive is used, the less this effect will become,
unless the belt has become quite stiff.

You may find that with the passage of time, the drive "heals"
itself, as the belt stops in various positions and "anneals"
the memorized shape away.

Of course, it never hurts to check disk speed...  ;-)

>My repair to-do list on this old machine is starting to look a bit 
>beefy. But, it'll be worth it in the end.  :)

Indeed!

-michael

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