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ScuzzBlog: Diaries November 2017

Entry 5th November 2017: Post: 1


My Atari X-HELL

I just have no luck with the Atari. And not for the obvious reasons.
The kit generally works fine  and I can power computers and all
the peripherals up and enjoy my limited experience of the platform.
I will be honest and say that I have never tried very hard to
collect the Atari. Being an Amiga guy I just never felt it was right
to do so. The platform is the dark side to my light, even more so
than Windows if I am honest.

Setting that aside what is the issue? Well I have these Atari
computers and for me a machine can only truly become a member of
the family when I can save stuff. It's kinda a rule I have. Recently
as you know I bought an Eprom for the Z88 cus I just have to be
able to store data.

And so to the Atari and in this case the 65 and 130XE... not the XL
though the same still applies. With the Amstrad and the 3" drive I
can CAT and save and format to disk from the machine. With the
Einstein I need the CP/M but kinda the same cus I can still read
the disk directory out of the can. The Spectrum+3 allows me to
access the 3" disk drive as does your basic Commodore 64. BUT the
annoying Atari and the 1050 does not. You need the DOS disk. And
can I get one... No. Seems impossible. And so each time I switch
the 130 on with the 1050 I get a scrolling Boot Error.

I have games disks on floppy and they all work but I need to save.

I have tried to join the Atari Forum but they just reject my email.
I carefully fill in the application form and submit but it fails
every time and rejects my email address. I do not know why.

I have spent hours on the internet trying to work out how I can
get Atari DOS2.0S or 2.5 but it involves emulators and the like.
And so for now I just check the listings on Ebay. One day I guess.
The point is that the drive is useless without the disk.


Not technically an XL but certainly
an Atari X-HELL nightmare

The light is on but there is nobody in

Have you seen the cables and power supplies
you need for computer and disk drive

Games disks work fine using the drive

The Atari 130XE

The 65XE is basically the same machine
but with half the memory capacity

The Atari 1050 5.25" drive

The Atari 1010 Datassette

Cartridges work.. just can't save to them

SPECIFICATION

The 65XE and 130XE actually stands for
XL-Expanded. Announced in 1985 at and about
the same time of the ST models to which they
bare a resemblance. Aimed for mass market appeal.
In production through till 1991. Was marketed
as the 800XE in Germany.

Kinda fun if you like the Atari. Neat and small


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Last updated 05/11/2017

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