XEGS "memory error flight simulator will not run on atari 400 or 800"

[famicommander]

I just hooked up my Atari XEGS and for some reason it gives the following message when I try to play Flight Simulator:

"memory error flight simulator will not run on atari 400 or 800"

 

It runs the built in Missile Command fine, and I have a Tennis cartridge that also boots up fine.

 

This cartridge came with the system, so why would it say it doesn't run? Why does it think my XEGS is an Atari 400 or 800?

[Joey Z]

I just hooked up my Atari XEGS and for some reason it gives the following message when I try to play Flight Simulator:

"memory error flight simulator will not run on atari 400 or 800"

 

It runs the built in Missile Command fine, and I have a Tennis cartridge that also boots up fine.

 

This cartridge came with the system, so why would it say it doesn't run? Why does it think my XEGS is an Atari 400 or 800?

Does the XEGS pass it's self test? particularly the memory test?

[famicommander]

How long does the self test take? It's just running over again and again. All the little squares are green and it just keeps lighting up one at time, continuously cycling. Does that mean it has passed and I can turn it off, or is it still running?

 

Looks exactly like this:

[Joey Z]

How long does the self test take? It's just running over again and again. All the little squares are green and it just keeps lighting up one at time, continuously cycling. Does that mean it has passed and I can turn it off, or is it still running?

 

Looks exactly like this:

that means it has passed. I think the XEGS ram test only tests the lower 48K of the 64K the computer has, like all atari RAM tests. I guess it's still possible that you have bad RAM, but the problem is likely to be elsewhere. Do you have a keyboard for your XEGS?

[Irgendwer]

This cartridge came with the system, so why would it say it doesn't run? Why does it think my XEGS is an Atari 400 or 800?

 

Have you tried to fire the unit on with pressed Option-Key?

[Joey Z]

 

Have you tried to fire the unit on with pressed Option-Key?

that wouldn't apply to a cartridge game.

[famicommander]

I do have a keyboard. Anything I should try when I get home from work?

[_The Doctor__]

Yes,

try this...

XEGSMGR.xex

 

and this

88_aug.atr

 

There is one in basic as well.

 

This will solve your what button do I press on the keyboard problem.

 

Complete XEGS config control...

Edited November 26, 2014 by _The Doctor__

[Rybags]

The game needs keyboard anyway, doesn't it?

 

That memory test looks like what you'd expect of a machine with 128K or more Ram. XEGS shouldn't come up with the 4 medium bars at the bottom, maybe you have a memory expansion and maybe the game doesn't handle it properly.

[Joey Z]

The game needs keyboard anyway, doesn't it?

 

That memory test looks like what you'd expect of a machine with 128K or more Ram. XEGS shouldn't come up with the 4 medium bars at the bottom, maybe you have a memory expansion and maybe the game doesn't handle it properly.

I suppose that's a possible issue, would help if we new specifically what game is not working. Perhaps famicommander can post a pic of the game's cart? a dump if he's capable even?

 

I do have a keyboard. Anything I should try when I get home from work?

 

I don't have anything yet, but it may be useful to be able to run small testing programs in BASIC to determine whether certain features are working, like RAM under the OS, which the built in selftest doesn't test.

[_The Doctor__]

I once owned and 130XE that had a self test like this. I don't think there is anything wrong with this XEGS.

[Joey Z]

I once owned and 130XE that had a self test like this. I don't think there is anything wrong with this XEGS.

well, that makes sense for a 130XE, which has 128K stock. XEGS has 64K stock, so a self test like this suggests that the XEGS has been upgraded to 128K.

[Rybags]

FS II needs a keyboard anyway but I doubt it'd affect the game starting on an XEGS.

But that self-test does indicate 128K - if you only have 64K with that later OS version you don't get the medium blocks.

 

Entirely possible that the game does some sort of half baked config test which fails on a modded machine.

[_The Doctor__]

1.Give it a try using the manager, basic off etc and boot the game.

 

2.Where did you get your Flight Sim Disks? try different disks or atrs

 

3.We will see.

[gilsaluki]

I just upgraded my XEGS to 128K, this is the self test for memory for 128K. Only question is, did the person upgrading the XEGS do the 130XE compatible upgrade (or some other). It should run any XL/XE program.

[Paul Westphal]

Try another game that requires 64k and see what that tells you.

[famicommander]

Okay guys, let me try and answer everything:

 

1. The game in question is this one:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.the-liberator.net%2Fsite-files%2Fretro-games%2Fgames%2Fatari-xe-game-cartridges.htm&ei=6E91VLrtN4ucNrO7gKgD&bvm=bv.80642063,d.cWc&psig=AFQjCNGJ0WjtGtxHU3GEF9aALXV5Ad7bTg&ust=1417060710082532

 

2. I have only ever used this system to run cartridges. I have never run anything from a disk (I don't even have a disk drive), I have no idea how to use BASIC or anything else. I just put carts in, plug in a controller, and play games. I am a child of the early 90s and I grew up with WIndows 95, nowadays I use Linux exclusively. I have never used an 80s computer in my life.

 

3. Flight Sim is the only XE cartridge I have. All my other games are old 400/800 cartridges, and they seem to work fine.

 

4. Now that you mention it, I cannot recall if my system had the four bars at the bottom of the memory test. I didn't notice them when I made the topic; I just found that image on Google. I will run the test again when I get home and report back here with the results.

 

5. I am not actually interested in playing Flight Simulator, I just wanted to verify that the system could play XE games.

 

Thanks for all your help, guys. If need be I believe I can trace the system back to its origin, or at least its previous owner.

[Rybags]

For some reason it's not seeing the Ram under OS Rom. Could be a fault in the Ram or could be a problem with the MMU, or maybe even bad PIA.

 

The game copies stuff to Ram there and at some stage tests if it's actually Ram - the message is displayed if the game thinks you don't have the required Ram.

 

If you don't have the means to run downloaded software it makes things a bit hard to test. Ideally you'd want to grab a utility disk image with the Ram tests, most of the popular ones will do a much better job than the OS memory test.

Edited November 26, 2014 by Rybags

[famicommander]

I literally only have the console, power supply, a/v cables, keyboard, controllers, and some cartridges. Nothing else.

[Joey Z]

I literally only have the console, power supply, a/v cables, keyboard, controllers, and some cartridges. Nothing else.

 

 

 

For some reason it's not seeing the Ram under OS Rom. Could be a fault in the Ram or could be a problem with the MMU, or maybe even bad PIA.

 

The game copies stuff to Ram there and at some stage tests if it's actually Ram - the message is displayed if the game thinks you don't have the required Ram.

 

If you don't have the means to run downloaded software it makes things a bit hard to test. Ideally you'd want to grab a utility disk image with the Ram tests, most of the popular ones will do a much better job than the OS memory test.

 

Well, at least in order to test the memory under the OS, we should be able to use BASIC. It complicates things a bit, but it's doable.

I don't mean an in-depth test, just a very basic test to see if ram under the OS is working at all (ie, enable the RAM, write one byte, read it, confirm it wrote.)

Edited November 26, 2014 by Joey Z

[SoundGammon]

Did you try cleaning the cart's connector pins? Maybe one of the pins isn't making contact.

[Rybags]

I was thinking quick/dirty type-in to test the Ram also - see what I can whip up a bit later.

[famicommander]

So I am home now and can at least confirm that my system does NOT have the three large blocks in the image above on the memory test screen. In my haste I just copied the first one I saw on Google.

[Rybags]

OK. Next up is to see about doing a test program, I'll try to get something you can type in a short time which might help out.

[Joey Z]

OK. Next up is to see about doing a test program, I'll try to get something you can type in a short time which might help out.

probably a short USR() routine in page 6 could do the job, no? turning off the

 

better idea I thought of midline:

if you turn off the OS ROM with just an immediate mode POKE from BASIC, the system should die as soon as it receives an interupt shouldn't it? so do a POKE to PORTB and if the system crashes, it's working properly. If it keeps going, something is preventing the OSROM from being disabled.