tyranthraxus Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 The thread on how you got started has been quite fantastic with some cool stories. Which has lead me to ponder how long did the Atari computer last in your household as the main computer? I am new to the 8-bit, having got my first an 800XL at a thrift last spring but in the day I had a C=64 which we got around 1986 and eventually sold in 1990. So we had a good 4 years of life out of it. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils advocate Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 We used ours soley as a game machine....But it lasted us until the SNES came out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarian1 Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 My Atari 800 had a good 4 years of everyday usage too: 1983-1987. Played games, called BBSes, wrote school reports. Lots of memories there, so I couldn't get rid of it so it's in the closet. In 1987, I got an Atari ST and that lasted until 1995 and then a Falcon to 1999. Wrote all my college papers and senior thesis on TOS machines. Ooops, going OT now. I still use all my Ataris for various uses, but since I enjoy using the WWW, I use my PC most of the time now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tifany Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 These things are hard to kill... i got mine in 85, wrote all my high school papers, all my college papers, played games pretty much every day till i put it in storage when i moved in 2001, and it got destroyed in a nasty storm that blew over my moms storage building 2 months after that. *sigh* Was still going strong though! Just got a new one off e-bay though! YAY!! Time to go play Miner and mule! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tifany Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 These things are hard to kill... i got mine in 85, wrote all my high school papers, all my college papers, played games pretty much every day till i put it in storage when i moved in 2001, and it got destroyed in a nasty storm that blew over my moms storage building 2 months after that. *sigh* Was still going strong though! Just got a new one off e-bay though! YAY!! Time to go play Miner and mule! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannon Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 I kept on using mine until I got an Amiga then I mostly used that. But funny thing is I sold my atari 130xe last... after selling all my other equipment. The only reason I have one is because my cousin gave me his cause he didn't want it anymore. Considering how badly he takes care of stuff, it's amazing the thing still runs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetboot Jack Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 My 800 is 23 years old, and apart from a ding on the RAM cover it still works perfectly sTeVE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ Posted July 11, 2003 Share Posted July 11, 2003 Mine's still alive & kickin'...well, I should say I still use it. My original got fried w/ a bad power supply...forget what became of it. Luckily, a friend who also had one (cuz he thought mine was so cool) sold me his collection (XL, 1010, 1020, & games) for $60. Used mostly for word processing/journal entries but my game collection has grown quite a bit in the past year or so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon-paul Posted July 14, 2003 Share Posted July 14, 2003 Bought 800xl new from dixons with my first pay packet (1985?) Sold it to a mate shortly before going to university (about the winter of 1992/3) 7 years of fun games than. Me happy with that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco Mollison Sr. Posted July 14, 2003 Share Posted July 14, 2003 This is an interesting topic, I first got involved with the Atari 1200xl in 1984, upgraded to the 130XE by 1985 and progressed up to sysop status by 1987 and ran a BBS till 1993 of course my original 130XE didn't survive past the first year because of a 1 meg upgrade kinda fried the traces on the board. So I bought a second 130XE but only took it up to a 320XE and it survived for 4 years and 5 keyboards all the while running my BBS The Doggie Diner BBS running my modified version of FoReM XE Pro on the Blackbox and went through 6 harddrives who knows how many floppy drives but the BB is still running but the 320XE is not and I have to check to see what is wrong on it when I get through the rest of the hardware that I have (cleaning and checking for functionality) some is going to be sold but some wont. My Atari stuff has had a 7 year vacation from me but that has come to an end I'm getting it all back up and running again and alot of it is still working quite nicely although it doesn't look like it should (hence the cleaning)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannon Posted July 14, 2003 Share Posted July 14, 2003 I had a friend who ran a BB on I think a 130xe, two GT drives?, and a 1050 enhanced. I also ran one myself on an IBM pc 8086 machine, at least until the hard drive got fried. A shame really... it was up for two weeks and going strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ Posted July 19, 2003 Share Posted July 19, 2003 Hey- found some free time yesterday for gaming- what'd I choose? My PS2? My SNES? Nope! After creating some music CD inserts w/ DaisyDot 3 & the XMM801, I played Mr Do! & GACCRoad Race. It was great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunstar Posted July 19, 2003 Share Posted July 19, 2003 WOW, where to begin... I'll try and keep this brief. I wasn't even an Atari fan until after the Tramiels took over, My very first computer was a Timex/Sincliar 1000 (ZX81 to all you English) I picked it up about '82 in a bargain bin and used it to try out my basic programs created on Apple II+'s and IIe's at school, with a bit of modification, I was able to port most of the programs I made. But I needed a "real" computer, even though I did fall in love with the Sinclair. I begged my parents for an Apple IIe and IIc for a while, with no success, then I saw an article in Creative Computing about the "new" Atari under the whip of the ex Commordore president, Jack Tramiel, with a new machine, the ST, dubbed the "Jackintosh." I was impressed with the specs and the look of the machines, but especially the price. Of course I couldn't afford the ST line as a high school student on my own (no help getting a PC from the parents), but the 128k XE looked very intrigueing. A computer with the power of the IIc I so desperately wanted, for a fraction of the cost! So I saved my money that summer and bought a 130XE in the summer of '85. I used it on a daily basis for games AND applications until '95 (the end of my college carrier). After college, I really didn't need a PC, right away anyway, so I upgraded to the Jaguar for just my video games, and kept the 130XE, although it was used very little after that; resumes mostly and an occasional game of AR the dungeon. But, my XE ran flawlessly, along with my 2 1050's until today, 18 years later! I replaced the XE this past year after dropping it on the floor and having some "power" problems with it. I bought a replacement, then, someone here asked in conversation about the broken one, I said I look into it for him, and I repaired the problem with it; a loose solder point on the power-plug din socket, so it is now in the hands of another, working fine. I recently aquired a 1200XL and I also aquired an 800 and an 800xl over the years, but always used the XE as the main machine do to it's expanded memory. I also recently aquired an 1040STf, which is an original from '85 or '86 too, and still works fine after all these years. My experience has been that the machines are built to last, even if built cheaply, and they are still good to this day to do everything with them except surf the www. Which will change soon. Screw PC's and Microsoft and Intel. Give me an Atari anyday, or even a Commodore or Apple...long story long, 18 years and counting, with about 10 of those years the XE was used DAILY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Sauron Posted July 20, 2003 Share Posted July 20, 2003 My 130XE lasted me from 1985 until 1991, when I traded it in for a 520ST. Never had any problems with it, even though i wore out most of the key letters. My STs were pretty good too, except for the 1040ST which I abused to hell and eventually killed. A 520ST that a fellow user group member rescued and gave to me lasted for a long time also without any problems, and that thing was in pretty bad shape when I got it...dried up coke on the inside, a couple of dead cockroaches, and even a live one! Worked like a beaut once I cleaned it up and reseated all of the chips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted July 20, 2003 Share Posted July 20, 2003 Ahhh, I wish I still had my original Atari 8-bit computers so I could know if they're still running. However, I did use Atari 8-bits for many years, before finally "abandoning" them for the Atari ST. My first computer (that I personally owned) was an Atari 800XL. Eventually this machine would get upgraded with 256K of memory, and it would form the basis for a BBS that I ran for Connecticut Atari Systems Enthusiasts (CASE). Later, that BBS transformed into Phantasmal Alchemy, which I ran for several years using the Carina II BBS software.. That complete BBS system included the following hardware: - Atari 800XL w/256K upgrade - ICD MIO Board (1MB) - Atari XEP80 80 column adapter - Two Atari 1050 Drives w/US Doubler upgrade - Two Indus GT Drives - Adaptec 4000A MFM Hard Drive Controller - Two 20MB Hard Drives (one Seagate, one Microscience) - PC XT Hard Drive Case (housed the drives, power supply, and Adaptec board) - ICD SpartaDOS X Cartridge - ICD R-Time 8 Cartridge - AtariBASIC Rev. C Cartridge (yes, for a time all three of these were plugged into the XL--later I would switch to a 130XE) - Commodore 1702 monitor - Magnavox 80 column monitor (both monitors used simultaneously with BBS) - Various modems over the years There's probably some other hardware I'm forgetting about, and I also had a second 8-bit system that I used for other things, like (most importantly) playing games. Sadly, I sold all of this hardware sometime after going off to college. Here is a Usenet message I posted to several groups in March of 1989 advertising most of it: Atari 8-bit System for sale Looks like I kept the 800XL, a 1050, an Indust GT, the 1702, whatever modem I was using at the time, and probably some of the other hadware. Little did I know at the time that I'd be nostalgic for this system fourteen years later. ..Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushie2600 Posted July 20, 2003 Share Posted July 20, 2003 Ahhh, I wish I still had my original Atari 8-bit computers so I could know if they're still running. However, I did use Atari 8-bits for many years, before finally "abandoning" them for the Atari ST. My first computer (that I personally owned) was an Atari 800XL. Eventually this machine would get upgraded with 256K of memory, and it would form the basis for a BBS that I ran for Connecticut Atari Systems Enthusiasts (CASE). Later, that BBS transformed into Phantasmal Alchemy, which I ran for several years using the Carina II BBS software.. That complete BBS system included the following hardware: - Atari 800XL w/256K upgrade - ICD MIO Board (1MB) - Atari XEP80 80 column adapter - Two Atari 1050 Drives w/US Doubler upgrade - Two Indus GT Drives - Adaptec 4000A MFM Hard Drive Controller - Two 20MB Hard Drives (one Seagate, one Microscience) - PC XT Hard Drive Case (housed the drives, power supply, and Adaptec board) - ICD SpartaDOS X Cartridge - ICD R-Time 8 Cartridge - AtariBASIC Rev. C Cartridge (yes, for a time all three of these were plugged into the XL--later I would switch to a 130XE) - Commodore 1702 monitor - Magnavox 80 column monitor (both monitors used simultaneously with BBS) - Various modems over the years There's probably some other hardware I'm forgetting about, and I also had a second 8-bit system that I used for other things, like (most importantly) playing games. Sadly, I sold all of this hardware sometime after going off to college. Here is a Usenet message I posted to several groups in March of 1989 advertising most of it: Atari 8-bit System for sale Looks like I kept the 800XL, a 1050, an Indust GT, the 1702, whatever modem I was using at the time, and probably some of the other hadware. Little did I know at the time that I'd be nostalgic for this system fourteen years later. ..Al I am gonna call you AJ from now on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted July 20, 2003 Share Posted July 20, 2003 I am gonna call you AJ from now on. ..Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannon Posted July 21, 2003 Share Posted July 21, 2003 hehe... I don't know how many times I accidently spilled soda on my keyboard. I learned real quick to flip the atari over before the damage became too serious. It still lived thru my teenage computer abuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco Mollison Sr. Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 Hehehe............... reseating the chips were a necessary thing on ALL ST's It used to become commonly reffered to the dropkick repairs when we used to have midi maze games groups, invariably one or the other of the machines would start to just bomb out for no reason, and watching some of these people take and pick up thier machine 5 to 6 inches and drop them on the table to get them back up and running was to say the least sometime a little scary but they kept on working after that... (all it was doing when they did that was reseating or at least moving the chips and getting a better connection without having to open them up) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 Hehehe............... reseating the chips were a necessary thing on ALL ST's It used to become commonly reffered to the dropkick repairs when we used to have midi maze games groups, invariably one or the other of the machines would start to just bomb out for no reason, and watching some of these people take and pick up thier machine 5 to 6 inches and drop them on the table to get them back up and running was to say the least sometime a little scary but they kept on working after that... (all it was doing when they did that was reseating or at least moving the chips and getting a better connection without having to open them up) Yeah, I remember that. It was those stupid PLCC sockets. A friend of mine actually soldered the MMU & GLUE chips right to the board. -Bry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco Mollison Sr. Posted July 23, 2003 Share Posted July 23, 2003 Yeah I had to repair alot of those machines, I was the designated tech at the Midi Maze Gatherings and broght the tools, soldering equipment and what not. Don't know how many of those Midi cables I had to repair at those games.... There always seemed to be at least 1 cable and maybe a computer that had to be pulled apart and looked into and in most cases required just reseating of the chips, many of the reseating were the memory modules that just for some reason or another never liked to lock in quite right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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