Re: C64 system cost?

[Mike Stein]

- Original Message - 
From: "Jim Brain" 
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" 
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2016 1:11 AM
Subject: Re: C64 system cost?


> On 1/20/2016 1:37 PM, Pete Rittwage wrote:
>> That is an extremely good price... However, the site is very old and he
>> takes a very long time to reply, typically. (Months and months, if ever!)
> Is that recently?  I know Joe's daddied and that interrupted things, but 
> I thought he has been responsive lately.
> 
> I'd still contact him.  Mike S is on here, and I'm on the toronto 
> mailing list, where lots of people close to Joe can get to him if you 
> don't get a response.
> 
> Jim

I'll give Joe a printout of these messages when I see him tomorrow to let him 
know what folks are saying about him; as Jim says he's usually pretty good but 
s**t happens sometimes.

I've been a little flakey myself at times; if anyone's waiting to hear from me 
about anything, please send me a reminder.

m (MikeS)

Re: Data Recovery Services

[Chuck Guzis]

On 01/20/2016 11:26 AM, Pete Rittwage wrote:


The services can be expensive (in the thousands, typically) so the data has
to be pretty valuable to you in order to proceed.


I'll second Drivesavers--they've recovered very damaged drives, 
including a few buried in mud after a hurricaine.  They'll rebuild a 
drive if they have to.


They're also one of the few companies who have working relationships 
with SSD makers and claim that they can un-brick many dead SSDs.


Nice people, too.  But yes, expensive, very.

--Chuck

Re: C64 system cost?

[Jim Brain]

On 1/20/2016 1:37 PM, Pete Rittwage wrote:

That is an extremely good price... However, the site is very old and he
takes a very long time to reply, typically. (Months and months, if ever!)
Is that recently?  I know Joe's daddied and that interrupted things, but 
I thought he has been responsive lately.


I'd still contact him.  Mike S is on here, and I'm on the toronto 
mailing list, where lots of people close to Joe can get to him if you 
don't get a response.


Jim

Re: C64 system cost?

[Pete Rittwage]

That is an extremely good price... However, the site is very old and he
takes a very long time to reply, typically. (Months and months, if ever!)

-Pete


> Also check out:
>
> http://www.jppbm.com/
>
> m
>
>
> - Original Message -
> From: "drlegendre ." 
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
> 
> Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2016 7:56 PM
> Subject: Re: C64 system cost?
>
>
>> One thing I forgot to mention.. while the C-64 and 1541 are fairly
>> common
>> and not worth all that much, some of the accessories can be +moderately+
>> valuable, so it's always a Good Idea to check out lots or complete
>> systems
>> to see what rare, valuable little gems might be hiding in the pile. One
>> good example would be the FCIII (Final Cartridge III) and so on.
>>
>> These sorts of items can be worth $100+ each, well more than a brown
>> C-64
>> console! So read the fine print, and look carefully at the photos..
>>
>> On Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 6:52 PM, drlegendre . 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Hey Joe,
>>>
>>> C-64 is kinda my 'thing', and I'd be more than happy to help you join
>>> the
>>> fold, so to speak.. ;-)
>>>
>>> Not sure where you're located, but C-64 (partial or complete systems)
>>> show
>>> up from cheap to free on many local craigslist services. For the most
>>> part,
>>> the C-64 itself is probably the cheapest and easiest to find, after
>>> that
>>> the 1541 drive and then a decent monitor. The Commodore 1702 & 1084
>>> monitors are very nice, but getting pretty dang old. The 64 will work
>>> with
>>> +any+ composite monitor, but to really get the best video, try to get
>>> an
>>> S-Video capable monitor (older TV..) or one of the Commodore models.
>>>
>>> The Datasette isn't particularly useful, and as such, can be had cheap.
>>> Like any older mechanical cassette deck, they suffer the same issues
>>> (bad
>>> belts, hard rollers, dirty heads, hard grease, etc.). The modems are
>>> almost
>>> totally useless and as such, ought to be about free.
>>>
>>> This coming weekend I'm supposed to receive something like 2-3 complete
>>> C-64 systems with drives, monitors and accys. Who knows, one could be
>>> yours?! =)
>>>
>>> Software is plentiful and effectively free.
>>>
>>> Write me off-list for any other questions you'd rather not tie up list
>>> space with..
>>>
>>> -Bill
>>>
>>> On Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 6:38 PM, Rick Wilbur  wrote:
>>>
 Check eBay right now. A complete system with everything you want,
 without
 the SD card interface. Has 17 hours left. Bidding with the cost of
 shipping
 is at $217.00. It will cost you under $100.00 for the SD interface.
 You
 might get everything you want for around $400.
 Type in at eBay search "Commodore C64 System" you will see a complete
 working system with computer, Monitor, floppy drive, cables, power
 supply
 and software for sale.
 Regards
 Sent from my iPad

 > On Jan 19, 2016, at 7:02 PM, Joe Giliberti 
 wrote:
 >
 > Hey,
 >
 > I've been looking into getting a C64 system to play with. I'm
 looking
 for
 > not just the computer, but a 1541, a datasette, color monitor,
 printer,
 > joystick and modem, and some software. Eventually I'd like to get an
 SD
 > card adapter, too. Can someone give me an idea as to how much I
 might
 end
 > up spending on all of this?
 >
 > Thanks!
 > Joe
 > <
 https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail
 >
 > This
 > email has been sent from a virus-free computer protected by Avast.
 > www.avast.com
 > <
 https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail
 >
 > <#DDB4FAA8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

>>>
>>>
>

DECMate III +

[Rod Smallwood]

Does anybody have any experience with these.
This one has the hard disk. You can hear it seek on startup.
Setup works but it does not boot from the hard drive and just halts when 
presented with a system disk on a floppy.


Rod

Re: Data Recovery Services

[Pete Rittwage]

> I need to recover some files from a SCSI drive that failed over a decade
> ago.  Are there data recovery services that can determine if the files on
> the drive can be recovered or can actually do such a recovery?  Now that
> I think about it, I recently also had a fairly new Western Digital drive
> suddenly no longer be seen by any Windows PC and I really need many of the
> files on it.  Can anybody here tell me if drive manufacturers offer
> recovery services? I ask this since I saw a post somewhere that Seagate
> offers some sort of file recovery via cloud storage.
> As you can tell, I am by no means super-knowledgeable about modern systems
> since I am from the WANG 2200 MVP, WANG PC, and WANG Basic 2C era, and
> still have a few pieces of WANG hardware collecting dust.
> I apologize if I am posting this to a group where it is inappropriate.
> Thank You,
> John
>

Hi John,

There are many of them- we've used OnTrack (Kroll) and DriveSavers.

The services can be expensive (in the thousands, typically) so the data has
to be pretty valuable to you in order to proceed.

-Pete

Re: Data Recovery Services

[Mark Linimon]

On Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 02:53:07PM -0800, John Robertson wrote:
> Yes, I know, it depends on the age of the drive as I suspect early ones were
> possibly tuned to the mechanics of the drive. Nothing made after 2000 is
> likely to care much though.

Of course I should have stated that I used that drive _exactly once_
to archive the bits off of it.  There is no way I would run something
like that in production ever again (even on a desktop).

In this case if some data had fallen due to bad-block-rot, it would
still have been better than having 0%.

(Really, there were a small number of files that had not been backed
up elsewhere.)

mcl

TI System V?

[Josh Dersch]

Anyone have any idea where one might track down a copy of TI System V 
for the S1500 series?


I've had these two TI UNIX systems for awhile now, a TI S1505 and a TI 
S1507 (68030 and 68040-based, respectively).  They came without hard 
drives or OS media and so they've basically been doorstops.  I asked 
around about OS media back when I got them (in 2013) and at the time I 
got no leads; I'm guessing things probably haven't changed, but I 
figured I'd ask again just in case...


Seem like nice machines, wish I could do something with 'em...

- Josh

Re: C64 system cost?

[Mike Stein]

- Original Message - 
From: "Jim Brain" 
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" 
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2016 10:45 PM
Subject: Re: C64 system cost?


> On 1/20/2016 9:23 PM, Jason T wrote:
>> On Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 8:04 PM, drlegendre .  wrote:
>>> Err...
>>>
>>> http://www.jppbm.com/ is last updated in 2011.. and their products catalog
>>> is listed as the "1996 version"..
>>>
>>> Perhaps a 'legacy' site, as we say? Hard to believe you can get a complete
>>> C64 system with C-64 console, a 1701/1702 monitor, TWO joysticks, TWO 1541
>>> drives and cables for $50.00 CDN.. =)
>> Joe is still in business and attends VCF Midwest every year.  Can't
>> say what his pricing looks like these days but he's got a lot of
>> inventory (especially software) and is always willing to make a deal.
>>
>> j
> I agree.  Joe's got plenty of inventory, in spite of his dated web site.
> 
> Jim
> 
> 
> -- 
> Jim Brain
> br...@jbrain.com
> www.jbrain.com

Sorry, I didn't notice that Joe's site is so out of date; I'll probably see him 
tomorrow and I'll be sure to mention it.

TPUG's store has been officially closed for around two years now and its web 
page is also out of date, but there are still a few C64s, 1541s and power 
supplies in inventory; monitors and joy sticks are all gone and I'm not sure 
about the cable situation:

http://tpug.icomm.ca/store/saleitems.pdf

Note that the current TPUG web site is now here:

http://www.tpug.ca/

m

Re: C64 system cost?

[Jim Brain]

On 1/20/2016 9:23 PM, Jason T wrote:

On Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 8:04 PM, drlegendre .  wrote:

Err...

http://www.jppbm.com/ is last updated in 2011.. and their products catalog
is listed as the "1996 version"..

Perhaps a 'legacy' site, as we say? Hard to believe you can get a complete
C64 system with C-64 console, a 1701/1702 monitor, TWO joysticks, TWO 1541
drives and cables for $50.00 CDN.. =)

Joe is still in business and attends VCF Midwest every year.  Can't
say what his pricing looks like these days but he's got a lot of
inventory (especially software) and is always willing to make a deal.

j

I agree.  Joe's got plenty of inventory, in spite of his dated web site.

Jim


--
Jim Brain
br...@jbrain.com
www.jbrain.com

Re: C64 system cost?

[Jason T]

On Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 8:04 PM, drlegendre .  wrote:
> Err...
>
> http://www.jppbm.com/ is last updated in 2011.. and their products catalog
> is listed as the "1996 version"..
>
> Perhaps a 'legacy' site, as we say? Hard to believe you can get a complete
> C64 system with C-64 console, a 1701/1702 monitor, TWO joysticks, TWO 1541
> drives and cables for $50.00 CDN.. =)

Joe is still in business and attends VCF Midwest every year.  Can't
say what his pricing looks like these days but he's got a lot of
inventory (especially software) and is always willing to make a deal.

j

Re: C64 system cost?

[drlegendre .]

Err...

http://www.jppbm.com/ is last updated in 2011.. and their products catalog
is listed as the "1996 version"..

Perhaps a 'legacy' site, as we say? Hard to believe you can get a complete
C64 system with C-64 console, a 1701/1702 monitor, TWO joysticks, TWO 1541
drives and cables for $50.00 CDN.. =)

On Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 1:29 PM, Mike Stein  wrote:

> Also check out:
>
> http://www.jppbm.com/
>
> m
>
>
> - Original Message -
> From: "drlegendre ." 
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <
> cctalk@classiccmp.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2016 7:56 PM
> Subject: Re: C64 system cost?
>
>
> > One thing I forgot to mention.. while the C-64 and 1541 are fairly common
> > and not worth all that much, some of the accessories can be +moderately+
> > valuable, so it's always a Good Idea to check out lots or complete
> systems
> > to see what rare, valuable little gems might be hiding in the pile. One
> > good example would be the FCIII (Final Cartridge III) and so on.
> >
> > These sorts of items can be worth $100+ each, well more than a brown C-64
> > console! So read the fine print, and look carefully at the photos..
> >
> > On Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 6:52 PM, drlegendre . 
> wrote:
> >
> >> Hey Joe,
> >>
> >> C-64 is kinda my 'thing', and I'd be more than happy to help you join
> the
> >> fold, so to speak.. ;-)
> >>
> >> Not sure where you're located, but C-64 (partial or complete systems)
> show
> >> up from cheap to free on many local craigslist services. For the most
> part,
> >> the C-64 itself is probably the cheapest and easiest to find, after that
> >> the 1541 drive and then a decent monitor. The Commodore 1702 & 1084
> >> monitors are very nice, but getting pretty dang old. The 64 will work
> with
> >> +any+ composite monitor, but to really get the best video, try to get an
> >> S-Video capable monitor (older TV..) or one of the Commodore models.
> >>
> >> The Datasette isn't particularly useful, and as such, can be had cheap.
> >> Like any older mechanical cassette deck, they suffer the same issues
> (bad
> >> belts, hard rollers, dirty heads, hard grease, etc.). The modems are
> almost
> >> totally useless and as such, ought to be about free.
> >>
> >> This coming weekend I'm supposed to receive something like 2-3 complete
> >> C-64 systems with drives, monitors and accys. Who knows, one could be
> >> yours?! =)
> >>
> >> Software is plentiful and effectively free.
> >>
> >> Write me off-list for any other questions you'd rather not tie up list
> >> space with..
> >>
> >> -Bill
> >>
> >> On Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 6:38 PM, Rick Wilbur  wrote:
> >>
> >>> Check eBay right now. A complete system with everything you want,
> without
> >>> the SD card interface. Has 17 hours left. Bidding with the cost of
> shipping
> >>> is at $217.00. It will cost you under $100.00 for the SD interface. You
> >>> might get everything you want for around $400.
> >>> Type in at eBay search "Commodore C64 System" you will see a complete
> >>> working system with computer, Monitor, floppy drive, cables, power
> supply
> >>> and software for sale.
> >>> Regards
> >>> Sent from my iPad
> >>>
> >>> > On Jan 19, 2016, at 7:02 PM, Joe Giliberti 
> >>> wrote:
> >>> >
> >>> > Hey,
> >>> >
> >>> > I've been looking into getting a C64 system to play with. I'm looking
> >>> for
> >>> > not just the computer, but a 1541, a datasette, color monitor,
> printer,
> >>> > joystick and modem, and some software. Eventually I'd like to get an
> SD
> >>> > card adapter, too. Can someone give me an idea as to how much I might
> >>> end
> >>> > up spending on all of this?
> >>> >
> >>> > Thanks!
> >>> > Joe
> >>> > <
> >>>
> https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail
> >>> >
> >>> > This
> >>> > email has been sent from a virus-free computer protected by Avast.
> >>> > www.avast.com
> >>> > <
> >>>
> https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail
> >>> >
> >>> > <#DDB4FAA8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
>

Re: Data Recovery Services

[Mike Whalen]

On January 20, 2016 at 5:06:19 PM, Eric Christopherson 
(echristopher...@gmail.com) wrote:

It can work. But I remember reading that each PCB keeps track of bad 
physical blocks; if you transplant the PCB from another drive, you might 
end up with a different set of bad blocks beings saved. 

I still haven't gotten rich enough to use his services, but I've talked 
to this guy named Scott Moulton, who charges $50 evaluation fee + $750 
per drive. He also teaches classes on doing it yourself (for big bucks). 
His web site is . 
I’ve worked with Scott Moulton. He’s reasonable compared to some vendors. YMMV, 
but I find him to be extremely helpful. You can email his firm and they will 
talk over options with you before you send the drive in. The $50 does not 
obligate you to anything (other than the $50).

I can’t recall exactly what he told me but many modern drives have a chip on it 
that would need to be moved to a donor PCB in order to spin up the drive. I 
want to say there is some encryption involved the the chip provides. It’s been 
too long since I received that email from him and I can’t find it.

Also, it’s worth doing a little bit of Googling for modern drives and problems. 
I got _very_ lucky one day with a drive which was known to have a firmware bug 
in it that would occasionally lose its ability to determine the drive size. 
With help from the web, I was able to rig up a USB-to-TTL converter, connect to 
certain pins on the drive, then access the firmware shell and repair the drive. 
I don’t want to give any indication that this was easy. It took quite a few 
days of trying. Not only did it involve the converter, but there was a process 
where you’d insert paper between certain PCB contacts and the hard drive to 
interrupt the spin-up process as that was your window to get access to the 
firmware. But it actually worked and I was able to image the drive and move the 
contents to a new drive. 

So put the model number into Google and see if you can find a common failure 
that has a fix. 



Cheers,

m

HP 2610A printer

[Jay West]

Someone asked a question about it privately, I researched today and found
the answers so I'll post here as well for posterity.

The HP 2610A printer that I have 2610A was the HP designation for the
Control Data Corporation 9322 Printer. HP sold the printer basically
unmodified (as far as I can tell) and slapped their label on it. Mine seems
to be in rather good condition so I suspect it will be restorable. In
addition, I unearthed a full set of  manuals/docs for the thing. Most
manuals I have are HP ones, but a few in the binder are CDC manuals for it.

At the same time, I also found several binders of docs for the HP 2754 (also
have one of those). 2754 is the HP designation for the Teletype model 35KSR.
HP sold the printing terminal/reader/punch with minor modifications and
slapped their label on it. I have a complete set of docs, mostly HP branded
but some (wiring lists, lubrication, disassembly, etc.) are Teletype
branded. 

Various select pictures of the manual pages are at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/131070638@N02

J

Re: Data Recovery Services

[Eric Christopherson]

On Wed, Jan 20, 2016, Mark Linimon wrote:
> On Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 12:35:22PM -0800, John Robertson wrote:
> > If the drive's PCB turned out to be the problem, could an identical
> > drive model act as a donor for a known-to-be-good PCB?
> 
> I've done this on modern drives.  It is not particularly tricky.
> 
> mcl

It can work. But I remember reading that each PCB keeps track of bad
physical blocks; if you transplant the PCB from another drive, you might
end up with a different set of bad blocks beings saved.

I still haven't gotten rich enough to use his services, but I've talked
to this guy named Scott Moulton, who charges $50 evaluation fee + $750
per drive. He also teaches classes on doing it yourself (for big bucks).
His web site is .

(On one of mine, I was hoping data recovery would be cheap due to the
cause being in the filesystem rather than the media, but he charges the
same rate regardless.)

-- 
Eric Christopherson

Re: Data Recovery Services

[John Robertson]

On 01/20/2016 2:00 PM, Mark Linimon wrote:

On Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 12:35:22PM -0800, John Robertson wrote:

If the drive's PCB turned out to be the problem, could an identical
drive model act as a donor for a known-to-be-good PCB?

I've done this on modern drives.  It is not particularly tricky.

mcl

Yes, I know, it depends on the age of the drive as I suspect early ones 
were possibly tuned to the mechanics of the drive. Nothing made after 
2000 is likely to care much though.


John :-#)#

--
John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9
Call (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, VideoGames)
 www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out"

Re: Data Recovery Services

[Göran Axelsson]

Den 2016-01-20 kl. 21:35, skrev John Robertson:

On 01/20/2016 11:22 AM, JC White wrote:
I need to recover some files from a SCSI drive that failed over a 
decade ago.  Are there data recovery services that can determine if 
the files on the drive can be recovered or can actually do such a 
recovery?  Now that I think about it, I recently also had a fairly 
new Western Digital drive suddenly no longer be seen by any Windows 
PC and I really need many of the files on it.  Can anybody here tell 
me if drive manufacturers offer recovery services? I ask this since I 
saw a post somewhere that Seagate offers some sort of file recovery 
via cloud storage.
As you can tell, I am by no means super-knowledgeable about modern 
systems since I am from the WANG 2200 MVP, WANG PC, and WANG Basic 2C 
era, and still have a few pieces of WANG hardware collecting dust.

I apologize if I am posting this to a group where it is inappropriate.
Thank You,
John

If the drive's PCB turned out to be the problem, could an identical 
drive model act as a donor for a known-to-be-good PCB? Of course this 
would depend on the model of the drive. Perhaps you can share that 
info and experts here may have better ideas.


Then you just need to find the same model...and I just drilled out 
four old SCSI drives the other day to kill the data dead (software 
company's drives). Didn't think to save the PCBs...


This could also be a 'shake & bake' drive that needs a bit of trickery 
to get spinning...


John :-#)#



Replacing the drive board could work. Some modern drives saves a table 
with data about the media in a on board flash that needs to be moved to 
the new board.
I've done that a couple of times with good results when the failure was 
on the board. (In one case obvious physically damaged board.)
There are several companies that sells replacement boards on eBay and 
they usually require your old board first to move the flash, then you 
get back the broken board and a second one with the correct flash.


By the way, I'm getting a copy of everything from cctalk without being 
subscribed to it so I can't remove that subscription. It means I'm 
getting dual copies for everything on cctech and that's a bit annoying, 
could someone with access to the list server remove me from cctalk, please.
I understand that this originated in some server upgrade / crash / major 
outage and I was hoping it would go back to normal after a while... it 
didn't. Thanks for all the work whoever you are that manages this list. :-)


Göran

Re: Data Recovery Services

[Toby Thain]

On 2016-01-20 5:00 PM, Mark Linimon wrote:

On Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 12:35:22PM -0800, John Robertson wrote:

If the drive's PCB turned out to be the problem, could an identical
drive model act as a donor for a known-to-be-good PCB?


I've done this on modern drives.  It is not particularly tricky.


Same.

To John: Where are you located? That will probably influence 
recommendations.


--Toby




mcl

Re: Data Recovery Services

[Mark Linimon]

On Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 12:35:22PM -0800, John Robertson wrote:
> If the drive's PCB turned out to be the problem, could an identical
> drive model act as a donor for a known-to-be-good PCB?

I've done this on modern drives.  It is not particularly tricky.

mcl

Re: Data Recovery Services

[John Robertson]

On 01/20/2016 11:22 AM, JC White wrote:

I need to recover some files from a SCSI drive that failed over a decade ago.  
Are there data recovery services that can determine if the files on the drive 
can be recovered or can actually do such a recovery?  Now that I think about 
it, I recently also had a fairly new Western Digital drive suddenly no longer 
be seen by any Windows PC and I really need many of the files on it.  Can 
anybody here tell me if drive manufacturers offer recovery services? I ask this 
since I saw a post somewhere that Seagate offers some sort of file recovery via 
cloud storage.
As you can tell, I am by no means super-knowledgeable about modern systems 
since I am from the WANG 2200 MVP, WANG PC, and WANG Basic 2C era, and still 
have a few pieces of WANG hardware collecting dust.
I apologize if I am posting this to a group where it is inappropriate.
Thank You,
John

If the drive's PCB turned out to be the problem, could an identical 
drive model act as a donor for a known-to-be-good PCB? Of course this 
would depend on the model of the drive. Perhaps you can share that info 
and experts here may have better ideas.


Then you just need to find the same model...and I just drilled out four 
old SCSI drives the other day to kill the data dead (software company's 
drives). Didn't think to save the PCBs...


This could also be a 'shake & bake' drive that needs a bit of trickery 
to get spinning...


John :-#)#

--
John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9
Call (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, VideoGames)
 www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out"

Re: Data Recovery Services

[Fred Cisin]

If the problem is merely corruption of the file system, but the hardware 
is still working well, then the repairs could be almost trivial.

Re: Data Recovery Services

[Fred Cisin]

On Wed, 20 Jan 2016, JC White wrote:
I need to recover some files from a SCSI drive that failed over a decade 
ago.?? Are there data recovery services that can determine if the files 
on the drive can be recovered or can actually do such a recovery??? Now 
that I think about it, I recently also had a fairly new Western Digital 
drive suddenly no longer be seen by any Windows PC and I really need 
many of the files on it.?? Can anybody here tell me if drive 
manufacturers offer recovery services? I ask this since I saw a post 
somewhere that Seagate offers some sort of file recovery via cloud 
storage.


Recovery services tend to be expensive.  You'll need to decide just how 
much the data is worth to you.  Seriously.


If the problem is "external" (a problem with the circuit board attached to 
the drive), then repair or replacement of that board may work.


Try DriveSavers

If the problem is "internal", then you will not like what it costs.

But, NSA could almost certainly recover your data.

Re: C64 system cost?

[Mike Stein]

Also check out:

http://www.jppbm.com/

m


- Original Message - 
From: "drlegendre ." 
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" 
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2016 7:56 PM
Subject: Re: C64 system cost?


> One thing I forgot to mention.. while the C-64 and 1541 are fairly common
> and not worth all that much, some of the accessories can be +moderately+
> valuable, so it's always a Good Idea to check out lots or complete systems
> to see what rare, valuable little gems might be hiding in the pile. One
> good example would be the FCIII (Final Cartridge III) and so on.
> 
> These sorts of items can be worth $100+ each, well more than a brown C-64
> console! So read the fine print, and look carefully at the photos..
> 
> On Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 6:52 PM, drlegendre .  wrote:
> 
>> Hey Joe,
>>
>> C-64 is kinda my 'thing', and I'd be more than happy to help you join the
>> fold, so to speak.. ;-)
>>
>> Not sure where you're located, but C-64 (partial or complete systems) show
>> up from cheap to free on many local craigslist services. For the most part,
>> the C-64 itself is probably the cheapest and easiest to find, after that
>> the 1541 drive and then a decent monitor. The Commodore 1702 & 1084
>> monitors are very nice, but getting pretty dang old. The 64 will work with
>> +any+ composite monitor, but to really get the best video, try to get an
>> S-Video capable monitor (older TV..) or one of the Commodore models.
>>
>> The Datasette isn't particularly useful, and as such, can be had cheap.
>> Like any older mechanical cassette deck, they suffer the same issues (bad
>> belts, hard rollers, dirty heads, hard grease, etc.). The modems are almost
>> totally useless and as such, ought to be about free.
>>
>> This coming weekend I'm supposed to receive something like 2-3 complete
>> C-64 systems with drives, monitors and accys. Who knows, one could be
>> yours?! =)
>>
>> Software is plentiful and effectively free.
>>
>> Write me off-list for any other questions you'd rather not tie up list
>> space with..
>>
>> -Bill
>>
>> On Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 6:38 PM, Rick Wilbur  wrote:
>>
>>> Check eBay right now. A complete system with everything you want, without
>>> the SD card interface. Has 17 hours left. Bidding with the cost of shipping
>>> is at $217.00. It will cost you under $100.00 for the SD interface. You
>>> might get everything you want for around $400.
>>> Type in at eBay search "Commodore C64 System" you will see a complete
>>> working system with computer, Monitor, floppy drive, cables, power supply
>>> and software for sale.
>>> Regards
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>
>>> > On Jan 19, 2016, at 7:02 PM, Joe Giliberti 
>>> wrote:
>>> >
>>> > Hey,
>>> >
>>> > I've been looking into getting a C64 system to play with. I'm looking
>>> for
>>> > not just the computer, but a 1541, a datasette, color monitor, printer,
>>> > joystick and modem, and some software. Eventually I'd like to get an SD
>>> > card adapter, too. Can someone give me an idea as to how much I might
>>> end
>>> > up spending on all of this?
>>> >
>>> > Thanks!
>>> > Joe
>>> > <
>>> https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail
>>> >
>>> > This
>>> > email has been sent from a virus-free computer protected by Avast.
>>> > www.avast.com
>>> > <
>>> https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail
>>> >
>>> > <#DDB4FAA8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
>>>
>>
>>

Data Recovery Services

[JC White]

I need to recover some files from a SCSI drive that failed over a decade ago.  
Are there data recovery services that can determine if the files on the drive 
can be recovered or can actually do such a recovery?  Now that I think about 
it, I recently also had a fairly new Western Digital drive suddenly no longer 
be seen by any Windows PC and I really need many of the files on it.  Can 
anybody here tell me if drive manufacturers offer recovery services? I ask this 
since I saw a post somewhere that Seagate offers some sort of file recovery via 
cloud storage.
As you can tell, I am by no means super-knowledgeable about modern systems 
since I am from the WANG 2200 MVP, WANG PC, and WANG Basic 2C era, and still 
have a few pieces of WANG hardware collecting dust.
I apologize if I am posting this to a group where it is inappropriate.
Thank You,
John

Re: Preferred way of substituting TFT for CRT Monitor?

[Mouse]

>> I've noticed it myself.  I'm looking for a flatscreen that can sync
>> to something my SS20 can put out - I have an Asus that syncs to it
>> just fine, but it's not made any longer, and more modern monitors
>> are, it appears, significantly less functional.
> Will the Samsung/Dell monitor with the 13w3 work?

I don't know.  None of the monitors I've tried had 13W3.  (Complicating
the picture a little - I didn't mention it in my mini-rant because I
didn't want to make it even longer than it already was - is that I'm
trying to run at 1920x1080, 1600x1200, 1920x1200, or some such
resolution.  The cg14 can do 1920x1080 and 1600x1200 and I've learned
enough about how the resolution-setting words work that I should be
able to do 1920x1200.  The Asus at home - a VH236H - is 1920x1080.  I
don't like that it has HDMI, but I'm willing to accept that to get a
decently large resolution.)

> I had one on the SWS Sparcstation 5 front end to Cray J932SE.  I
> think I have one at home, can get model #.

If its native resolution is something near the above range - on the
order of two million pixels - then I'd be very interested.  If you had
it running at such a resolution I'd be even more interested.

Silly me.  I should have known a crowd this awesome would include
someone who'd know of an example of what I'm looking for!

/~\ The ASCII Mouse
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Re: How to set this drive up?

[Eric Christopherson]

On Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 3:11 PM, Mike  wrote:

>
>
> On 01/19/2016 04:25 PM, william degnan wrote:
> > On Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 5:51 AM, Mike  wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> On 01/19/2016 03:30 PM, Mike wrote:
> >>> Can someone please help me set this drive up and what should the little
> >> switched be set to on the back for drive 2
> >>> Sent from my iPhone.
> >>>
> >>
> >> --
> > You can plug the serial cables into any slot.  One cable connects the
> > computer to either drive, one cable connects the first drive into the
> > second.
> >
> > switches: Left down, right up.
> >
> > to test, there are many ways, but this works in most cases:
> > LOAD "$",9 [return]
> > LIST
> >
> > NOTE: many programs do not work from drive 9 without first editing the
> > associated initialization script.  These scripts are usually written in
> > BASIC.
> >
> > Bill
> Thank you bill I would just like to copy all mu big floppys to the
> smaller disks seems they woyld be more safe that way my SD scad reader
> will be here abt day have you or anyone elde ude the sd derve for the
> commordore 64?
>

It would really help you get good answers if you would proofread your
messages before sending. I'm having a lot of trouble piecing together what
you meant to say in your previous email (this one I'm replying to, while it
has typos, is not quite so opaque):

> *1/ there is a serial port next going from right to left there is a
> interface theb the tohhlr and i am not sure hie ti ser them then rge
> powre and last but not least the on and off switch..
> Can this be use as a 2nd drive if so hoe do zi hook it up the right way?
> thank you sll in sdvsnce...

For more on good questions, see <
http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html>.

-- 
Eric Christopherson

Re: Preferred way of substituting TFT for CRT Monitor?

[ethan]

I've noticed it myself.  I'm looking for a flatscreen that can sync to
something my SS20 can put out - I have an Asus that syncs to it just
fine, but it's not made any longer, and more modern monitors are, it
appears, significantly less functional.


Will the Samsung/Dell monitor with the 13w3 work? I had one on the SWS 
Sparcstation 5 front end to Cray J932SE. I think I have one at home, can 
get model #.




--
Ethan O'Toole

Re: Preferred way of substituting TFT for CRT Monitor?

[Mouse]

> ... and I thought today such a simple problem could be easily solved with mo$

It could.  But in the current race to the bottom, nobody makes a
monitor that does that, because investing the same resources in
building for the majority market is perceived as having greater ROI.

I've noticed it myself.  I'm looking for a flatscreen that can sync to
something my SS20 can put out - I have an Asus that syncs to it just
fine, but it's not made any longer, and more modern monitors are, it
appears, significantly less functional.

As I've put it on a few occasions, monitor technology has imrpoved to
the point where it can't do what any CRT from two decades ago could.
(That's a slight exaggeration, admitted, but not much of one.)

/~\ The ASCII Mouse
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Re: C64 system cost?

[geneb]

On Tue, 19 Jan 2016, drlegendre . wrote:


This coming weekend I'm supposed to receive something like 2-3 complete
C-64 systems with drives, monitors and accys. Who knows, one could be
yours?! =)


Aren't rescues fun? :)

If you're looking for Commodore oriented books or magazines, you can't 
beat the Bombjack Archive: http://www.bombjack.org/commodore.


g.

--
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
Some people collect things for a hobby.  Geeks collect hobbies.

ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
http://scarlet.deltasoft.com - Get it _today_!

Re: C64 system cost?

[geneb]

On Tue, 19 Jan 2016, Rick Wilbur wrote:


Check eBay right now. A complete system with everything you want, without the 
SD card interface. Has 17 hours left. Bidding with the cost of shipping is at 
$217.00. It will cost you under $100.00 for the SD interface. You might get 
everything you want for around $400.
Type in at eBay search "Commodore C64 System" you will see a complete working 
system with computer, Monitor, floppy drive, cables, power supply and software for sale.
Regards


Craigslist can be a good resource as well.  If you're located in Western 
Washington, I'll GIVE you a system.  You've got to come up with your own 
monitor and printer though. :)


g.

--
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
Some people collect things for a hobby.  Geeks collect hobbies.

ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
http://scarlet.deltasoft.com - Get it _today_!

Re: Preferred way of substituting TFT for CRT Monitor?

[Martin.Hepperle]

> --

> Message: 8

> Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2016 15:39:38 -0500

> From: "j...@cimmeri.com" 
> mailto:j...@cimmeri.com>>

> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts

>mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org>>

> Subject: Re: Preferred way of substituting TFT for CRT Monitor?

> Message-ID: 
> <569d4d8a.4080...@cimmeri.com>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

>

> . . .

> You need a monitor (or converter) that supports 25khz.  Here's the extent of 
> my own research:

>

> 25khz 640x400 SOG monitors

>

> LCD

> - NEC LCD1510+ (not tested)

>

> - NEC LCD1810 (LA-1831JMW-1)

>Mac + PC -- fair performance, poor scaling.

>HP 300/98543 -- works, but banded background cannot be completely

>   faded to black (I got rid of my 1810's for this reason).

>

> - Viewsonic Vp150

>HP300/98543 -- works well, great background, colors only fair.

>

> - Viewsonic VP181

>HP 300/98543 -- not perfect but can be adjusted ok.

>  banded background *can* be faded to black.

>

> - J.

> --



ah, this seems to become difficult...



Thanks for the data and recommendations. I will have a look at low H-freq. 
monitors on ebay, maybe I have to revert to an old, heavy and large CRT.  I see 
that many  Viewsonic TFT monitors start at 24kHz.



I also found

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Gonbes-GBS-8200-CGA-15kHz-EGA-25kHz-Arcade-JAMMA-PCB-to-VGA-Video-Konverter-/111506569501



The technical data 
(http://www.extremehardware.webspace.virginmedia.com/ebay_images/GBS-8200.pdf) 
says:

CGA / EGA - Auto Scan:

14.5 kHz - 16.5 kHz

23.5 kHz - 25.5 kHz   this may fit the HP card?

3 0.5 kHz - 32.5 kHz





Martin



> --

> Message: 9

> Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2016 21:07:27 +

> From: tony duell mailto:a...@p850ug1.demon.co.uk>>

> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"

>mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org>>

> Subject: RE: Preferred way of substituting TFT for CRT Monitor?

> Message-ID:

>
> mailto:a8192ef71c5c4946a240d25edc8f9448027e4...@exmbx15.thus.corp>

> p>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>

>

> > indeed this machine has a 98204B video board (intended to work with a 35721

> monitor,

> >  which I don't have). I have not yet found the specs for its composite 
> > signal.

>

> It is normal composite video voltage levels with faster-than-normal 
> horizontal scan rate.

> If you have a frequency counter (or something that can be used as one, then 
> put the 98204B

> text board in the topmost position of the 9817, leaving out the graphics board

> (the machine ill run without it) and take the top casing off the 9817. Take 
> care to avoid the

> live mains and worse on the PSU board, power it up, and check the HS and VS 
> pins of the 6845

> (the only 40 pin IC on the board)

>

> Most, if not all, cheap composite video converters assume US or European TV 
> rates and are

> not going to lock to this thing. If anybody knows of an interface that will 
> work,

> I'd be interested to know about it too (I have a 9817 with the 98204B card, 
> fortunately

> I do have the right montor for it).

>

> -tony

> --



Tony,



thank you for your explanations. As I understand, the unusual low horizontal 
frequency is the main problem.



I saw that the card has a switch to toggle 50/60Hz vertical frequency (EU/US, 
original setting was at 60 Hz), but this did not help.



I will see whether I can use my oscilloscope to catch the frequencies as I 
could not find a technical description of the 98204B.



... and I thought today such a simple problem could be easily solved with 
modern technology...



Martin