Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-sdd!ncr-sd!ncrcae!ralph From: ralph@ncrcae.Columbia.NCR.COM (Ralph Hightower) Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm Subject: Questions about 128 Reliability (Considering upgrade from C64) Keywords: 128 vs. 64 reliability Message-ID: <3750@ncrcae.Columbia.NCR.COM> Date: 19 Sep 88 18:57:21 GMT Reply-To: ralph@ncrcae.Columbia.NCR.COM (Ralph Hightower, x6758) Distribution: na Organization: NCR Corp., Engineering & Manufacturing - Columbia, SC Lines: 30 This past weekend, my C64 bit the dust. I went to turn it on and I did not get that familiar lt. blue/blue screen. I verified that it wasn't the 1702 monitor by hooking my VCR up to the VIDEO/AUDIO IN. Turning the 64 on, the disk drive is initialized; I tried blindly typing 'load "0:*",8' and got no results from the disk drive. Taking the C64 and power supply to a repair shop: the repair shop said that the C64 AND the power supply were bad. The repair "could cost $88". I asked what the price of the 128 was (thinking that this would be a good time to upgrade) and the repair shop mentioned that the 128 was less reliable than the 64 (they mentioned about the 3 systems, 64, 128, CP/M, competing among themselves; sort of "Dueling Systems"). Can anybody refute the shop's argument that the C128 is less reliable than the C64? I would use 64 mode compatibility primarily for my two workhorse applications, Multiplan, and Consultant; but I probably could use the CP/M mode also (if it is a "true" CP/M implementation). As a note, I have not had near the problems that I have heard other people have with their C64 and 1541 disk drives. My first 1541 had been in service for 3 years before it needed its guts replaced (I think it needed a new card and new motor drive). The C64 died after 5 years of service. (It costs $50 to replace a burned-out resister in my 1702 a short while after warranty expiration). -- ralph@ncrcae.Columbia.NCR.COMNCR Corp., Engineering & Manufacturing - Columbia, SC Home of THE USC! South Carolina had a University 49 years before California was a state.