[Coco] No "3 musketeers"

[George Ramsower]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Gault"
Subject: Re: [Coco] No "3 musketeers"


> Diego Barizo wrote:
>> For some unknown reason (at least to me) my old CoCo 3, the first one I 
>> bought, refuses to do a hard reset when I press [ctrl][alt]+reset.
>> The result is the same as a regular reset. All programs stay in memory.
>> This same computer used to be able to hard reset, I remember seeing the 
>> "3 musketeers" years ago, when this was the only CoCo 3 I could access.
>> Any idea what might have caused this?
>> She (her name is TeReSa ;-) ) behaves normally in any other condition... 
>> except being a bit "freeze-prone", something I always blamed on a 86 
>> GIME...
>>
>> Diego
>
> Might be a problem with the CTRL or ALT keys. Do these work correctly? The 
> ALT key should give you a @ symbol on the screen and the CTRL an = symbol.

 I agree that the problem could be the keyboard. I had some strange symtoms 
from a failing keboard last year...

 The SHIFT key would not work with some of the other keys. Specifically in 
the numerical buttons when I needed the (*&%$ stuff. It worked on most, but 
some didn't.
 In RS-Basic, it worked fine, but not in OS-9. Finally I tried another 
keyboard and the problem went away. I even trimmed a little off the flex ckt 
where it slips into the connector on the MB. No help. That has worked once 
or twice in the past.

 I suppose I should have tried it in RS-Basic in the high speed mode to see 
if that's why it was different in OS9, but I didn't.

 This reminds me of a keyboard failure many years ago when I called Tandy to 
order a new one for a coco. The person at Tandy parts told me I had to get 
the keyboard from a local store and have THEM replace it. She said she could 
not sell me the keyboard directly.
 I told here that the Federal Trade Commission may have an issue with this, 
as they are forcing me to pay someone to replace a part that I can easily 
do.
 (Jut tossed in the FTC to see if it would help)

 She said she would send it, but without a warranty.
 HAH! Who cares! I just wanted a new keyboard.

 Of course, it fixed the problem.


George