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| Is there any specific procedures I should take to ensure my Dreamcast gets the most out of it's life? I once heard several years ago that there is a "Proper" way to turn the console on and off... Is it safe to leave a disk inside while not in use? Should I turn the system off and then eject the disk and turn it back on so the laser lens is set back to the default position? As for dust and all that goes I'm going to keep it in a dust free area when I'm not at home. :p | ||||
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you should open the lid before turning the power off. this will put the lazer in its correct starting point. if your going to change games do the same just open the lid, dont turn it off first. also opening the lid first stops the game from spinning
some say to not use CD-Rs in the DC. others say to limit the use of them. its best to stick to GD roms if posible. the only thing i have had go wrong with my dreamcasts is the spinner that holds the games broke in one. but i think i have been lucky |
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| _________________ VGA is the way to play |
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General rules:
1. Limit or avoid using CD-r or even ordinary CD's as much as possible...CD's are thought to cause more stress on the GD-Rm drive 2. Avoid using the eject button when A disc is spinning, turn the power off instead and then remove the disc (I believe the opposite to garyb. I don't think the laser position makes a whole lot of difference, but the drive needing to put on the brakes each time will put more wear on the drive in my opionion) 3. When you turn the power off and the disc is still spinning..it's probably best to let it stop on it's own...not a major issue, but worth doing anyway..just in case 
4. Keep GD-roms and CD's dirt and scratch free as much as possible to avoid the drive needing to read multiple times 5. Keep the Dreamcast on a hard surface...no carpets etc 6. Keep the DC in a well ventilated area during use 7. Try to use first party (official sega) peripherals, especially controllers...some consider 3rd party controllers to put more stress on the controller board and can cause the board to blow Thats all I can think of off hand...feel free to add more people |
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| _________________ Game Names: PSO = Ryo or SEGADCER Q3A, Starlancer Max Pool = Segadcer 4x4 Evo = Segadreamcaster Visit the NEW Saturn netlink league www.saturnleague.com |
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Ok, thanks for the information guys. But on the part about taking out a disk... which way is the right one? I got two different responses on that. ^^;
Should I - ? 1. Hit the eject button while the system is playing and then turn it off. or 2. Turn off the console then take out the disk and turn it back on so the lens is reset. As far as CD's go... I'm planning on keeping my DC hack free so there's no worries there. I'm going to purchase legit copies of my games and I don't really need to run emulators and roms on it. ^^; I will be importing some Japanese games however... what would I need in order to do that? I want Shenmue 2 eventually... >.> and some of the more recent titles that came out in the past few years like those SHMUP's. |
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to be honest i do both as to the eject. i dont think either will hurt the system to much at all. if im done playing my dreamcast for the time being i turn it off if im planning on playing a new game i open the lid.
as to CDs if you want any of the unreleased games like PBA bowling or HALF LIFE you will have to use a CD-R to play them. there is a few other things you might find your self using CDs for such as game shark or bleemed sony psx games. |
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| _________________ VGA is the way to play |
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Letting the laser return to it's resting position is imo the best way to go. I have had three DC's and the only one I ever had trouble with was the one that played alot of CD-R's. It only lasted 2 years, and was brand new at the start. It eventually stopped reading disks altogether, including GD-ROM's. Just generally treat it like the wonderous piece of technologically advanced video gaming equipment that it is....ie very nicely!!  |
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| _________________ Xbox live GT = Ace_Octane |
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zelda_sushi wrote:
Should I - ? 1. Hit the eject button while the system is playing and then turn it off. it says so in the manual (or at least it does in the PAL manual) |
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Mazonemayu wrote:
zelda_sushi wrote:
Should I - ? 1. Hit the eject button while the system is playing and then turn it off. it says so in the manual (or at least it does in the PAL manual) Yeah, actually I have a feeling I remember seeing that in the past...still can't really see what difference that would make though...does it really matter what position the laser is in? To get the best of both worlds, I would say..power off, remove disc then power on again to put back to default position. I can't really see that either method would cause any real harm..and it pratice I think most of us probably hit eject anyway as its faster. |
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| _________________ Game Names: PSO = Ryo or SEGADCER Q3A, Starlancer Max Pool = Segadcer 4x4 Evo = Segadreamcaster Visit the NEW Saturn netlink league www.saturnleague.com |
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I think it has something to do with the spinning of the disk, if you power off & quickly open the lid, you'll see the disk spinning way faster than when you open -> power off (here the brake does the stopping)
maybe the pin that holds the disk wears down faster it you let it spin fast time & time again?? I dunno, am just guessing here |
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I think the main reason why the manual tells you to open the system and then turn it off is so that the brake can stop the disc from spinning before you try to remove it. A spinning plastic disc has the potential to cut your finger if you grab it the wrong way.
Sure, it's a one in a million chance that your finger might get a tiny cut from the spinning disc, but hairdryer manuals also tell you not to use it in the shower, so a company has to account for every possible potential injury (no matter how slight or ridiculous). |
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I found this article in the premiere issue of Incite, December 1999:
Quote: RANTING
No.1 DREAM ON Playing games on your Dreamcast is a little like Russian Roulette. David Hodgson finds out the hard way..... Learn from it. Ever since my Dreamcast joypad's right shoulder button made a suspicious "crunching" noise and turned from analog to digital and my Dreamcast scratched a groove in my slightly-warped GD-ROM, I've been worried about my dream machine. Then, of course, along came Midway's defective Ready 2 Reload, a complete lack of online multiplayer gaming potential between now and (apparently) next August, and a VMU that wipes data when the batteries run out. My tension heightened. Add in the fact that my American system fails to recognize my import House of the Dead 2 gun, my NFL 2K playing chum can't call time outs, and I've almost lacerated my fingers while wrestling a spinning disc out of the deli-slicer GD-ROM tray. I had issues. At this point, I freaked. I learned my lesson the hard way. Take care with your pads; they aren't built to last. Don't place even a slightly warped GD into your tray (unless you want important information removed) and keep them away from even microscopic dust. Return Ready 2 Rumble and buy Soul Calibur, be content to download Sonic A-Life characters and play AT&T sponsored Sonic Adventure levels, and send your VMU to "sleep" after every game. Buy an endorsed light gun, tell your NFL 2K-playing buddy to keep hitting start until he can call time outs again, and wait until the disk halts before attempting removal. And pray that Sega gets its act together. REAM-CAST Don't turn your system on it's side, you can cook it internally. |
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| _________________ My systems: Sega Master System, Genesis, Game Gear, Dreamcast, NES, SNES, N64, Game Cube, Wii, GBC, GBA SP, GBMicro, DS, PSOne, PSP, Xbox, Atari 2600 |
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Yeah, I opened the operation manual and it does say to hit the eject button while the game is still playing so that the motor stops and then take out the disk and shut it off. That's kind of a weird way of turning off a console but if it's in the book then I guess it's okay. >.>
What I do though is hit X, Y, B, A + Start twice to get to the main menu of the DC and then I eject the disk that way the system doesn't have to unload during the middle of gameplay. |
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zelda_sushi wrote:
What I do though is hit X, Y, B, A + Start twice to get to the main menu of the DC and then I eject the disk that way the system doesn't have to unload during the middle of gameplay. Yea this is what I do as well. I just can't flip open the lid in the middle of gameplay. It seems wierd to me. As if I am throwing a monkey wrench into the whole operation. |
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| _________________ I'm already numero uno on Dark Helmet's hit list... |
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Einhander wrote:
so a company has to account for every possible potential injury (no matter how slight or ridiculous). only in the US m8, only in the US... 
zelda_sushi wrote:
Yeah, I opened the operation manual and it does say to hit the eject button while the game is still playing so that the motor stops and then take out the disk and shut it off. That's kind of a weird way of turning off a console but if it's in the book then I guess it's okay. >.> not that odd, it says so too in the PS2 manual |
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Mazonemayu wrote:
Einhander wrote:
so a company has to account for every possible potential injury (no matter how slight or ridiculous). only in the US m8, only in the US...
zelda_sushi wrote:
Yeah, I opened the operation manual and it does say to hit the eject button while the game is still playing so that the motor stops and then take out the disk and shut it off. That's kind of a weird way of turning off a console but if it's in the book then I guess it's okay. >.> not that odd, it says so too in the PS2 manual Only in the US ....... Not at all
Here in the UK we have packs of sleeping tablets that say "warning may cause drowsiness" and Packs of peanuts that say "Warning may contain nuts" and thats no joke. Laters |
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| _________________ Now have a working PC DC server courtesy of Segadreamcaster. Bring on the DC on line games yeeee haaa. |
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