Dreamcast community, please help.

[Glassjaw00]

I recently just started getting into Sega and they're wonderful dreamcast. I am a Sony PlayStation fanboy starting from ps1 days. I truly appreciate the level of excellence that the dreamcast is all about. I instantly fell in love with the thing.

I purchased my unit off of craigslist for a mere 25 dollars. I got a great deal for an amazing system. Now I have a few questions regarding issues I've been researching and have run into myself. My dreamcast runs as well as any secondhand 16 year old piece of equipment. However I have 2 games for it right now and one runs perfect with no problem. The other will load up and get to the start screen and then it will sort of freeze and take me back to the main dreamcast screen. I've been reading that it might be the laser and may have to recalibrate the laser. I also am running into problems with the time and date being asked to put it in everything I boot the system up.

My question to the community is what are my solutions here? Do I need to get inside and calibrate the laser so I can run any game? Also do I need to replace th rechargeable battery?

Any support would be appetited, also since I'm new to the system please recommend me some great titles because all I have is Sega bass master 2, and NBA 2k1 (the one that won't load Completely)

Thank you for your support

[scaryred24]

If the laser needs to be calibrated, that means your console is on it's last leg. Calibrating it will kill it faster, so bare in mind that you may want to get a replacement soon. Now the internal battery thing is that if you have to set the clock time every time, then that is where you would need to replace it.

This guide well help you calibrate your Dreamcast, and a tool that you can burn so that it would make it easier for you to fine tune it. Also for replacing the internal battery, I highly recommend this.

[Glassjaw00]

Okay, so is there any hope of me being able to fix the unit I have? I looked at all these issues and them seem like easy fixes if taken the time and careful hands. When you say it's on it's last leg it kind of discourages me because I've only had it for a few days and I'm willing to do what it takes to fix this machine.

[pcwzrd13]

You only have two games at the moment so I wouldn't go and re-calibrate the laser just yet. It could be that the one game is just too scratched up to read. Wait until you have another game to test (or burn a game to test).

[Glassjaw00]

Okay even if the NBA game will load up all the way to the loading screen no problem but once there is where it stops reading the game send in fine condition? That's what made me think the system needs a recalibration because it's being choosey with the two games. But you're right I'll have to experiment with a few more games to really tell.

[Glassjaw00]

Okay even if the NBA game will load up all the way to the loading screen no problem but once there is where it stops reading the game send in fine condition? That's what made me think the system needs a recalibration because it's being choosey with the two games. But you're right I'll have to experiment with a few more games to really tell.

[scaryred24]

Okay, so is there any hope of me being able to fix the unit I have? I looked at all these issues and them seem like easy fixes if taken the time and careful hands. When you say it's on it's last leg it kind of discourages me because I've only had it for a few days and I'm willing to do what it takes to fix this machine.

When I meant that it's on it's last leg I did not mean that it would die within a few days. It can take weeks, months or even years before it decides to let go. The laser might be well used for all we know. It isn't easy to tell how long it has been running for in the past.


I also had to re-read what you put up there when I seen this from one of our well respected members.

You only have two games at the moment so I wouldn't go and re-calibrate the laser just yet. It could be that the one game is just too scratched up to read. Wait until you have another game to test (or burn a game to test).

I could see if you had a humble library that you got with the system from the day you got it, then I wouldn't be able judge it myself. Find yourself a cheap sports game that is immaculate, or even burn yourself any random homebrew game and maybe you'll have a better judgement. It's not like you got like a little more than a half dozen games with your system to play around with when I got mine nearly 2 years ago.

[pcwzrd13]

Okay even if the NBA game will load up all the way to the loading screen no problem but once there is where it stops reading the game send in fine condition?

It sounds like the disc could be scratched through to the label side. Hold the disc up to a light and see if any bleeds through. If you can see light coming through the disc then it's most definitely no good.

[Glassjaw00]

I also have Sega web browser 2.0 and that boots up great and I took NBA and held it in the light and it seems you are correct it must be the disc. It's just weird how it seems like it's going to work when loads up but it never gets past the start screen.

Another question I have, is it normal for an older unit to be noisy? I have my ps2 on right now and it's so much quieter than the dreamcast?

[Glassjaw00]

I also have Sega web browser 2.0 and that boots up great and I took NBA and held it in the light and it seems you are correct it must be the disc. It's just weird how it seems like it's going to work when loads up but it never gets past the start screen.

Another question I have, is it normal for an older unit to be noisy? I have my ps2 on right now and it's so much quieter than the dreamcast?