Hi all,
yesterday I was playing my VA 7 (for more than 8 hours I should add); I was trying to save a user performance when, accidentally (or by habit or mental fatigue, I don't know), instead of pressing the "Execute" key I double pressed the "User program" key and selected another program.
The keyboard frooze immediately, all the keys went mute (not only the black and white keys, I mean also the keypads like "Start", "Stop", etc).
I tried to reboot several times, not only immediately but even after several hours but the situation is the same: the keyboard goes on to recognize the ZIP disk, checks all the databases, then the starting screen appears and everything is frozen again. It's like with Windows 98, when you get a blue screen and everything goes blank. So I think it's a software correlated problem and, before taking the keyboard to a Roland repairman, am asking if there is a way to "clear" the Reading Only Memory or to reload the factory defaults pressing a combination of keys (you know, like in Windows when you press Ctrl + Alt + Del).
Thanks in advance,
Andrea

Andrea....Re-Install the VA7 Operating OS again. Its available as a download if you have not already got it.

Graham UK

Andrea, is'nt there a "reset to factory"
setting option on the VA?
If so, try that before reinstall OS.
Usually it's holding a button or two when
restart the keyboard.
GJ

Btw,
on Technics it's called "initial settings".

[This message has been edited by Gunnar Jonny (edited 01-02-2002).]

Andrea, Have you tried the Autoload function on page209 of manual?Ths may work for you, good luck!

Graham, Gunnar and Chalky,
I have found that it is possibile to load or save the OS by pressing "One touch" + "Piano" + "Intro" while powering on the keyboard. The problem is that I have no copy of OS 2.0 because it was installed by a Roland authorized center. I have tried also to save the OS to a floppy disk, but it gives me an "error while reading" message, so I guess that there is really a problem with ROM. I would like to try to re-load again the OS itself, but don't know where to download it from the net. I have found a version of OS 2.0, but it's for VA76 only (seems that for VA7 you cannot do that yourself). So I guess that my main problem now is to found a copy of OS 2.0 for VA7.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Andrea

Here you are Andrea. http://users.pandora.be/RKCA/download-eng.htm

Main site: http://users.pandora.be/RKCA/engels.htm

Hope this helps, there is also instructions.
GJ

Gunnar,
this is the same site where I found OS 2.0 for VA76; for VA7 the download box is empty and it says "Upgrade only available via Roland Tech Center !"
In will try again doing a search through the net, otherwise I will have to ask a good soul to save the OS to disk and send me a copy.
Thanks anyway,
Andrea

Have you tried this:
VA7
Press FUNCTION MENU, then touch GLOBAL PARAMETER. Touch ALL underneath Factory Resume

Found it at : http://www.roland.co.uk/SUPPORT/factsearch.asp

(Searched VA7)

Hope you manage to fix it real soon.
GJ

Gunnar,
thank you for your suggestion, but the problem is that after powering up the keyboard is completely frozen, apparently because the OS is corrupted, so if I press the "Function" button nothing happens. I could load another version of the OS (like 1.03, that I already have), but I am afraid that I would loose a number of functions; I am still searching the web to find a site where I can download OS 2.0.
Thanks again,
Andrea

Andrea, version 2.0 available at--http://users.pandora.be/RKCA/engels.htm
good luck, CHALKY.

Chalky,
yes, I checked this site already; version 2.0 is for VA 76 only (no download file available for VA 7).
OK, I am now addressing one of you, smart VA 7 users who have upgraded to v. 2.0 (even smarter!)
If one of you is willing to help me, please follow these instructions:
1- insert a VA 7-formatted floppy disk into the disk drive;
2- while powering on your beast, press "One touch" + "Piano" + "Intro", then choose the "Save OS" option pressing the corresponding button in the "Bank" row;
3- when prompted by the keyboard, press again the corresponding number in the "Number" row
4- save your OS to the floppy disk
5- copy the OS from the floppy disk to your hard disk
6- send the OS to me as an email attachment (my address is in my profile)
My eternal gratitude to you!
Thanks,
Andrea


[This message has been edited by Dreamer (edited 01-03-2002).]

An update to my problem:
I have tried to load OS 2.0 for VA 76 and everything went apparently fine: I loaded the two disks set and then re-powered the keyboard. At this point I was asked to perform some fine-tuning of the pitch bend (which I did) and of the touchscreen; the instructions on the screen itself asked me to press a point at the lower left corner, I did that and nothing happened; I tried the same operation three times and then gave up when I realized that the VA 76 has a larger touchscreen and so the settings were of course different from my VA 7.
At this point I loaded OS 1.03 and everything went fine: the keyboard is working again and I am able to play as before, except that I have lost all the new features of OS 2.0 (what I am especially missing is the Performance database).
I hope that my experience can be useful to other VA 7 owners: always make of copy of your OS on a couple of floppy disk!
Regards,
Andrea
(still waiting, like Roel some time ago...)

Andrea,

About the screen, I had that same problem. A while when I turned on the VA I had to do the same thing you did. And when I had to calibrate the screen I just followed up te instructions and repeated, repeated, repeated.. and it seemed like that nothing happens. Till a sudden moment, I did it again and the unit started up as usual..

Anyway.. I'm now trying right now to save the OS.

Sander

Got it, Sander!
Thanks a lot!

Hey ho, hey ho, off to upgrade we go...

Andrea

:-D

I just want to add a few things to my previous comments, hoping that these can help other VA owners.
I have tried to load OS 2.0 for VA 76 on my VA 7 and this time I used a pen (instead of my finger) to calibrate the touchscreen; everything went fine and the keyboard powered on as usual. When I went on to check my user programs, however, all the split points and the octave transpositions were messed up. That was due, I guess, to the fact that the OS was thinking that I had a 76 note keyboard instead of a 61 notes one.
So I re-loaded OS 2.0 for VA 7 and everything went fine.
When I upgraded to OS 2.0 I was told that I could not do it myself because they had to replace some internal chip but that's not true. You can do the upgrade yourselves and the only things that you will be required to do are to calibrate the pitch bend and the touch screen after rebooting.
The only reason I can see for upgrading at an authorized center is the new Zip disk with about 1000 user programs; I had to pay for the upgrade (about 40 Euros or 35 dollars, more or less) but I am told that in some countries (like UK) it's completely free.
Enjoy your VA.
Andrea