
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Given the quadratic equation in $x$: $(a-3)x^2 - 4x - 1 = 0$,  
(1) If the equation has two equal real roots, find the value of $a$ and the roots of the equation at that time;  
(2) If the equation has two distinct real roots, determine the range of values for $a$.

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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