Webster defines convenience as anything that saves work. Recognizing this, many commercial programs load and autorun with the fewest possible keystrokes. Unfortunately this convenience isn't available on some disks and most shorter programs.
Silicon Cobbler 64 is an autoboot maker for the Commodore 64 that provides a simple solution and requires no computer or programming experience. Although there have been a number of autoboot makers written, many attach themselves to a program and permanently alter it. Some only work with Basic programs, others only with machine language. Silicon Cobbler 64 creates a one block autoboot totally independent of the original program.
Creating an Autoboot
Silicon Cobbler 64 walks you through each step of creating an autoboot program. First, you're prompted to select the following attributes:
1. Border color during load.
2. Screen color during load.
3. Character color during load.
Steps 1, 2, and 3 enable you to select the visual effects for a smooth transition while your main program loads. Step 3 selects the character color for the loading message.
Next, you're prmpted to enter the name of program to be autobooted. Simply enter the filename of the program for which you are creating the autoboot. You may type the first few letters, followed by an asterisk (*), provided filename conflicts do not result.
You're then asked to enter the command to activate - Type in the command you normally use to activate the main program, either a RUN or SYS command. Then you'll see a prompt for the character color following load. Set this color to match the screen and border color selected in steps 1 and 2 above. That will provide a smooth transition. In rare cases, you will need to set this attribute to the color appropriate for the opening of the main program.
Next, there's a prompt to enter a filename for autoboot. For easy identification, enter an autoboot name similar to the name of the program it autoboots. For example, a program called Pacman might have an autoboot called pacman.load.
At the next step in the process, Silicon Cobbler 64 lists your choices. Carefully check each attribute. If you find an error, press S to start over. Otherwise, press C to continue.
The next prompt is to Create Autoboot. Be sure the destination disk is in the drive. There are two techniques for utilizing autoboots:
1. If the autoboot is the first directory entry, the program may be autobooted with LOAD"*",8,1.
2. For programs located elsewhere in the directory, they must be autobooted by typing LOAD"autoboot name",8,1.
Depending upon the disk utilities you have, there are two ways to integrate autoboots into the disk directory. First, if you have a "directory editor", it doesn't matter where the autoboot is saved. Just re-arrange the directory as necessary.
If you haven't a directory editor, begin with a blank disk. Save the autoboot, then copy the appropriate program to the disk. Continue in this manner if you choose to use additional autoboots. The program offers a "Another/Quit" prompt at this point. You may make additional autoboots for other programs or disks, or quit.
Helpful Hints
If a Basic program will not autoboot, check the program's load address. You may want to change it to location 2049. Silicon Cobbler 64 also checks for disk drive errors. If a filename already exists, select another name, or overwrite the existing autoboot. If you find an autoboot does not work properly, create a new autoboot and overwrite the old one.
Autoboots can be successfully added to nearly all disks, including backups of commercial C-64 software. Be sure to always work with copies of commercial programs, though, not the originals. If the program uses a standard directory, save the autoboot as you normally would, then move its filename to the first directory position. Have fun autobooting your all of your disks!
