Loadstar 208/208.d81/t.emuletter

Text File | 2022-08-26 | 5KB | 193 lines

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         E M U - L E T T E R

           by Dave Moorman


    A growing number of LOADSTARites
are using the [V]ersat[i]le
[C]ommodore [E]mulator on their
Pentium Computers. For some, this is
their avenue back to the wonderful
world of C-64 computing. Others like
to put LOADSTAR on their PC laptops
for a more mobile experience.

    And even if your computer of
choice is and always will be the
mighty C-64, VICE is a great way to
share the LOADSTAR experience with
your less fortunate PC-using friends.
Have them go to our web site

           [www.loadstar.com]

 and try out the LOADSTAR Sampler.
When they get hooked, have them
download and install the Compleat
Emulator Package, which included VICE,
VICEOut Reader, 64Copy, and 1581Copy.
Then, of course, the will need their
own subscription!

    We will occasionally have
utilities and tools to enhance the
PC/C-64 interface which we have
learned over the last couple of years.


    QVICE is just such a tool. This is
a Visual Basic program for Windows
that will load and execute VICE.
You [may] need one or two support
files to make QVICE work. You will get
an error if your system does not have
these files available. Write down the
name of the file and go to

          [www.microsoft.com]

 for free downloads. Or write me via
email or snail mail and I will be glad
to send you a copy.

    QVICE will create a COMMAND.INI
file to customize VICE to your own
liking and to work on your own PC
system.

    You will need 64Copy or Star
Commander on your PC to get into the
LS208.D81 disk image and copy
QVICE.EXE to its own folder on your C:
drive. (64Copy is available from our
web site under Free Stuff.) Once you
have QVICE out on its own, use Windows
Explorer to find and execute it.

    The first time you execute QVICE,
an input box will appear which will
help you create COMMAND.INI. You first
need to find the file X64.EXE. This is
the VICE C-64 emulator program. Use
"Browse" to navigate to your copy of
X64.EXE. When you Open the file, its
name is put in the input box.

    This is all you have to do to make
QVICE work. If you click SUBMIT, VICE
will be called up, with the window
nicely filling the screen. But there's
[more]!

    VICE has a plethora of command
line switches which allow you to boot
VICE with any number of features
turned on or off. If you are using
VICE v1.7, check out the Help Menu for
Command Line Options. Most of these
can be set with Options and Settings
and saved. QVICE is best used to
attach D64 and D81 disk image files
and to Autostart a disk or program.


 [ATTACHING an Image]

    After you have put the X64.EXE
path in the input box, but before you
click SUBMIT, click Switches. This
gives you 5 options -- Autostart and
Attach to each drive. Click "Attach to
8", then click Browse and navigate to
LS208.D81. Select it and click Open.
Now when you click SUBMIT (or later
boot QVICE), the chosen disk image
will be attached -- just like the real
disk was in the drive.


 [CHANGING COMMAND.INI]

    But there's more. First I need to
mention how to change QVICE. Actually,
it is easy: Use Windows Explorer to
find COMMAND.INI (in the same folder
at QVICE) and delete it (COMMAND.INI,
[not] QVICE!) When you boot QVICE
again, you will get the input window,
where must re-enter the X64.EXE path.
Then you can change anything or
everything.


 [AUTOSTART]

    VICE offers two ways to Autostart
a disk.

  Method 1: After setting the path to
X64.EXE, click the Switch box arrow
and choose Autostart, then use Browse
to navigate to to desired disk image.

  Method 2: For the [last] item on the
command line, skip the Switch and use
Browse to navigate to the desired disk
image.

  Either method will boot the first
file on the disk image.

    If you want to load and run
some other file on the chosen disk
image, place the cursor at the end of
the Autostart path, type a <colon>,
followed by the filename. For example:

 C:\[path]\x64.exe<space>
   C:\[path]\utilities.d81:mred.pkd

 One caveat: No spaces in the
filename! A space is a delimiter for
the command line switches. If
necessary, use an asterisk as a final
wild card.

 The above command line loads and runs
my copy of Mr.Edstar from my utility
disk image.

    It's just that easy! Here is what
I did for Mr.Edstar. I copied QVICE to
a new folder (called MrEd), then
dragged the program icon out to my
desktop, creating a shortcut. I
renamed the shortcut "Mr.Edstar" then
executed it. I used the above command
line (where [path] is the path to
x64.exe and utilities.d81 files).

    For a LOADSTAR issue, I do the
same thing: put a copy of QVICE in a
separate folder, make and rename a
desktop shortcut, and set the command
line to autostart the file STAR. Each
such instance becomes like a unique
program. Imagine creating a QVICE
folder for each LOADSTAR, renaming the
shortcut icons on the desktop, then
storing them in a folder on the
desktop. The result will be a folder
full of LOADSTARs just a double click
away!

    Enjoy QVICE. And if you have not
tried emulation yourself or shown it
to a friend, LOADSTAR offers the
slickest way to making a Pentium
Computer into a REAL 64K Machine!

 DMM