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Post by Unbeliever on Dec 16, 2020 4:46:26 GMT
Greetings!
I'm new to TheC64 Mini. Would've gotten the Maxi but they apparently sold out in the US in about 10 minutes?!? (At least on Amazon.)
Browsed the PDF manuals, read some sites, dusted off the old Commodore programming books, and started to do some BASIC coding for the first time since the 80's. 
I didn't have a FAT32 memory key lying around, so I saved my work in one of the Game Save slots.
A few days later, I bought a key (and a USB hub), and immediately updated TheC64 Mini to the latest firmware (1.4.2-shield). Easy Peasy.
Then, I went into BASIC, and the system made me a THEC64-drive8.d64 file, as expected. Awesome.
OK. Time to stop using game save slots, and start saving my code to my d64 file!
At which point I realized that I couldn't access the game save slots with my work, because the slots are based on the currently-inserted disk name and location.
If I start BASIC without the key inserted, I have my game save slots back, but then BASIC won't recognize when I put the USB back in.
I can EITHER have my save slot, OR a virtual floppy to save to. Not both.
*SIGH*
I read in the manual that the Maxi has a "Media Access" menu, which is exactly what I need -- to "eject the disk" long enough to load my game save slot, then "re-insert the disk" to save my work. But the Mini seems to be missing that feature.
Any advice?
[Oh, and anyone have any inside knowledge on when the US will have Maxi's available to buy again?]
Thanks...
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Post by jj0 on Dec 16, 2020 13:46:06 GMT
This behaviour is because without USB stick inserted the Game Save slots are looked for on the internal storage of the Mini (directory /var/lib/the64/profile/0/saves/<gamename>), and with USB stick inserted they are looked for on the USB stick (directory .THEC64SAVE/<gamename>). If you want to copy the ones from the internal storage to a USB stick, copy the attached start.sh and theC64-9_9_9.bin to your USB stick and insert it into the Mini. Then go to the System Information menu and apply the fake Firmware update it will see. This will copy the internal Game Saves to the USB stick - overwriting existing same save slots for the same games that are already on the USB stick. Attachments:start.sh (117 B)
theC64-9_9_9.bin (124 B)
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Post by Unbeliever on Dec 17, 2020 0:32:37 GMT
Well, that worked beautifully! Thank you so much! If I may ask, did you create that especially for me? Or is this a common enough problem that a solution had already been created? Either way, it's really appreciated. And... one final question, related to my original problem of not being able to swap disks from BASIC: I have a couple of cartridge files -- Super Snapshot, and Turbo Macro Pro -- that I would like to use while programming. But once again, we hit a snag -- I can't access my disk, if I start BASIC using one of the cartridges. I suppose I could keep working through the game save snapshots: 1) Start BASIC without the cart, load from disk and save to snapshot. 2) Restart BASIC from cartridge, load snapshot, do work, save snapshot. 3) Restart BASIC without the cart, load from snapshot and save to disk. But that's a huge hassle, especially since one of the main benefits of Super Snapshot is being able to see a disk directory without clobbering your BASIC program. Any thoughts/suggestions on solutions with my Mini? And would a full size TheC64 solve all my problems, as my readings so far suggest? Thanks again... |
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Post by jj0 on Dec 17, 2020 8:19:32 GMT
Well, that worked beautifully! Thank you so much! If I may ask, did you create that especially for me? Or is this a common enough problem that a solution had already been created? Either way, it's really appreciated. I created it especially for you, consider it an early Christmas present ;-) And... one final question, related to my original problem of not being able to swap disks from BASIC: I have a couple of cartridge files -- Super Snapshot, and Turbo Macro Pro -- that I would like to use while programming. But once again, we hit a snag -- I can't access my disk, if I start BASIC using one of the cartridges. I suppose I could keep working through the game save snapshots: 1) Start BASIC without the cart, load from disk and save to snapshot. 2) Restart BASIC from cartridge, load snapshot, do work, save snapshot. 3) Restart BASIC without the cart, load from snapshot and save to disk. But that's a huge hassle, especially since one of the main benefits of Super Snapshot is being able to see a disk directory without clobbering your BASIC program. Any thoughts/suggestions on solutions with my Mini? And would a full size TheC64 solve all my problems, as my readings so far suggest? Thanks again... Hmmmm spannernick, any thoughts on this? |
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Post by Unbeliever on Dec 21, 2020 6:37:50 GMT
Well, I've kinda solved my immediate problem, so I'll be a good forum poster and talk about it here, in case it helps someone else. PROBLEM: I want to use a cartridge AND a disk at the same time for programming in BASIC, but the Mini only lets you boot One Thing (even if it's a cartridge file), and won't let you add/swap disks in BASIC later. SOLUTION: It's actually pretty straightforward, though still annoying that you have to do this. Prep: Make sure you're using a USB memory key containing both your cartridge file and your desired disk file. 1) On the Mini, boot BASIC "pure", and do a game save. (This is just to ensure you have the proper game save directory.) 2) Now return to the carousel, boot the cartridge file from your memory key, and do a game save. 3) Take the memory key over to your Windows box, and copy the game save (three related files) from the cart's "saves" directory, to BASIC's "saves" directory. You may need to do some renaming and/or overwriting of a BASIC game save. 4) On the Mini, boot BASIC from your desired disk, then load the game save where your cartridge is in memory. Voila. The cart is in memory, and the disk is attached. You'll never get that save slot back, as long as you want to use the cartridge and disk together -- but otherwise, this gets you where you need to be. I really can't wait for the Maxi to be available again in the states, so I can swap disks in BASIC like God intended...  |
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Post by jj0 on Dec 21, 2020 7:58:23 GMT
Well, I've kinda solved my immediate problem, so I'll be a good forum poster and talk about it here, in case it helps someone else. PROBLEM: I want to use a cartridge AND a disk at the same time for programming in BASIC, but the Mini only lets you boot One Thing (even if it's a cartridge file), and won't let you add/swap disks in BASIC later. SOLUTION: It's actually pretty straightforward, though still annoying that you have to do this. Prep: Make sure you're using a USB memory key containing both your cartridge file and your desired disk file. 1) On the Mini, boot BASIC "pure", and do a game save. (This is just to ensure you have the proper game save directory.) 2) Now return to the carousel, boot the cartridge file from your memory key, and do a game save. 3) Take the memory key over to your Windows box, and copy the game save (three related files) from the cart's "saves" directory, to BASIC's "saves" directory. You may need to do some renaming and/or overwriting of a BASIC game save. 4) On the Mini, boot BASIC from your desired disk, then load the game save where your cartridge is in memory. Voila. The cart is in memory, and the disk is attached. You'll never get that save slot back, as long as you want to use the cartridge and disk together -- but otherwise, this gets you where you need to be. I really can't wait for the Maxi to be available again in the states, so I can swap disks in BASIC like God intended... Nice solution, thanks for being a good forum poster 🙂. Especially at what must be a late hour in the US. |
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