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Post by Unbeliever on Jan 10, 2021 8:04:00 GMT
I'm working with a variety of programming tools (one at a time) on my "TheC64 Mini".
Most of my work is with Turbo Macro Pro (TMP), but I'm also using the Super Snapshot cartridge and even Compute's old Metabasic utility, to help get my work done.
About ten days ago, I did something stupid -- compiled my code too high and entered TMP's memory space.
TMP promptly crashed (as to be expected) -- but shortly after that, my default disk ("THEC64-drive8.d64") was suddenly erased! No files, 664 blocks free. I fortunately hadn't gotten TOO far, was was able to reproduce my work -- and start making backups of my memory key.
I've been a bit nervous since then, but had JUST about convinced myself it was a one-time thing, when today, it happened again. *TWICE*! [Fortunately, I could restore from backup each time!]
I had no TMP crashes today. PLUS, I notice that the disk name and ID got reset when the disk was cleared. This is no TMP glitch -- TheC64 Mini is making a new blank disk and overwriting *MY* disk!
Here is a screenshot of my disk BEFORE it got clobbered:
And here is a screenshot AFTERWARDS (notice the disk name and ID):
I'm launching BASIC from the carousel, and then loading "game saves" to easily switch between fresh loads of TMP, and the Snapshot cart. (Then I load my own code from disk manually.)
I'm not loading game saves during disk access or anything obviously stupid.
Have you seen anything like this? Do you have any ideas as to what might cause this?
Backups or not, this is very frustrating...
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
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Post by spannernick on Jan 10, 2021 21:47:46 GMT
weird.. only reason it would do that is if the disk ("THEC64-drive8.d64") had been deleted and then it would replace it, the carousel checks to see if the disk is on the root of the USB if its not then it makes a new one.
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Post by Unbeliever on Jan 11, 2021 0:25:27 GMT
It suddenly occurs to me -- my USB hub is not powered (it's built in to my keyboard).
If TheC64 Mini is being CRAZY picky about voltage, maybe sometimes it doesn't QUITE pick up on the presence of the disk file, and then clobbers it...? Does that seem reasonable?
(I'm also suddenly seeing some cases of saved files getting oddly corrupted... not sure if that could have the same cause.)
Anyway, I'm gonna buy a powered USB hub and see if it keeps happening.
The memory key is a SanDisk Ultra Fit. I really like it; I hope THAT'S not the problem...
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Post by Unbeliever on Jan 11, 2021 6:53:44 GMT
I mean, I play games off of the same USB key, in the same unpowered hub, all the time without trouble. It's only BASIC occasionally clobbering its disk, and creating corrupted files on the disk. Wish I had a better explanation...
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Post by Unbeliever on Jan 19, 2021 5:28:39 GMT
Update:
Well, I've been using the powered USB hub for a week, and SO FAR, I haven't had the "whole disk vanishes" problem again. So maybe that was the answer to that problem?
However, I still (constantly) see the file corruption issue anytime I save from Turbo Macro Pro. (This happens when I back-arrow, "s" to save a source file, and ALSO when I back-arrow, "w" to write a sequential file.)
The file I'm SAVING is generally fine, but some other file on the disk now ALSO contains the file I just saved. I'm guessing this is a pointer problem in the directory? Another file's pointer is overwritten to point to the newly saved file?
I've literally done a compile of my game source (which has an INCLUDE for a sprite data file), had it compile and run fine, then save my code, and try to compile again, and CRASH -- because the sprite file has been replaced by my game file, which tries to include the sprite file again, and the compiler is smart enough to recognize infinite recursion when it sees it...
There's only three things that could be causing this: 1) TheC64 Mini itself 2) Turbo Macro Pro (latest non-REU version) 3) DirMaster on the PC, which I'm using to backup/restore files from my d64.
Given that I've now seen occasions where a file was fine one moment, and got corrupted immediately after saving a different file from Turbo Macro Pro, I'm guessing the problem is there.
Which means this probably isn't a support issue anymore -- I don't think it's "TheC64 Mini" causing the problem (though I guess it's still possible) -- but if anyone out there has seen this behavior and knows a remedy, I'd appreciate a heads up.
At the moment, I'm using game save states as temp saves while I iterate my code, and then when I need to save properly, I save to disk, shut down TheC64 Mini and bring my key to my PC to restore the other files from backup using DirMaster.
It's a pretty painful way to code...
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