CPM oddity?

[ComSoft6128]

Last week when looking thru some disks I found a file called "SPEEK.COM" also on the disk were two files from the "Speech!" program by Superior Software. So I loaded CPM on Rom and attempted to see if it would work - unfortunately no joy - all that happened was that the Plus reset itself.

Has anyone ever heard of this 1K program?

Link:
https://cpcrulez.fr/applications_music-superior_software-speech_AA.htm

[AMSDOS]

I remember this Speech programme being on an AA Covertape, but it's not a CP/M programme. I can only assume the extension .COM was incorrectly given to it, but I suspect it maybe a BINary file.

[AMSDOS]

Last week when looking thru some disks I found a file called "SPEEK.COM" also on the disk were two files from the "Speech!" program by Superior Software. So I loaded CPM on Rom and attempted to see if it would work - unfortunately no joy - all that happened was that the Plus reset itself.

Has anyone ever heard of this 1K program?

Link:
https://cpcrulez.fr/applications_music-superior_software-speech_AA.htm

I had a look at the DSK images for Superior Software on CPC-POWER, but the files on both DSK images have no COM files called SPEEK.COM nor any files 1k in size.


If you have the Lara utility it would help a great deal in exposing what that file is or determine if it's really a COM file instead of a File just using the .COM extension because Lara can Read/Write COM Files as well as standard Binary, Basic, etc with it's inbuilt command line. If Lara were available perhaps try a Header Reader, but I don't know if any can Read and determine what sort of file it is or they may simply say it's an ASCII file as neither COM or ASCII files have Headers   


Otherwise it maybe just easier to say:

Code Select Expand

MEMORY &3FFF:LOAD"SPEEK.COM",&4000


if it loads without error then it's a Binary file, so a Disassembler could be used in that case to View the Code to help determine what it maybe. If an error occurs, then sounds like a COM file, Lara is the best tool because it can load those and also view.


Lara was given away on an AA Covertape with Issue 90 I think, which includes the Steve Davis Snooker game, otherwise I don't know what else to suggest.

[ComSoft6128]

No Lara I'm afraid but I had a quick look at it today - and I still haven't a clue.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6wqMuGGubY&feature=youtu.be

[AMSDOS]

Ok, so we know it's a BINary file and not a COM file (despite the extension being used), it has a Start Address of &A410 and the Length of &148 bytes, unfortunately no Execution Address was given, it maybe at &A410, but then it could be anywhere in that &148 range.


We can use BASIC to dump the contents of that Binary File to screen which I can POKE those values into a Hex Editor which would in turn allow me to Disassemble it.


So load the file again in BASIC like earlier:

Code Select Expand

MEMORY &3FFF:LOAD"SPEAK.COM",&4000


and then the contents can be displayed like this:

Code Select Expand

FOR a=&4000 TO &4150:PRINT HEX$(PEEK(a),2);:NEXT a


Make it in MODE 1 it will fill 3 quarters of the screen and easier for me to type in if I can't work out what it's doing from the Hex output.


not forgetting to film while doing all that. 


Cheers.