Author Topic: ROM software positions/slots in a X-Mem (Read 9565 times)

CPC_Fan · « **on:** 23:12, 03 September 15 »

Hi all. Was thinking of adding the CPM Plus, symbos and maybe future os ROM's to my X-Mem. Was just wondering if it mattered at all which slots I put them in? Would they clash with each other, or would they all play along together nicely? Does it depend on what other ROM's are already on the X-Mem?

TFM · « **Reply #1 on:** 23:36, 03 September 15 »

Quote from: CPC_Fan on 23:12, 03 September 15

Hi all. Was thinking of adding the CPM Plus, symbos and maybe FutureOS ROM's to my X-Mem. Was just wondering if it mattered at all which slots I put them in? Would they clash with each other, or would they all play along together nicely? Does it depend on what other ROM's are already on the X-Mem?

That's a good question. Some ROMs don't get along with others (f.e. Utopia, BDOS etc.) and some need a specific position. Here some hints:

- Another DOS like ParaDOS, X-DDOS or VDOS need to be placed at a position lower than 7 to make them work fine (usually position 6 is used for another DOS)

- RDOS (which provides the RAM disc for BASIC) should be at position 1, because it needs to be initialized after all other DOS

- The CP/M Plus ROMs can be every where between 1 and 31 IMHO as long as they get initialized, else put them between 1 and 15. They play nice and compatible.

- Get the CP/M expansion ROMs from my homepage. You need an CP/M Program in a ROM? PM me!

- SymbOS needs one ROM between 1-15 (to be initialized), the others can be somewhere between 1 and 31. As far as I know it has no issues with compatibility at all.

- Same for FutureOS. Only ROM A needs to be initialized. So with FW 3.15 or the ROM-Booster they can be every where between 1-31. If the command !OS doesn't work move ROM A between 0 and 15. (Please use the installer!). If you place ROM A at position 0, then it will start automatically. FutureOS is compatible to everything else.
BTW: If you want an personal version, just PM me your email address. Then you get your own colors etc.

Any question left? Just ask :-)

TotO · « **Reply #2 on:** 00:31, 04 September 15 »

Use the INSTALL program from the X-MEM floppy for adding CP/M on ROM8 and ROM9.
This allow to handle the RAM Drive with the same size as BASIC, to be compatible and exchange files between both environments.

TFM · « **Reply #3 on:** 00:32, 04 September 15 »

Quote from: TotO on 00:31, 04 September 15

Use the INSTALL program from the X-MEM floppy for adding CP/M on ROM8 and ROM9.
This allow to handle the RAM Drive with the good size to be compatible.

Did you patch it actually (I mean the CP/M Plus ROMs)?

TotO · « **Reply #4 on:** 00:34, 04 September 15 »

You made the fastest ever answer!

Yes, the INSTALL process patch the CP/M ROM for using the wished RAM Drive size. (0K, 256K, 448K)

TFM · « **Reply #5 on:** 01:16, 04 September 15 »

Ah, the regular ROMs probably only work with 444 KB.

TotO · « **Reply #6 on:** 01:27, 04 September 15 »

Exactly. It is why I configure the RAM Drive size to "448K" by default.

CPC_Fan · « **Reply #7 on:** 00:41, 05 September 15 »

Thanks for the reply's and help and advice TFM and Tot0. Sounds like it shouldn't be too hard to install the ROMs on my X-Mem. Just got to get them copied over to a floppy and then I can hopefully have a good old session on the CPC.

@TFM - I didn't realise that you could personalise Future OS. How do you do that?

TFM · « **Reply #8 on:** 03:12, 05 September 15 »

Quote from: CPC_Fan on 00:41, 05 September 15

Thanks for the reply's and help and advice TFM and Tot0. Sounds like it shouldn't be too hard to install the ROMs on my X-Mem. Just got to get them copied over to a floppy and then I can hopefully have a good old session on the CPC.

@TFM - I didn't realise that you could personalise Future OS. How do you do that?

My pleasure! Well, you put information in the configuration bytes. So you have your own colors f.e. And the system does know if you have a color or green screen f.e. This way applications "know" in which environment the run and can adapt. My Giana game uses such configuration bit f.e. to set colors for color or green monitor.

Happy weekend!

CPC_Fan · « **Reply #9 on:** 20:54, 07 September 15 »

Well I have just tried to install SymbOS onto my X-Mem and it doesn't have appeared to work. I flashed SymbOS-ROMa to my X-Mem from basic, using a disc in my 3.5" floppy drive (set as B: drive). I flashed it to slot 15 and ROM's b,c and d to slots 16,17 and 18 respectively. When I type |sym, it just says "unknown command". Have tried booting my 6128 with the X-Mem set as boot from CPC and boot from X-Mem, but it makes no difference.

Also I have tried booting it from my floppy drive. It seems to load up this way, but I'm not sure if it like my AMX 3 button mouse or not. I only seem to be able to click on the start icon with the right mouse button, with a double click. Even tough the menu comes up, no matter what button I press, I cannot get it to do anything else from there.

The mouse is powered from the CTM644 monitor supply and my 3.5" drive is powered by a separate 5 volt psu. My X-Mem is in a motherx4 board, along with one of talrek's Multiface 2 clones.

Anybody got any ideas on what is going wrong?

CraigsBar · « **Reply #10 on:** 21:29, 07 September 15 »

Not sure I can help on the ROMs. I have ROM a in slot 5 and b,c,d in that order in 29, 30 and 31. For me they just work. The menu options sound to me like the apps are not available on the floppy. If you can do anything then I'd guess the mouse is OK. When you click it at a basic prompt which button is X and which is Z?

CraigsBar · « **Reply #11 on:** 21:43, 07 September 15 »

Quote from: CraigsBar on 21:29, 07 September 15

Not sure I can help on the ROMs. I have ROM a in slot 5 and b,c,d in that order in 29, 30 and 31. For me they just work. The menu options sound to me like the apps are not available on the floppy. If you can do anything then I'd guess the mouse is OK. When you click it at a basic prompt which button is X and which is Z?

OK I lied, symbos ROM a is in slot 10.

TFM · « **Reply #12 on:** 21:48, 07 September 15 »

Regarding your ROM occupation I wonder no longer where is your promised test of the FutureOS update.

But never mind. I guess it's not needed any longer, nobody reported an error or problem. So I assume all runs 100% fine.

TFM · « **Reply #13 on:** 21:52, 07 September 15 »

Quote from: CPC_Fan on 20:54, 07 September 15

Well I have just tried to install SymbOS onto my X-Mem and it doesn't have appeared to work. I flashed SymbOS-ROMa to my X-Mem from basic, using a disc in my 3.5" floppy drive (set as B: drive). I flashed it to slot 15 and ROM's b,c and d to slots 16,17 and 18 respectively. ... Anybody got any ideas on what is going wrong?

One out of two possibilities: Did you work in CPC464 mode, so that only ROMs 7 to 0 get initialized?

CraigsBar · « **Reply #14 on:** 22:50, 07 September 15 »

Quote from: TFM on 21:48, 07 September 15

Regarding your ROM occupation I wonder no longer where is your promised test of the FutureOS update. But never mind. I guess it's not needed any longer, nobody reported an error or problem. So I assume all runs 100% fine.

Aha, You assume incorrectly [size=78%]

[/size]

Future OS is on the Symbiface on my Plus machine.

this screenshot is taken from my "Just back from @TotO" X-Mem in the Just CPC.

Your assumption seems correct however, With FutureOS on the Symbiface II I have not encountered any issues at all. And the Spartan Wallpapers are awesome

Craig

CPC_Fan · « **Reply #15 on:** 22:57, 07 September 15 »

Quote from: CraigsBar on 21:29, 07 September 15

Not sure I can help on the ROMs. I have ROM a in slot 5 and b,c,d in that order in 29, 30 and 31. For me they just work. The menu options sound to me like the apps are not available on the floppy. If you can do anything then I'd guess the mouse is OK. When you click it at a basic prompt which button is X and which is Z?

Hi Craig. When I click it at the basic prompt, the left hand button is Z, the middle button does nothing and the right button is X.

I put the applications on a separate floppy and left that out of the drive when I tried the disc version of SymbOs. Maybe I need to put them on the same disc? The instructions aren't very helpful, so I wasn't sure which disc images to put on which discs.

The picture below shows the current ROMs that are on my X-Mem. Maybe I need to reflash it from scratch and try them in different slots. What do you think?

CPC_Fan · « **Reply #16 on:** 23:02, 07 September 15 »

Quote from: TFM on 21:52, 07 September 15

One out of two possibilities: Did you work in CPC464 mode, so that only ROMs 7 to 0 get initialized?

Hi TFM. I have just double checked and I can confirm that my X-Mem is still in 6128 mode as it should be, not 464 mode.

CraigsBar · « **Reply #17 on:** 23:04, 07 September 15 »

Looks like the Symbos roms did not flash correctly. compare the names of mine, with yours.... Hmmmm.

Delete those sockets with the FLASHER application on the X-Mem floppy and reprogram them

CPC_Fan · « **Reply #18 on:** 23:22, 07 September 15 »

I did wonder if they did not flash correctly. Will have to try and reflash them later. Do you think that they would have clashed with any of the other ROMs that I have got on the X-Mem at all?

CraigsBar · « **Reply #19 on:** 23:56, 07 September 15 »

Na. Not much installed there. Problems only seem to occur (if at all) when the board is nearly full.

CPC_Fan · « **Reply #20 on:** 00:04, 08 September 15 »

Ok. Will try and reflash the SmybOS later using the flasher tool (if I can remember how to use it).

Ast · « **Reply #21 on:** 12:30, 08 September 15 »

Don't Forget iMPdraw exists in Rom too. So, if you need to fill your x-mem rom with a cool tool paint, think about it!

CPC_Fan · « **Reply #22 on:** 13:31, 08 September 15 »

Well I can't seem to get the flasher tool from the X-Mem floppy to delete the ROMs that I wanted to. So it looks like I am going to have to reinstall/completely re-flash the X-Mem from scratch and re-install the ROMs from basic

Unless of course somebody on here can give me a quick idiots guide on how to use the flasher tool?

Ast · « **Reply #23 on:** 14:44, 08 September 15 »

You had to use :
ùflash,"nameoftherom",number of rom you want to flash.
You don't need to erase rom because you have just to copy a new one in any slot you want (free or not)
But if you really want to erase a slot, just flash an empty file (size must be 16384 bytes)

Bryce · « **Reply #24 on:** 15:09, 08 September 15 »

Or write 16K worth of &FF to it

Bryce.

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Author Topic: ROM software positions/slots in a X-Mem (Read 9565 times)