rolfea Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 didn't have a section for this in technical I've never used a BBC Micro before Its a Model B managed to dig out a machine, diskette drives and a screen. Loads of games and stuff too. But for some reason the games don't boot. Anyone has experience with BBC Micros?
Domino Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 what error are you getting? Any on screen messages?
crc-ict Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 Well, depending on how they've been stored, you might find the disks or the disk drive is knackered. Alternatively, do you know how to make it run them? BBCs don't work like PCs - they won't boot from a disc on power-up, they boot almost instantly from ROM. To start a program from disk, you normally put it in Drive 0, then press - at the command prompt to make it load the disk.
rolfea Posted February 25, 2009 Author Posted February 25, 2009 what error are you getting? Any on screen messages? drive fault 14 at 00/c1
Domino Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 Subject: BBC Disk Drive? could be a drive connection cable fault?
rolfea Posted February 25, 2009 Author Posted February 25, 2009 I've tried three drives. Only one drive had the light on the front light up, and then it come up with the error I posted. Doesn't look like I'm going to get my BBC to work then? at the moments its just acting as a calculator
joe90bass Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 I've tried three drives. Only one drive had the light on the front light up, and then it come up with the error I posted. Doesn't look like I'm going to get my BBC to work then? at the moments its just acting as a calculator No chuckie egg for you then!
wesleyw Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 If it's a tape drive try turning the volume up on the external unit?
rolfea Posted February 25, 2009 Author Posted February 25, 2009 its not tape, its the 5" 1/4 floppy drive
Geoff Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 How are you trying to load the game? Normally BBCs use custom built floppy controllers (there was no floppy disk standard back then). Either way, pressing Shift-Break should load the chainloader (if the disk has one). If it doesn't you'll have to LOAD/RUN the game.
ICT_GUY Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 There a very good bbc B emulator out there, works a treat.
rolfea Posted February 25, 2009 Author Posted February 25, 2009 How are you trying to load the game? Normally BBCs use custom built floppy controllers (there was no floppy disk standard back then). Either way, pressing Shift-Break should load the chainloader (if the disk has one). If it doesn't you'll have to LOAD/RUN the game. I don't really know enough about the BBCs trying to load it using Shift Break, and thats the way it come up with the error posted above. Have tried the Load / Run method but it told me I had a syntax error There a very good bbc B emulator out there, works a treat. I have a real one, just don't know how to use it!
wesleyw Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 Just wondered does anyone know where I can get the old Star Trek game on the BBC B Micro? Haven't played it now for 19 years? Wes
Geoff Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 Ok you might have to Chain load the file. So thats: *CHAIN "something" *LOAD
Geoff Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 Ok you might have to Chain load the file. So thats: *CHAIN "something" *LOAD
PyROm Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 Its been a long time, but I believe you got a similar error if you tried to use a disc written in an 80 track drive in a 40 track one. Sometimes you get dual mode drives with a switch on the back/front to switch between to two modes or even ones which appeared as 3 drives, drive one being 40track and drive 2/3 being either side on an 80 track drive. You can use *cat to show you the filenames on the current disc. before using *chain (which can be shortened to *ch. "filename" ) 1
rolfea Posted February 25, 2009 Author Posted February 25, 2009 Try a *CAT first. Is the drive lighting up? Do you have any more disks to try? It may be a good time to offer my boxed & unused 5.25 floppies! Do all commands need the * before hand? because I havent been doing that? and the drive is lighting up, and makes some very faint noises. When I press shift break the ">" cursor does dissappear but then it hangs and I press ctrl break to try again. Have tried plenty discs but no joy. We have more, so I could try some more. I'm only 19.. these things we're pretty much gone by the time I was 6!
srochford Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 This web site has a load of scanned BBC manuals etc including the DFS error codes. Error 14 is "track 0 not found" Given the age of the disc, it's probably damaged if you know it used to work in that machine. If it's just a random set of discs and drives then it's possible you've got 80 track discs and a 40 track drive (or vice versa) - this will give track not found errors Have you got any blank discs you could try formatting? That at least would tell you if the drive is working OK (command is *form80 0 or *form40 0 to format disc 0) 1
ICT_GUY Posted February 26, 2009 Posted February 26, 2009 Try a *CAT first. Is the drive lighting up? Do you have any more disks to try? It may be a good time to offer my boxed & unused 5.25 floppies! If you had a BBC Master you can hook up a PC 3.5" disk drive! For all your BBC games, try: The BBC Micro and Electron Games Archive - WWW.STAIRWAYTOHELL.COM It's a very simple matter to transfer the floppy disk images to real disks to play on a real Beeb. Emulators are all well and good but there's nothing like the real thing. While I'm on the subject I must also push this little device from a colleague of mine: mmbeeb Multimedia card interface. Can be build for around a tenner and lets you play hundreds of BBC disk images instantly! Acorn elite is listed on there, how many days of my youth did I waste on that?
rolfea Posted February 26, 2009 Author Posted February 26, 2009 If it's just a random set of discs and drives then it's possible you've got 80 track discs and a 40 track drive (or vice versa) - this will give track not found errors We have got a double disk drive which has switches on the back, but it doesn't light up or make noise or anything. Then we have another two drives, one again a double drive. Have tred both drives. One comes up with the error and the other doesn't do anything. The second of those two drives is a single drive, and that lights up gives signs of living, but does nothing on screen. I'll try dig out more discs
rolfea Posted February 26, 2009 Author Posted February 26, 2009 tried a drive with the 40T and 80T options Despite what mode I put it on it shows Drive Fault 14 at 00/c1 I want the BBC to work!
srochford Posted February 26, 2009 Posted February 26, 2009 Also, how do you format a disc? Almost feel like doing a "let me google that for you" but actually, I've already typed the answer just a few lines above ... Have you got any blank discs you could try formatting? That at least would tell you if the drive is working OK (command is *form80 0 or *form40 0 to format disc 0)
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