Come one, come all and witness the amazing, no colossal, feat of Microsoft Multi-Plan running on a Geneve! No cartridge needed, it runs from the hard drive! No floppies needed, it also saves and loads from said hard drive! And all in 80 columns wonderfulness! Amazing you say! Earth shattering you say! How can this miracle of science be accomplished? Well,... (bit over the top? )

After a bit of searching the internet (mostly WHTECH) I found several versions of MSMP in 80 column and even more attempts at MSMP that would run, load and save to a hard drive. It was a mess. None really worked correctly or completely. so I took a little here, a little there, and with lots of guidance from @InsaneMultitasker and @9640News  merged several together into a working copy of Microsoft Multi-plan from the TI99 that would:

1.) run on a Geneve from the hard drive with no cartridge needed.

2.) save and load it's data files also to a hard drive.

3.) display in 80 columns.

the version of MSMP on this blog is the fruits of that labor. It works thus:

1.) copy ALL the contents from the .dsk attached into a directory called HDS1.DSK.TIMP these are the program files.

2.) for the system I created you will needed a second hard drive, HDS2. (can be changed, more on that later) to save/load the data files. the directory on HDS2 where the data files will be is in HDS2.MP

Note: when you save/load in MSMP don't use the OPTION command to change the default path location, stick with HDS2.MP. Problems may occur if you try another path.

3.) run the MSMP with MYGPL HDS1.DSK.TIMP.MULTI-PLAN (or create an batch file to do it).

4.) when MSMP ask for the load disk, just press enter. this will start the MSMP in 80 columns for you to use.

that's it. now it works.

Oh, BTW, DON'T download any of the other versions of 80columnMSMP or GeneveMSMP from WHTECH. they are ALL defective in one way or the other for use with the Geneve.

Now the later.

You CAN change the default path of the data files by editing the MPINTR file that's in the TIMP directory with all the other MSMP load files. You will need a sector editor like FILEZAP (included with the files below). Be sure you make backups before editing and read over the Filezap instructions. You can really mess things up with a sector editor if you don't know what you are doing and the shame, oh the shame.

Anyway, look for this section of the MPINTR file.

000140: 00 00 2e aa 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00     ................
000150: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 48 44 53 32     ............HDS2
000160: 2e 4d 50 2e 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00     .MP.............
000170: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00     ................
000180: 00 00 00 00 00 10 44 53 4b 2e 54 49 4d 50 2e 4f     ......DSK.TIMP.O
000190: 56 45 52 4c 41 59 00 0e 44 53 4b 2e 54 49 4d 50     VERLAY..DSK.TIMP
0001a0: 2e 4d 50 48 4c 50 2e 2e 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00     .MPHLP..........

Look at the text to the right. Where you se HDS2.MP. that is the location of the data file save. Use the text edit portion of Filezap to change to the location of where you want the data files to be saved to. I would make it short. I have not tested this past 10 characters or like; HDS1.MSMP.

Save the edit now. Next use the hex edit to change the hex number 08 just before the HDS2; 48 44 53 32. That is the length of the file name. HDS2.MP. = 8 characters if you include the (.dot). In the above name change example, HDS1.MSMP. the new value would be 0A (don't forget this is hex). 

now save the edit then save the file. done.

don't mess with the other file locations. If you changed those the cartridge may not work as there is companion file locations in the cartridge GROMS that would also have to be changed. And I'm too lazy to explain those too ?

There you go. A spreadsheet for the Geneve 9640.

Enjoy, HLO 

MSMP&FILEZAP.zip