PC .d64 to C64 transfer now day?

[Uzumaki]

In the old day you used cable to connect C64 disk drive to PC's parallel port. But that day is long gone as modern PC don't have parallel port and modern OS (Windows 7 for example) don't play nice with older parallel port devices.

 

Is there something today that can be used? I seems to remember a mention of SD card that can emulate 1541's. If so, how well does it handle multi-load multi-disk games like Ultima 4/5/6?

[Shephda]

I bought an older Pentium 4 PC for dirt cheap, got a KVM switch, and set it up with Windows 95.

It's sole purpose is to serve my C128D.

 

I have a 1541 plugged into it, I have a null modem cable running to a Supra modem interface on the C128D. With this I run BBS Server to telnet into BBS's, and run GUI 4 CBM to read\write C= disks.

 

This this has been (to me at least) a very economical solution to a SD or other device. Gives me a lot more flexability IMHO.

 

Just my $.02

[98PaceCar]

If you want to run games, you want the 1541 Ultimate. Has run every game I've put it up against it, including ones with custom fast loaders and even some copy protected images. The SD2IEC is a cheaper option, but it doesn't handle the custom loaders as well as the 1541u so for gaming, it isn't near as capable.

[cimerians]

If you want to run games, you want the 1541 Ultimate. Has run every game I've put it up against it, including ones with custom fast loaders and even some copy protected images. The SD2IEC is a cheaper option, but it doesn't handle the custom loaders as well as the 1541u so for gaming, it isn't near as capable.

 

How did you order that? I had mine pre-ordered for what seems like a few years. I just checked my account and my pre-order is still there.

 

Do you have to pay for it and then he'll ship it? I've simply been waiting for a response but it seems like he's shipping them.

[98PaceCar]

If you want to run games, you want the 1541 Ultimate. Has run every game I've put it up against it, including ones with custom fast loaders and even some copy protected images. The SD2IEC is a cheaper option, but it doesn't handle the custom loaders as well as the 1541u so for gaming, it isn't near as capable.

 

How did you order that? I had mine pre-ordered for what seems like a few years. I just checked my account and my pre-order is still there.

 

Do you have to pay for it and then he'll ship it? I've simply been waiting for a response but it seems like he's shipping them.

 

Pretty sure he doesn't ship until it's paid for. His communication is a bit lacking at time, but the product is amazing and worth the hassle.

[Uzumaki]

Cool. Any tip on how to handle multi-disk games like Ultima series? With the old floppy disk drive, I'd have a choice of 1 or 2 drives and when I'm prompted for a different disk, I eject one disk and put in the other disk then pressed key to continue. SD doesn't look like it's made for swapping disks. Maybe an all-in-one 1581 disk version of Ultima 5 and 6? (4 exists on single 1581 disk and should work)

[98PaceCar]

Cool. Any tip on how to handle multi-disk games like Ultima series? With the old floppy disk drive, I'd have a choice of 1 or 2 drives and when I'm prompted for a different disk, I eject one disk and put in the other disk then pressed key to continue. SD doesn't look like it's made for swapping disks. Maybe an all-in-one 1581 disk version of Ultima 5 and 6? (4 exists on single 1581 disk and should work)

 

The 1541u has a button that takes you to a disk selector interface. Works perfect with multi disk games. I'm sure the SD2IEC has something similar, I'm just not as familiar with it.

[cimerians]

If you want to run games, you want the 1541 Ultimate. Has run every game I've put it up against it, including ones with custom fast loaders and even some copy protected images. The SD2IEC is a cheaper option, but it doesn't handle the custom loaders as well as the 1541u so for gaming, it isn't near as capable.

 

How did you order that? I had mine pre-ordered for what seems like a few years. I just checked my account and my pre-order is still there.

 

Do you have to pay for it and then he'll ship it? I've simply been waiting for a response but it seems like he's shipping them.

 

Pretty sure he doesn't ship until it's paid for. His communication is a bit lacking at time, but the product is amazing and worth the hassle.

 

Thanks I didn't get an alert with him when he confirmed it so I went ahead and made the payment. Eagerly will wait.

[Fratzengeballer]

1541 ultimate is worth the wait. it is a little hard to get how to order properly. maybe you got some luck and the device will be shipped soon as Gideon shipped out heaps of units lately. You will get a queue-number that will show you how near 1541-salvation is

 

I'll keep my fingers crossed

[jmetal88]

If you want to use a real floppy drive you could always go for ZoomFloppy.

[Larry]

I have this same issue with my C64 stuff. The fact that I can't use Windows with many of the C64 devices is a real bummer. Of course, what I'm really looking for is a C64 system with the functionality of (Atari) APE for Windows, but doesn't look like it exists at this time. To me (and I know far less about the C64 than the Atari), the closest thing to APE is 64HDD, but it needs Dos and a parallel port. But that leads me to some questions:

 

Are the 1541U and the ZoomFloppy functionally the same?

 

Is there a good file browser for the uIEC/SD (or 1541 Ultimate)? (I am familiar with CBM Command)

 

Is there a GUI (preferably on the Windows side) for the 1541U or ZoomFloppy?

 

Does anyone (reading this) use the Professional Version of 64HDD? Does it make mounting or changing images any easier?

 

Maybe GEOS can fit somewhere into a solution?

 

Thanks,

Larry

[98PaceCar]

The trick with C64 disk drives is that they are "intelligent" devices with their own CPU/RAM/etc. That lead to a large number of custom loaders and protection schemes being built, both by legitimate companies as well as hacker groups. Due to this, it is much trickier to replace a C= drive with a more modern solution based in serving up disk images.

 

To your specific questions:

 

The 1541u and Zoomfloppy are not at all related and don't do the same things (though a small amount of overlap exists). The 1541u is a total replacement for the 1541 drive and as such, emulates the CPU/RAM/etc capabilities of the drive and not just the mechanical portions of the drive like the uIEC/Zoomfloppy. For images that don't use custom loaders, the uIEC is closer to the 1541u than the Zoomfloppy.

 

With the 1541u, it is a standalone device meaning that no dos or Windows based pc is necessary. The file browser is built in to the 1541u and accessed though a button on the device. It's a somewhat simple browser, but works very well. I believe the uIEC has something similar, but I haven't kept up with it's development.

 

Again, no GUI on the 1541u as it's not necessary or really even workable the way the device is designed.

 

I can't give you any feedback on the 64HDD, but it does look to be an interesting product. If it solves the issues with custom loaders not working, it could be helpful.

 

GEOS will run just fine on a 1541u, though I haven't spent a whole lot of time messing with it. You will still be limited to the standard size of C= disks, so this won't help you build a total GEOS install or anything like that. You may want to look into Wheels and a hard drive solution to get that.

 

Now I'll admit, I'm very much a fan of the 1541u and have owned all 3 revisions of hardware. It solved 99% of my desires, which was to have the most compatibility with games. If you are looking to make a C= a more productive computer, it might not be the solution you want, but for a game player there is nothing better.

[Arkhan]

I should point out, my modern PC has Windows 7 64 bit, and a parallel port...

 

and writes d64's fine still.

[TMR]

With the 1541u, it is a standalone device meaning that no dos or Windows based pc is necessary. The file browser is built in to the 1541u and accessed though a button on the device. It's a somewhat simple browser, but works very well. I believe the uIEC has something similar, but I haven't kept up with it's development.

 

There is a file browser available for the uIEC and other SD2IEC variants but it's just a program stored on the root of the memory card that's loaded. There's no cartridge component to the SD2IEC solutions so something like JiffyDOS or an Action Replay might be worth adding to the mix for sending commands more easily as well (i'm planning on getting one soon, party to see how happy the AR6 is with it and to load games into my VIC).