Sega cdx internal memory?

[walter_J64bit]

Ok, I've just got my hands on a cdx I can't seem to get access a memory manager to the internal memory if it has any. Can anyone help?

[gorfcadet]

I recall having to boot certain games that allowed access to the directory. I think Sonic CD did.

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

I googled "accessing sega cdx internal memory" and 2nd result led me to Sega16 forums where EvilDragon replied "put in a game CD.. instead of pressing Start, push A, B, or C.. go to "Memory"... That should be what you're looking for.."

[adolobe]

You press C during start up or you can access it with an audio cd

Edited March 21, 2013 by adolobe

[walter_J64bit]

Thanks! That did the trick!

[CGQuarterly]

Weird that you have to put in a CD in order to access the memory manager...

 

Chris

[Austin]

Weird that you have to put in a CD in order to access the memory manager...

 

Chris

 

You don't.. It should take you to the CD player screen even without a disc inserted in the drive.

[Jagosaurus]

On a model 2 Sega CD, Hold C while booting, takes you to CD player screen, scroll cursor to memory. Don't own a CDX.

 

I recommend getting a Sega CD Back up RAM cart. Plugs into the Genesis cart slog and acts as a memory card. My sega CD internal memory is shot, but you can bypass it by hitting reset and moving files to cart when turning system off (and moving back in internal memory when booting it up).

 

Edit: typo

Edited April 1, 2013 by Jagosaurus

[walter_J64bit]

Ok I've just lost my saved game for DM 2 does the internal memory get deleted by other Sega CD games? If not than I'm going to need to get a new battery for the internal memory.

Edited April 7, 2013 by walter_J64bit

[Austin]

Hm, that's strange.. I wouldn't rule out the possibility though. May want to invest in a backup RAM cart as a safety measure.

[walter_J64bit]

Hm, that's strange.. I wouldn't rule out the possibility though. May want to invest in a backup RAM cart as a safety measure.

I've been picking at AX's brain on this, he'd said no other Sega games dont delete other saved data. It just need a new battery for the Save RAM.

Edited April 10, 2013 by walter_J64bit

[walter_J64bit]

I've just checked on evil bay for the RAM back carts they just jumped in price so I've looked to Amazon, I'd get one for $53.00.

[the.golden.ax]

I've just checked on evil bay for the RAM back carts they just jumped in price so I've looked to Amazon, I'd get one for $53.00.

 

I had one for sale in the forum marketplace thread for months at like $30 - $35. Ended up putting it on Amazon where it sold in a week, to an ATARI AGE FORUM MEMBER. This was only a few months ago.

[Chilly Willy]

If you are looking at flash carts, the MegaCart, MegaEverdrive, and NeoFlash Myth can run alternate SCD BIOSes, and act as a BRAM cart. The MegaED and Myth also allow running SMS games on the CDX (as long as you don't use the 32X on the CDX).

 

The plain EverdriveMD can load alternate CD BIOSes, but can't act as BRAM (IIRC).

[+Psionic]

Weird that you have to put in a CD in order to access the memory manager...

You don't.. It should take you to the CD player screen even without a disc inserted in the drive.

I just picked up a CDX. When I turn on the unit with no disc inserted, rather than taking you to the control panel (i.e. the CD player screen) it goes right to the SEGA CD space intro screen and says "NO DISC" at the bottom. If I then insert a game disc, it doesn't give me the option to "PRESS START" or do anything else. The game simply loads right away. Because of this, I initially had the same problem the OP was having of not being able to access the memory manager. I eventually figured out that pressing and holding one of the action buttons as the game loads would allow me to do so. Inserting a music CD to access the control panel and then swapping in a game disc is another option.

 

Is this normal, or is there possibly a BIOS problem with my unit? I've looked at a few YouTube videos and the systems being used seem to behave the same as mine does. Perhaps early CDX units had an earlier version of the BIOS which required you to press start to load the game? Hopefully some CDX owners can chime in.

[crtfreak]

 

 

I just picked up a CDX. When I turn on the unit with no disc inserted, rather than taking you to the control panel (i.e. the CD player screen) it goes right to the SEGA CD space intro screen and says "NO DISC" at the bottom. If I then insert a game disc, it doesn't give me the option to "PRESS START" or do anything else. The game simply loads right away. Because of this, I initially had the same problem the OP was having of not being able to access the memory manager. I eventually figured out that pressing and holding one of the action buttons as the game loads would allow me to do so. Inserting a music CD to access the control panel and then swapping in a game disc is another option.

 

Is this normal, or is there possibly a BIOS problem with my unit? I've looked at a few YouTube videos and the systems being used seem to behave the same as mine does. Perhaps early CDX units had an earlier version of the BIOS which required you to press start to load the game? Hopefully some CDX owners can chime in.

 

This is normal

 

Mine does that they way I access the Memory Manager is I just hold down the controller button when I hit the power button

[+Psionic]

This is normal

 

Mine does that they way I access the Memory Manager is I just hold down the controller button when I hit the power button

I figured as much, but thanks for confirming that.

 

​Another question about the Sega CD's internal memory...

 

Is there a quick list anywhere of which games will save directly to the back-up RAM cart? None of the games I have seem to do so, requiring me to constantly copy from the system RAM to the cartridge. I assume for the earlier titles (developed before the RAM cart was released) there's simply no way around this?

[Flojomojo]

I think it was always intended to be a backup freezer, not for direct saving. The manual doesn't mention this at all, nor does the FAQ.

 

Hardware_-_CD_Backup_RAM_Cart_-_Manual_-_SCD.pdf

 

Yet another reminder of how limited vintage hardware is.

[+Psionic]

I think it was always intended to be a backup freezer, not for direct saving. The manual doesn't mention this at all, nor does the FAQ.

 

Hardware_-_CD_Backup_RAM_Cart_-_Manual_-_SCD.pdf

Thanks, I hadn't seen the manual. I actually have the Ultra CD Backup RAM Cart which didn't come with one. On page 1, it says that one of the purposes of the RAM cartridge is to be used when the amount of data is too large to be saved via internal memory. Also on page 5, it says that some games allow saves directly to the cart. This pretty much confirms what I had figured - that direct saving is only possible with games that were specifically programmed to take advantage of this feature due to large amounts of save data, like certain RPGs. I was just wondering if anyone had a basic list of which ones offhand. The FAQ you linked to mentions Shining Force, Third World War, and Eye of the Beholder as game that basically require the RAM cart.

 

Yet another reminder of how limited vintage hardware is.

Yeah, it seems that for most games the RAM cart only serves as a backup, true to its name. Oh well...at least no one can accuse them of lying.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Sorry to dredge up an old thread here. But I finally decided to do some work on my personal CDX that I've owned for about the last 20 years. Since that time, I had never serviced it etc although it was and always has been working well for me. Last night after doing the caps and replacing the old SRAM + battery setup for game saves with a FRAM solution, It occured to me that I had NO idea or way to access the memory manager on the console? I did some google fu and this thread is one of the top ones that came up with any actual help. But... this is what I found on mine at least:

 

First is that there was no button combination that I could find to quickly access the memory as I believe exists for my Model 2 SegaCD unit? Like has been described above, mine comes up straight to the SegaCD BIOS loader asking to insert a disk and will not get off this screen unless you put in a CD.

 

Putting in an Audio CD did NOT give me access to the memory manager. I know that option should appear in the upper right of the CD Player program, but on my CDX it just shows a SEGA logo there. I tried a few different audio CDs and NONE of them would give me the Memory button option.

 

What I finally had to do, was to put in a Sega CD game that I know saves games to the internal storage. It then came up stating that the memory needed to be setup and it took me to the memory manager option at that point. I was able to format the memory and from then on the game was happy to boot right up.

 

But this still begs the question... now that the memory is formatted and a game is able to see it and save, I no longer have the ability to force back into now? So I have to believe there is some other and easier way to access it than hoping a SegaCD game provides access to it?

 

I also noticed on my CDX something I hadn't done before. I know the original SegaCDs and the Jaguar support CD+G audio CDs and I even own one. But I also noticed this was listed on the Audio CD player when playing an audio cd on the CDX. However, if I choose this option, the CDX is now stuck in a loop where I can now only show or turn off the on screen controls and just see a black screen. I also noticed that once the CD+G option has been chosen, that none of the controls actually work at that point? I've never tested this before on the CDX but it makes me wonder if that was left in the code but doesn't actually work and so it causes this infinite loop where I'm stuck listening to the CD and cannot stop or pause it, cannot change tracks, and in fact cannot even get back to the normal CD player screen and can only physically power off the console at that point?

 

 

[+Black_Tiger]

I accessed the memory manager regularly when a CDX was my main Genesis/Sega-CD system from 1994 onward for a decade.

 

I thought it was the same method as the Sega-CD2 but regardless, if it isn't intuitive I must have learned how to do it from the manual.

 

 

Edit: my search lead me back here.

 

Maybe holding C during startup only works with a 6-button pad, because that's all I had for a while.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

On 12/11/2023 at 8:18 PM, Black_Tiger said:

I accessed the memory manager regularly when a CDX was my main Genesis/Sega-CD system from 1994 onward for a decade.

 

I thought it was the same method as the Sega-CD2 but regardless, if it isn't intuitive I must have learned how to do it from the manual.

 

 

Edit: my search lead me back here.

 

Maybe holding C during startup only works with a 6-button pad, because that's all I had for a while.

I actually tried holding down C when turning on the consoles on both my actual Genesis with a SegaCD 2 connected and on my CDX. Neither one sees it and just stays on the SegaCD bios screen asking for a disc to be inserted. And I was using a 6 button pad in both cases. But, I also use a Retro-bit reproduction controller and I know it behaves differently from an actual 6 button controller as the Mega78 adapter has taught me. So perhaps that is the issue?

 

In any event, what I do now is to basically put in an audio CD to force it to the Audio player. Then take out the audio cd, put in a game CD and then the SEGA logo in the upper right of the player will change to the two buttons to allow CD-ROM or Memory and I can access the Memory that way.

 

So it seems the same behavior for both my actual Sega CD model 2 and my CDX in order to access the memory. Odd... but I have a way to do it that works for me at least.

 

[+remowilliams]

On 12/20/2023 at 1:13 PM, -^CrossBow^- said:

But, I also use a Retro-bit reproduction controller and I know it behaves differently from an actual 6 button controller as the Mega78 adapter has taught me. So perhaps that is the issue?

So after doing a recap and the FRAM mod on my CDX as well, I also had to access the memory manager and memory (ha) served me saying hold down C while booting a CD game.

 

Which worked, and also works with a six button Retro-bit wired controller.