Emulation Questions

[pjduplooy]

Hi guys

 

Back after four or so years....

 

I have a question. What are the latest versions of RXB and XB 2.x that can be used in emulators.

 

I am planning to buy pc99 suite tomorrow (Have threatened this for years). Anybody using it?

 

Pieter

 

 

[+arcadeshopper]

Rxb 2015 and 2.7 both of which come with classic99 in the zip

 

Also good luck the install and usage of pc99 is painful

 

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

[pjduplooy]

Thanks arcadeshopper.

 

I will do an RTFM for sure, but maybe I will only be using the Cyc

[Omega-TI]

Rxb 2015 and 2.7 both of which come with classic99 in the zip

 

Also good luck the install and usage of pc99 is painful

 

You might want to << CLICK HERE FIRST >> and try Greg's suggestion FOR FREE. If you like it (like I do), you could always PayPal a few bucks the authors way.

[Asmusr]

Or use https://js99er.net. XB and RXB are included and no installation is needed.

[RickyDean]

I have started up PC99, both the dos and windows version, it is a pain, but I feel worth it.

[FDOS]

I used PC99 from Stage 3A Full all the way trough Stage 6 Full, and I still have all the original 3.5" diskettes However, I switched over to MESS/MAME when Michael first added the 9640 Geneve. One emulator for both my favorite hobby computers! It really saved wear and tear on the hard drives during Forth+ version 2.0 development. Which will probably never be released. Version 1.01 was the last update, as there was never more than 10 registered users, but MESS 9640 Geneve emulation gave me new hope,so I got serious in 2.0 development for a while, but no new Geneve excitement occurred, so my efforts waned a lot, but I decided to continue because I wanted the 2.0 upgrade for myself even though I was enjoying my TI-99/4A system due to the advent of the CF7+ side car. Someone loaned me one to do some testing, as long as I published detailed reports, which I did. Initially, it was without the 32K upgrade, but I convinced the owner to purchase the upgrade chip, so I could test that option also. After I returned it to the owner I purchased a CF7A+ for myself.

 

In 2013 I suffered a serious health condition that put me in the hospital for 6 days. I rushed back to my hobby system too soon and did some serious damage to all my hard drive controllers (1 x MFM, 3 x SCSI, 2 x IDE). I'm now back working on fixing them, except for the IDE, as they are all SMT, which I can't do at all any more, so sent out for repair, and not back yet. My efforts are hindered by lack of RGB monitors, but I'm trying to find the right adapters for setup. Very hard to find help these days for ding hardware repairs or even software development, for that matter. I just keep doing what I can as I can.

[+9640News]

I do not want to take anything away from Michael, but I do need to say it was Raphael Nabet that brought the Geneve into MESS emulation. If it had not been for Raphael adding Geneve emulation, I probably would have not come back to the TI/Geneve community to do any programming, etc.

 

Since then, and I do not know when Michael took up the interest, Michael has done an outstanding job on improving both the TI and Geneve emulation.

Beery

 

 

I used PC99 from Stage 3A Full all the way trough Stage 6 Full, and I still have all the original 3.5" diskettes However, I switched over to MESS/MAME when Michael first added the 9640 Geneve.

[FDOS]

I do not want to take anything away from Michael, but I do need to say it was Raphael Nabet that brought the Geneve into MESS emulation. If it had not been for Raphael adding Geneve emulation, I probably would have not come back to the TI/Geneve community to do any programming, etc.

 

Since then, and I do not know when Michael took up the interest, Michael has done an outstanding job on improving both the TI and Geneve emulation.

Beery

 

 

 

Yes, I agree 100%. It's because all my interaction was with Michael when I first got involved, and he helped me a lot with both the 9640 and TI emulation. Even though I used PC99 effectively for years, my heart was always with the real hardware - true TI/Geneve hobbyist.

 

Bill

[Shift838]

i have used MAME/MESS for years and it works extremely well. Michael has invested quite a bit of time to get it functioning as good as it does.

 

Works so well for me that FuSiON BBS via the Geneve emulation and his serial bridge.

 

I have setup PC99 some years back and it was a nightmare to get it running. Since then I have stayed with MAME/MESS.

[Retrospect]

Permit me a question, and excuse me my ignorance, why is PC99 deemed a nightmare to setup and use, and yet it is a payed-for product?

[RXB]

PC99 was just clicking on 3 disk DOS files to set up and moving files into folders.

First time setting up PC99 was a pain, but compared to my setting up MESS was a dream.

MESS is so freaking complicated to set up, there are no programs to do the work.

Well you can count MAME but the documentation is crap at best, written for programers that wrote the apps.

It reads like a Kidney Dialysis Machine repair manual, full of jargon and references that takes for granted you have always done the repairs.

 

PC99 is primitive for a reason it is DOS based and not backwards compatible with most OS today.

Also this explains the manual for PC99 I have sitting next to me is 4 inches thick.

 

I agree MESS is fantastic when you can get it working, but set up wise MESS wins the cake for hard to set up vs PC99.

[+arcadeshopper]

Permit me a question, and excuse me my ignorance, why is PC99 deemed a nightmare to setup and use, and yet it is a payed-for product?

 

yes.. it's a paid product. the windows version is a nightmare to set up and use.

 

the instructions:

 

If you ordered CaDD PC99 Suite on DVD, insert the Suite DVD in your optical drive. In the example belowthe optical drive is assumed to be G:. Change the command to match your drive letter.

Open a command prompt.

> c: Change to C: drive.

> cd \ Change to root directory.

> mkdir cadd Make c:\cadd base directory for the suite.

> cd \cadd Change to cadd base directory.

> xcopy g:\*.* . /s /e /v Copy all suite files. g: assumed source.

and the files will be transferred. This will take some time.

Note: If you attempt to use Windows File Manager to copy the files, it is possible that Windows will set theRead-Only bit on all files since the DVD is a read-only device. This will prevent writing to files which needto be changed during normal operation of CaDD PC99 Suite.

Use the Windows File Manager to navigate to the \cadd\vb6suprt directory (folder).

■Double click setup.exe.

■Agree to run the program.

■Tell the program to install to the empty folder c:\cadd\vbx, not the default c:\pc99w.

■Click the large icon at top left to begin installation.

■When asked to choose a program group, use "pc99w".

During the running of setup.exe you may be told that a file to be installed is older than one you alreadyhave.

☛In all cases, tell setup to skip installation of that file.

i.e., Yes, I want to keep my existing file.

The message means that your version of Windows has a later version of that VB6 support file. Accordingto MS, newer support files are upwardly compatible with older ones.

Warning: Do not copy or move any of the files in \cadd\vb6suprt or \cadd\vbx.

6

CaDD PC99 Suite — Overview and installation

3.2.3.

Clean up the Windows Start menu❸

setup.exe creates a program group called pc99w in the Windows Start menu. Depending on your versionof Windows, click right on the entry in the Start menu and unpin it or delete it. If that does not work, thenopen a command prompt and do:

> c:

> cd \

> attrib .\pc99w.lnk /s

This will most likely return two paths, one for the current user, and one for all users. Delete all filesnames pc99w.lnk.

3.2.4.

Create the substitute drive Y:❹

The Cyc contains many external hyperlinks to files of the form:

Y:{path}

For these links to work, you need to create a Y: drive on your system using the subst command:

Open a command prompt:

> subst y: c:\cadd\cyc c: is your install drive. Change if necessary.

When an external hyperlink in any of The Cyc's files is clicked, it will replace y:{path} withc:\cadd\cyc\{path} to enable access to the file.

You will need to do this each time the PC is booted.

If you wish to have this done each time the PC boots, create a batch file called cadd.bat and put the abovesubst line in it. Store the file in:

\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\cadd.bat

Depending on your version of Windows, the path may be:

C:\Users\{login name}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\

Start Menu\Programs\Startup\cadd.bat

The batch file method is not recommended by CaDD. For example, it has to be disabled and the PCrebooted to unlock the \cadd directory (folder) and allow an uninstall to take place.

Note: Windows 10 prefers .cmd for batch files, but still accepts .bat.

7

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS

HOME COMPUTER

3.2.5.

Install fonts for The Cyc❺

Many of the files in The Cyc are in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format. If your PC does not have a font used byCaDD, a program such as Adobe Reader will substitute what it thinks is a near match. In many cases thesubstitute choice is poor. If you want to have The Cyc files rendered as designed, you should install thefonts used by CaDD to create these .pdf files.

See \cadd\cyc\fonts\fonts.pdf, "How to install fonts".

Note that this file also includes a "test page" that shows whether your pdf reader is using the installedfonts correctly. Depending on the pdf reader, even though the fonts are installed correctly, the wrong fontsmay be used when displaying the file. One known offender is the Sumatra pdf viewer. Another is MicrosoftEdge, which has the annoying habit of hijacking your reader.

3.2.6.

Download DOSBox 0.74 for Windows❻

You only need to do this if you intend to run PC99 DOS. This can be done at a later time if you wish. Therest of the CaDD PC99 Suite does not require DOSBox.

Use your browser and search the web for DOSBox. It is safest if you find:

DOSBox — Official site

Click Downloads at the top of the page to display a new page.

Download Windows 0.74, 32-bit installer.

Go to your downloads directory and install DOSBox.

It is best to configure DOSBox. See \cadd\doc\pc99.pdf, Configuring DOSBox.

Warning: Beware of web sites offering DOSBox and wanting to install a "download manager".

[pjduplooy]

Actually it was a breeze to set up. Running it on Windows 10. LOL.

 

The only niggle I have is that when one clicks on the Drive Utility icon, it gives and error (I think it is -9 or something), but no trainsmash, I can get hold of it through command line.

[+9640News]

I did not find PC99 for Windows on a Windows 10 system to be difficult to install. Not much more than drag and drop from the flash drive.

 

The only difficulty I had, and I did not explore it any further, was trying to get a HFDC hard drive image setup on the system.

 

MAME was initially difficult to setup post MESS disappearance. Fortunately, I was able to ask here on Atariage what the proper command line syntax should be for a setup for the Geneve I desired. I believe it was Michael that got me an answer back pretty quick and all was well. Using the same command line now.

 

I found MESS to be a bit easier to setup with the Messqui. I still have that setup (not using it), but Michael has made so many improvements to MAME it is my goto Emulator.

Beery

[globeron]

For emulators I usually go into this order:

 

Windows 10:

1 or 2: Classic99 and JS99er.net (also because of F18A)

1 or 2: JS99er.net and Classic99 (also becaue of F18A)

(Classic99 for TI99/4, /4A, /4A V2.2)

3 V9t9 (Java / javasript version)

4. PC99 (Cadd)

5. MESS + QMC2 (need to upgrade to MAME)

(for /4, /4A, /2, /8, /Geneve9640)

6. others like TI99/4w and Win4A seldomly

 

Linux

1. TI/sim (RetroPie, Raspberry/Raspbian, Linux versions, Sony PSP portable TI-99/4A !)

2. MESS / MAME

 

DOS or DosBox6.2

1. V9T9 v6.0 DOS version (used it mainly to transfer real TI-99/4A roms, Speech Roms and all my diskettes to a PC)

 

Several of these are online at my channel in YouTube "TI99 Videos"

[RXB]

 

yes.. it's a paid product. the windows version is a nightmare to set up and use.

 

the instructions:

 

If you ordered CaDD PC99 Suite on DVD, insert the Suite DVD in your optical drive. In the example belowthe optical drive is assumed to be G:. Change the command to match your drive letter.

Open a command prompt.

> c: Change to C: drive.

> cd \ Change to root directory.

> mkdir cadd Make c:\cadd base directory for the suite.

> cd \cadd Change to cadd base directory.

> xcopy g:\*.* . /s /e /v Copy all suite files. g: assumed source.

and the files will be transferred. This will take some time.

Note: If you attempt to use Windows File Manager to copy the files, it is possible that Windows will set theRead-Only bit on all files since the DVD is a read-only device. This will prevent writing to files which needto be changed during normal operation of CaDD PC99 Suite.

Use the Windows File Manager to navigate to the \cadd\vb6suprt directory (folder).

■Double click setup.exe.

■Agree to run the program.

■Tell the program to install to the empty folder c:\cadd\vbx, not the default c:\pc99w.

■Click the large icon at top left to begin installation.

■When asked to choose a program group, use "pc99w".

During the running of setup.exe you may be told that a file to be installed is older than one you alreadyhave.

☛In all cases, tell setup to skip installation of that file.

i.e., Yes, I want to keep my existing file.

The message means that your version of Windows has a later version of that VB6 support file. Accordingto MS, newer support files are upwardly compatible with older ones.

Warning: Do not copy or move any of the files in \cadd\vb6suprt or \cadd\vbx.

6

CaDD PC99 Suite — Overview and installation

3.2.3.

Clean up the Windows Start menu❸

setup.exe creates a program group called pc99w in the Windows Start menu. Depending on your versionof Windows, click right on the entry in the Start menu and unpin it or delete it. If that does not work, thenopen a command prompt and do:

> c:

> cd \

> attrib .\pc99w.lnk /s

This will most likely return two paths, one for the current user, and one for all users. Delete all filesnames pc99w.lnk.

3.2.4.

Create the substitute drive Y:❹

The Cyc contains many external hyperlinks to files of the form:

Y:{path}

For these links to work, you need to create a Y: drive on your system using the subst command:

Open a command prompt:

> subst y: c:\cadd\cyc c: is your install drive. Change if necessary.

When an external hyperlink in any of The Cyc's files is clicked, it will replace y:{path} withc:\cadd\cyc\{path} to enable access to the file.

You will need to do this each time the PC is booted.

If you wish to have this done each time the PC boots, create a batch file called cadd.bat and put the abovesubst line in it. Store the file in:

\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\cadd.bat

Depending on your version of Windows, the path may be:

C:\Users\{login name}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\

Start Menu\Programs\Startup\cadd.bat

The batch file method is not recommended by CaDD. For example, it has to be disabled and the PCrebooted to unlock the \cadd directory (folder) and allow an uninstall to take place.

Note: Windows 10 prefers .cmd for batch files, but still accepts .bat.

7

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS

HOME COMPUTER

3.2.5.

Install fonts for The Cyc❺

Many of the files in The Cyc are in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format. If your PC does not have a font used byCaDD, a program such as Adobe Reader will substitute what it thinks is a near match. In many cases thesubstitute choice is poor. If you want to have The Cyc files rendered as designed, you should install thefonts used by CaDD to create these .pdf files.

See \cadd\cyc\fonts\fonts.pdf, "How to install fonts".

Note that this file also includes a "test page" that shows whether your pdf reader is using the installedfonts correctly. Depending on the pdf reader, even though the fonts are installed correctly, the wrong fontsmay be used when displaying the file. One known offender is the Sumatra pdf viewer. Another is MicrosoftEdge, which has the annoying habit of hijacking your reader.

3.2.6.

Download DOSBox 0.74 for Windows❻

You only need to do this if you intend to run PC99 DOS. This can be done at a later time if you wish. Therest of the CaDD PC99 Suite does not require DOSBox.

Use your browser and search the web for DOSBox. It is safest if you find:

DOSBox — Official site

Click Downloads at the top of the page to display a new page.

Download Windows 0.74, 32-bit installer.

Go to your downloads directory and install DOSBox.

It is best to configure DOSBox. See \cadd\doc\pc99.pdf, Configuring DOSBox.

Warning: Beware of web sites offering DOSBox and wanting to install a "download manager".

Wow I just hooked up a USB floppy drive to my Windows Mac Pro and on the Windows 98SE drive ran the 3 Disks I ordered from C.A.D.D.

It installed everything in the folder I created from that same first disk and answered questions is asked for to set up defaults.

The next two floppy disks loaded other stuff.

 

But then I did not use Linux or Unix but Windows 98SE to do all of this.

Did the same thing on my IBM 300PL computer using same floppies after I bought it at Goodwill.

 

Already had Adobe version for Windows 98SE on the other Windows install disks, and some Utilities for Windows 98SE too I downloaded from hack sites.

Edited August 16, 2018 by RXB