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Questions and answers about disk images

How to proceed with non-autobootable disks?
Many SF-7000 disks require that you boot first the SF-7000 computer with a system disk that contains the Sega Disk Basic.
On the MSX and SVI systems, this problem is more rare, but in case of games or demos with multiple disks, it can happen if the game or demo must be started from the first disk for example.

How to proceed with non-autostartable games?
It's the case of all SF-7000 and SVI318/328 disks. Some MSX disks don't start automatically because they don't include an AUTOEXEC.BAS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

Check the contents of the disk by using the command FILES in BASIC or DIR in MSX-DOS or CP/M.

To run a MSX-DOS or CP/M program (with the extension .COM), simply enter his name without the extension on the commandline.

To run BASIC or binary files from BASIC, you must use one of these commands and press on RETURN (the ENTER key of your PC) :

Command
RUN"[drivename:]filename"		For MSX-BASIC , SVI-BASIC and SEGA BASIC files
LOAD"[drivename:]filename",R		For MSX-BASIC and SVI-BASIC files
BLOAD"[drivename:]filename",R		For MSX or SVI binary files saved with BSAVE
LOADM"filename",start address		For SEGA binary files

In MSX-BASIC, names of drives are A and B; in SV Disk Basic, names of drives are 1 and 2.

How to get more memory to run some MSX games ?
Some MSX games require more free memory to run : press on F12 (= Reset), then press on Left Ctrl during the boot sequence, until you hear a beep (it will desactivate the second drive)

If you use a MSXturboR machine and can't start a game that runs without any problem on a MSX1, a MSX2 or a MSX2+, reboot the MSXturboR and press on the '1' key in the boot sequence before the beep, it will de-activate DOS2 and will do the trick for many games.
Of course, you can also press on Left Ctrl in the boot sequence of a MSXturboR !

How to proceed with games or demos with multiple disks ?
- to avoid reboot after each disk swap, the option Reset After Insert/Remove in the File / Disk menu must be de-actived
- run blueMSX with the first disk in drive A
- to swap disk, you can use procedure 1, 2 or 3 (menu, toolbar or hotkey) as for the first disk, but blueMSX includes an unique feature that makes it all more easy : v-DRIVE, it's the hotkey ALT+F9 !
- to continue the game or demo after the disk swap , you must generally press on the spacebar

Can I also run zipped dsk games ?
Yes, but the fifth procedure (double click) is not available for zipped dsk games

- if only one dsk game is in the zip file, it is loaded directly
- if there are many dsk games in the zip file , a dialog where you have to select which dsk game to load from the zip file is shown
- in case of multiple disks for a game or demo , the .zip file must only contain the different concerned .dsk files if you want to play this game or demo by using v-DRIVE, an unique blueMSX feature

Can I also create and use new dsk files ?
Yes, more info here !

How to proceed with MSX games with .BAS, .BIN, .LDR, ... files?
- create a new Windows Directory with all the files of the MSX game
- click on File / Disk Drive A / Insert Directory or File / Disk Drive B/ Insert Directory
- if you have inserted the directory in drive A and come only to MSX-BASIC, it means that there is no "AUTOEXEC.BAS" file. Search for the loader file and use the following command : RUN"GAME.LDR" (if the loader file is "GAME.LDR") and press on RETURN (the ENTER key of your PC)

Another solution is to create a DSK file by using Disk-Manager>Disk-Manager.

How to use simultaneously drive A and drive B ?
- choose procedure 1, 2 or 3 v(menu, toolbar or hotkey)
- insert first .dsk file in drive A as explained above
- insert second .dsk file in drive B :
* if you have choosen the 1st procedure, click on File / Disk Drive B / Insert
* if you have choosen the 2d procedure, use the 6th icon of the toolbar (Insert Disk in Drive B)
* if you have choosen the 3rd procedure, the hotkey is CTRL + F10

How to avoid that blueMSX starts automatically the game ?
- de-activate the option Reset After Insert/Remove in the File / Disk menu
- choose procedure 1, 2 or 3 (menu, toolbar or hotkey)

It doesn't work ! What must I do ?
- if you have choosen procedure 1, 2 or 3 (menu, toolbar or hotkey), you don't probably have activated the option Reset After Insert/Remove in the File / Disk menu : press on F9 (= Run) or on F12 (= Reset) to start the game

- some games are only for MSX2 or higher and you are running a MSX1 machine : choose a MSX2 machine in the menu Options / Emulation or in the menu Tools / Machine Editor, and try again to start the game

- note also that some games are only for MSX2+ and/or MSXturboR.

- if you use a MSX2, a MSX2+ or a MXturboR machine and can't start a game that runs without any problem on a MSX1, check the loader file of the game and place the following poke at the beginning of the file : POKE-1,(15-PEEK(-1)\16)*17 (on a line 1 for example) ; this 'universal' poke must replace the eventual already present poke -1,0 or poke -1, 85 or poke -1,170 or poke -1,255.

- if you use a machine without Floppy Drive Controller , it can't work ! The solution is to insert a disk rom in slot 1 or in slot 2. Some machines, initially not conceived for a diskdrive, need to be runned on a special way if you add a disk rom.

- if you use a MSX machine with a 360 Kb Floppy Drive Controller, 720 Kb disk images won't work ! The solution is to select a MSX machine with a 720 Kb Floppy Drive Controller or to extract the files with Disk-Manager and to put them on a 360 Kb disk image

- some MSX games or applications can work correctly only if a joystick is configured or a mouse is selected in the Input Editor

- if the emulator seems to be blocked, try always to press on F12 (= Reset) to start again the emulator and the game

- some games or demos don't work at all or have different problems : it can be a bug in the VDP emulation, the Z80 emulation of the drive support; please report the problem on the blueMSX forum, we will try to fix it !

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