BLOK*LOAD MANUAL ----------------------------- (C) 1988 THEODORE DEVELEGAS HELL*ENIC SOFTWARE 17 KOUNTOURIOTOU ST GR-15562 HOLARGOS ATHENS - GREECE GENERAL FACTS ABOUT THIS PROGRAM -------------------------------- BLOK*LOAD is a multiface resident program. It will cooperate with any model that meets these requirements: 1... Has a "programmable jump" facility. 2... Uses ports 159 and 31 to page the multiface ROM in and out respectively. 3... It is not a multiface designed for the +3. This model cannot accomodate resident programs. In addition, multiface v48 users might find it useful to have an ON/OFF switch installed, if their machines don't have it by default. You should contact Romantic Robot for details on this matter. BLOK*LOAD is also compatible with Romantic Robot's multiprint interface. However, multiprint owners should check that their machine meets the requirements above. BLOK*LOAD can back-up any 48k program, but not 128k ones. Another program, named 128k*LOAD, is especially designed for that purpose. Write to us for details. Any program can be backed-up, at either the normal Spectrum speed or at one of ten turbo speeds available. Both v48 and v128 multiface owners will be able to use a toolkit in order to peek and poke the computer memory. For v48 multiface owners only, an option to save the screen is included. All resulting copies reload independently of both the utility and the multiface. The screen image remains intact, with a mere 100 bytes of the middle section spoiled. WHY USE BLOK*LOAD INSTEAD OF THE NORMAL MULIFACE OPERATION ---------------------------------------------------------- The main feature of BLOK*LOAD is its sophisticated loading system. Many Spectrum owners actually hate fast-loading programs because of the loading problems, sudden crashes etc. that bring along. Upon saving the back-up, the memory contents are compressed and sliced into blocks of 1 kilobyte each. Upon reloading, the user is informed of the number of the block that is currently loading, and any errors are detected by the loader. If an error occurs, the user is requested to reload the specific block that was misloaded, and only that one. After the blocks (a maximum of 39 blocks at any speed, or a topmost of 40 blocks at normal speed) comes the screen image. The program will take an average of 2 seconds to decompress and a final block of code (1280 bytes) will follow. These two blocks of code are always saved at normal speed, and thus a checking for error is not necessary, nor performed. BLOK*LOAD provides the user with a reliably-loading tape back-up, that leaves a very small part of the screen corrupted. HOW TO USE THE BLOK*LOAD ------------------------ A) Installing BLOK*LOAD. Follow these steps: 1... You must have a multiface fitted. BLOK*LOAD cannot work on its own. 2... Reset your computer and switch multiface ON. Load BLOK*LOAD. If you own a 128k Spectrum get into 48k Basic and don't use the tape loader. 3... BLOK*LOAD will install itself in the multiface RAM and a soft reset will be performed (ie USR 0) . Now you can load the program that is to be backed-up. If this program is a multifaced copy, v48 multiface owners should switch the multiface OFF and enable it after the program has loaded. Otherwise BLOK*LOAD will be corrupted. Note that v128 multiface owners will not face this problem at all, as the BLOK*LOAD will lock itself off. 4... At the desired point, press the multiface button. B) The main options: You will be confronted by BLOK*LOAD's main menu. Select one of the three options available by pressing the highlighted key: [S]ave [R]eturn [P]oke C) Their results: * By pressing the [R] key you'll return to the program you stopped. No part of it will be corrupted in any way. * The [P]oke option offers you a mini-tool kit, so that poking and peeking of memory locations is possible. Enter the address number (0-65535) that you want to poke/peek. Of course, poking is only possible in the area 16384-65535. The contents of the selected address will be displayed. At this point, the following options are available: 1... Press to select a new address. 2... Use the left/right arrows to move back/forth one memory location or the up/down arrows to move back/forth eight memory locations. 3... Press the [Q] key to return to the main menu. 4... Press any other key first, then enter a new value for the selected address. If you enter an invalid number (ie number>255) it will not be accepted. Instead, the current value will be displayed again. At this point (ie either after a valid or an invalid entry) you can use the , arrows, or [Q] keys. * Having selected the [S]ave option, what will appear next depends on the version of your multiface. Thus, v48 multiface users will be asked to select from [P]rogram and [S]creen saving, whilst for v128 multiface users BLOK*LOAD will assume that program saving was intended and so this menu will not appear at all. This is due to memory limitations. Next comes a prompt: " filename " Up to ten normal, capshifted or symbolshifted characters can be used to form the filename. The and keys are functional. You must enter a name. on its own will not be accepted. After this, a menu "[A]bort [P]roceed" will appear. By [A]borting, you'll return to the main menu. By [P]roceeding, you'll be asked to "" had your choice been to save the screen, otherwise a new prompt will appear: "Keys: <1-0> Turbo Normal" Press the [N] key to select the normal Spectrum speed (1500 baud). Also, ten turbo speeds are available, from 1800 to 4500 baud (ie from 1.2 to 3 times the normal speed) in steps of 300 baud. To calculate the speed, use this formula: Speed = 1500 + (key * 300) , where key is the number you press. Key [0] has a value of ten. At the press of the button the program will be compressed. In very rare cases, if the selected speed was turbo and the program was compressed to 40 blocks, a message will be displayed that informs the user of the event and prompts him to select normal speed. If this is the case, press a key to return to the main menu. Out of a total of 670 games that have been tested so far, only two (Flunky, Druid II) were compressed to 40 blocks. The actual saving will then begin, and the number of the block that is being saved will be displayed. The screen image is the next block to be saved, and after a small pause a last bit of code is saved. You can abort the whole procedure at any time by pressing . AT ALL TIMES ENSURE THAT NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT TAKES PLACE! We at HELL*ENIC hope that you find this program useful. February 1989, the author: Theodore Develegas.