AMX Mouse Software

[Yrrah2]

On a 1986 AMX advert I have found it lists a disc called AMX Mind Games. Has anyone used this?

Do you have a scan/picture of the advert? Never seen this mentioned.

I believe I may have a copy of XAM. Don’t know if they’re readible.

If you have a way to dump the disc, would be great!
Or can I borrow it to check if I can dump it?

[Yrrah2]

Here's a selection of software for use with the AMX mouse:
- AMX 3D Zicon
- AMX Database
- AMX Desk
- AMX Paintpot

I also have the originals of:
- AMX Super Art
- AMX Art
- AMX Pagemaker
- AMX Pagemaker Fonts

but due to protection have not been dumped.

@Pernod - Do you have ROM/disc dumps of 3D ZIcon?

[Pernod]

@Pernod - Do you have ROM/disc dumps of 3D ZIcon?

It's in the download on first post. One of the sides should be discarded to make a SSD, they're both probably clean but should be compared to see which side has fewer files.

[Pernod]

On a 1986 AMX advert I have found it lists a disc called AMX Mind Games. Has anyone used this?

Do you have a scan/picture of the advert? Never seen this mentioned.

In an earlier advert (MUAug86) there's also mention of AMX Spread Sheet, to be released summer '86, which I doubt was ever released

[DutchAcorn]

I believe I may have a copy of XAM. Don’t know if they’re readible.

If you have a way to dump the disc, would be great!
Or can I borrow it to check if I can dump it?

Had a quick look at the discs. The quiz disc seems to be 40T single sided, I could make a backup.

The program disc is copy protected, does not show a directory (blank screen with “AMX XAM”) and can’t be backed up. I’ll see if I can do something with it this weekend.

[Dave C]

I have a copy of AMX XAM (not original). When *CAT it just puts AMX XAM on the screen. It boots fine. I copied it and it appears to have copied over fine but the new disk just boots rubbish on the screen.
Dave C

[billcarr2005]

I have a copy of AMX XAM (not original). When *CAT it just puts AMX XAM on the screen. It boots fine. I copied it and it appears to have copied over fine but the new disk just boots rubbish on the screen.
Dave C

The copy must not be 100% accurate
Do you have multiple different copying programs?
Or a 1770 DFS that you could try using disc beast with?
Or an UPURS cable so that you could copy the important data across with?

[tricky]

Have you tried disc beast plus a GOTEK?

[Dave C]

Hi Tricky,
I have a Gotek drive and 1770 on my Master. What is disc beast. I haven't any copying progs like I used to back in the day.

Dave C

[Dave C]

Not sure what a UPRS cable is?

[Dave C]

Hi Yrrah2,
On your excellent 'My BBC Master' site there is a symbol in the compatible table. A circle with a line through it. What is it?
regards
Dave C

[Yrrah2]

Thanks for the compliment. And that symbol is if it is Tube compatible.
Took that symbol idea from BeeBug

The protection is (if I understand it right) sector order based? or is it some extra protection?
If it is only sector based, then Retro Clinic "RCOPY (from his RAM/ROM system) would do, I guess.

Cheers

[DutchAcorn]

Here's an attempt with DiscBeast. There are 2 HFEs, 40 tracks and 80 tracks. I believe it is a 40T disc.

Edit: it is a dual format disc, the 80T HFE is the correct image.

The quiz disc seems unprotected, so that's included as ssd.

I have not tested the resulting HFEs (currently have no way of reading/using an HFE).

Edit: tried using it in Beebjit and it behaves the same as in my real BBC. Obviously needs an AMX Mouse rom to work...

[billcarr2005]

I have a copy of AMX XAM (not original). When *CAT it just puts AMX XAM on the screen. It boots fine. I copied it and it appears to have copied over fine but the new disk just boots rubbish on the screen.
Dave C

I'm not sure why rubbish would boot on the screen, because the AMX XAM "logo" is contained within the !boot file, stored as a normal file, so if that's correctly running there's no reason for corruption to occur (it could even be manually *COPY'd?)

[DutchAcorn]

Managed to make a working backup using Vector2.

[Yrrah2]

Maybe a stupid question, but with what can I open the HFE images?
(not having a Gotek)

[billcarr2005]

Maybe a stupid question, but with what can I open the HFE images?
(not having a Gotek)

BeebJIT (emulator)

Managed to make a working backup using Vector2.

Managed to make a working backup using *COPY 0 1, for the files from the HFE onto an SSD... and it boots up just fine?

[Yrrah2]

Seems the XAM is specially for the Mouse Support ROM 2.1 and BBC B.
Master doesn't run well, well only the startup screen.
But when I started the XAM ssd disc it asks for the system disc.
Which one is that?

[billcarr2005]

But when I started the XAM ssd disc it asks for the system disc.
Which one is that?

I presume it's the ssd, but the code will be looking for something that's not there
I only copied the files to check that it didn't "boot rubbish on the screen"
I've not been able to test it further due to not having the correct AMX ROM installed, but the SSD worked just as well as the HFE to that point

[Yrrah2]

But when I started the XAM ssd disc it asks for the system disc.
Which one is that?

I presume it's the ssd, but the code will be looking for something that's not there
I only copied the files to check that it didn't "boot rubbish on the screen"
I've not been able to test it further due to not having the correct AMX ROM installed, but the SSD worked just as well as the HFE to that point

If you download the V2.1 rom from my site and load it as SWR it should work. (unless you have a master, then it doesn't)

[dv8]

But when I started the XAM ssd disc it asks for the system disc.
Which one is that?

The system disc is the XAM disc, but it's failing a check on the disc title.

If you re-title the disc with 4 characters before the AMX XAM it works, e.g.

*TITLE "----AMX XAM"

[billcarr2005]

But when I started the XAM ssd disc it asks for the system disc.
Which one is that?

The system disc is the XAM disc, but it's failing a check on the disc title.

If you re-title the disc with 4 characters before the AMX XAM it works, e.g.

*TITLE "----AMX XAM"

Great detective work!
I've updated the SSD further up... still doesn't boot up every time though

[Dave C]

I have downloaded a number of AMX roms to my Gotek drive. They are now unzipped and have the .ROM extension. Problem is how do I load them into SW RAM on my Master. When I *CAT the disk nothing is listed.
Do I need to change the extension to .ssd? This would mean a disk per rom? Or do I just rename them without an extension?
Dave C

[Yrrah2]

The system disc is the XAM disc, but it's failing a check on the disc title.

If you re-title the disc with 4 characters before the AMX XAM it works, e.g.

*TITLE "----AMX XAM"

That seems to work!
But when starting the quiz it keeps spinning the drive like it's loading, but after 10 minuts I aborted the spinning action .....

I have downloaded a number of AMX roms to my Gotek drive. They are now unzipped and have the .ROM extension. Problem is how do I load them into SW RAM on my Master. When I *CAT the disk nothing is listed.
Do I need to change the extension to .ssd? This would mean a disk per rom? Or do I just rename them without an extension?
Dave C

If you remove the '.ROM' extension and (rename the rom to a maximum of 7 characters, like AMX-SUPP, you can put it on a SSD to load the the ROM into SWR) The .ROM file as it right now can be loaded in BeebEm. After renaming you can use it from a disc.
I'll make some bootable discs with the images and put them on the site.

[Dave C]

Thanks Yrrah2 that explains a lot.
Dave C

[Dave C]

Yrrah2, once I have renamed AMX.ROM to say AMXROM how do I put this on a .ssd disk?

[Yrrah2]

You can make SSD discs with DFS explorer. https://www.g7jjf.com/dfs_explorer.htm
It's a very handy util.
Here is a SSD so with the mouse support rom (version 2.1).
Cheers

[Dave C]

Hi Yrrah2,
I am trying to print the AMX MAX booklet from your site. What are the printer settings to produce it in A5 Booklet. I have tried everything but the the second sides are always upside down.
Do you know if the AMX SuperArt Booklet is available anywhere?
regards
Dave C

[Yrrah2]

Hi Yrrah2,
I am trying to print the AMX MAX booklet from your site. What are the printer settings to produce it in A5 Booklet. I have tried everything but the the second sides are always upside down.
Do you know if the AMX SuperArt Booklet is available anywhere?
regards
Dave C

I see that I have uploaded some sort of booklet version. That was not my intention. I have juist updated the manual to a one page version.
So if you set your printer A5 and double sided (or you feed the A5 twice through the machine) it should work fine.
If the 2nd page is still up-side-down then it has to do something with your printer driver settings.
Cheers

[Dave C]

Yrrah2 ...fantastic it worked a treat.
Is it possible to do the same with AMX EXTRA and AMX ART.
You have AMX ART document listed under AMX SuperArt which is the one I would like.
regards
Dave C