Ramdisk 128 Peter M.L. Lortrup
This powerful utility creates a ramdisk in your 128's memory and allows you to load and save BASIC and ML programs lit erally at the speed of light. No hardware modifications are necessary for you to move your computer's input and output into the fast lane. The Commodore 128 has a luxuri
Follow the MLX instructions
memory remain idle. Bank 1, where
carefully, and save a copy of the MLX data before you leave MLX. Be sure to use the name 128-RAM
BASIC variables are stored, re
DISK because the Loader program
serves nearly 63K of memory for
(Program 1) will look for a file with
variables, and most of the time— ables and arrays—little of this memory is actually occupied. "Ramdisk 128" takes 40K of this
this name. Now, to install Ramdisk 128, simply load LOADER like any oth er BASIC program and type RUN. When the READY prompt returns,
Bank 1 memory and creates a ram
type NEW, and you're ready to be
disk that allows you to load and save files of all kinds at lightning-
gin using the ramdisk commands.
fast speeds.
Ramdisk Commands
ous amount of memory. In fact,
most of the time, large areas of this
even when using lots of string vari
Once the ramdisk is installed, you'll
Installation
have several new commands added
RAMFILES. This option saves all programs currently recorded in the ramdisk. If the ramdisk memory is
full when it is saved, you must have 162 blocks free on the disk, or a RAMDISK FULL error will occur. ELOAD is used to load pro grams and files from the ramdisk to memory. The asterisk (*) can be used for wildcard searches, An as
terisk by itself loads the first file from the ramdisk. If no parameters follow the filename, two things
may happen: If the program was saved as a BASIC program, it will be reloaded into the current BASIC programming space; if it was a ma chine language file, it will be re
loaded to the same starting address from which it was saved. One numeric parameter may
follow the filename to specify the starting address for the load. ELOAD without any parame
Ramdisk 128 consists of two pro grams. "Loader" (Program 1) is a
to BASIC. Let's look at each one. ESAVE is used to save pro
ters will load the complete ramdisk from the disk drive. It will try to
BASIC program that performs some
grams to the ramdisk. To save a
load a file called RAMFILES (which
housekeeping duties and loads "128-RAMDISK" (Program 2). Since Loader (Program 1) is written in BASIC, simply type it in and save
BASIC program, just follow ESAVE
must have been previously stored
with the full ESAVE command). EHEADER may be used when you need to delete all the contents of the ramdisk. Since everything in the
128-RAMDISK (Program 2) is
with the filename enclosed in quo tation marks (the closing quotation mark may be omitted for BASIC programs). For machine language files (ML routines, text screens, hi
written in machine language, so
res screens, and so on), specify the
to confirm your action (if in com
you'll need to enter it with the 128
mand mode). This command reinit ializes the directory and storage
guage entry program found else
filename, the starting address, the ending address, plus one of the saves, separated by commas. Don't
where in this issue. When you run
use the letter P before the numeric
contents of the ramdisk. If used in
MLX, you'll be asked for the start
ranges of the save.
program mode, EHEADER will not
a copy to disk.
version of the "MLX" machine lan
ing and ending addresses of the
If no filename follows the
data you'll be entering. Here are the values to use for 128-RAMDISK:
ESAVE command, a full save is specified. In a full save, all pro
Starting address: Ending address:
grams in the ramdisk are saved to your disk drive under the filename
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1300 1BE4
COMPUTEIs Gazaffo
April 1988
ramdisk will be lost, you'll be asked
pointers, thus deleting all previous
ask for confirmation.
EDIR displays a directory of all the files currently stored in the ram
disk. The screen is cleared, the heading is displayed, and the