Unable to create HDD emulation in Windows 11

[Graham72]

A few years ago I joined the board and looked forward to re-acquainting myself with Microbee.
However life had other ideas until early August. Sadly I was in Samoa in July and missed the Canberra meet.

Over the past weeks I have successfully set up a number of emulations, and had a self-taught crash course in CP/M.
My previous (1990-2009) DOS batch menu memories came flooding back and now I have a Laptop of Microbees.

A huge thanks to UBEE512 and so many contributors over the past years. I have read many posts and am happy with
my emulated floppy disk prowess. However after many trials I still cannot create/boot an emulated hard drive.

After trying many false leads I returned today to README.TXT, so I read:

"To boot from a HDD system with no floppy images specified use:

ubee512 --model=p128k --rom1=HD18.ROM --hdd1=hdd_128k_sys_cpm221.hd0"

and of course error. (Yes HD18.ROM is in ROM folder)

then I read

"To create a HDD image with a system on it is quite easy using the HDD install
floppy disk.  Enter the following on one line:

ubee512 hdd --hdd1=hd.hd0.temp --hdd3=hdd_128k_sys_cpm221.ds40 --bootkey=f"

but of course error so i go looking for hdd_128k_sys_cpm221.ds40 

I cannae find it.

I find hdd_128k_sys_2.2t.zip and its content allow me to create hd.hd0.temp

ah ha! partial success And i remove the temp suffix. But now I read

"1. Run the INIT program"

Where is this init program. Is it a CP/M utility or a Windows program?

So after a week i admit defeat, and come here to request assistance.

Where is this infamous hdd_128k_sys_cpm221.ds40 file located? and please tell me more about Init

thanks in advance, Graham

[ChickenMan]

Firstly, there is no file called hdd_128k_sys_cpm221.ds40 that I'm aware of, its real name is hdd_128k_sys_cpm22t.ds40 where the 1 is actually a t (t is for Teac HD system).

I can use

G:\UBEE512\ubee512.exe hdd  --hdd1=hdd_128k_sys_2.2t.hd0 and I get

   

and clearly INIT.COM ( a Microbee program ) is there.  I run it and get

   

which is version 2.0 T (again the T is for Teac version).

I downloaded the hdd_128k_sys_2.2t.zip file from our repository and it definitely has INIT.COM in the image.

[Graham72]

Thanks, the text in blue is direct copy paste from ubee512 readme. So that is an error. So glad you have clearly explained process.

I'm out and about now, but will try this evening.

Thanks again, Graham.

[Graham72]

Success. Also learnt to use host2cpm, to copy basic program onto hard drive.

Now to add floppy drives. And possibly a folder.

THANKS AGAIN, ChickenMan.

[ChickenMan]

Great that its working and that you worked out HOST2CPM, thats an easy way to build up the HD image.

adding -a diskname.dsk in the command line will add an E: drive since the HDD image has an A:, B:, C: and as D: drive.

CP/M does NOT have folders, at best they have User Numbers, 0 to 15. The normal A: is actually A0: so at the prompt type A1: and copy what ever to that area. ZCPR3 allows you to name drives so A: can become ROOT: or whatever.

[Graham72]

Syntax is bizarre. .. I tried the -a diskname with no success. \

this is my current line which gives me drives e: and f:

a:\ubee512\ubee512.exe hdd --rom1=HD18.ROM --hdd1=hdd_128k_sys_2.2t.hd0 --hdd3=a:\ubee512\disks\56k_master_zcpr1_ds40.dsk --hdd4=a:\ubee512\disks\56k_master_zcpr2_ds40.dsk

thanks for the headsup on user numbers, i saw a reference to them and had them on my to follow up list.

Finally. I have discovered that I can only access the emulated floppy ds40 format. Other formats result in a garbled screen, any clues?

   
Graham

[ChickenMan]

The original Microbee HD systems all used a Std 128k unit with a 5.25" 40track (DS40) floppy, therefore it doesnt understand the structure of SS80 and DS80 3.5" floppies. I would try using SETDISK (on MBUG 004) or maybe ALIENC to tell the system that E: and F: are other formats.

[someone]

From someone who doesn't know about the microbee disk utilities & used S100 era barebones techniques:
You may want to edit your DPBs (Disk Parameter Blocks) in your BIOS to support the additional drive formats plus any additionally required adjustments.

[Graham72]

I am indebted to this board for reigniting my Microbee interest. So I have put together this post to mention a few tools and extras I have found useful in re-acquainting myself within Microbee territory using ubee512 in Windows 11. Newbies may find this helpful. Its been an interesting six week journey so far. Once again thanks to ChickenMan, Mbee Tech and ubee. I am standing on giants shoulders, veterans, who truly have walked a long distance with their microbee passion. The repository is truly an Aladdin's cave.

Apart from my UBEE512 folder, a MICROBEEBATCHFILES folder to run my various emulations, I have a MICROBEE folder which contains non .dsk, compressed, iso and documentation files, as well as screen shots of basic programs etc.

I have a 64gb sandisk card in the side of my laptop which is my backup for microbee stuff. 12 folders named August thru to July 2026 into which I dump my download, UBEE512 and Microbee folders, backup is so easy in 2025!

To view .lbr documentation and see inside other compressed files, I have a folder in my MICROBEE folder called LBR_folder. Inside is a program I have renamed A_cfx_32.exe, so it appears at top of file listings. Drop a .lbr file on the exe icon and it opens the lbr file. File is called cfx13_win32.zip See: http://justsolve.archiveteam.org/wiki/CFX

I have downloaded the walnutgrove.iso, HumongousCPM.iso, girvin_herr.zip, and cpmtools.iso, which have many utilities from years gone by. Particular finds include quit.com to exit back to windows from CP/M or Graphic Shell, and System to display free TPA and other stats. Of course many user group collections of software feature on those iso's as well. It's an amazing time to be alive. All this programming wealth - 1000s of programs and documentation in under 5gig.

HxD is on my windows desktop for quick and dirty editing of .dsk and .hd0 files. Warning: always use a backup copy of the diskfile you are editing which I name trial.dsk.bak, as deleting or inserting instead of replacing a character or string will most likely render the disk image unusable. Useful for changing shell.sys menu entries, looking at files within the diskfile etc. HxDsetup.exe See: https://mh-nexus.de/en/hxd/

To edit .bat files I have installed edit.exe and its associated file edit.pdb in my microbeebatchfiles subdirectory. EDIT name.bat I find much quicker than typing notepad and edit.exe does NOT expect .txt by default. It has a lean DOS gui which appeals to me too. See https://github.com/microsoft/edit/releases/tag/v1.2.0

To run my batch files I have a dedicated Terminal Preview screen which I have customised with a "glass terminal" font and a background microbee.jpg. See https://github.com/microsoft/terminal and Glass_TTY_VT220.ttf @ https://www.spacerogue.net/wordpress/?p=356.

The ubee512 console allows 'hot swapping" disks. Use "-a disk_ds40/80/.dsk" or -b or -c ensure boot disk allows _ds40, ss80, or ds80 of course.

The other great line in batch files when I have files in windows folders: ubee512 boot_ds80.dsk --type=rcpmfs --format=ds80 -b.\z3plus --type=rcpmfs --format=ds80 -c.\z3extra where z3plus and z3extra are Windows Folder names in the UBEE512 directory. I also have a scratch folder. Quick way to access files that are stored in a windows folder.

The above have all made my emulation access easier with some eye candy as well.

Newbies: What's your favourite hints and tips in Microbee emulation?

[ChickenMan]

Wow, Graham you have been busy.

I also use BATch files run all my Microbee disks and have one for just about all the disks which I keep in the ubee512 folder.

I also have my original WalnutCreek CP/M CD which has the MBUG (Melbourne Bee User Group) collection of the time but missing a few as they where considered "non-appropriate". The last 100 of so disks were ones I put together as I was the Librarian at the time.

Keep up the good work