Loading cassette software on a emulator

This article originally came from Kevin Thackers' archive at http://www.cpctech.org.uk.

The information from a cassette is stored in a file with the ".tzx" or ".cdt" extension.

These files are called "tape-image"s and describes the sound from the cassette in a compact form.

(The TZX and CDT file-formats are identical. The CDT extension is used to identify cassettes for the Amstrad. The TZX extension is used to identify cassettes for the Sinclair Spectrum. CDT is a acronym for "CPC Digital Tape". TZX is a mangled acronym for "ZX Tape".)

(NOTE: A Sinclair Spectrum program will not work on the Amstrad. These systems are different and use a different sound-wave to store data on a cassette. If you attempt to use a Spectrum cassette then the Amstrad will not be able to recognise the Spectrum sound-wave and will either report an error, or will not load anything.)

To load cassette software on a emulator follow these steps:

1. Reset/restart the emulation. The CPC will restart and the "Ready" prompt will appear.
2. "Insert" or select the tape-image (this is the same as inserting a real cassette into a real cassette player)
3. Type:
   

   |TAPE

   
   and press RETURN.
4. Now type:
   

   RUN"

   
   and press RETURN key.
5. The following message will be displayed:
   

   Press PLAY then any key:

6. Now press any key on the keyboard, and the cassette will start to play.
7. After a short time you will see the following message:
   

   Loading <filename> block x

   
   where "<filename>" is the filename of the program found and "x" is the number of the block.
   If you do not see this message:
   • you could rewind the cassette to the start and wait. If you have done this more than once and the message does not appear, then you are unlikely to be able to load this program.
   • the cassette is not made for the Amstrad and will not load
   • the wrong side of the cassette has been inserted For each block that is successfully read, the Amstrad will report the block number.
     When all of the blocks of the file have been loaded, the program will start automatically.

NOTE:

• With some emulators, the mapping of the keys on your keyboard to the CPC key's will not be the same. e.g. You will not be able to press SHIFT and \ to get the | symbol. You will need to read the manual that comes with the emulator to find how the CPC key's are mapped to the keyboard, so you can find the correct key combinations to display the symbols you want.
• With an emulator it is not possible to adjust the volume of the cassette signal. Therefore if there is an error, then you will not be able to use the tape-image.
• Some emulators will run at 100% speed of a real CPC. This means a program will take the same time to load as it would on a real computer!!!! Be prepared to wait!

Loading cassette software using CPCE emulator

Follow these instructions to load tape-image software on CPCE.

• Open the command-line window ("Command-line" in Windows 2000, "MS-DOS prompt" in Windows 95 and 98)
• Go to the directory that CPCE is installed to.
• type:
  

  CPCE /r /z

  
  and press RETURN
  This will enable:
  • tape-image to be used,
  • real-speed (required for tape-images
• Now type:
  

  |TAPE

  
  and press RETURN
• Now type:
  

  RUN"

  
  and press RETURN
• The message:
  

  Press PLAY then any key

  
  should appear.
• Now press a key. (e.g. space bar)
• Now press ALT+F3 and a window should appear called "Load Cassette".
• Go to the directory with the tape-image files in it and select the name of the tape-image that you want to use
• After a short time you will see the following message:
  

  Loading xxxx block a

  
  where "xxxx" is the file name of the program that is loading and "a" is the block number.
• Now wait for the loading to complete.

During loading you will see a progress indicator showing the % of the program that has loaded so far.