How to autostart a program from floppy disk on a Commodore c64

Question

Good news, my c64 ist still running after lots of years spending time on my attic..
But what I always wanted to know is:

How can I automatically load & run a program from a floppy disk that is already inserted
when I switch on the c64?

Some auto-running command like load "*",8,1 would be adequate...

Regards
MoC

Answer 1

This is not possible without some custom cartridge.

One way to fix this would be getting the Retro Replay cartridge and hacking your own code for it.

Answer 2

You write that a command that you type in, like LOAD"*",8,1 would be adequate. Can I assume, then, that the only problem with that particular command is that it only loads, but doesn't automatically run, the program? If so, you have a number of solutions:

1. If it's a machine language program, then you should type LOAD"<FILENAME>",8,1: and then (without pressing <RETURN>) press <SHIFT>+<RUN/STOP>.

2. If it's a BASIC program, type LOAD"<FILENAME>",8: and then (without pressing <RETURN>) press <SHIFT>+<RUN/STOP>.

3. It is possible to write a BASIC program such that it automatically runs when you load it with LOAD"<FILENAME>",8,1. To do so, first add the following line to the beginning of your program:

   0 POKE770,131:POKE771,164
   

   Then issue the following commands to save the program:

   PRINT"{CLR}":POKE770,113:POKE771,168:POKE43,0;POKE44,3:POKE157,0:SAVE"<FILENAME>",8
   

Answer 3

Not 100% relevant, but C128 can autoboot disks in C128 mode. For example Ultima V (which has musics on C128 but not on C64 or C128 in C64 mode) autoboots.

As for cartridges, I'd recommend 1541 Ultimate 2. It can also run games from module rom images (although Prince of Persia doesn't work for me for some reason, perhaps software issue?), but you also get rather good floppy emulator (which also makes it easier to transfer stuff to real disks), REU, tape interface (if you order it) etc.

Answer 4

I doubt there is a way to do it; you would need a cartridge which handles this case and I don't think one like that exists.

Answer 5

A better and more suitable solution is EasyFlash actually. Retro Replay is commonly used with its own ROM. Since it is a very useful cartridge by default ROM, I would never flash another ROM to it. Also it is more expensive than EasyFlash if you don't have any of those cartridges.

At the moment, I have Prince Of Persia (!) ROM written to my EasyFlash and when I open my c64, it autoruns just like you asked for.