Subject: pcBBC version 1.02 Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 23:10:43 +0100 From: Stuart William McConnachie Hi everyone! As some of you may know I have been working hard on version 1.02 of pcBBC for some time now. I'm pleased to announce that a program to upgrade from version 1.01 is now available! Unfortunately my friend Chris has not be able to put this up on the web page yet. Fear not, I have attached the upgrade program to this e-mail so you can enjoy all the new features in 1.02 over the Easter break! Version 1.02 of pcBBC includes the following new features: * 800x600 SVGA video mode. This gives a perfect BBC aspect ratio, without having to resize your monitor, and also a much bigger screen area * A screen brightness control * Native support for .DSD interleaved 80 track disk image files * Support for the BBC keyboard link options There are also numerous bug fixes, including: * Writing to disks using the Watford 1.44 DFS * More 8271 and 1770 DFSs now work - see the new README.TXT for more details * System T2 timer interrupts corrected (Psycastia and others fixed) * Video interlace timing changed (Skirmish now fixed) * Improved printer and serial support In order to upgrade to version 1.02 of pcBBC you will fall into one of 3 categories: 1) If you registered pcBBC in the last week (and have version 1.02 on your disk label) then you already have the latest version of the software. You need do nothing (sorry to have bothered you!) 2) If you have the original registered version 1.01 (see the label of your disk) then simply follow the upgrade instructions 3) You were kind enough to Beta test version 1.02 of pcBBC for me; thanks a lot for your time and trouble! Please reinstall the original pcBBC.COM and EMULATOR.CFG files from your registration disk version 1.01. Then follow the upgrade instructions as normal UPGRADE INSTRUCTIONS: o Take a backup copy of any important software before you start! o Unzip PATCH01.ZIP to the directory where you installed pcBBC o Start a DOS window and select the pcBBC directory o Type UPDATE and press [ENTER] o When prompted to do so press Y to begin the upgrade The program should update your programs to the following versions: PCBBC 1.02 SETUP 1.00 DISKMGR 1.04 PCXFER 1.02 And finish with the message "The upgrade process was successful". The upgrade program has been thoroughly tested, but if you have any problems then mail me and I'll sort you out. Sorry, but I'm going to be away from my e-mail over the weekend and until Tuesday evening. I will get back to you as soon as I return. A demo version of 1.02 will appear on the web page soon, together with the above patch file and some more up to date FAQs. I look forward to your comments regarding the improvements I've made, and I hope you all enjoy using version 1.02! Before I go, there's just a couple of things to look out for if you have problems: SWITCHING BETWEEN WIN95 AND pcBBC IN SVGA MODE There is a "bug" in Windows which leaves the screen in the DOS box either blank or corrupted when you Alt-Tab between applications. To fix this on return to pcBBC: Visit the config screen, then exit again and pcBBC will refresh the screen. SERIAL AND PARALLEL PORT SETTINGS If pcBBC crashes shortly after startup, this could be because you have a modem connected to the serial port that pcBBC is trying to use. To correct this run SETUP and disable the parallel and serial port settings. -- Stuart McConnachie (stuart@pcbbc.demon.co.uk) 43 The Hollows, Long Eaton, Nottingham, NG10 2ES, UK Mobile: 0966 224307