URGENT / IMPORTANT: BANDERSNATCH (MIA) (2025)

This is the BEST dump I can do on 5 different Bandersnatch MD's I found until then (see attachment).

Zipped with a PC, dumped in Q-emuLator MDV mdump2 standard.

Have 2 BAD on the 2 principal machine code parts.

This Bandersnatch version is TOTALLY different from the previous preserved by RICH MELLOR that cames from JOSE' TUR:

http://www.zonadepruebas.com/viewtopic.php?t=4199

Can anyone let make it start and see If is REALLY "Brataccas"?

It would be the biggest QL scoop ever.

Let me gently know.

Best regards.

P.S.: I've updated the ZIP file , now have no Qubide header and can e used in Q-Emulator.

--Simon

https://www.facebook.com/groups/sinclairpreservation/

http://telnetbbsguide.com/bbs/sinclair-retro-bbs/

https://sinclairql.wordpress.com

Well it looks as though q-emulator does not recognise that as a valid microdrive image...

There are some bits of SuperBASIC visible in the dump:

The boot program:

1 CLOSE #12 CLOSE #26 a=RESPR(87500)7 MODE 08 PRINT #0,"Loading Bandersnatch"10 LBYTES mdv1_loader,13926430 CALL 135168

What is probably the backup program (mdv1_copy):

5 PAPER 110 CLS15 PRINT "This will erase all data on mdv2"16 PRINT20 PRINT "Place a blank wafer in mdv2"23 PRINT "press enter to continue"25 INPUT a$30 FORMAT mdv2_bsnatch35 PRINT "copying"36 PRINT "copy"40 COPY mdv1_copy TO mdv2_copy50 PRINT "loader"60 COPY mdv1_loader TO mdv2_loader70 PRINT "game"80 COPY mdv1_game TO mdv2_game90 PRINT "segment"100 COPY mdv1_seg_aaa TO mdv2_seg_aaa110 PRINT "boot"112 COPY mdv1_boot TO mdv2_boot

The loader seems to load game and seg_aaa from mdv1_ and probably checks that mdv2_ is an original

Rich Mellor
RWAP Software
RWAP Adventures
SellMyRetro
Retro-Printer Module - add a USB printer to your QL

Also Involved in:
Icephorm

RWAP wrote:Well it looks as though q-emulator does not recognise that as a valid microdrive image...

There are some bits of SuperBASIC visible in the dump:

The boot program:

Code: Select all

1 CLOSE #12 CLOSE #26 a=RESPR(87500)7 MODE 08 PRINT #0,"Loading Bandersnatch"10 LBYTES mdv1_loader,13926430 CALL 135168

What is probably the backup program (mdv1_copy):

Code: Select all

5 PAPER 110 CLS15 PRINT "This will erase all data on mdv2"16 PRINT20 PRINT "Place a blank wafer in mdv2"23 PRINT "press enter to continue"25 INPUT a$30 FORMAT mdv2_bsnatch35 PRINT "copying"36 PRINT "copy"40 COPY mdv1_copy TO mdv2_copy50 PRINT "loader"60 COPY mdv1_loader TO mdv2_loader70 PRINT "game"80 COPY mdv1_game TO mdv2_game90 PRINT "segment"100 COPY mdv1_seg_aaa TO mdv2_seg_aaa110 PRINT "boot"112 COPY mdv1_boot TO mdv2_boot

The loader seems to load game and seg_aaa from mdv1_ and probably checks that mdv2_ is an original

Naturally we have just tried to clone it on MDV2_ too but don't work: we need a L/M decompiling for let it works.

--Simon

https://www.facebook.com/groups/sinclairpreservation/

http://telnetbbsguide.com/bbs/sinclair-retro-bbs/

https://sinclairql.wordpress.com

RWAP wrote:

Code: Select all

10 LBYTES mdv1_loader,13926430 CALL 135168

Well that looks wrong to start with as the loader is loaded to an address higher in memory than the code is called (although it is all within the screen memory, so should not be an issue and should just call the start of mdv1_loader)

Unfortunately, I have tried calling the start of each sub-routine in mdv1_loader and none of them seem to continue...

In the various images you have, is mdv1_loader ever bigger than 400 bytes?

Rich Mellor
RWAP Software
RWAP Adventures
SellMyRetro
Retro-Printer Module - add a USB printer to your QL

Also Involved in:
Icephorm

RWAP wrote:

RWAP wrote:

Code: Select all

10 LBYTES mdv1_loader,13926430 CALL 135168

Well that looks wrong to start with as the loader is loaded to an address higher in memory than the code is called (although it is all within the screen memory, so should not be an issue and should just call the start of mdv1_loader)

Unfortunately, I have tried calling the start of each sub-routine in mdv1_loader and none of them seem to continue...

In the various images you have, is mdv1_loader ever bigger than 400 bytes?

No other image can be dumped as this one: is the only that can be "worked"

--Simon

https://www.facebook.com/groups/sinclairpreservation/

http://telnetbbsguide.com/bbs/sinclair-retro-bbs/

https://sinclairql.wordpress.com

I had a look at the dump, and there appears to be 2 bad sectors

file 3 (game), block $34. In this dump sector 212. And File 4 (seg_aaa), block $09 sector 213. There is another sector with a bad checksum, but it is an unused sector.

I patched the dump so that the bad sectors checksums would pass, and tried to run it. Not surprisingly it did not get very far. I need to disassemble the loader program to see how it works.

You can however copy all the files without errors.

Is this game supposed to run in 128K, or does it need extended memory. As when I tried it in Qemulator with 128K of memory, it gave an out of memory error in the boot program.

You say you have 4 other Microdrives, can you upload the dumps of them. It does not matter how bad they are, with a bit of luck it may be possible to extract the required sectors.

Here are the files. Needs JS more than 128k and is copy protected !

Detlef alias QLObi

Some corrections:
Runs only at JS with 128K and no Toolkit. The copy protection is removed !

START
trap #0
move.l #$c000,d2
moveq #$41,d0
jsr LoadFile1 'MDV1_SEG_AA' loadadress 212992
move.l #$757f,d2
lea File2,a0 'MDV1_GAME'
movea.l #$00029b00,a1 loadadress 170752
jsr Load_File
nop ' patched to skip routines
nop
jmp $00029b00 call 'GAME' @170752