NOTES on running Mac V9T9

Program, docs and modules are in the MacV9T9_NEWEST folder.

The first part of these notes apply to how I happen to have the folders set up and the folder names I chose. Much of it can be renamed and moved around as you see fit, but there are certain rules noted below. 

Notes about running the V9T9 program apply to the Mac version. I don't know how similar the DOS version is to this.

Cartridge Modules are in the "!XB" folder which has most of the common EXB variants plus E/A, MM, TEII, etc. Check the  "!bigbigCartridgeFolder for almost every TI cartridge produced.

MacV9T9's TI "Disks" are emulated as regular Macintosh folders, but must be named DSK1, DSK2, etc., up to DSK5. 

If you want to try out another disk, first be sure to remove or rename the DSKx folder you wish to replace. 

Most TI disks prefer to load from DSK1, and obviously you can only have one folder of that name in the V9T9 folder at one time. So, you must first move or rename the DSK1 folder that's in there before you drag a new one in.

It's the same as for any folder or file on a computer; all names in a given folder or directory must be unique. 

Since we're emulating a TI, we must also stay true to TI's file conventions of using "DSK1" and so on to access the various disks in a multiple drive setup. HOWEVER, while a real TI can use disknames as well as DSK1, V9T9 CANNOT. That's why we are stuck renaming and moving our DSKx folders. At least it support 5 such folders, as DSK1 through DSK5.

A quick shortcut to do this is to add some simple name after DSK1 to describe the contents, such as DSK1games. Then put your new DSK1 into the V9T9 folder and proceed. You'll see what I mean when you look inside the TI_Disk folder on this CD. 

Any TI file for V9T9 you wish to run may be put in a DSK1-DSK5 folder and treated just as you would on a TI. That is, if it is an EXB program, you must first load the XB module into V9T9 before you can load in the program on the "disk."

While you can rename and move folders with no problems, I don't recommend renaming individual files as they may no longer work. This is mentioned in the MacV9T9 documentation. On the Mac, you can Duplicate a folder and test-edit all you wish on the files in the duplicated folder. It's usually easier to just keep the name given to it when converting it from TIXmodem over to V9T9 format with the Util program.

I DO recommend you read all the V9T9 docs in the program's folder for additional help.

Mac V9t9 will run under Mac System 9 and earlier, back to System 7.5. It will run under Mac Classic if you happen to be booted under osX, but it may have some minor program glitches. It works best under Classic with colors set to Thousands. It may hang when choosing the "3x3 video" and colors are set to millions, for example. At millions of colors, the TI colors are not set correctly and displays may be hard to read. Experiment a bit to find what works best on your system.

Most Cartridge modules have multiple files. Load them all at once using shift-click to add files. Actually, several small modules may be loaded at once this way, and they will appear in the TI title screen.

Under the Emulation menu, you can set preferences for speed and other options. That's good to speed up slow programs and slow down crazy-fast games.

There's a file called "!MacV9T9 Keyboard help" that shows where the TI's function and special characters are located. It will take a bit of getting used to, but is a good approximation of the original TI key layout.

MacV9T9 will continue to run when you jump back to the Mac desktop, but generally, it's best to halt the emulator with the escape key before doing other Mac-things. Command E or the menu selection for it restarts emulation when you return. You can halt any running TI program and make preference changes, for instance to speed it up, then return to right where you left off.

You may have to do some guesswork on how to run some of the TI files. Just like on the real thing! Run a TI disk directory program and go from there. Most "Program" files are XB, but some are E/A. DV80 is almost always text. DF/80 is E/A souce or object code, etc. By including all the disks and files on this CD that were in my own V9T9 folder, I pretty much have to assume you know your way around a TI, as I'm not about to write doc files for all of them! Most that had docs to begin with, you'll find them included here. but many simple programs will lack any documentation at all.

After awhile you'll get the hang of it. MacV9T9 is a great emulation of a great old computer and running it can be as much fun with the extra speed and storage capabilities of modern Macs.

Have fun!
-Ed Gerken
March 19, 2009
comments to: wriverprep@aol.com