MEGA65 Welcome Guide
Note: If you use a Mac computer to copy a file to a MEGA65 SD card, it creates another file with a name like .
_filename to store the macOS resource fork. The appears in the core file selection screen as the original name with a
stripey thing next to it. Be sure to select the original core file, and not the one with the stripey thing, when installing a
core.
If you select the wrong one, MEGA65 will warn that the incorrect file does not have a matching device ID (because it
isn’t a real core file). Press RUN/STOP to abort and try again with the correct file.
Tip: For more on installing cores, see the User’s Guide, chapter 6, starting page 47.
9.3 Symptoms that you’re using the wrong MEGA65 core
If you’ve been following along with this Guide, you should now have a MEGA65 that uses the latest core and ROM
when you turn it on. You can confirm the core and ROM versions as described in Determining the versions of things.
Some actions, such as accessing the Configuration or SD card utility from the Alt menu, cause the MEGA65 to boot
into its factory core (slot 0) instead of the updated core in slot 1. This can cause issues with the older core to reappear,
or for the newer ROM to interact poorly with the older core.
The community has noticed a few common symptoms caused by older versions of the ROM, the core, or a version
mismatch:
• The Freeze menu appears too low on the screen, obscuring the bottom.
– You have an older ROM, or an older version of FREEZER.M65.
• The Freeze menu does not display the name of the selected D81 file next to the drive, and the disk does not mount
properly.
– You are using the newer ROM with the older core.
• Disk directory misbehavior, such as an extra file, or missing files.
– You are using the newer ROM with the older core.
Use “Matrix mode” (hold Mega, hit Tab) to double check that MEGA65 is using the latest core. If it is using the factory
core (1586ad4) and you have the latest core installed in slot 1, turn off your MEGA65, then turn it back on.
9.4 The C64 core
We mentioned that the MEGA65 can run other cores besides the one that causes your Mega to act like a Commodore
65. One such core is a Commodore 64.
The C64 core is not the same as the C65’s Commodore 64 mode, the one you start by typing GO 64 (see Commodore
64 mode). The C64 core completely transforms your Mega into a Commodore 64, with no C65 or MEGA65 features.
The initial version of the C64 core is available for you to try, and it’s worth installing just to see how cores work. The
C64 core strives to be more compatible with C64 software than the C65’s Commodore 64 mode. The initial version
supports PAL displays, a simulated C1541 drive that supports D64 image files, and joysticks.
If you’d like to try it, go to Filehost, then locate and download “C64 for MEGA65”. Install it like you did the MEGA65
core update, using slot 2.
48 Chapter 9. Updating the core firmware
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