RETRO The Spectrum - Saving Programs and Data

49
The details presented in this chapter apply to rmware version 1.0.1 and above, see
Updating the rmware.
Much like the original ZX Spectrum, which allowed you to record programs onto magnetic
cassette tape so they could be loaded back again later, The Spectrum allows you to
do the same onto virtual cassette tape stored on a USB stick.
A virtual cassette tape is maintained as a writable .tap le on a USB stick. The Spectrum
will create a .tap le if it doesn’t exist, and automatically create new les as required,
depending on what is being saved and in what sequence.
Saving normally happens in parallel to any tape les you have attached in Media Access
for loading. This way you can attach and load a game that is able to save game data,
and have that data automatically written onto a separate tape le at the appropriate time.
This avoids switching media frequently and allows you to save at any time, particularly
when you weren’t aware that you would need to do so.
For example, with a USB stick inserted into The Spectrum, switch to Classic Mode
and run the following:
10 PRINT “Test”
Then save this simple program to USB stick with
SAVE “test”
If you have ZX Spectrum border size in Display options set to one or greater, you will
briey see the border ashing with horizontal lines as the save proceeds.
Note: Saving takes much less time than on an original ZX Spectrum and the brief
border ash is a short visual conrmation that a save is occurring.
If you press the HOME button to enter the Options menu and select Media select,
you will see the le test_WR listed along with a TAP le icon. The _WR lename postx
allows The Spectrum to identify that the le is writable, and is present in every .tap
The Spectrum creates during saving.
CHAPTER 11
Saving programs and data