Bbs operation

With your SETUP and organization of your BBS complete, you are ready to start up your BBS operation!

Loading the BBS

At this point, you should have already created your parameters file, password file, most of your core system messages and help files. Each drive assigned in your parameters file should have a disk or disk image in it with the proper files already on it. If you want to start your system with some files in the download directory, make sure you put them in the proper drive now.

There are two specific discussions pertaining to loading the BBS: 1) Loading system without a RAM Expansion Unit (REU), and 2) Loading system with a REU, because each comes with their own set of startup file commands as well as observations during the loading process.

Loading System without a REU

If you are not using a Ram Expander, you are ready to load Color 64 BBS for the first time (the big moment). Insert the disk that has your BOOT files on it and load the program called "+bbs" as if it were a BASIC program, then type RUN and hit RETURN.

• JiffyDos users can auto-RUN the program by typing “£+bbs" and pressing RETURN.
• Lt. Kernal HD users can just type "+bbs" and hit RETURN to boot the program.

If you opted to “swap disks” in your SETUP, then you will see a message indicating that you should insert your Program disk once the initial boot operation has completed. The system’s next step is loading your configuration and overlays from the PROGRAM disk where your "√bbs.parms" file is contained. If everything loads normally, the computer will print "Working..." at the top of the screen. This means that the BBS is loading its parameters in from disk. Now skip to "Entering the Date and Time" below.

If the BBS fails to boot normally, then it probably means that an essential file is missing in the Program Files or the System Files. Check the installation instructions to make sure that the correct files have been copied to the BBS system disks.

Loading System with a REU

If you are going to have your overlays load from a 17XX series Ram Expander, you may want to double check that you did answer "Y" to the REU question in the "bootmaker" program. If you did not, then the essential boot programs will not be in your Boot Files. Also, make sure that if you have separate Program and Boot disks that you answer "Y" to the "swap disks" question.

Insert your Boot disk now if necessary. Next, load the program called “+ram.start" as if it were a BASIC program, then type RUN and hit RETURN. JiffyDos users can auto-RUN the program by typing "↑+ram.start" and pressing RETURN. Once you run the program, the BASIC script program that copies your programs to the REU will be loaded. You will see a lot of strange commands scrolling by on the screen, but this is just showing you what the script program is doing now. If at any time you see a "file not found error" you should reset your computer immediately and then double check that all the necessary files are in place; the files copied off the Boot Files into the REU are √sys.loadml, √sys.mlinit, +ram.bbs, +ram.reboot, and the ML file.

If there are no errors, then at some point in the process (depending on your setup) you may see a message asking you to insert your Program Disk and press RETURN. Just follow the instructions and you will be fine. The whole process can take from under a minute to several minutes, depending on how fast your disk device is and how many files are being copied onto the REU. Once the copying is done it will look like the computer is resetting, but this is just a normal part of the boot process. You should briefly see the Color 64 title screen and then the program will display "Working..." at the top of the screen.

Entering the Date & Time