Classic Computer Magazine Archive COMPUTE! ISSUE 36 / MAY 1983 / PAGE 237

64 Odds And Ends

David Martin

Here are a few interesting tidbits about the 64.

• Warm Start By SYS 64738

This handy little number will help save your power switch. However, if the system crashes or locks up, you will have to power down.

• List Terminator

This feature will keep others from viewing your program after it's run. To disable the list, add to your program POKE 775,200. To restore the list feature, use POKE 755,167.

• STOP Key

POKE 808,239 turns the STOP key off.
POKE 808,237 turns the STOP key on.

• RUN/STOP And RESTORE Key Terminator

POKE 808,225 disables these keys; however, it changes the appearance of the program listing (this does not affect the program run). POKE 808,237 restores both keys to normal.

• Keyboard Killer

POKE 649,0 turns the keyboard off.
POKE 649,10 turns the keyboard on.

• Save And List Destroyer

The saving and listing of your program can be prevented by killing the STOP and RESTORE keys. To do this, add POKE 808,225:POKE 818,32 to your program. To go back to normal, type POKE 808,237:POKE 818,237. Note: POKE 808,225 has a side effect – it messes up the system clock.

• Magic Merge

"Magic Merge" will work on the 64, if you use the VIC-20 method.

"Magic Merge" is a technique described by Jim Butterfield (COMPUTE!, June 1982) that lets you combine lines from one program with another. Here is a condensed set of instructions:

To prepare the lines you want to merge:

  1. Insert a blank tape, rewind, and then type:
    OPEN 1,1,1, "PROGNAME":CMD1:LIST
    
    ("PROGNAME" is a name for your program)
  2. When the tape stops and 'READY' comes back, enter: PRINT#1:CLOSE 1
  3. After the tape stops, you can remove it.

To merge with a program in memory:

  1. Put the "merge tape" in the tape unit.
  2. Enter: POKE 19,1:OPEN 1
  3. After 'READY' comes back, clear the screen (SHIFT-HOME).
  4. Press exactly three cursor-downs.
  5. Enter:
    PRINTCHR$(19):POKE198,1:POKE631,13:POKE153,1
    
  6. The tape will finally stop with an error message. Ignore the error, and enter CLOSE 1.
  7. The lines are now merged, magically.