One of the last articles I wrote for ZQA! was on the subject of the QPC1 emulator for QL that runs in DOS mode on a PC. It was created by Marcel Kilgus at the age of 16. He has been much involved with Sinclair computers since he was 8. Anyone who wants to read more about this very remarkable young man may go to his web site at http://www.kilgus.net
When QPC2 for Windows first became available, a copy of QPC1 was bundled with it for some time, but was no longer available when I ordered my QPC2 v.3.02 upgrade from Jochen Merz Software. I kept copies of QPC1 to use on my Windows 95/DOS computer with a Canon 210 printer for two reasons. The first is that, while QPC2 may be used under any Windows version 95 through XP, it requires an installation of DirectX, which Windows 95 does not have but can be downloaded from the Microsoft site. Also, a true DOS mode is not available in any Windows version from 98 onward.
More importantly, the ESC/P2 printer standard required by programs written for the QL (and also older DOS programs) is no longer supported on most printers made since Windows 98 came out. This is not the fault of QPC2, and a third-party programmer is currently working on an emulator that will translate printer data to that which a non-ESC/P2 printer can understand. In the meantime I simply use a floppy to transfer to my QPC1 setup any file from QPC2 that I want to print.
The installation of QPC2 on my Windows 98 SE computer was quite simple and painless. The first time it is started, either from a Shortcut icon or from Programs, a configuration screen comes up. The dialog offers adjustment of screen resolution and every other adjustment and default setting that is available. If the screen is left at the default of 512 X 256 for the classic QL display, when QPC2 is running it can be made to fill the entire screen by doing a mouse click on the Windows Maximize button in the top-right corner. The mouse is also available for use in any QL program that is written for it. SMSQ/E SBASIC has added and extended many commands.
Most important in the configuration process is to define the WIN drives that are to be used to store and access programs and data files in their respective folders. Floppy drive A: is FLP1 and the default setting will look first for a BOOT file there and then, if none is found, in a designated WIN drive. WIN drives 1-8 are available. I have the following definitions:
Win1 C:QXL.WIN for the main hard drive Win2 D:QXL.WIN for my 250 Mb. ZIP drive Win3 E:QXL.WIN for my primary CD drive Win4 F:QXL.WIN for my CD-RW drive
If the hard drive is partitioned, as the one is that I use with my QPC1 setup, the WIN drive numbers are adjusted accordingly. QXL.WIN is the default name given to a big empty file created under QPC (5 Mb. to 100 Mb. or more) within which QL programs and data files are stored and accessed. It is interesting that the same technique is used by Roxio DirectCD to create an empty 700 Mb. Read/Write/Re-Write file on a CD-RW disc within which QPC may then create its own QXL.WIN file. The data files on the ZIP drive I use with QPC1 may be used with QPC2 and vice versa. One 52 Mb. QXL.WIN file on a ZIP cartridge contains all the programs and files I had on microdrives and floppies up to the time I started using QPC1. In effect, with all the replaceable capacity of both ZIP and CD-RW drives, it is like having unlimited storage for more than I’ll ever have time or ambition to do!
Robert D. Hartung
[address omitted]
[phone number omitted]