Date   : Sun, 06 Feb 2000 23:32:24 +0000
From   : Philip Blundell <Philip.Blundell@...>
Subject: Re: More tiny problems... 

>Hoping someone can help...I've just been given a BBC Master which switches
>on in *TAPE mode, meaning I have to type *DISK to get the disk filing system
>going. Is there a simple fix to get it immediately in disk mode?

*roms
*configure file n

where n is the ROM number of DFS.  I have a vague feeling it might be 9 but 
don't trust me on that.

>Will the battery dying stop the machine running normally in the future?

It'll tend to lose its configuration settings.

>Also - weren't BBC Master's supposed to have 128K? So why, when I type PRINT
>HIMEM-TOP, do I get the same value of memory space as a 32K BBC B?

The 6502 can only address 64k at a time.  The extra memory in the Master was 
partially shadow RAM (meaning that you don't lose application space in a 
"large" screen mode; you will have the same value of PAGE in mode 0 as in mode 
7) and partially sideways RAM (which you can use to soft-load ROM images).  
There were also a few other small bits and pieces like the area set aside for 
filesystems, which again prevents PAGE rising when filesystems other than TAPE 
are in use.

>Lastly - why is the colour TV signal so bad from BBC Micro's? Is there any
>fairly simple way of improving it (or does anyone know where there is a
>cheap supply of colour monitors)?

Using a TV as a monitor is never going to give a good picture.  You should be 
able to pick up a BBC-style RGB monitor for next to nothing - try 
the uk.adverts.computer and comp.sys.acorn.misc newsgroups.

p.