Troubleshooting program loading

Tape loading errors

Flash loading and edge detection can cause problems with the loaders of some esoteric games. Always try loading problem games with first flashloading then edge detection disabled.

Missing stop blocks

The most frequently encountered problem occurs when an audio cassette file does not tell Spectaculator to stop playback when it should.

Symptoms include:

  • No sound.

  • The screen update appears jerky or the program runs too fast.

  • The keyboard is overly responsive

If the playback icon, image1 and/or Warp mode icon image2, are still visible once the program has loaded, click the stop button on the cassette recorder or press Ctrl+Space on the keyboard.

Auto play/stop problems

Occasionally, you may come accross an audio cassette file where auto play/stop does not work as expected. In this case, you should disable auto play/stop by clicking the auto play/stop button, image3, and use the cassette recorder to control playback manually.

Multiface issues

If a program crashes while loading, make sure you disable the Multiface. Many custom loaders attempt to detect the Multiface. If they find it, they will crash the Spectrum immediately.