MESS non-problems

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TI-99/8(e) does not start up

Symptom: When trying to start the TI-99/8, the screen stays black.
Reason: Probably you are using a broken ROM. Some servers offer 99/8 ROMs which have no proper ROM or GROM dump. When you unpack the zip file, check whether 998rom.bin or 998grom.bin only contains the hex bytes de, ad, be, ef, repeated (to be read as "dead beef"). This means the ROM was not dumped. You need a proper ROM. Get in contact with us.

The ROM we are using is for 99/8 only. The European version (99/8e) does not work with this ROM.

Dead keys on emulated keyboard

Symptom: Especially on international keyboards (like the German keyboard layout), some keys are dead which are required in the emulation.
Reason: These keys are not listed in the hardcoded default setting.
Solution: Use a suitable keymap. Recent MESS distributions should contain keymap files. In Linux it is recommended to use the options -keymap and -keymap_file <file>

Emulator does not start with HSGPL

Symptom: If the HSGPL switch is set in the menu, the emulator does not start up; only a black screen.
Reason: ROMs are missing. These ROMs do not ship with MESS.
Solution: Contact the manufacturer of the HSGPL card to get a copy of the ROM.

Can't find the settings menu in SDLMESS

Symptom: Unlike the Windows version, SDLMESS does not show a menu bar.
Solution: Use Scroll-Lock to switch to Partial Mode, then press TAB. You will get an On-Screen-Display menu. Press Scroll-Lock later to turn on the full keyboard emulation.

MESS does not find the ROM files

Symptom: MESS says it cannot find the game.
Reason: ROM files are missing, or the ROM folder has not been set in the ini file.
Solution: Check whether the desired ROM files are present. MESS does not ship with any ROMs, so try to find them on the net somewhere. (Note that you should have the real hardware to avoid being called a pirate.) Put the ROM files (zip file, like ti99_4ae.zip) in a folder, and set the rompath in the mess.ini file to that folder. If you don't have an ini file, you should create it using mess -createconfig.

Cannot save programs to Mini Memory (0.130 and earlier)

Symptom: Trying to load a previously saved BASIC Program from Mini Memory gives an I/O 57 error.
Reason: No RAM file in cartridge space.
Solution: Load a dummy file to cartridge slot 3 which matches the pattern "*m.bin", like "memorym.bin". This enables Mini Memory handling. Note: This is only valid for MESS versions < 0.131.

Mouse does not work

Symptom: Neither the Mechatronics Mouse nor the Geneve mouse are working.
Reason: Mouse is not activated.
Solution: In mess.ini, set mouse to 1 or use "-mouse" as argument on startup.

Console reset when loading from disk in Editor/Assembler

Symptom: The TI-99/4A resets (emulated reset) when loading a file into the editor or on related activities.
Reason: Disk is unreadable in some areas. Either there are actually bad sectors, or the disk controller cannot read this format.
Solution: Check whether you are using a disk controller which can read the format. The TI disk controller cannot read DSDD disks, take the HFDC.

Cartridge does not appear in selection list (new cartridge system)

Symptom: Although the cartridge is loaded, it does not show up in the selection list.
Reason: The cartridge may be a ROM-only cartridge without GROM. In that case, the automatic cartridge system does not see it.
Solution: Change the cartslot dip switch to the respective slot. This disables the automatic cartridge selection.

Parsec only runs in cartridge slot 1 (new cartridge system)

Symptom: Parsec crashes when executed, being plugged into a higher slot
Reason: This is actually a bug in Parsec. The programmers hard-coded the GROM base (9800) in one or more program lines, instead of using the indirect addressing.
Solution: Use Parsec in slot 1, or select the slot by number with the DIP switch. Or fix Parsec.

Harddisk image not mounted

Symptom: Harddisk image (*.hd) cannot be mounted.
Reason: CHD format for HD images may have changed.
Solution: Use chdman to update the HD image.