Diagnostic Command is it Bugged?
Back in the 80's I created a Disk Protection system, exploiting a potential bug in the Firmware of the µPD765A Disk Controller. Looking into this more with todays tools, it seems that the disk record and this specific command isn't implemented as per the specification. Is it my misunderstanding or is there a bug that's gone unnoticed?
µPD765A Disc Controller – Primer
The µPD765A was a prevalent Floppy Disk Controller for many a home computer in the 80's. The Amstrad CPC was no exception. This is a primer for Writing Z80 assembler to access the controller direct. that I'll use for later articles on old school hacking. Want to know more?
Amstrad and ZX Spectrum DSK Tool
I found myself needing a command line tool to investigate and extract files from DSK Image files used by Emulators, after archiving my own 1980's hack disks. I wrote my own and made it opensource for you to use, amend or even improve on if it helps your projects.
DiscSys – XOR
DiscSys was a commonly used Disk Protection format in the 80s for the Amstrad CPC. For a protection system it was very basic, relying on modifying track and sector information to non standard formats to prevent copying with the supplied tools. Though it was very trivial to bypass the protection system and copy the disk anyway. Whilst reminiscing about the past, I discovered a small flaw with implementation in the game XOR, here's what I found...
Speedlock 1987
Speedlock '87 was a prolific Tape Protection System and Turbo Load for the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum. In this post I look at the protection system and how to hack to it using the same tools available to me in 1987 as a young teenager.
GBA Manic Miner and Epilogues GB Operator
Want the passwords for the GameBoy Advance Manic Miner Cartridge? Well we've got you covered!
NOVALOAD – Commodore Speed Load and Protection System Hacked.
NOVALOAD Turbo Load and Protection system was ubiquitous on Commodore machines back in the day. I take a look back at how I hacked the protection system when I was around 13 years old, though today using modern day tools. Revisiting my past exploits and sharing information with the greater audience. If you're a fan of the C16 and Mr Puniverse then take a look and follow me!
MegaVault Hack – Part 2 – Creating a Loader
Following on from the Back to Basics article, in Part 2 I'll show how to create a custom loader for MegaVault that we hacked. Additionally we'll create an old-school magazine style type-in for cheating on original hardware and cassette.
Back to Basics
Have you ever wondered how it all started? In today's blog article I go back to the basics of hacking and how I got started. Except with the benefit of using modern tools/emulators to walk you through hacking an assembly language game.
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