Clone Buster Cartridge

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Steverd

In 1986 this ad appeared by Micro-W. I almost missed this at the bottom of the ad: The NEW CLONE BUSTER cartridge for the 64. It goes on to say that it is the best memory capture device available. Snapshot your software and save it out to standard Commodore DOS. This will back-up most 64 software and remove the annoying error tracks and difficult to load protection.

“Ron Smith: …Codebuster/SNAPSHOT 64 was rom based while all of the Super Snapshot series was rom and ram. The product was also sold for a very short time under the name of Clonebuster (or something like that … it was a US company and we parted ways quite quickly)….”
Here are PDF instructions: Clonebuster_Instructions

Photo’s by Jim Drew

Diskbusters

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Steverd

Diskbusters

Did anyone have a copy of this program? Of course from the ads image it’s a play on Ghostbusters, the movie that came out in 1984. If you haven’t seen it, watch it, it’s a classic. But the ad does state that it’s “For Professional Paranormal Disk Back-up Copying”. Well that sounds very interesting and wish I could find a copy of it now.

VERSION #2 came out in 1986.
Now with parameters to Zap though over 100 new protection scheme.

TWO DRIVE Adapter Pak is dated 1987, This was release towards the final days of Disk Buster’s. Images are below!

My screen shows:

The below images are Courtesy of Jim Drew.

KJ Hacker’s Utility Kit

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Steverd

Kracker Jax Presents Hacker’s Utility Kit – 1987
This ad was from Software Support International. This disk contained a ‘Whole Disk Scanner”, a Density Scanner which you can see from my photos. GCR Editor, Fast Data Copier, Nibbler, Byte Pattern Finder, Custom Copier, Machine Language Monitor, Fast Formatter, and much more!

Legacy-Ancients Code Wheel

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Steverd

LEGACY of the ANCIENTS Code Wheel

This is a Role-Playing game, developed by Quest Software and published by Electronic Arts, and released in 1987.

Like most Electronic Arts C64 disk there is copy protection on the disk, but the game also uses an off disk protection – the Code Wheel.

The game ask the player to match a gemstone (smaller top wheel) and the name of a world on which another branch of the Galactic Museum exists (the bottom wheel). Then you have to enter the six digit code from the requested RING number.

I did not have this code wheel, but thanks and credits to Moloch here it is in PDF: Legacy-Ancients-CW

or a PNG: lota-codewheel.ZIP

Magic Johnson Code Sheet

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Steverd

Magic Johnson MVP Code Sheet

This is a harder to find basketball game published in 1990 by Virgin Mastertronic. The disk does not have any copy protection, but after the boot up screen the program goes to the “User Verification Sequence” screen see the image below.

I could find a list of codes online, BUT it is not complete, it only contains about 1/2 the codes used in this program.

Again thanks to: Craig A. Ernster we now have a complete list of codes used. Download the PDF HERE:MAGIC MVP Johnson Sheet

Hillsfar – Code Wheel

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Steverd

Hillsfar Code Wheel

Hillsfar was a fantast role playing adventure game by Strategic Simulations, Inc (SSI). SSI use code wheel protection look up on a few other of their game releases.

Surprisingly, I couldn’t find a scan of Hillsfar code wheel online already. I was about to sacrifice my personal copy but Craig sent me his scans.

So here it is, printout and cut out – enjoy!

Hillsfar codewheel: Hillsfar Codewheel
Thanks & Credits to: Craig A. Ernster

How about a TIF file of it?
Hillsfar Codewheel-TIF

C64 Copy Protection

Documenting the History of the Commodore 64 protection scene