ZX Spectrum 128k R Tape Loading Error
The amount of times my 8 year old self was haunted by the message 'R Tape Loading Error' is actually criminal. The ZX Spectrum 128k tape loader was my very first computer- and maybe due to its primitive nature, the reliability was a little, let's say... off. My parents bought it when I was approximately aged 3, however why I would use it at this age is completely beyond me. Apparently I used to pull it out from the behind the sofa, plug it into the mains, plug the adapter into the TV set and at least get the blurry start up screen on. I have written about the ZX Spectrum before and my love hate relationship with it before. You can read that article here at least it shows I actually have abiding memories on the topic.
ZX Spectrum 128k tape loader breakage worries
My main fear with the ZX Spectrum 128k, obviously after I was three years old ( I have a three year old currently and even though he is clever, he wouldn't be able to set up a spectrum), was the dreaded R Tape Loading Error message that would flash up pretty much any time I tried to load a game up.
I'd race back from Boots in the Millgate, Bury, having purchased Dizzy Quiksnax for literally £2.99, smash the tape into the tape loader, enter the loading code then press play (yes press play) on the cassette player and pray to Sir Clive Sinclair that it would load.
What would follow would be 20 minutes of screeching and random coloured lines at the edges of the screen whilst I had my face buried into my Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles pillow, hardly able to watch.
When the screeching stopped it meant one of two things. It had loaded. Or...
R TAPE LOADING ERROR...
Did they ever load?
The answer to this question is yes. But there seemed to be no rhyme, rhythm or pattern to whether the games loaded. Some games never loaded. Some games sometimes loaded. Some games loaded all of the time. Then it would on certain occasions, when it was a full moon, nothing would ever load to matter how much or what different techniques you tried- trust me- I tried everything.
Personally, I'd say the games loaded about 50% of the time- imagine that now with the modern gaming facilities we have.
I always look back at the ZX Spectrum days with fondness, however, I think the reality was a little different and alot more frustrating than I remember. Hmmm- a game that took twenty minutes to load and that was only if you were lucky. I can't imagine why they didn't take off...
You can find out alot more about the ZX Spectrum 128k here and from people who know loads more than I do
Comments
Post a Comment