Commodore 64 User manual

BY THE EDITORS OF CONSUMER GUIDE"
THE USER'S GUIDE TO
COMMODORE 64
& VIC 20
COMPUTERS,
SOFTWARE,* PERIPHERALS
LEARN HOW TO USE YOUR COMPUTER

~
Copyright 38 1983 by Publications International, Ltd.
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced or
quoted in whole or in part by mimeograph or any other
printed means or for presentation on radio, television,
videotape, or film without written permission from:
Louis Weber, President
Publications International, Ltd.
3841 West Oakton Street _
Skokie, Illinois 60076
Permission is never granted for commercial purposes.
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 98765432 I
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 83-62111
ISBN: 0-517-41447-3
This edition published by:
Beekman House
Distributed by Crown Publishers, Inc.
One Park Avenue
New York, New York 10016
Writers: Jim and Ellen Strasma
Educational Consultant: Fred D'lgnazio
Design' Jeff Hapner
Photography: Donna Preis and George Siede
The prices listed in this book were accurate at the time of
printing; prices are subject to change.
u

BY THE EDITORS OF CONSUMER GUIDE
THE USER'S GUIDE TO
COMMODORE 64
& VIC 20
COMPUTERS,
SOFTWARE, & PERIPHERALS
*
BEEKMAN HOUSE
New York

~
Copyright 38 1983 by Publications International, Ltd.
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced or
quoted in whole or in part by mimeograph or any other
printed means or for presentation on radio, television,
videotape, or film without written permission from:
Louis Weber, President
Publications International, Ltd.
3841 West Oakton Street _
Skokie, Illinois 60076
Permission is never granted for commercial purposes.
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 98765432 I
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 83-62111
ISBN: 0-517-41447-3
This edition published by:
Beekman House
Distributed by Crown Publishers, Inc.
One Park Avenue
New York, New York 10016
Writers: Jim and Ellen Strasma
Educational Consultant: Fred D'lgnazio
Design' Jeff Hapner
Photography: Donna Preis and George Siede
The prices listed in this book were accurate at the time of
printing; prices are subject to change.
u

CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
WELCOME TO HOME COMPUTING
By using this book to learn about your system, you will be well on the way to many
happy hours of home computing.
CHAPTER 2
GETTING STARTED
You'll learn about what you need to assemble your basic computer system. Then you'll go
step-by-step through the details of setting it up.
CHAPTER 3
MEET THE KEYS
Each and every key on your keyboard is presented here, complete with exercises to teach
you how the keys work. Detailed photographs show you how your screen will look as
you work through the exercises.
CHAPTER 4
PERIPHERALS-
EXPANDING YOUR SYSTEM
So you want your new system to do even more for you? Here's the background informa
tion you need to decide what additional equipment you might want to buy.
• Troubleshooting Guide • List of Commands
CHAPTER 5
SOFTWARE 67
Software programs also expand your system's capabilities. Here are some software pack
ages you might use for various kinds of purposes.
CHAPTER 6
YOUR COMPUTER'S NETWORK 75
Many resources are available to help you get the most from your computer system. You
can share all sorts of information with other computer users and with national information
banks as well.

CHAPTER I
WELCOME TO HOME COMPUTING
Computers are truly changing our world.
Many people believe that computers are creat
ing a revolution as dramatic as the Industrial
Revolution several hundred years ago. One of
the most amazing products of our decade is
the home computer. For a price that barely
would have bought a calculator a decade ago,
you can now buy a home computer that is
more powerful than the room-filling computers
of just a few years ago. Even more amazing
are the uses that people are finding for these
new computers.
Now that you are the proud owner of a VIC
20 or a Commodore 64 home computer, you
have entered the exciting world of computers.
You will find that learning to use your com
puter is not as difficult as you may have
thought. One of the main claims Commodore
makes about its computers is that they are
user friendly. This means that these computers
are simple to use. You do not need to learn
the hundreds of secret passwords and cryptic
commands that made the early large com
puters so difficult to understand.
With the VIC 20 and Commodore 64 com
puters, you can use just a few simple instruc
tions to tell your computer what to do. If you
make a mistake, the computer lets you know
immediately and the problem is usually easy to
correct. In fact, because the VIC 20 and Com
modore 64 computers are so simple to use,
you will feel confident in knowing the basics
after only a few hours of using your computer!
This User's Guide will help you to get started
using your VIC 20 or Commodore 64 com
puter. Through a combination of reading
about your computer and doing some simple
exercises, you will learn how to get the most
out of your computer in a short amount of
time. Before you begin, though, take a few
minutes to learn about the capabilities of your
computer.
MEET THE VIC 20 AND
COMMODORE 64 COMPUTERS
The VIC 20 and the Commodore 64 com
puters are similar in many ways. Both com
puters use similar keyboards to instruct the
computer to do something. When you type
instructions, you use the same language for
both computers: Microsoft BASIC. This lan
guage is simply a set of words and phrases
that your computer has been programmed to
understand. When you type any of these
words or phrases (called commands) into the
computer, it automatically follows your instruc
tions. Both computers use similar accessories.
and both display messages—yours and the
computer's—on a TV screen or a monitor.
The main difference lies in how much each
computer can do. Each computer has a certain
amount of memory, which allows it to store
information. For computers, memory is mea
sured in units called bytes. Bytes are like mail
box slots that hold information. One byte
holds one character (one letter, number, or
symbol) of information. One kilobyte [or/CJ is
equal to approximately 1,000 bytes. The VIC
20 has 5K of memory, while the 64, quite
aptly, has 64K of memory.
What does this considerable difference in
memory mean? The larger the memory, the
more information the computer can hold. The
Commodore 64, therefore, can store larger
programs than the VIC 20 can. A program is
simply a series of instructions that tells the
computer how to perform specific tasks—like
keeping track of a budget, teaching a foreign
language, or playing a game. You can always
add more units of memory to each computer,
but as to the initial amount of memory that
comes with each, the 64's memory is much
larger than the VIC's. Because of this differ
ence, more complicated programs are available
for the 64 computer than for the VIC.
Both the VIC 20 [which we'll simply call the
VIC) and the Commodore 64 (which we'll call
the 64J have the capabilities to display pictures
and shapes. This is known as graphics
capabilities. While both computers are able
to produce a variety of graphics, the 64 is
capable of doing more with graphics than is
the VIC.
The same is true for sound. While both com
puters have the capabilities to produce sound,
more can be done with sound on the 64
because of its larger memory.
Despite this difference in memory, both the
VIC and the 64 are quite capable computers
that can perform a variety of tasks. In addition,
both computers are able to use different colors
(if you have them hooked up to a color TV or
a color monitor). While the 64 can use more
colors than the VIC, both can use enough
colors to make striking pictures—important for
both interesting educational programs and
exciting games.

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH YOUR
COMPUTER?
Briefly, computers can do two things: calculate
and make decisions. Of the two, it is decision-
making capabilities that set a true computer
apart from pocket calculators. Let's say you
need something done. Can the computer do
it? To find out, see if you can describe your
chore as a list of actions and decisions. If so,
there is a fair chance that a computer can per
form the task.
Of course, some tasks would take more time
or money than they are worth. But don't let
that stop you from thinking about using a
computer to perform the task, History is full of
people doing the impossible, finding new solu
tions to age-old problems.
YOU CAN BUY PACKAGED SOFTWARE
FOR YOUR COMPUTER FOR
DIFFERENT PURPOSES
Your VIC or 64 computer can do many things
without you having to write the instructions
(programs! yourself. Since Commodore com
puters have been sold to more than a million
people over the past several years, you can
benefit from what others have done with their
computers. When a person figures out a series
of instructions that make the computer do
something interesting or useful, the instruc
tions can be saved on a cassette or a floppy
diskette for later use. You can then buy such a
program, called a software program, for a rea
sonable cost. Thus a program that one person
has developed can benefit thousands of peo
ple, especially newcomers who don't know
how to write complicated programs but still
want to use them. Most of these programs are
easy to use. Many give you instructions for
using the program right on the screen as you
go along, There are programs available for
many different purposes.
You Can Use Planning and Budgeting
Programs
There are software programs available for the
VIC and 64 computers that allow you to make
budgets, perform calculations automatically,
and use spreadsheets right on the screen.
These programs can be used for business pur
poses or simply to figure out the family
budget.
Or Write Letters and Documents
Word processing software programs let you
use your computer as a typewriter—and a lot
more. Word processing lets you type letters,
documents, and reports into the computer.
You can view your work on the screen and
make any changes you want—before printing
anything on paper. You can also save your
work on a cassette or diskette so that you
can use it again and again. By using word
processing software with your computer, you
can easily correct mistakes, move paragraphs,
adjust word spacing. You can give your busi
ness letters or school papers the finished look
of well-printed books. And again, this software
is available at reasonable costs for your VIC or
64 computer.
Or Just Have Fun
There are a variety of games available for your
VIC or 64 computer. You will learn more
about these games, as well as about other
types of software programs available, in Chap
ter 5, "Software."
WHAT IS COMPUTER LITERACY?
Imagine living before there was public educa
tion. Picture yourself unable to read, in a
world where people with power and influence
read well. To make knowledge and skills avail
able to everyone, universal education was
made a national priority. Literacy—knowing
how to read and write—became essential to
most jobs and to everyday living.
Now we need another kind of literacy: com
puter literacy. Not everyone will need to learn
how to program a computer, any more than
everyone has to be a mechanic in order to
drive a car. However, it is becoming essential
for everyone to be at least familiar with com
puters and to be able to use them. The use of
computers has increased dramatically since
World War II, Now there are computers in
cars, coffee pots, and even thermostats, not to
mention computer-like calculators and
watches. Beyond this, computers are assisting
in nearly every line of work, both changing
and eliminating many jobs. As a result, many
people must learn about computers if only out
of necessity—to keep themselves employable.
COMPUTER LITERACY AND YOU
Now that you have your own computer, you
can learn to use it well and join the world of
computer literacy. After some time of using
other people's programs, you may study their
methods and develop new ideas of your own.
Eventually, you may want to write some pro
grams to make your computer do exactly what
you want it to do. You may even be able to
share or sell your ideas, and turn your com
puter into a business, as thousands of other
people have in the past few years.
So what are we waiting for? Let's get startedl

CHAPTER 2
GETTING STARTED
In addition to your VIC or 64, there are sev
eral items you will need in order to use the
computer. The essential items are discussed in
this chapter. Other equipment that you even
tually may want to have, but that is not nec
essary for just starting out, is discussed in
Chapter 4, "Peripherals."
YOU NEED A TV OR A MONITOR
When you use your computer, you need a
screen on which to view your messages to the
computer and the computer's messages to
you. If you are using a television set, you can
use either a black-and-white or color set. Or,
you may prefer to use a special type of TV
called a monitor. For just starting out, how
ever, you may want to use your family TV set,
since this means one less item to purchase.
Whether you use a black-and-white or color
screen should depend on your needs. Since
one of the nicest features of the VIC and 64 is
their use of color, many people prefer using a
color TV or monitor—especially for the variety
of games and other programs that use color.
On the other hand, if most of your work is
with text and figures, you may want a black-
and-white TV or a monochrome (single-color)
monitor. If you need to display up to 80 col
umns on the screen instead of the usual 22
columns (on the VIC) or 40 columns [on the
64), you will have to use a black-and-white
or monochrome monitor, since a TV or color
monitor cannot display more than 40 columns.
For monochrome monitors, the most readable
colors are amber and green.
YOU NEED SOFTWARE
When you use your VIC or 64 by itself, you
are using the computer's hardware. As soon as
you turn on your computer, you can communi
cate with it by typing messages in its lan
guage, Microsoft BASIC, which is built right
into the computer.
When you use a program that is outside of the
computer, you are using software. Software
programs come in three formats for the VIC
and 64: cartridges, cassettes, and diskettes. In
addition, when you create your own programs
or type letters and reports, you can store your
work on a blank cassette or diskette.
Cartridges: Self-Contained Software
Cartridges are programs stored inside small
boxes that plug into the large expansion slot
of your VIC or 64. These programs are com
pletely self-contained and usually cannot be
altered. When you turn on your computer, the
instructions in the program are automatically
loaded (entered) into the computer. You may
find that cartridges are the easiest way to start
using your computer. However, cartridge pro
grams are relatively expensive (about S25 per
program for most games).
The computer must be turned off when a car
tridge is put in or taken out. When you plug
in the cartridge of your choice and turn on
your VIC or 64, the computer is automatically
turned over to the cartridge's program—the
computer cannot do anything else.
When you want to save your own work for
later use, however, your best bet is a cassette
or a diskette. This is because you cannot buy
blank cartridges to store information or pro
grams. And if you are allowed to save your
work on a program cartridge, there usually is
not much storage space available.
Cassettes: For Commercial Programs
and Your Own Work
When buying commercial software programs,
cassettes are the least expensive type of soft
ware to buy, ranging in price from about $5
to S30 per cassette. You will need a cassette
player to use cassettes. The cassette player lets
you load programs from a cassette into the
computer. It also lets you record information
you've put into the computer onto a cassette.
If you are using cassettes, you will most likely
want to get Commodore's Model 1530 Datas-
sette tape recorder. Although it works like an
ordinary cassette recorder, the Datassette re
cords information digitally, which prevents any
kind of electronic interference (radio waves or
microwaves, for example) from altering your
programs when you send them from the cas
sette to the computer. It also sends your pro
grams at a greater speed than a regular
cassette player, and it tends to be much more
precise.
Software formats for the VIC and 64:
cartridges, cassettes, and diskettes.
Datassette recorder, to be used with
cassettes for the VIC and 64.

A Datassette recorder costs approximately $75,
as compared to the S35 to $45 cost for a reg
ular recorder. However, because of its advan
tages, many people consider a Datassette
worth the investment. You can purchase a
Datassette at most computer stores.
If you already have a good cassette recorder
and you don't mind connecting a few extra
cables, you can get an interface to connect
your recorder to your VIC or 64. The cassette
interface is a cable that serves as an adapter
between the computer and a standard cas
sette player. It changes the type of electrical
impulse so that the two pieces of equipment
can communicate. Suitable adapters are sold at
most stores that sell computer equipment.
Diskettes: More Storage, Higher Cost
Diskettes (sometimes called floppy disks or sim
ply disks) look like thin stereo records. Pro
grams are stored on the magnetic surface of
the disk inside the protective, nonremovable
jacket. When you buy commercial software
programs on diskettes, these programs typi
cally cost about $5 more than cassette
programs.
If you are using diskettes, you also need a
Commodore disk drive. A disk drive is like the
stereo on which you play your records. The
disk head inside the drive goes directly to the
program that you want to run—much like a
stereo needle. Loading a program into the
computer from a disk drive is much faster than
loading a program from a cassette player.
Commodore disk drive, to be used with
diskettes for the VIC and 64.
Although blank diskettes (for storing your own
data and programs) are relatively inexpensive,
blank diskettes still cost about three times as
much as blank cassettes. The disk drive itself
costs hundreds of dollars. In the long run,
however, diskettes may save you money.
Disk programs certainly have their advantages.
First, they are much faster to load into the
computer. Second, they are more reliable:
every program saved on a diskette is auto
matically verified, to make sure that the copy
matches the original. [Doing this with a cas
sette takes extra steps.) And third, each disk
ette can hold twenty or more programs, as
opposed to the recommended one program on
each side of a cassette. Therefore you will
need fewer diskettes because they can hold
more. If you create a lot of your own pro
grams or store a lot of information, diskettes
may be cheaper and more manageable than
cassettes in the long run.
Why Not Use Both Cassettes and
Diskettes?
Eventually, you may want to have both a disk
drive and a cassette recorder. You can use the
disk drive for your own programs and those
sold or exchanged on diskette, but hang on to
the cassette recorder for the many programs
available only on cassette.
This ends our list of essential equipment for
your computer. You'll read about other often-
used gear in Chapter 4, "Peripherals." You'll
also learn more about buying and using soft
ware programs in Chapter 5, "Software."
WHAT COMPONENTS COME WITH
YOUR COMPUTER?
Your computer comes with the following
components:
• The computer keyboard console, which con
tains the keyboard and the circuitry that
runs the computer.
• A TV/game switch box, which allows you to
use the TV either as a TV or as a screen for
your computer.
• A modulator (FOR THE VIC ONLY], which
you connect to both the computer and the
TV. The modulator converts the VIC's video
output into a signal that most TVs can
understand. (The modulator for the 64 is
built into the computer.)
• A hook-up cable, which connects the TV/
game switch box to the modulator {ON THE
VICJ or to the computer [ON THE 64).
• A power connector box, which connects to
the computer and an electrical outlet. This
component gives the computer the power to
run.
• An instruction book and some important
papers. Don't lose any of these, especially
the warranty card. If anything goes wrong
with your computer during the first three
months you have it, your dealer may give
you another in trade, as long as you can
prove when and where you bought it.
You will also need a television or monitor,
which lets you view what you type into the
computer, as well as the computer's responses
to you.
Now it's time to get started. The next few
pages will show you how to set up your
computer.