XU1541 on a Windows 11 PC: Backing up Commodore floppy disks with OpenCBM (including the pitfalls I typically encounter)<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
The XU1541 is one of those pieces of hardware that\u2019s easy to underestimate \u2013 until you find yourself holding an old 5.25-inch floppy disk again and realise: now would really be a good time to finally back up the data. That\u2019s exactly why the XU1541 has been in my collection for quite some time. It connects a genuine Commodore floppy drive (1541\/1571\/1581) to a modern PC via USB using the IEC bus. This allows me to back up floppy contents, restore images or simply transfer files. And above all: I can rescue floppy disks before they finally give up the ghost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Context and a brief history<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
In the past, connecting to a PC often involved using a cable from the X1541 family \u2013 in other words, parallel port solutions. Depending on the PC, chipset and operating system, this would sometimes work brilliantly \u2013 or not at all. By the time physical parallel ports had disappeared from modern hardware, the matter was settled as far as I was concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The XU1541 is the USB solution to this problem: USB on the PC, IEC on the drive. Later, more advanced versions such as the XUM1541 and ZoomFloppy were introduced, offering additional features depending on the intended use. For everyday use (floppy disk \u2194 D64, reading directories, copying files), however, the XU1541 is exactly what I need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What I do with the XU1541 (and what I don\u2019t)<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Typical tasks I handle:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Backing up floppy disks as D64 files<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Writing D64 images to real floppy disks<\/li>\n\n\n\n
What you shouldn\u2019t realistically expect:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Specialised archiving at the nibble level and unusual copy protection scenarios (this is a topic in its own right and depends heavily on the hardware and toolchain)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Requirements: Hardware \u2013 a quick rundown<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Floppy drive with its own power supply (the XU1541 is powered via USB, but the floppy drive isn't, of course)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
IEC cable connected correctly<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Drive switched on<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Device number is usually 8 (if changed, adjust accordingly)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
OpenCBM is the key in Windows 11<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Unter Windows l\u00e4uft praktisch alles \u00fcber OpenCBM. Das Paket bringt die Treiber\/Anbindung und die wichtigsten Tools mit, z. B. cbmctrl<\/code> and d64copy<\/code>. Without OpenCBM, the XU1541 is essentially unusable on Windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Windows 11 setup that has worked reliably for me<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most important point: the correct folder (amd64) OpenCBM often comes with two subfolders:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
amd64<\/code> = 64-bit tools (the right approach for me on Windows 11)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
i386<\/code> = 32-Bit-Tools<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
And this was precisely one of the most common causes of error messages for me: if you start OpenCBM \u2018somehow\u2019 or Windows picks up a different version from the PATH, you get errors like \u2018NO PLUGIN DRIVER!\u2019 \u2013 because the plugins\/DLLs can\u2019t be found or simply the wrong files are being used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I simply remember this: I run OpenCBM commands from the folder where cbmctrl.exe<\/code> is actually located \u2013 in my case:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
...\\opencbm\\amd64\\<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Start the installation specifically for XU1541: instcbm xu1541 I open Windows Terminal or CMD as an administrator, navigate to the amd64<\/code> folder and install the XU1541 plugin specifically:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
cd \/d C:\\temp\\opencbm\\amd64\ninstcbm xu1541\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Important: When I tried to copy the DLL to C:\\Windows\\System32\\<\/code>, it initially failed (\u201cFAILED!\u201d). This wasn\u2019t an OpenCBM issue, but rather a lack of administrator rights. The installation only went through successfully once the terminal was actually running \u201cas administrator\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Check whether the connection is working After installation, I check:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
cbmctrl detect\ncbmctrl dir 8\ncbmctrl status 8\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n\nXU1541 – cbmctrl detect<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nXU1541 – cbmctrl status 8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nXU1541 – cbmctrl dir 8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
If works for you, then the biggest hurdle is out of the way. From there on, it almost gets a bit boring \u2013 and that\u2019s exactly how it should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Backing up and restoring a floppy disk (Practical guide) Floppy disk \u2192 Backing up to D64:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I like to check images straight away in the emulator (mount them, browse the directory) before archiving them. Especially with old media, you sometimes only realise on second glance whether everything has actually been read correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CBMXfer \/ CBM-Transfer on Windows 11: convenient, but with two common pitfalls If you don\u2019t want to be constantly working with the command line, you\u2019ll soon find yourself using CBMXfer (or \u2018CBM-Transfer\u2019). It\u2019s handy \u2013 but on Windows 11, I\u2019ve come across two common issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
comdlg32.ocx is missing (start-up error) CBMXfer is an older 32-bit tool and requires VB6 components. In my case, comdlg32.ocx<\/code> was missing. I found the file in the download CBM-Transfer100-setup.zip<\/code>. I then integrated it as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Copy file to: C:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\comdlg32.ocx<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Then register as an administrator (important: use the 32-bit regsvr32 from SysWOW64):<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Damit startete CBMXfer bei mir ohne die OCX-Fehlermeldung.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In CBMXfer, the OpenCBM path must be correct CBMXfer ultimately works with the OpenCBM tools. Therefore, in CBMXfer, the path must point to the folder containing cbmctrl.exe<\/code>. On Windows 11, this is where it is for me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you accidentally enter the root folder (...\\opencbm\\<\/code>) or the 32-bit folder (...\\i386\\<\/code>) here, it can quickly appear as though \u201cthe drive cannot be found\u201d \u2013 even though OpenCBM is actually installed correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Problem \u2192 Cause \u2192 Solution (from my experience)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NO PLUGIN DRIVER! Cause: OpenCBM is being launched from the wrong folder (not ...\\amd64\\<\/code>) or Windows is launching a different cbmctrl.exe<\/code> from the PATH. Solution: Navigate to ...\\amd64\\<\/code> and launch it from there. To check: where cbmctrl<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
error: no xum1541 device found Cause: Incorrect plugin\/adapter mode (xum instead of xu) or the driver binding is incorrect. Solution: Install specifically for XU1541: instcbm xu1541<\/code> (as an administrator, from ...\\amd64\\<\/code>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Copying DLL to System32 FAILED Cause: Installation not performed with administrator rights (or blocked by Windows security). Solution: Start the terminal as an administrator and run instcbm xu1541<\/code> again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CBMXfer: comdlg32.ocx is missing Cause: missing 32-bit VB6 component on Windows 11. Solution: comdlg32.ocx<\/code> from CBM-Transfer100-setup.zip<\/code> to C:\\Windows\\SysWOW64\\<\/code> and register it using SysWOW64\\regsvr32.exe<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CBMXfer cannot find the drive Cause: Incorrect OpenCBM path in CBMXfer (Root or i386 instead of amd64). Solution: Set the OpenCBM path in CBMXfer to ...\\opencbm\\amd64\\<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If CBMXfer suddenly stops recognising the drive despite the settings being correct, simply restarting the computer has usually been enough for me to get Windows to properly re-detect the USB driver\/adapter.<\/p>\n\n\n
\nXU1541 – XU1541 zusammen mit 1541-II<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
For me, the XU1541 is a reliable bridge between a genuine Commodore floppy drive and a modern Windows 11 PC. Once OpenCBM is properly installed (and you\u2019ve noted the amd64<\/code> path), the key functions run with surprising stability: reading directories, backing up D64 files, and writing D64 files back to the drive. And for those who prefer clicking to typing, you can use CBMXfer \u2013 though on Windows 11 you should know how to install the missing comdlg32.ocx<\/code> and set the OpenCBM path correctly.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
XU1541 am Windows-11-PC: Commodore-Disketten mit OpenCBM sichern (inkl. meiner typischen Stolperfallen) Das XU1541 ist so ein St\u00fcck Hardware, das man leicht untersch\u00e4tzt \u2013 bis man \u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Neuer Artikel auf Jungsis Corner: XU1541 am Windows-11-PC. Ich zeige, wie ich Commodore-Floppies (1541 etc.) mit OpenCBM sichere, worauf man beim Pfad (amd64 bzw. je nach CBMXfer-Version i386) achten muss und welche typischen Fehlerbilder es gibt, inklusive comdlg32.ocx-Thema.\nhttps:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/xu1541-commodore-64\/\n\n#Commodore64 #C64 #1541 #Retrocomputing #OpenCBM #XU1541","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[4737],"class_list":["post-27433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-c64","tag-hardware"],"modified_by":"Jungsi","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/XU1541-schraeg.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4eXvk-78t","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6905,"url":"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/en\/rr-net-mk3-retro-c64\/","url_meta":{"origin":27433,"position":0},"title":"RR-Net MK3 [Commodore 64]","author":"Jungsi","date":"20. 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![\"XU1541](\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/XU1541-cbmctrl-detect.jpg\")
![\"XU1541](\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/XU1541-cbmctrl-status-8.jpg\")
![\"XU1541](\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/XU1541-cbmctrl-dir-8.jpg\")
![\"XU1541](\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/XU1541-d64copy-8.jpg\")
![\"XU1541](\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/XU1541-CBM-Transfer-1024x691.jpg\")
![\"XU1541](\"https:\/\/www.jungsi.de\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/XU1541-XU1541-zusammen-mit-1541-II-768x1024.jpg\")