Amstrad PC1512 Demo Disk

I was talking to some folks at WinWorld about Amstrad system disks a couple of years ago and a very kind user there sent me a pair of disk images he’d made from some 5.25″ floppies he’d acquired from an old computer store.

One was badly corrupted (working on trying to salvage it) but the other worked fine. The guy who shared them wasn’t sure what they were, but it turns out they were “demonstration” disks made by someone (Amstrad, presumably?) to market the PC1512 and various software available for it. I assume these disks were given to computer and electronic stores to run on a desktop in-store as looping, non-interactive demos.

I’ve uploaded the disk image itself that can be used in an emulator or written to a real 5.25″ floppy for use on a real Amstrad PC1512 if you have one, but since it’s just a rolling demo with no interaction (and because it’s a fair bit of work to get a real or emulated machine of this age up and running), I’ve also recorded a video of the whole demo as it runs on PCEm (emulating a PC1512). The video is available on both YouTube and as a download (in MP4 format) for offline viewing.

DOWNLOADS:

Amstrad PC1512 Demo Disk + Extras

Amstrad PC1512 Demo Video (recording of the above for offline viewing)

Amstrad CJL & ICN Image Format Tools

A while back I posted about Amstrad’s nifty DOS shell GUI called ‘Counterpoint’.

Although Amstrad allowed you to add new icons by way of their “game packs”, there was no way to change the desktop logo except by installing the second pack which updated the Amstrad logo slightly. Counterpoint does let you create new icons within the program with a (rather limited) editor, but the icon format is not compatible with modern graphics programs, meaning that’s the *only* way to make new icons.

Until 2019, that is! See here for a discussion I had with a very cool VOGONS user named VileRancor, who kindly assisted me by creating several programs that convert some of Amstrad’s proprietary graphics formats into something that can be edited on modern systems (and back again). These include the “CJL” format images used in Amstrad’s cool custom installers for their PC4xxx, PC5xxx and Mega-PC bundled software, as well as the “ICN” icon image format used by Counterpoint.

Note that these are command line tools, though documentation on how to use them is included.

I’ll be posting my custom icons soon, but here are the tools you need to make your own.

Thanks again, VileRancor!

Download Link:

Amstrad CJL & ICN Image Format Tools

 

Amstrad PPC System Disks (includes PPC Organizer) + Patch

Around the same time as the PC1512 and PC1640, Amstrad also offered two “luggable” portable computers – PPC512 and PPC640 – with tiny green monochrome screens and build-in keyboards. Basically, these were “portable” versions of the PC1512 and PC1640 with very similar technical stats to the larger machines. A “Sprint” variation added an internal 10mb hard drive.

I’ll come back to this post to write more on these machines, but for now, here are the system disks for them.

Aside from MS-DOS 3.30, the real interest is the included “PPC Organizer” program. This application was exclusive to the PPC machine bundles, and in fact contained hardware locks to prevent it running on other machines!

Thankfully, Amstrad expert John Elliot discovered a way to fix this, by hex editing the exe file. A patch for this, as well as lots more information, is included in the download below. A standalone copy of PPC Organizer, pre-patched, is also included to use in DOSBox or on real machines.

3/4/22 – EDIT: I have updated the package to include two versions of each disk image: one for UK keyboards and one for US keyboards. If you use these on a real PPC machine, you will need to use the UK version (you can chance the country settings manually if you wish). If you want to try these disks on an emulator or other old non-PPC computer, you might need the US versions to match your keyboard.

Download Links:
Amstrad PPC System Disks (includes PPC Organizer) + Patch [v2.0]

Old Versions (obsolete, only retained for archive purposes):
Amstrad PPC System Disks (includes PPC Organizer) + Patch [old version]

Amstrad PC Series 4 System Disks (includes Amstrad’s custom Win3 shell)

The PC5286 was my last Amstrad computer. My next – a 486DX/66 “beast” (for it’s day!), complete with early DVD-ROM – was built to order at an insane price, but I vowed to have the “latest” rather than “old” hardware for once. Amstrad had nothing I could find “on the shelf” to match what I – as a young adult – now wanted.

There were of course many more Amstrad PC models before and after the ones I owned. One was the PC4386SX. Interestingly, this was the only (as far as I know) machine in the “Series 4” release meaning there was no 086 or 286 equivalent, until the following “Series 5” (including my PC5286). Why Amstrad released a “series” between 3 and 5 that consisted of a single machine, I have no idea, especially since Series 5 included 086 and 286 offerings.

I never owned a PC4386 but was intrigued by the machine, given I never had anything that “powerful” back then. Even running Windows 3.x was a bit much for my PC5286! The PC4386SX was a 386/20mhz, with 4mb of RAM, VGA graphics and – impressively – an 80mb hard drive (double what the newer PC5286 would ship with). Like my PC5286, it also had an AdLib-compatible sound card (Amstrad’s AdLib clone, with built-in game port) and the same accessories: a pair of tiny (Amstrad-branded) speakers and an Amstrad AJ-5 analogue joystick. You can see an image of the speakers, joystick and PC4386SX desktop case here (not my image).

I met a really nice fellow Amstrad user on VOGONS (who goes by the handle “GCA”) while researching certain things about my old PC5286, and he himself owns a PC4386SX. We got talking, and he was kind enough to share floppy images of the system disks, which include MS-DOS 3.30 and – more interestingly – Microsoft Windows 3.0a with a custom “shell” that simplifies use via huge on-screen buttons! Called “Amstrad Program Manager” and created by Cliff Lawson (one of the only Amstrad employees to still have a web presence), it’s a really fun piece of computing history that I’m so grateful to GCA for helping me to preserve here… it’s the sort of obscure program that otherwise might never be seen again!

I’ve also included a patch that lets these disks install better on non-Amstrad machines, as well as a standalone version of the Amstrad Program Manager to use with your own install of Windows 3.x if you wish. See the included readme for more info.

Note that GCA also shared files from another disk that came with his PC4386SX: Counterpoint. The files are all but identical (and the version number is the same) as the Counterpoint 2.5 version I included here, aside from a slightly different installer program, but it’s interesting to think that the PC4386 shipped with both “real” MS Windows 3.0 and Amstrad’s “DOS shell copycat” Counterpoint, giving users a choice that echoes back to the MS-DOS/Dr-DOS era of the PC1512. I have added a reconstructed image of the Series 4 Counterpoint disk below, purely for the sake of preservation, but I would advise using the later Series 5 version.

Download Links:
Amstrad PC Series 4 System Disks + Patch
Amstrad PC Series 4 Counterpoint Disk

Amstrad PC Series 5 System Disks & Counterpoint

My second computer was another Amstrad: this time the 1991 PC5286.

For me, this was a huge step up from my old PC1512! The PC5286 featured – as you’d expect – a 286/16mhz processor, 640k of RAM and a 40mb hard drive. It also used 3.5″ 1.44mb floppy disks, had 256-colour VGA graphics and an AdLib sound card (actually an Amstrad clone card, with built-in game port) that made the beeps of the PC1512’s a distant memory. Having full colour graphics was great, as the PC1512 – while 4-colour CGA – often looked so garish and ugly in that mode that I was forced to play in black and white (Sierra games were notably for this). Rounding out this “dedicated gaming machine” of its time was a pair of small (Amstrad-branded) speakers and an Amstrad AJ-5 analogue joystick. You can see an image of the same speakers and joystick (alongside the earlier PC4386SX desktop case) here (not my image).

Those seeking to recreate the 1990’s Amstrad PCs might have a little more trouble than with the early XTs, mainly because programs like PCEm don’t have dedicated profiles or BIOS support yet, sadly. On the up side, Amstrad’s 286, 386 and 486 offerings are a lot more “standard” than their old 8086 machines, meaning that if you don’t want to bother with a virtual recreation, most of that they could do will look and sound the same under the right conditions in an easier setup like DOSBox.

That said, for the truly nostalgic like myself, getting a real PC5286 or virtual one set up is part of the “fun”, and this requires the original “System Disks” for the full experience. For the PC5286, these disks (which I still own) were 3.5″ floppies containing:

• MS-DOS 3.30 (with custom graphical installer)
• Counterpoint 2.5

While the only novelty with the main Series 5 System Disk is the unique Amstrad installer, Counterpoint is a fantastic DOS shell that works like an early version of Windows, providing a way to load games and programs by clicking icons rather than typing commands. It is easy to set up and the only limitation is the use of non-standard icons, meaning you have to make them within the program with its limited editor.

For those interested, however, VileRancour has made a program that will let you convert bmp images to Counterpoint’s icon format here! Fantastic stuff!

Again, although still technically copyrighted, Amstrad as a company is long defunct, and the included OS and applications here are *very* out of date and useless on modern machines. I hope given this, nobody minds me making these disks available.

The included readme contains much more information on this package, it’s history, my own notes and how to use it.

You will also find a patch in this bundle that will allow you to install the disk on a non-Amstrad PC or in a virtual machine or DOSBox setup. The patch is needed to remove several hardware checks the original disk made to ensure it was being used on an authentic Amstrad machine!

Download Links:
Amstrad PC Series 5 System Disks + Patch & Counterpoint 2.5

Amstrad PC1640 System Disks

The successor to the Amstrad PC1512 (see here) was the PC1640. This was basically the same as the PC1512, but with 640k of RAM.

I didn’t own a PC1640, but while my nostalgia is for the PC1512 (which I did own), the PC1640 – with its greater RAM – is the more powerful machine and thus probably what most retro computing fans will want to emulate in a virtual environment like PCEm these days.

Like the PC1512, the PC1640 came bundled with a set of colour-coded 5.25″ floppy “System Disks” that contained the needed operating system and utilities. These disks were:

• Disk 1 (MS-DOS): Red
• Disk 2 (GEM Startup): Blue
• Disk 3 (GEM Desktop & Locomotive BASIC2): Green
• Disk 4 (GEM Paint & Hard Drive Utilities): Yellow

Note that unlike the PC1512 disks, there is only one operating system included here (MS-DOS and not DOS Plus), signalling that already (in 1987) Microsoft was dominating the OS market.

As with the PC1512 disks, these disks were unique to the machine they came bundled with and are quite hard to find now. I am therefore again providing a set of all four floppy disks here in the form of IMA images, along with instructions on how to use them on a real or virtual Amstrad PC1640 PC.

As these disks were sourced online rather than my own images, I can only assume that every PC1640 included all four disks, even those lacking hard drives, since Disk 4 also contains applications for GEM as well as the hard drive utilities. This is presumably why the last disk is nowhere near as rare as the HDD utility disk from the PC1512 set!

Although still technically copyrighted, Amstrad as it was is long defunct, and the included OS and applications here are *very* out of date and useless on modern machines. I hope given this, nobody minds me making these disks available.

The included readme contains much more information on this package, it’s history, my own notes and how to use it.

Download Links:
Amstrad PC1640 System Disks

Amstrad PC1512 System Disks

One of Amstrad‘s earliest machines, the first computer I ever owned in fact, was the PC1512. An 8086 8mhz desktop machine with 512k of RAM, CGA graphics, and a unique base/monitor setup where the monitor acted as the power supply for the computer. My machine had the base standard 5.25″ floppy drive and no hard drive, although more expensive models had twin floppy drives or even a 10mb or 20mb hard drive!

The machine came bundles with a set of “System Disks”, colour-coded 5.25″ floppies that contained the needed operating system and utilities. The disks contained:

• Disk 1 (MS-DOS): Red
• Disk 2 (GEM Startup): Blue
• Disk 3 (GEM Desktop & Locomotive BASIC2): Green
• Disk 4 (DOS Plus & GEM Paint): Yellow
• Disk 5 (Hard Drive Utilities): Maroon

Machines like mine, with no hard drive, only came with four disks.

These disks were unique to the Amstrad PC1512, and are quite rare to find online. Retro computing enthusiasts and nostalgic Amstrad fans looking to restore an old Amstrad PC1512 unit or emulate that model computer in a virtual machine such as PCEm need these disks for the full, official experience. Yet while the first four disks are rare, Disk 5 is nearly impossible to find!

I am therefore providing a set of all five floppy disks here in the form of IMA images, along with instructions on how to use them on a real or virtual Amstrad PC1512 PC.

Although still technically copyrighted, Amstrad as it was is long no more, and all the included OS and applications are *very* out of date and useless on modern machines. I hope given this, nobody minds me making these disks available.

Note that while disks 1-4 are true images of the original floppy disks, disk 5 is a “reconstructed” image as the only source I could find for it was the “loose” files/contents in an archive rather than an actual image file. The disk should work as if original, however, and has been tested.

The included readme contains much more information on this package, it’s history, my own notes and how to use it.

Download Links:
Amstrad PC1512 System Disks

Amstrad PCs & Software

Back in the 1980’s, my first computers were made by a company called Amstrad. Amstrad was a big player in the European and Australasian PC marketplace, and produced great “IBM clones”.

I have very fond and nostalgic memory of Amstrad’s early computers: my first two PCs ever was a PC1512 (8086) with CGA graphics and a single 5.25″ floppy drive and a PC5286 (286) with VGA graphics, Adlib sound and a 40mb hard drive. Both machines were a huge part of my childhood, and to this day I can recall how they sounded and even smelled when booted up! I remember playing with GEM and later Counterpoint (desktop interfaces) long before using Windows, and playing both the pre-bundled games and my own favourites – Sierra’s adventure games – in first monochrome and then glorious full colour VGA!

Recently, I’ve been wanting to restore my old Amstrad machines, but in the meantime have been recreating them “virtually” in the amazing program PCEm. Because of this, I needed to source the original software the machines came with.

Unlike some other retro computing brands (Amiga, Apple, C64), there is not a lot of resources for Amstrad systems besides the non-PC “CPC”. In fact, even finding information proved rather difficult. The best two sources I found were here and here, but while information is decent, neither host full sets (i.e. floppy images) of the original software disks needed to “recreate” the Amstrad experience.

Although this blog started out as a place for me to post gaming “mods”, I have decided that the scarcity of Amstrad resource means that posting such things from my own collection here would likely be beneficial to other Amstrad enthusiasts and rebuilders. I will be posting a combination of my own floppy disk images and collections of images, tools and resources I have found online (often in very obscure places!).

I hope this is of interest and use to some people, but at the very least I would like it to preserve these unique pieces of computer history before they rot away into obscurity.