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How to Run Commodore 64 Games on Windows Vista

With every new video game console generation, entire gaming collections turn into junk to be sold at garage sales or boxed up and stored in the attic. This is especially true of old game systems such as the Commodore 64, game systems whose successors improved upon them so greatly that it rendered them nearly unplayable. Sometimes, however, there is reason to revisit these classic game consoles. Fortunately, on the Windows Vista operating system, revisiting the Commodore 64 can be done in a few simple steps.

Instructions

- 1
  Open Internet Explorer on your Windows Vista computer and navigate to a web page that provides Commodore 64 emulation software. Sites such as Zophar's Domain and Zzap! 64 have a large list of Commodore 64 emulators to choose from, including CCS64 and Vice (see "Resources"). All of these emulator programs do the exact same thing: let you play Commodore 64 games on your computer.
- 2
  Download the emulator program of your choice, making sure to download the software compatible with Windows Vista and noting where the downloaded file will be located on your computer. The default download location in Vista will be the "Documents" folder, located in "My Computer." Allow several seconds for the program to download completely. Install the program onto your computer by double clicking on the program icon and clicking the "Install" button. Allow several minutes for the program to install successfully.
- 3
  Navigate to a web page that provides Commodore 64 ROM software using Internet Explorer. C64 and The Old Computer have a large selection of Commodore 64 ROMs (see "Resources"). Once you have found a page, click the button titled "ROMs." Search for the games you wish to download by typing the name of the game in the search bar or by clicking on the first letter of the game's title from the menu and scrolling through to find the game. Click on the title of the game to begin downloading it. Note the location of the downloaded file.Again, the default download location in Vista will be the "Documents" folder, located in "My Computer. Allow several seconds for downloading to finish.
- 4
  Run the emulation software that you downloaded in Step 2 by double-clicking on the program icon from its download location. A window will come up that is a virtual recreation of the Commodore 64 computer screen. Run the ROM of your choosing by double clicking its icon on your computer. The Commodore 64 emulation software will now play the ROM as if you had just inserted the floppy disk into the Commodore 64 game console.
- 5
  Use the keyboard as you would use a Commodore 64 keyboard. For Vista users, the "Control" key has been mapped to the "Tab" key, the "Commodore" key is mapped to the left "Control" key and the "Run/Stop" key is mapped to the "Esc" key.
- 6
  For games that require a joystick, click the "Settings" tabs in your Windows Vista application menu at the top of screen. Scroll through the options and select the "Joystick" settings option. From the drop down menu under the subheading "Joystick," select the "Keyset A" option. From the drop down menu under the subheading "Extra Joystick," select the "Keyset B" option.
- 7
  Select the "Keyset" option by clicking it and select "Keyset A" from the drop down menu below. Map the joystick layout to your keyboard by pressing the key you wish to represent a specific direction and clicking the direction on the joystick mapping chart. For example, if you press "W" on your keyboard and click the "UP" joystick direction on the chart, "W" will now represent "UP" on the joystick. Do this for all nine buttons. Repeat this process for "Keyset B" by selecting "Keyset B" from the drop down menu. Close the "Joystick Settings" window to save the settings.
- 8
  Play your Commodore 64 using the keyboard or virtual joystick. Read game instructions to determine which method of control is required.

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