VICE emulator instructions

(For Linux, scroll down)
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First, download the VICE archive from http://vice-emu.sourceforge.net/ . Direct link to the archive is:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/vice-emu/files/releases/binaries/windows/GTK3VICE-3.6-win64.zip/download (you probably want this one on a recent hardware).

Open it from your browser (it is a 7ZIP archive). If you don't have the unpacker, you will need to install yet another program 7ZIP. It is a file manager/archiver. Extract the WinVICE-3.5-x64 directory to the system directory of choice (c:\Program Files is OK, but you can drop it to desktop).

Enter that directory and start X64.exe binary. Familiar picture appears. If you don't fancy "interlaced screen" look, you can turn it off in Settings-> Video Settings ->VICII renderer-> Render filter.

Joystick: Settings -> Joystick settings. Select Joystick #2 and select "Numpad + RCtrl". Later, you will want to remap this, but for now it will do.

You can start downloading games from my page (or elsewhere). You need T64 (tape image) or D64 (disk image) file. The simplest way is from menu: File -> Autostart Disk/tape image , click on Attach, and if the image is good, you will be sent to the game. After that, you must only pass the initial trainers/demos and start the game.

Further settings


File associations: If you want to auto start T64/D64 when you click on them in file explorer you must associate those file types. Click on a file, Select from a list of installed programs, Click on Browse, find the X64.exe wherever you unpacked it in the beginning, and then OK.
 

Linux

If you want VICE on Linux (Debian and Ubuntu), you should type 
sudo apt install vice
Unlike Windows, it doesn't come with C=64 ROM image which you should extract from your own machine to be completely legal. To save you time, try this recipe:

cd /tmp
wget http://www.zimmers.net/anonftp/pub/cbm/crossplatform/emulators/VICE/vice-3.5.tar.gz
tar xfvz vice-*.tar.gz

# Copy the C64-specific system ROMs
sudo cp vice-*/data/C64/{basic,chargen,kernal} /usr/share/vice/C64/

# Copy the common drive ROMs
sudo cp vice-*/data/DRIVES/{d1541II,d1571cr,dos*} /usr/share/vice/DRIVES

# Copy the common printer ROMs
sudo cp vice-*/data/PRINTER/{cbm1526,mps801,mps803,nl10-cbm} /usr/share/vice/PRINTER

rm -r vice*
After a few seconds VICE should be installed. Actually, you don't start it with "vice" but with: 
x64sc
You can give it an argument with a filename, e.g. x64sc Name_of_game.d64
You can also auto-start some T64 or D64 via Alt-A combination.

Settings are similar to the Windows version.