Version 2.0 RELEASE now available! Download from github: here.

Introduction

CBM-Transfer is an open-source front-end to several command-line utilities for transferring files and working with disk images. CBM-Transfer makes using those utilities easy by providing a familiar windows interface that removes the need to learn the commandline syntax of each program. CBM-Transfer also includes a multi-format file and picture viewer.

Before downloading, please read the following:

• CBM-Transfer is a GUI. It relies on the COMMANDLINE utilities to be working first. Read the CBMxfer.txt file for installation details!
• New users should download the FULL release with SETUP.EXE to ensure all VB files are installed correctly
• V2 is no longer required to be installed in the OPENCBM folder, and works BETTER when it is not!
• Github will always have the latest update with source.

Version 2.0 RELEASE is now available on Github here! Released Jun 13, 2025.
Older versions are still available in the releases folder.

The commandline utilities are:

• REQUIRED OPENCBM - transfers files/images to/from a real CBM drive connected via an 'X-cable' on the parallel port or USB via Zoom Floppy.
• REQUIRED C1541 - a utility from VICE that works with CBM Image Files (ie: D64,D71,D81 files) NEW! CBM-Transfer 1.22 now supports latest releases.
• OPTIONAL NIBTOOLS - Utilities to transfer images via parallel port. Supports protected disks.
• OPTIONAL CBMLINK - Links a CBM drive connected to a real CBM computer.
• OPTIONAL ACME - 6502-Family Assembler.
• OPTIONAL MD5 - Generates a 'unique' ID for files. Handy for finding duplicates.

IMPORTANT!: CBM-Transfer does not include the commandline utilities! Download them from the links above.

What can I do with it?

• Transfer files to or from real CBM drives.
• Create D64 and other image files from real CBM disks.
• Write D64 and other image files back to real CBM disks.
• Transfer files to/from Disk Image Files.
• Transfer files between two different Disk Image files.
• View Commodore files (BASIC, SEQ, Binary, ML, Fonts, and Images). Dual view mode (look at a file two ways at once.
• Full-featured Font Editor with support for 8x8 and 8x16 fonts, and conversion from other formats.
• ML viewer is a full two-pass symbolic disassembler with code tracing and pre-defined platforms!
• Simple file operations like copy, delete, rename.
• Launch VICE and attach disk images plus autorun.
• Zoom Floppy supported.
• Supports 1581 partitions with OpenCBM.
• Format disks.
• Supports IEEE drives with Zoom Floppy.
• Supports reading/writing/viewing P00 files.
• Supports Drag-and-drop.

Features:

NEW V2 features:

• Themes. Includes themes styled like different Commodore computers.
• Add your own themes with a simple bitmap file.
• True CBM font rendering for directory lists and file viewer.
• Different encoding views: PETSCII/SCREEN/ASCII in both TEXT and GRAPHIC fonts.
• Use OpenCBM "raw" mode to get true filenames.
• Can be installed in it's own directory.
• Custom paths for utilities. No need to copy them to the CBM-Transfer folder.
• Screen designer with real machine startup look.

BASIC:

• Supports most dialects from PET BASIC to C65 BASIC.
• Auto-detect version based on load address.
• Various formatting options to increase readability.
• Support for some BASIC extensions including Magic Voice.

Sequential Files:

• Filters non-printable characters.
• View with different encoding.

Hex/Binary Files:

• View HEX with printable characters.
• Filter upper bit to see reverse characters.
• Show CBM screen codes.
• Synchronizes with Assembler listing.
• Compare two files with difference report.
• Get an MD5 ID for the file.

Fonts:

• View single or multiple fonts in one file.
• Multiple zoom levels
• Offset start to find embedded fonts.
• Supports 8x8 and 8x16 CBM fonts.
• Change colour theme.
• Full Font EDITOR!: RVS, Bold, Underline, Rotate, Flip, Insert/Delete rows/cols, Copy/Paste and convert.

NEW! Screen Designer:

• Real machine power-on screen.
• Up to 80x50 screens.
• CBM-like editing with flashing cursor.
• Supports 128 and 256 character fonts, including IBM.
• Macro recording and playback.

Disassembler:

• Two-pass symbolic disassembler.
• Improved Code Tracer.
• Multiple Platforms with pre-defined symbols, memory map, chip registers and ROM entry points.
• Supports many 6502 variations.
• Block Formatting: Decimal, Hex, Text/string, Vector, hidden etc.
• Add inline, standalone or block commenting lines with separators.
• Generates label and JSR to external code lists.
• Supports multi viewing and assembler output formats.
• Syncs with HEX view.
• Can Re-Assemble and load results to HEX view for instant binary compare!

Bitmap Files:

• Supports multiple bitmap file formats.
• Loads VICE pallete files.
• Save as BMP.

History

CBM-Transfer (aka "CBMXfer") is based on GUI4CBM4WIN (G4C from now on) by Leif Bloomquist, Wolfgang Moser, and Spiro Trikaliotis. G4C 0.4.1 source code was used as a starting point for CBM-Transfer. Most of the G4C code has been heavily modified or rewritten. The viewer also contains portions of code from CBM2BMP 1.1 by Peter Weighill.

CBM-Transfer was created separate from G4C for several reasons...

• I have some IEEE drives and need to work with D80 images (Zoomfloppy was not available when I started).
• I want one utility for all transfers.
• The original G4C was written in VB6 but converted to VB.NET. I do not use VB.NET as it's too complicated and bulky.
• I want to expand it far beyond the original.
• I want a fun project to sharpen my programming skills.

What Do I Need?

• A PC running Windows 95 or higher (see note below). Tested working on Windows 11.
• VB6 runtimes (included with most versions of Windows).
• Command-line utilities as required for your usage.

Optional:

• A Commodore IEC drive (1541/1571 etc), OpenCBM, X-Cable or Zoom Floppy adapter.
• A Commodore IEEE drive (4040,8050 etc), OpenCBM, Zoom Floppy adapter with IEEE connector.
• A Commodore IEEE drive (4040,8050 etc), CBMLink, CBMLink cable or adapter, Commodore Computer
• Vice 2.3 or higher (includes C1541 utility) for viewing disk images and running emulation
• Nibtools for drives with parallel connection, for making NIB or G64 files.
• Commodore files (PRG, SEQ, P00)
• Commodore disk images (D64/G64/D71/D80/D81/D82/NIB/NBZ)
• Commodore picture files (ART,CDU,KOA,GEO and others)

Notes:

• Old 'DOS' X-Cables like the X1541 or XE1541 will not work for Windows!
• The OpenCBM utility requires WindowNT or higher, so for most people this will be the case.
• If you do NOT need to transfer files via X-cable, and only want to use the VIEWER features, then Win95 or higher is fine.

Download

Starting with release of V2, downloads are available from Github: here.

Related Files

These files are provided as a convenience only. They may not be the latest versions available, but I have tested them as working with CBM-Transfer. I suggest following the links at the top of the page to get the latest releases.

Open Source!

CBM-Transfer is now open source! When I started working on CBM-Transfer in 2007 VB6 was just being replaced by VB.NET but I was not happy with VB.NET because it was bulky, slow, and the core of the languange was changed completely. In my view it was no longer "real" VB. So, I continued using VB6 because it worked, and I was familiar with it. Eventually VB6 fell out of favour with Microsoft, even though there were (and still are) many die-hard VB6 programmers, and many VB6 mission-critical applications used by business. Even today VB programmers continually find ways to keep VB alive.

After 10 years I wanted to make CBM-Transfer the best it could be, and I worked hard to add many features, and tweak the program so that it's easy to use yet does everything people need. Version 1.00 is the result. I thought it was time to make it open source. If anyone wants to take up the challenge to port the code to another language or development environment feel free. I have been asked occasionally if I would ever make a Macintosh version, but there was never the right (for me) product to do that. I tried a few of the "VB Alternatives" but they just didn't have the features I wanted. In any case, there are always new technologies and products, and maybe someday it will happen, either by myself or someone else...

You can find sourcecode for CBM-Transfer on GitHub here.

I still plan on updating it here and there, so if you have comments, feedback, suggestions for new features, etc, please contact me.

Links

Here are additional links to other information:

• Lief Bloomquist's Page - Original writer of GUI4CBM4WIN.
• X-Cables - Information on different X-Cables for hooking CBM drives to PC's.
• GUI4CBM4WIN - the old version that CBM-Transfer is based on
• GUI4CBM4WIN- VB.NET version of GUI4CBM4WIN.
• Microsoft's Support Statement for VB6 - Info on support and files
• VB6 IDE Install Guide for Win10

User Feedback!

I welcome all feedback, positive or negative, comments, suggestions, or requests for features! Thanks!

Send to: Steve Gray(sjgray@rogers.com)

Created: Feb 4,2007 - Last updated: Jun 24,2025, 2:00pm EST