Effect

Sets a system password and stores it in the SRAM of the Real Time Clock (RTC).

Syntax

SET PASSWORD <Password>

Parameter

<Password> is a string (between quotes) or a string variable. The string can contain between 0 to 255 characters. You will need to enter this pasword in blind mode on the logo screen before being able to use your computer. The password needs to be followed by a pressing of the RETURN key.

Remark: SET PROMPT and SET TITLE use also such a string of characters. Only the last entered instruction will be saved in the Real Time Clock (RTC).

Examples

SET PASSWORD "hello!"

SET PASSWORD "" ' Empty password, but you need to press the RETURN key to quit the logo screen

Here's a BASIC program to create and implement a 'simple' password of 255 characters:

10 CLEAR 1000
20 A$ = ""
30 FOR I = 1 TO 255
40 A$ = A$ + "1"
50 NEXT I
60 SET PASSWORD A$

Tips

- To skip the password, you need to boot while pressing simultaneously the GRAPH and STOP keys

- To remove the password, use SET PROMPT or SET TITLE, eventually with an empty string of characters

Storage in the RTC

The Real Time Clock (RTC) is a small storage of 53 bytes in blueMSX (52 bytes in openMSX). However, the Russian Yamaha computers with network have an additionnal byte that comes after #26 in blueMSX, so, for these machines, #27 to #34 are replaced by #28 to #35 in blueMSX.

The data saved with SET PASSWORD are stored as follows (hexadecimal locations in the files):

• #28 in blueMSX (#27 in openMSX)

This byte has always the value 01 when the string of characters X$ is used for SET PASSWORD

• #29 to #2B in blueMSX (#28 to #2A in openMSX)

If a correct password has been entered, these bytes work as a security to avoid that a power failure introduces a wrong password. They need to have always respectively the values 01, 02 and 03.

• #2C to #2F in blueMSX (#2B to #2E in openMSX)

These bytes store the password in form of a 16bit CRC value.

• #30 in blueMSX (#2F in openMSX)

When the value is different from 00, the computer will read the optional 'key cartridge value' (a 16 bit password) via I/0 port 7F and compare it with the contents of the 4 previous bytes.

Related to

SET PROMPT, SET TITLE

Compatibility

MSX-BASIC 2.0 or higher