While technically a hardware peripheral, the Multiface by Romantic Robot was the ultimate "copying" tool. By pressing a physical red button, it would freeze a game in mid-execution and allow the user to save a "snapshot" of the entire RAM to tape or disk, effectively bypassing almost all tape-based copy protection. Overcoming Copy Protection
When Sinclair launched the ZX Microdrive and later floppy disk systems (+D, DISCiPLE), users needed software to move their tape library to these faster media. zx copy software work
Today, the spirit lives on in open-source tools like tap2wav , tzx2wav , and hardware like the ZX-Uno. Whether you're copying a lost game from a crinkled cassette or archiving a 40-year-old floppy disk, the core principle remains the same: While technically a hardware peripheral, the Multiface by
In the 1980s, "copiers" were essential utilities for ZX Spectrum users. Because games were distributed on audio cassettes, users often needed to back up their software or share it with friends. Today, the spirit lives on in open-source tools
: Because a 48K Spectrum had limited RAM, large games often had to be copied in "blocks." You would load part of the game, stop the tape, save that part to a new tape, and then repeat the process for the next section.
The process for using the software to duplicate an encrypted card follows these steps: