Quick Start

Choose a package before copying files:

Use Native when...	Use Server when...
The disk image can fit entirely within the calculator's storage	the disk image is too large for the calculator
The OS you wish to run can make do with 16 MiB RAM and 256 KiB VRAM	The OS you wish to run needs more than that.

Native setup

Native setup is relatively straightforward. You need:

• a TI-Nspire CX II or CX II CAS with a compatible Ndless install;
• a bootable flat disk image

Prepare the Native folder

1. Copy over the contents of the Native folder from the latest WiNspire release along with your disk image named disk.img.tns to a folder on your Nspire.

2. Run winspire.tns and enjoy!

Native/
  winspire.tns       // The actual WiNspire executable
  bios.bin.tns       // PC BIOS
  vgabios.bin.tns    // VGA BIOS
  winspire.ini.tns   // WiNspire config file
  disk.img.tns       // Flat disk image

See Disk Images for sources and preparation instructions.

Configuration

winspire.ini.tns is used to configure the emulator. The default Native profile is given below.

[pc]
bios = bios.bin.tns
vga_bios = vgabios.bin.tns
mem_size = 16M
vga_mem_size = 256K
hda = disk.img.tns
fill_cmos = 1

[display]
width = 320
height = 240

[cpu]
gen = 4
fpu = 0
clock_hz = 4770000

The clock_hz sets the clock that is presented to old software. It does not change how quickly the emulator executes instructions.

Server / Calculator setup

In Server mode, the disk image lives on the PC. LinuxLoader2 is used to set up a small Linux environment on the calculator, create a USB RNDIS link and stream the disk image over the cable using the WiNspire Remote Block Protocol.

The Server executable is at the moment,; Windows only,a because it uses Windows APIs and the WinSock protocol. The directory structure for the server mode looks like this:

Server/
  winspire-server.exe // The server executable
  Calculator/
    linuxloader2_auto.tns // Launcher for Linux environment
    linux/
      zImage.tns // Compressed Linux Kernel image file
      dtb.tns // Kernel device tree
      nspire-linux-micro-initrd.tns // initial ramdisk

Server Setup

1. Copy the contents of the Server/Calculator folder over to your Nspire - keep relative paths intact!

2. Use a data capable USB cable to connect your PC to the Nspire.

3. Launch linuxloader2_auto.tns on the Nspire.

4. After some time, you will be prompted to unplug and reconnect the USB cable. Post reconnect Windows will enumerate the Nspire as a RNDIS compatible device.

5. If not done automatically, use Device Manager to bind the device to Microsoft’s Remote NDIS Compatible Device driver.

6. Set the adapter to 192.168.7.1 & subnet mask to 255.255.255.0. Leave the other fields blank.

7. Allow winspire-server.exe on Private networks if Windows Firewall asks for it.

8. Reset the calculator to return to TI-OS.

Start server.

In the directory with the server binary:

.\winspire-server.exe --image "PATH_TO_DISK" --strict-flush

The server shall bind to 192.168.7.1 and listen on TCP port 3860.

Start the calculator

1. After making sure ndless is installed and the USB is connected; launch linuxloader2_auto.tns on the calculator.

2. Unplug and reconnect USB at the prompt.

3. Choose a profile:

   1. Windows 95 / 98 / Me
   2. Windows 2000
   3. Windows XP / XP Embedded All choices use 44 MB guest RAM and 2 MB VRAM.

4. And that's it! Now you just have to wait for Windows to boot.

A quick guide to server-speak

This section serves as a primer for interpreting server logs.

A normal connection produces this sequence:

waiting for WiNspire
client connected
TIME-SYNC
HELLO
READ / WRITE / FLUSH

The first connection is used to set the Calculator clock. This is particularly important for later era OSs like XP, as bad time could cause the guest to refuse to log in with an invalid date/time error.

Each line begins with the PC clock plus elapsed time (elapsed time makes it easy to time boots).

Server speak	Human speak
image: ... (N sectors, read/write)	The server opened this raw image, this is its geometry
waiting for WiNspire	The server is waiting for the calculator. This can be before first connect or after a disconnect
client connected	Nspire reached the server over RNDIS.
HELLO	Indicates that the calculator and server agreed on the disk geometry. The elapsed time resets at the first HELLO
READ / WRITE / FLUSH	Show disk activity. These include transfer and timing data. lba is the first requested sector. count gives the number of sectors. For reads, dt is the gap since the previous read began.
STATE	Periodic telemetry from the calculator. loop, cyc, rate, and cs:ip report emulator progress.

Key Mapping

Calculator control	Guest input
A–Z, 0–9	Corresponding calculator key
Esc, Tab, Enter, Ctrl, Shift, Space, Home,	Corresponding calculator key
Del	Backspace
Minus, Equals, Comma, Period, Divide	-, =, ,, ., /
Var	;
Shift + Var	:
Touchpadtop, bottom, left, right edge	Arrow key
Slide near touchpad center	Move pointer
Press touchpad center	Left click
Ctrl + touchpad center	Right click