Disk Fastloaders
Cutting load times on the Commodore 1541
Fastload cartridges and custom DOS routines slashed wait times, turning the C64’s pokey disk drive into an arcade-ready accessory.
Overview
The Commodore 1541 disk drive was notoriously slow thanks to a conservative IEC serial protocol. Fastloaders—both cartridges and software routines—rewrote the rulebook, blasting data into memory several times faster.
Fast facts
- Hardware fastloaders: cartridges like Epyx FastLoad, Action Replay, and Final Cartridge III modified the KERNAL to speed up disk I/O.
- Software fastloaders: games bundled custom loaders that synced both drive and C64 CPUs for turbo transfers.
- Compatibility: some copy-protection schemes resisted fastloaders, forcing users to toggle them off.