PCUAE THEC64 Walkthrough
Updated 19/08/2025
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Please always format your drive before installing PCUAE
The PCUAE USB Drive needs to be on FAT 32 and using Master Boot Record, PCUAE does not work on NTFS or exFAT.
What is PCUAE
PCUAE is a mod where you can add games to TheCarousel on THEC64 Mini, THEC64 and THEVIC 20 and run different emulators on the machine.
You can add up to 255 games per set of games on the carousel and switch between each set in PCUAE so you see different set of games on the carousel screen.
If you want to use other emulators on PCUAE like ATARI, AMIGA, VICE you can install its mode.
Each Mode is a emulator that has a set of games with a menu or you can load your own games in the emulator by adding them to a folder on the USB Drive and selecting your own game in the menu.
You switch Modes by running the PCUAE Mode Changer and selecting a Mode on its menu and then it will load it if its installed, it it not then it will not load it and go back to PCUAE Mode.
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**IMPORTANT** Only `Favorites 1` Gamelist need exporting if you do not then it will come up with a message saying no Favorites 1 gamelist and then load the games from the firmware so after that you can then add whatever gamelists you want to and make your own gamelists in PCUAE Manager.
If you add a different `Favorites Gamelist` so like `Favorites 2` PCUAE will now rename it to `Favorites 1` so it boots into PCUAE Mode, it will only do that if it see another `Favorites` folder in there and there is no `Favorites 1` folder but the gamelist will still be called `Favorites 2` in the carousel.
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PCUAE Dummy Walkthrough
1. How to install PCUAE Manager, Modes, PCUAE Website
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You can install PCUAE in TWO ways: PCUAE Manager, The PCUAE Website.
Go to part 1 to install PCUAE(1. How to install PCUAE)
Go to part 2 to install a Mode(Emulator)(2. How to Install A Mode)
Go to part 7 if you have a problem with the USB Drive(under 7. Some Tips).
1. How to install PCUAE
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PCUAE Manager can be downloaded from https://projectcarouselusb.eu/pcuae-manager-download/
Run PCUAE Manager and download PCUAE from it(selecting from PCUAE Tab), then install it to a USB Drive(MBR FAT32) and then put the USB Drive in a USB port on THEC64 and start the machine so it loads up the carousel and start PCUAE like a update(look below at 6. Running PCUAE for the first Time) and when in PCUAE Setup pick Easy Mode and wait for PCUAE to finish the setup, and it will reboot the machine and boot into PCUAE… done…
Go to the website and download PCUAE Latest 4all 128 under Easy Downloads – https://projectcarouselusb.eu/pcuae-easy-downloads/
and run its setup then install it to a USB Drive 128 GB(MBR FAT32) and then put the USB Drive in a USB port on THEC64 and start the machine so it loads up the carousel and start PCUAE like a update(look below at 6. Running PCUAE for the first Time) and when in PCUAE Setup pick Easy Mode and wait for PCUAE to finish the setup, and it will reboot the machine and boot into PCUAE… done…
PCUAE will now run by itself everytime you start-up the machine…
if you want to run TheCarousel from the firmware then boot the machine without the PCUAE USB Drive in it.
2. How to Install A Mode.
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1. To download a Mode just use PCUAE Manager to install it, select a mode from PCUAE Tab and wait for it to download then install it to your USB Stick like when you were installing PCUAE from the PCUAE Manager, you do it the same way.
2. If you want to add the Modes Packs then install them the same way as above, Click on `PCUAE Tab` then `Mode Packs` then click on `Install Amiga Mode`, `Install Atari Mode`, `Install Linux Mode`, `Install Retroarch Mode` or `Install Vice Mode`.
It will ask if you want to download them, Click on Yes Button and PCUAE Manager will download them, and click on Yes Button again to start the Install to install them to your USB Stick.
3. Change drive letter to your USB Stick… Mine is Z letter, now click on Browse button to find your USB Stick.
4. Now click on install button to copy the Mode to your USB Stick… now wait for it to complete… once it closes the setup file its finished.
5. Now eject the USB Stick first before you remove it for your PC, now take out the USB Stick from the PC and plug it into your machineand turn it on, and wait for PCUAE to boot up, ones it does then you should see all the games on the carousel now if you have exported the games and PCUAE Mode is now activated if not then you will see the firmware boot up in Firmware Mode.
5. Running PCUAE for the first Time
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1. Remember to eject the USB Stick first before you remove it from your PC, now take out the USB Stick from the PC and plug it into your machine and turn it on, you can do this before you add the Mode Packs to make sure PCUAE is working… turn on the machine and you should see the firmware load up now and the carousel screen, you need to run a fake update thats on the USB Stick that part of PCUAE install, just like if you was going to update the machine firmware, just in case you do not know how…
2. To run PCUAE for the first time, you need to run a Fake Update from within the Carousel that in PCUAE on the root of the USB Stick.
3. When I say press Fire below, you can press RETURN or Enter on the keyboard instead too.
4. Highlight `Spanner Icon`(Device Settings) then press Fire.
5. Then Highlight ‘System Information‘ then press Fire again.
6. You will see a Fake Update in there called “theC64-9_9_90.bin”
7. Now select `Apply Button` and then press Left Fire again, PCUAE will start and you will see a black screen for about 30 seconds and you should see a blue screen on the screen and its saying:
and it should check if the autoboot startup script is installed on the firmware and if it not then copy it to the firmware to activate Autoboot Mode so PCUAE can boot by itself.
and then do a reboot so it can boot form Autoboot Mode and then load up PCUAE Mode if it includes Favorites 1 view/folder or Firmware Mode if not.
PCUAE should be working now, enjoy…
I hope this helps..
6. To Load The Mode Changer Menu, to change the Mode in PCUAE
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When the Carousel has loaded so your in PCUAE Mode,press and hold Menu buttonthen press and hold Right Triangle button(2) on THEC64 Joystick(or CTRL and F5 on the Keyboard) for 2 seconds then it will start loading The Mode Changer.
You will see the PCUAE logo on the screen and see it checking what Modes are installed so you know what is available, then the Mode Change Menu will appear, its will show all the Modes on the Menu so highlight the Mode you have installed to load it from boot up and it then will load that Mode for you, the Mode might have info on the Mode your loading so just press A button too skip it, if it included a Menu then pick a option you want to load inside the Mode then it will continue to load that Mode and the option you picked with it too so like `Enable Amiga Mode` and option `Workbench 1.3`, so PCUAE will load up Amiga Mode and loadWorkbench 1.3 in Amiga Mode too.
Here is a picture of The Mode Changer Menu
You should see it loading the Mode now and see it on the screen now…
All Done.Spannernick.
End of Main Walkthrough.
7. Some Tips
Press and hold down the main key/button down and then press the other key/button down and hold BOTH down for 2 seconds.
TIP:
To bring up PAL/NTSC Screen once PCUAE Mode has loaded up and you see THECarousel, press and hold Menu button then press and hold C button on THEC64 Joystick for 2 seconds and it should do a reboot and when PCUAE Mode loads up again you should see the language screen then the PAL/NTSC Screen on TheCarousel, like its the first time you turned it on…
Language Screen
and then… The Video Output PAL/NTSC screen
Main keys and Buttons in PCUAE:
You see them on the screen now as PCUAE is booting up.
About USB Stick
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Please check your USB Stick and If you have not already formatted your USB Stick, format it in FAT32 and make sure its formatted with MBR Master Boot Record.
Now plug it in to your machine and see if you can see it in the carousel, you will see a USB Icon appear on the bottom dock or if you have used the same USB stick to update your machine then it should work with PCUAE and you can go to `Now we can continue…. `, if it does then you can go ahead and install PCUAE, if not then you will have to try another stick or fix it with Rufus, look at the topic below `Problems with USB Stick and Its Not Working With PCUAE` if you need to fix the USB Stick to get it to work with PCUAE, if the USB Stick works ok then move on to `Now we can continue….`
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Problems with USB Stick and Its Not Working With PCUAE or the machine
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Only need to read this if your having a problem with your USB Stick and not been able to format it or your machine can not see it or if PCUAE is not loading properly on it, if not then just go to where it says…
`Now we can continue….`
1. You can format it this way too if you wish so its using MBR and FAT32 .
2. If you have installed PCUAE before and it works fine on your USB Stick then go a head and install it and continue the walkthrough below, if you have not installed PCUAE before then please check your USB Stick first before installing PCUAE, cause the carousel can be funny with some of them and PCUAE will not work on them, so make sure the USB Stick works with your machine first and you can see and load the files from it in Classic Mode first, then you can go thought the walkthrough with no problems.
3. If you have a problem with PCUAE not booting, it could be the USB Stick your using, you might need to try a different one, RGL recommend using a 32GB USB Stick with MBR boot sector, it does not work with GPT, a 64GB USB Stick is not recommended but does work but might not with PCUAE, PCUAE can be funny with some USB Sticks, but it cause of the way the Firmware reads the USB Sticks so it not really PCUAE thats doing it, its the carousel and the machine’s firmware that has a problem with your USB Stick.
If you have not already format your USB Stick, then format it in Fat32 and make sure its formatted with MBR Master Boot Record.
THEC64 Mini/Maxi and THEVIC20 does not like:
a) GPT – GUID Partition Table, it only works on a normal MBR – Master Boot Record
b) Bootable USB Sticks – It does not work on them, if at any time you have used the USB Stick as a Bootable Drive like in Rufus to boot the setup for Windows or Linux then it will not work with PCUAE, look below to fix it.
FOR Mac OS Users:
Mac OS X – If you copy the files manually with MAC OS X then it will not work, Mac OS X adds it own files (.DS files) and damages PCUAE and stops it booting properly.
Use Blue Harvest – www.zeroonetwenty.com/blueharvest/ to remove all the files that MacOS adds to the USB Stick that mess up PCUAE then it will work in your machine.
Rufus
You can use Rufus to fix your USB Stick if THEC64 Mini/THEC64 Maxi/THEVIC20 can not read it or not read it properly or you have used it as a Bootable Drive.
Look below on how to fix it, thanks jj0…
There are two things that you need to get right for THEC64 to recognise the USB drive:
- It needs to use the partitioning scheme MBR.
- The filesystem needs to be FAT32.
To do this:
On a Mac:
Use these instructions.
On a Windows PC:
You can look on theHow To Geeks website on How to Format a USB Drive in FAT32 inWindows 10/11 its link isHERE.
or useRufusbelow.
You can then delete the extra files that are on the USB drive and use it in PCUAE.
Look at this picture below for the settings in Rufus, you can name the USB drive `PCUAE USB Drive`.
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When PCUAE gets updated it will be updated in PCUAE Manager or on the PCUAE websiteprojectcarouselusb.eu or as smaller updates using the PCUAE Network Updater inside PCUAE, to use that you need PCUAE Network Mode working and need a compatible Ethernet Adapter.