pidectl - Host Control Utility¶

pidectl is an MS-DOS utility that allows control of PicoIDE directly from the computer you have your PicoIDE in. Browse directories, mount images, and manage the device without needing the front panel.

Download¶

Pre-built pidectl.exe is bundled with compatible firmware, downloadable from the releases page.

Usage¶

pidectl [options] <command> [args...]

Options¶

Option	Description
`/p<port>`	IDE port (no space after `/p`): `p`=primary, `s`=secondary, `t`=tertiary, `q`=quaternary, or hex address
`/d<drive>`	Drive number (no space after `/d`): `0` or `m`=device 0 (default), `1` or `s`=device 1

Commands¶

Command	Description
`list`	List images in current directory
`cd <index>`	Change to directory at index (0 for parent)
`load <index>`	Mount image at index
`load <name>`	Mount named image (use `""` to surround file names with spaces)
`eject`	Eject current image
`status`	Show current image status
`path`	Show current directory path
`prev`	Load previous image
`next`	Load next image

Examples¶

Basic Usage¶

C:\> pidectl list
Index  Type  Name
-----  ----  ----
    1  DIR   games
    2  FILE  freedos.iso
    3  FILE  win95.iso

C:\> pidectl load 2
Loaded: freedos.iso

C:\> pidectl status
Image loaded: freedos.iso

Browsing Directories¶

C:\> pidectl cd 1
Changed directory

C:\> pidectl path
/cdrom/games

C:\> pidectl list
Index  Type  Name
-----  ----  ----
    1  FILE  myst.iso
    2  FILE  quake.cue

C:\> pidectl load 1
Loaded: myst.iso

C:\> pidectl cd 0
Changed directory

Use cd 0 to go to the parent directory.

Switching Images¶

C:\> pidectl next
Loaded: quake.cue

C:\> pidectl prev
Loaded: myst.iso

Using Different Ports¶

C:\> pidectl /ps list           # Secondary IDE (0x170)
C:\> pidectl /pt /d1 status     # Tertiary IDE, drive 1
C:\> pidectl /p170 list         # Explicit hex address

Loading Images¶

The load, eject, prev, and next commands wait for the operation to complete before returning:

C:\> pidectl load 5
Loading...
Loaded: game.iso

C:\> pidectl status
Image loaded: game.iso

Troubleshooting¶

"Error: Device not ready"¶

Check IDE cable connection
Verify PicoIDE is powered on
Verify PicoIDE has microSD card inserted
Try different port or drive with /p or /d options (e.g., /ps, /d1)

"Error: Invalid index"¶

Run list to see valid indices. Indices start at 1 and change after cd commands. Use index 0 to go to the parent directory.