Take a detailed look at the Creative Micro Designs CMD HD-20 hard drive system for the Commodore 64 and Commodore 128, one of the most advanced storage upgrades ever developed for Commodore's legendary 8-bit computer lineup. In this video, I explore the CMD HD-20 hardware, perform a ROM IC upgrade, install a modern Zulu SCSI2SD adapter, and replace the missing rear case enclosure decal while demonstrating how this powerful storage system expanded the capabilities of the Commodore platform far beyond traditional floppy disk drives.
Originally produced by Creative Micro Designs between 1990 and 2001, the CMD HD-20 combined a custom Commodore SCSI interface with a dedicated hard drive enclosure and power supply, giving Commodore 64 and 128 users access to dramatically larger storage capacities and faster file transfers. The system also supported JiffyDOS acceleration, HD-DOS boot functionality, RAMLink compatibility, additional SCSI peripherals, and partitioning capable of emulating Commodore 1541, 1571, and 1581 floppy drives.
This video highlights why the CMD HD-20 remains one of the most respected and collectible Commodore storage devices among retro computing enthusiasts, Commodore collectors, and vintage hardware hobbyists while also showcasing how modern preservation hardware like the Zulu SCSI2SD can help keep these classic systems operational decades later.