bkenobi

Take another look at the custominput.ini now that you've got it working. The Setup Wizard helps automate some of the typical setup tasks, but it still only enters things that can be done manually. In other words, you *should* find that the button is whatever left string could have been manually entered. Either way, glad you got it going!

I wasn't aware there was a way to display a single controller image for an emulator that way. I haven't messed with them since (1) I didn't have a controller image I wanted to display, and (2) I didn't really give a crap Anyway, it wouldn't surprise me if Tom already had a way to do it. I was just pointing out a few ways if there wasn't something already available. I personally haven't worried about it since I'm not using the original controller anyway....so why would I care about seeing an image of it. Ehhhh, to each their own!

Post the custominput.ini It's probably just a simple formatting problem.

If all you want is a picture of the controller for a console (the exact same picture for every game though), you have a few options. 1) Copy the same file to each filename for your rom in the controller directory. This will result in the same file taking up a lot of room on the HDD for no reason really. 2) Use the ln command to create a link to the original file using the name of the rom. This results in less hard drive space, but it's still somewhat of a nightmare to look at IMO. 3) Use CPWizard (like Brian said). This gives you a single file and a single config for all roms on a single emulator. The drawback is that it's not currently working last I heard due to the way CPWizard is called from GameEx. BUT, once it does work, you can create technically create a controls file like MAME has that gives the actual action a button has in a particular game. To me, that seems like a lot of work, but it could be done for just favorites and not worry about the rest. I would personally opt for either 2 or 3, but would lean towards 3 if Tom has fixed things so they work correctly!

First question is, did you update the version of MAME from a really old version to a current one? With all the filters turned off, this shouldn't be the problem, but it's something that is a common problem with verify roms turned on. If this is the case, you should run ClrMAMEPro to build a set that works with the current version of MAME you are running or, better yet, acquire a current romset.

If you figure out what you did to make it work, please post so that others can use your solution down the road. Have fun!

That's always the tough one!

PM replied to.

Sorry, maybe it's called custom categories instead. I can check later, but there is both a favorites file and a folder where you can create your own lists.

That's also an option (maybe), but be aware that the system is already a bit on the slow side (for some emulators). You would probably be fine underclocking for classic MAME titles and older consoles (NES, Genesis, etc.). Just don't plan on playing DC or PSX titles with that system underclocked (I don't know if you can play them right now anyway though)!

One option is to use an AHK script that will launch Zinc for you. Basically what you would do is have the script set up to: 1) call command to pause 2) launch Zinc 3) wait for Zinc to exit 4) call command to unpause The script would have to take the command line arguments from GameEx and pass them on to the Zinc OR you need to remove the command line arguments from GameEx and put them in the command line when you launch the game. The thing you will need is a way to capture the game that's being called (a number) and pass that on your step 2. Also, you will need to have the script compiled to an exe as GameEx will complain otherwise. This is basically the same thing I did with the MAME_Loader script I posted a while back.

A lot of those MiniITX boards (especially the ones that Fry's sells) have the chip soldered right on. If so, you won't be able to upgrade the CPU. I thought about getting one of those for a file server, but then decided rather than shrinking things, paying 3 times as much total, and dealing with heat issues all over the place (3+ drive hardware RAID system) to just bite the bullet and accept a standard case in the office. My wife didn't complain, so no issues. Anyway, my point is that MiniITX is great if it's exactly what you need...just don't expect to upgrade it.

No problem. Even a little air flow can make a big difference (free convection sucks compared to forced convection). Anyway, I won't get into heat transfer in my spare time...I do enough of that at work

In the GameEx setup (either Setup Wizard or Advanced Config), there is an option for a "Favorites Folder". This folder contains MAME32 formatted lists of any games you want. These are processed by GameEx and added as a new menu item. So, for instance, if you wanted a list of games listed by ranking, you would just take the Ranking.ini and put it in whatever folder you pointed to in GameEx.

Tom said he has used the HiQ videos (although I don't think he was for this video). He indicated that they worked for him. My personal experience is that the HiQ videos had pauses every few seconds that I didn't like. My system is a bit outdated these days, so a modern system would probably have no issues. If you are running Vista, I'm sure you would be ok since it requires more power anyway.

Heat is one of the biggest enemies of a PC (the other big one being dust...but that's also heat related). Anyway, if you don't have good enough air flow, you could cook things. You have a couple options there. I believe speedfan has an alarm that can trigger at a user defined temperature. If you are concerned with it (I would be), you could set it up so that there is an alarm that goes off at a specific temp and it automatically shuts down at a few degrees warmer.

Sounds like you need a loader.

Heat will slow down your machine... Also, if you have limited ram and a low powered CPU (which is possible with the Mini-ITX standard boards), you will have lower performance. It should be enough for most games, just not more modern stuff.

Look on the top of the cab above the marquee. There is usually a hold down bracket with screws holding it in. DO NOT PRY IT OFF!!!

This is pretty simple and has been covered over at BYOAC forums at least a few dozen times. Basically, the coin slots are connected to the machine via standard switches. All you have to do is wire up those switches to your controls in place of/in addition to your current coin buttons. To light the coin door, you have a couple options. You first need to know what voltage the bulbs that are in your cab require. If you are lucky, they will be either 5, 7, or 12 volt. If they are, you can connect them up to your pc via a hacked molex connector (5v = red + black, 12v = yellow + black, 7v = red + yellow). If the bulbs are not any of these voltages, you can either go to Radio Shack and buy a compatible bulb for your current bulb socket, or you can get a new socket and appropriate bulb (go with the first option if at all possible). As for switching the token slots to coin slots...it's definitely possible. The slots are typically modular so they can be swapped out without tools in a few minutes. Some slots can even be switched by just adjusting a set screw somewhere (to change the width of the coin). Be aware that if you have to buy new ones from HAPPS, the pair can get a bit pricey (IMO anyway). You need to know the brand of coin door you have though as I do not know whether there is a difference from one manufacturer to another.

Any info on that? I just downloaded SP3 ISO from M$ and haven't gathered the courage to install it yet. SP1 and SP2 were perfectly fine when released, but I'm a bit nervous with all the problems Vista has been having. I know they aren't the same OS, but if they deal with the same types of issues in the SP, then... Just curious what you've heard.

Try running speedfan to see what temperatures your system is running at. It depends on the hardware you are running, but I think HDD temps shouldn't exceed 50C and CPU temps shouldn't exceed 60C if I remember correctly. I haven't looked at mine recently, but basically the hotter stuff gets, the sooner the hardware will die.

I don't know what the xor file is for sure, but I assume it's based off the rom itself. Anything that's built from the rom would require the license for the rom, so this file would also be considered taboo, right?

Oh, I see. I didn't realize he wanted the favorites list as well (I haven't been keeping up on this thread as closely as I apparently should have).

You can have GameEx start out in the MAME list of games, but I'm not sure you can do the same for emulators as I don't remember seeing that setting.