Geronimo

I've been looking through all available docs and the forum but couldn't find an answer to this question. Is it possible to have more than one artwork file/document of one type (screenshots, artwork, etc.) for a given game? Example: let's say i have "Silent Hill" (PSX) in my game list and would like to have multiple screenshots, cover art versions and disc scans displayed in GameEx. Is that possible, maybe by naming the files in a special way?

In the changelog i've read that "C:\GameEx" is the new default install directory. Locating GameEx in that (or another) dir would mean i could run it without admin privs/UAC prompt, which would be great. Is there a recommended way of "upgrading" an older versin that's already installed in "c:\Program Files (x86)\GameEx\" (x64)? I also wonder: is this change likely to make GameEx "portable" so that i could install GameEx on a new computer and simply copy over all files from an existing installation?

Tom, here are logs for both the special version you've posted above (log-01.txt) and the new GameEx that has been released recently (log-02.txt). The wait time has decreased, but it's still very noticeable. Here's to hoping that you can decrease it even more . log-01.txt log-02.txt

Not sure if you're talkin about my config or GBBBS's. Of course i'd like to use my controller devices in GameEx, i've disabled support for testing only. It's also possible that i have disabled some other stuff when initially searching for the cause of my troubles. I've now re-enabled controller support in GameEx and have changed the "DDraw wait" option.From the logs i was assuming the problem is connected to my graphics card, but i may be wrong of course. Actually, i have two devices connected to my system that may be problematic: a Xbox 360 controller via the XBCD driver and a Logitech G13. Both devices (and a few others) are connected to the machine via an USB hub. Yesterday i've noticed that when the 360 controller is connected via the USB hub it won't work after returning to GameEx from an emulator. This doesn't happen when the controller is connected to a USB port on the notebook. It may also be interesting that the XBCD driver "creates" two Windows devices for the controller (German device names): one "HID-konformer Gamecontroller" and one "Xbox 360 Controller for Windows". Additional devices are created by the the G13 drivers: a "Logitech G13 Joystick" and a "Logitech Gaming Virtual Mouse" (there's also an entry for the keypad). These two devices are "dummies" - they are not active unless controls are mapped to the G13 thumbstick. If the problem is connected to the controller(s), would it be possible to skip initializing the devices when returning to GameEx, for testing? Or is there maybe a way to make the init less "agressive"? Anyway, here's a new log with the "new" GameEx settings. Hope it helps you in identifying the problem. Thanks again for taking the time to look into this. log.txt

OK, here's two logs created with the new exe's. The delay is _much_ shorter now, according to the logs we're at ~5 secs now. Not perfect yet, but a definitive improvement ! I dunno if this is due to caching or something, but launching GameEx and the emulators feels much more "snappy" now, too. log1.txt log2.txt

Tom, thank you very much for looking into this! I wasn't aware that you're on Windows 7 yourself. I can understand that pinning down a bug/problem like the one we're describing is very difficult, especially if you're not able to reproduce it on your machine(s). I'll gladly try to give as much info as i can. Anway, here's two logs, one running mednafen and one running MAME. It looks as if the action that causes the delay in both logs is "Reinitializing Graphics System". I've noticed an odd entry in GBBBS's log: "-1434mb video memory available". IIRC a log of another user with the same problem shows an odd number as well. The equivalent line in my logs reads "1985mb video memory available". As i've written before, i think my GPU has 256MB dedicated memory, so the number strikes me as odd. Unfortunately i'm stuck with Lenovo's ancient graphics card driver as i need it for the "Switchable Graphics" functionality. Let me know if you need more info and/or if there's anything i can tweak/try for testing. EDIT: ah, i've just noticed the new exe's. The logs i've posted were created with the very first "special build" you've posted. I'll create logs with the new build now. log_01.txt log_02.txt

Sorry for double posting, but i'm still looking for a fix to my problem. Tom, would you please inform me about whether you're looking into that problem or not? If i can try additional stuff or supply additional data i'd be happy to do so. As i wrote, the fact that at least two other users are seeing what looks like the same problem i've described strongly hints towards a general problem or "effect" with the GameEx/Win 7 x64 combination. As more and more people are migrating to Win 7 and x64 Windows versions i guess the problem could become more urgent in the near future. If there was a way of finding out what exactly GameEx is doing after closing an emulator and before becoming active and responsive again it'd be much easier to analyze what is happening. Something like a debug build with extended logging would help tremendously, for example.

Of course i've monitored CPU and hd activity while running GameEx and trying to analyse my problem. As i've written before i have everything setup to not hide the OS and not change resolutions. No anomalies there, GameEx and the emulators aren't taxing my system very much. I've also written before that i'm playing numerous games and emulators without any problems at all, so i guess my system is basically working OK. GameEx is as of now the only gaming/emulation app that's giving me grief. It's nice that you don't think the G13 is the source of the problem, but i beg to differ. I wrote before that sometimes when an emulator is exited the device light (backlit LCD display and keys) will briefly go off and on, as if the device is receiving a reset. That's not normal behaviour. The graphics card could be the source of the problem as well. The machine has 4 GB of RAM, and GameEx is detecting "1983mb video memory available" which strikes me as odd. AFAIK the ATI graphics adapter has 256MB of dedicated memory. To conclude this, let me repeat that there are at least two other users with a problem very similar to mine. A possible common denominator is Win 7 x64, which is used in all three cases IIRC.

ReFleX, could you check out this post and see if you can identify any similarities between our problem(s) and maybe our hardware/software setup? What you're seeing seems to be similar to my problem, though i didn't have previous GameEx versions installed on this particular machine and hence can't say anything about the behaviour of previous GameEx versions.

Sorry for the late reply, RL got in the way. As a test i've now copied my whole emulation setup to a local hd. the delay when exiting games is still there. Maybe it's a bit shorter than before but still very noticeable (approx. between 5 -10 secs.). I've also noticed another post with a problem which appears to be similar to mine. This is just a hunch, but i think the Logitech G13 and/or its drivers may be the source of the problem. I've noticed the backlight of the unit switching off and on sometimes when GameEx is in the "hang" phase. The G13 drivers install both a mouse-type and a joystick-type device by default. One of these devices can then be mapped to the thumbstick on the G13. This means the two devices are "dummies" without any actual functionality unless they are mapped.

headkaze, i'll try copying the stuff needed for testing GameEx to a local hd, and will report back later. I doubt this will make a difference though, unless GameEx is reading lots of info from the drive each time an emulator is exited. It's worth a try anyway. Tom, is there a chance of fixing this network share thing, or maybe creating a workaround? It's kind of a showstopper for me with the current setup i'm using. I'd have to completely change my approach to the whole frontend subject (and lots of other emulation/gaming related stuff i'm doing) to compensate for this problem. I have my whole "emulation/gaming framework" set up to use that mapped drive letter, in order to be able to use stuff on various machines and make everything portable. Thanks again for the suggestions and support.

Thanks again for the replies guys. Well, i've tried disabling my virus scanner (didn't think of that before), but the issue persists. As i've said, both GameEx and the emulators i'm testing are set up to not change the resolution from what the desktop is set at, so mode switching is not the issue i'd say. Besides, i can clearly see what's happening on the desktop, as i'm currently not using any of the "hide os" features in GameEx because i'm still setting up stuff. I can see GameEx "springing" from the taskbar and getting focus, and the _real_ wait starts just after that. Tom, thanks for chiming in. I wouldn't have a problem with 5 seconds, but i've seen delays from ~10 to over 20 seconds. As i've said, this doesn't sound like much time, but it's annoying having to look at a black screen on a machine that is powerful enough to easily handle GameEx and the emulators as such. To experience my pain, just look at your Desktop with your hand on the mouse and do nothig while counting "1-Mississippi, 2-Mississippi, 3-Mississippi etc." up to 10 or 15. This should give you pretty good impression on how horribly long 10 seconds can be if you're waiting for stuff to happen (; . The graphics card is a ATI Mobility Radeon 3650. As this machine is a notebook with special features i have to use the drivers supplied by Lenovo. All drivers are up-to-date (i'm quite anal about using the latest drivers). Some additional info that might be important: - I'm using a Logitech G13 unit, but the problem persists no matter if the unit is hooked up or not. I've tried ending all "Logitech processes", too, as well as disabling all "hooking" functions in GameEx. - My emulators and Roms are stored on a file server (Windows 2008 Server via 100mbit), on a share i'm mapping to my "Z:" drive. The share is mapped automatically on startup, and i can access it from all Windows apps without entering user credentials (i'm using the same username/pw on the client and server). When i start GameEx after booting the client machine it gives me an error message about not being able to access Rom directories though. I have to start the config app once, browse to the Rom location and then start GameEx again to make the error message in GameEx disappear. The odd thing is that the drive is marked with a little red "x" symbol in the config app's dir browser, but can be browsed and selected as a source without entering user credentials. This could be or could not be connected to the original problem, and is a major pita by itself. Could it be that GameEx is reading Rom directories each time a emulator is exited, and/or is using methods of reading network drives that Win 7 doesn't like? If GameEx has to wait for a complete dir scan, this could explain the delay i'm seeing.

Just tried switching to the "Windows 7 Basic" theme, no change with the delay unfortunately. I've tried "measuring" the delay, seems like it's very close to 10 seconds every time. I'll gladly try any other suggestions.

Thanks for replying so quickly! Neither GameEx nor the emulators are set up to change the resolution. Here's an exmaple log. I've noticed that Video RAM is not recognized correctly. I don't think this is the source of this current problem, but it could explain other issues i'm having (more on that later, probably). 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: GameEx: Version 10.37: Starting Log 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Operating System Platform: Win32NT 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Operating System Name: Windows 7 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Operating System Version: 6.1.7600 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Aero running 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Initializing Vista/Windows 7 volume control 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Checking for versions of .net Framework installed 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: .net Framework 2.0 Installed 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: .net Framework 3.0 Installed 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: .net Framework 3.5 Installed 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T9550 @ 2.66GHz, 3990MB 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: 2,66Ghz - 2 Cores or CPU's 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Running Randomize() 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Loading PlugIns 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Checking for applications to Launch On Startup 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Running Misc startup tasks 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Setting Menu types 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Opening Configuration File 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Getting Configuration Values 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Using Theme: Default - Default 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Checking for alternate Image Directory for Theme: Default - Default 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Launching HideOS.exe 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Initialising Video/MNG DLL's 18:30:58.6 23.01.2010: Hiding Taskbar 18:30:58.7 23.01.2010: Is Media Center running? 18:30:58.7 23.01.2010: Checking/Creating LCD Registry values 18:30:58.7 23.01.2010: Check Media Center Exit/Start Mode 18:30:58.7 23.01.2010: Media Center Mode 0 18:30:58.7 23.01.2010: Snap Delay set to: 2 18:30:58.7 23.01.2010: Get other settings 18:30:58.7 23.01.2010: Mouse Input is disabled 18:30:58.7 23.01.2010: Using DirectInput for keyboard input 18:30:58.7 23.01.2010: Start work for Form 18:30:58.7 23.01.2010: Getting Original Screen Size 18:30:58.7 23.01.2010: Compacting Database 18:30:58.9 23.01.2010: Opening Database Connection 18:30:58.9 23.01.2010: Initializing Component 18:30:58.9 23.01.2010: Retrieving resolution setting 18:30:58.9 23.01.2010: MAME Path is: Z:\Emulators\Arcade\MAME 0.136 18:30:58.9 23.01.2010: MAME EXE file is: mame.exe 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: ROM Path is: Z:\Roms\Arcade\MAME SuperSet 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: Catver.ini is located at: C:\Program Files (x86)\GameEx\DATA\catver.ini 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: controls.ini is located at: C:\Program Files (x86)\GameEx\data\controls.ini 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: History.dat is located at: C:\Program Files (x86)\GameEx\DATA\history.dat 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: nplayers.ini is located at: C:\Program Files (x86)\GameEx\DATA\nplayers.ini 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: MAMEinfo.dat is located at: C:\Program Files (x86)\GameEx\DATA\mameinfo.dat 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: Loading Controls.ini map file 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: Snap Path: Not Found 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: AVI Snap Path: Not Found 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: Flyer Path: Not Found 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: Cabinet Path: Not Found 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: Title Path: Not Found 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: PCB Path: Not Found 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: Artwork Preview Path: Not Found 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: Panel Path: Not Found 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: Manual Path: Not Found 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: Icon Path: Not Found 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: Marquee Path: Not Found 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: Loading Custom Emulators 18:30:59.0 23.01.2010: Loading Emulator 1: [Console] Nintendo SNES (Snes9x) 18:30:59.1 23.01.2010: Using Version 3 Themes Animations 18:30:59.1 23.01.2010: Using General Font: Trebuchet MS 18:30:59.1 23.01.2010: Using Title Font: Trebuchet MS 18:30:59.4 23.01.2010: Initialising DirectDraw 18:30:59.4 23.01.2010: Creating DirectDraw Device 18:30:59.4 23.01.2010: Using Device: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 18:30:59.5 23.01.2010: 1983mb video memory available 18:30:59.8 23.01.2010: Setting Resolution to 1680x1050 32 bit color 18:30:59.8 23.01.2010: Creating DirectDraw Surfaces 18:30:59.8 23.01.2010: Creating Primary Surface - Full Screen Mode 18:30:59.8 23.01.2010: Creating Back Buffer 18:30:59.8 23.01.2010: Loading graphic Surfaces 18:30:59.8 23.01.2010: Display is running at: 1680x1050 32bit color, 60hz 18:30:59.9 23.01.2010: Creating Surfaces Flags 18:30:59.9 23.01.2010: Creating Surfaces Misc and Dialogs 18:31:00.0 23.01.2010: Creating Surfaces Volume 18:31:00.0 23.01.2010: Creating Surfaces Arrows 18:31:00.0 23.01.2010: Creating Surfaces GameEXlogo Text 18:31:00.0 23.01.2010: Creating Surfaces Toolbar 18:31:00.0 23.01.2010: Creating Surfaces Backgrounds 18:31:00.0 23.01.2010: Creating Surfaces Toolbar Controls 18:31:00.0 23.01.2010: Creating Surfaces GameEx Logo 18:31:00.0 23.01.2010: Creating Surface Unselected 18:31:00.0 23.01.2010: Creating Surfaces Home & Exit 18:31:00.1 23.01.2010: Creating Surfaces Snaps 18:31:00.1 23.01.2010: Creating Surfaces Menu and List Bars 18:31:00.3 23.01.2010: Creating Fonts 18:31:00.3 23.01.2010: Creating Game Font 18:31:00.4 23.01.2010: Creating Game Font Faded 18:31:00.4 23.01.2010: Creating Title Font 18:31:00.4 23.01.2010: Restoring Title Font From Cache 18:31:00.6 23.01.2010: Creating Font Black 18:31:00.7 23.01.2010: Creating Font Black Small 18:31:00.8 23.01.2010: Fonts Created Succesfully 18:31:00.8 23.01.2010: 1920mb video memory left available 18:31:00.8 23.01.2010: Creating instance of global keyboard hook 18:31:05.8 23.01.2010: Initialising Bass Audio Library 18:31:05.8 23.01.2010: Attempting to load game list 18:31:05.9 23.01.2010: Applying Language/Text 18:31:05.9 23.01.2010: Text/Language: English 18:31:06.0 23.01.2010: MAME CMD options: -nowindow -joy -skip_gameinfo 18:31:06.0 23.01.2010: Loading last used Game List 18:31:06.1 23.01.2010: Loading Start Page 18:31:06.1 23.01.2010: Cannot Load Play List. Check Path and filename 18:31:06.1 23.01.2010: Creating DirectSound Device 18:31:06.1 23.01.2010: Trying: Primärer Soundtreiber 18:31:06.1 23.01.2010: Loading Sound Files 18:31:06.1 23.01.2010: DirectSound Device Created Successfully 18:31:06.1 23.01.2010: Gamepad/Joystick disabled 18:31:06.1 23.01.2010: Initialising DirectInput for Keyboard support 18:31:11.2 23.01.2010: Initializing MCE Remote 18:31:11.2 23.01.2010: Playing intro sound file 18:31:11.2 23.01.2010: Initialization OK! Starting GameEx! 18:31:11.3 23.01.2010: Testing Main Loop Once: Processing Frame 18:31:11.5 23.01.2010: Testing Main Loop Once: Main Loop ran successfully 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Validating: Emulator_1: Custom Background: 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Warning: Emulator_1: Custom Background Does not exist 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Validating: Emulator_1: Snap Path: 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Warning: Emulator_1: Snap Path Does not exist 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Validating: Emulator_1: Custom Art Path 1: 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Warning: Emulator_1: Custom Art Path 1 Does not exist 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Validating: Emulator_1: Custom Art Path 2: 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Warning: Emulator_1: Custom Art Path 2 Does not exist 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Validating: Emulator_1: Custom Art Path 3: 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Warning: Emulator_1: Custom Art Path 3 Does not exist 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Validating: Emulator_1: Control Panel Path: 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Warning: Emulator_1: Control Panel Path Does not exist 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Validating: Emulator_1: Instructions Path: 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Warning: Emulator_1: Instructions Path Does not exist 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Validating: Emulator_1: Database: [Console] Nintendo SNES 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Validating: Emulator_1: Title Snap Path: 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Warning: Emulator_1: Title Snap Path Does not exist 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Validating: Emulator_1: Box Art Path: 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Warning: Emulator_1: Box Art Path Does not exist 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Validating: Emulator_1: Cart Art Path: 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Warning: Emulator_1: Cart Art Path Does not exist 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Validating: Emulator_1: Manual Path: 18:31:18.4 23.01.2010: Warning: Emulator_1: Manual Path Does not exist 18:31:18.5 23.01.2010: Restoring Emulator from Cache 18:31:18.5 23.01.2010: Restoring Emulator Database From Cache 18:34:16.4 23.01.2010: Exiting GameEx! 18:34:16.4 23.01.2010: Saving Settings 18:34:18.2 23.01.2010: Disposing Plugins 18:34:18.2 23.01.2010: Closing database connection 18:34:18.2 23.01.2010: Checking for applications to Launch On Exit

This is my first post here, so i'd like to say "Hi" to everyone. (; Let me begin by making clear that i'm not a PC noob. I've been "working" with emulators and frontends for more than 10 years now, and i've tested GameEx for short periods a few times in the past (my machines were not powerful enough to handle GameEx easily, so i didn't donate until now). Nearly a year ago i got a new machine, A Lenovo T500 (Switchable graphics, 4GB RAM). I've switched from Vista x64 to Win 7 x64 some months ago, and the machine is running perfectly well. I use the machine for working and, of course, for lots of gaming and emulating (; . I've played about 50 native Windows games from various years on the machine, and tested maybe 30 emulators for various systems. Everything worked perfectly well, no problems at all. Today i started evaluating GameEx (again). Install went smooth, but i quickly encountered a number of very frustrating problems. After lots of tweaking GameEx itself is running very well, but there's other issues. I'll start with the most annoying problem for now. Oh, i've searched this forum for about two hours but couldn't find any answers. My main problem: It takes a very long time to return to GameEx after exiting an emulator, usually about 5 to 10+ seconds. That may not sound like much time but i can see no reason at all for the delay, and it's very annoying, especially when quickly "browsing" through a number of games. It makes GameEx "feel" very unresponsive. The problem happens with the latest MAME build (both official and mameuifx32) and Snes9x (didn't test others yet). I've disabled all artwork and extended functionality in GameEx and the emulator's config, as well as controller support and other stuff. I've basically tried to disable _everything_ that might interfere. The log doesn't show anything ununsual. To describe the effect more precisely: i have the "hide desktop" and "hide taskbar" functions disabled so i can see what's going on while i'm in the phase of setting up GameEx (the problem occurs both in windowed and full screen modes). What happens is that immediately after i exit an emulator GameEx springs up from the taskbar, and then just sits there for some time, doing nothing. CPU usage is around 0% during that time. The emulator's proccess is definitely gone _before_ GameEx restores itself from the taskbar. After the long delay GameEx refreshes its screen and becomes responsive again. Question(s): is this a known problem, and can i fix it? Is there a way to switch to a more verbose logging level so i can see what's going on between closing the emu and GameEx resuming normal operation? Can someone explain to me what exactly happens during that delay, so i can identify a possible bottleneck? That's it for now. Long post, but i wanted to give as much helful info as possible. I think GameEx is a wonderful piece of software and pretty much the only one of its kind, and i'd happily donate money if i can be sure it'll perform the way i expect it to on my system. Please let me know if you need more information.