Instasheller and CPWizard

**Kenpachi** · February 18, 2008

I just recently did an overhaul on my cabinet and decided to play around with CPWizard. I have instasheller installed already and it boots right into GameEX on startup. My Problem is that I can't get CPWizard to also boot on startup. I've enabled startup in CPWizard's options, but with instasheller it doesn't load up. I've also tried to put CPWizard in GameEX's boot on startup option. This gives a GameEX error of:

Launching and waiting cpwizard.exe

Error: File not found

at microsoft.visualbasic.interaction.shell .... (etc)

Is there any way to have both instasheller and CPWizard boot up?

As a solution I had thought about exporting with CPWizard and making a bunch of images of controls for MAME. What I want is for when I pause MAME, for the control image to show up. I tried the bezel .121 patch mentioned in the sheller guide, but that didn't work for me. I might be missing something obvious, but I can't figure it out.

Any ideas/help would be appreciated.

**headkaze** · February 18, 2008

Yes good question, I've often wondered myself why CPWizard won't boot up with GameEx set as the shell.

Anyway, I guess the thing to try is to use a batch file to launch them both

Eg. Startup.bat

@ECHO OFF
start "C:\Program Files\CPWizard\CPWizard.exe -minimized"
start "C:\Program Files\GameEx\GameEx.exe"

Copy and paste the above into a text file and save it as Startup.bat then copy it into the root of your C: Drive.

Then you can use the following reg file..

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
"Shell"="C:\\Startup.bat"

Copy and paste the above into a text file, save it as "SetStartup.reg" then double click it and say yes to adding it to the registry. Let me know how you go

**bkenobi** · February 18, 2008

You could also put CPWizard in the logon script for Windows.

1) Start -> Run -> gpedit.msc

2) Select Local Computer Policy -> User Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Scripts (Logon/Logoff)

3) Double click Logon

4) Click Add

5) Click Browse and find cpwizard.exe and set Script Parameters as "-minimized" and click ok

6) Click Apply

Next time you logon, you should have CPWizard running. The only problem you may have is if CPWizard starts up slower than GameEx it may steal focus. That will have to be dealt with if it occurs (hopefully not).

**headkaze** · February 18, 2008

I totally forgot that CPWizard needs the -minimized command line option to start in the icon tray. Hope you don't mind bkenobi but I edited your post to add that in. Also great post I've never known that about login script's before! It seems pretty strange that I didn't know that as I thought I knew every method a file could be launched on startup.

**Kenpachi** · February 18, 2008

Thanks for the fast replies. I tried your suggestion first headkaze, but I'm not sure what's going on now. When it boots up, it stops loading and there are two consoles open, one for gameex.exe and another for cpwizard.exe. Just two boxes open, nothing goes beyond that.

I also tried your suggestion bkenobi, or well I was going to try it. Apparently XP Home doesn't have gpedit.msc . I tried following a guide online for adding it to XP Home, however after successfully getting it onto the Home machine there isn't any scripts option. From what I've read so far that's just as much as you can possibly get transfered onto XP Home.

Any other ideas? I'm thinking I'm either going to have to install XP Pro on my cabinet or forget about instasheller for now. Otherwise, is the .121 bezel patch only for MAME .121, or will it work for .123? (I currently have .123 on the cabinet) I tried patching the source with that diff patch but when I pause MAME the image of the controls doesn't come up.

**bkenobi** · February 18, 2008

Yeah, that's cool. I would prefer having a single post with the right instructions rather than having to read through a whole thread. Makes it easier for referencing down the road!

**headkaze** · February 18, 2008

Any other ideas? I'm thinking I'm either going to have to install XP Pro on my cabinet or forget about instasheller for now. Otherwise, is the .121 bezel patch only for MAME .121, or will it work for .123? (I currently have .123 on the cabinet) I tried patching the source with that diff patch but when I pause MAME the image of the controls doesn't come up.

The patch should work for .123 but you have to select File > Export Batch in CPWizard, select Bezel then set the output path to your artwork folder in Mame. Then you don't need to run CPWizard again. Pressing pause in Mame should show your controls. Just make sure you have the correct layout set in Edit > Options > Mame > "Mame Layout". It should be no problem to do it this way. Let me know how you go.

**Kenpachi** · February 20, 2008

I ran export --> batch in CPWizard and selected bezel, etc. However, it stops creating bezels after 975 files are created. CPWizard simply stops creating anything, yet is still running and doesn't show up as unresponsive. I've tried using mame .123 with the hiscore and bezel 121 diff patches applied, and also mame .123 with no patches at all. Both end in the same result.

I'm completely lost on this one. I managed to make .png files with export --> batch for the entire mame .123 set just fine, but it doesn't like it when I choose to create bezels. Any thoughts on all of this would be appreciated.

**bkenobi** · February 20, 2008

What game is it stopping on? That should be the one right after the last one created and probably alphabetical. My first blush would be that there might be a problem with the config file for that game it breaks on.

**Kenpachi** · February 20, 2008

I'm not sure what game it is exactly that it's stopping on, it's somewhere near the end of C games and start of D games. But each time I try this, it creates exactly 975 bezels and stops.

This is a fresh install of mame .123 btw, so there are no cfg files except for the default.cfg file for general controls and one for 1944, the one game I played. It did create the bezel for 1944 also.

**bkenobi** · February 20, 2008

If it's always the same number, I strongly suspect it has to do with a specific game. The easiest way I can think to find it is to go to your newly created CP image directory and sort by name (sorting by date/time should result in exactly the same list). Go to the last file in the list and find it's name (for example 1942.png). Now, go to your rom directory and sort by name and scroll down to 1942. The game I suspect is causing the problem should be the next title after the last CP image you created. This should also be the 976th file in your roms folder.

**Tempest** · February 20, 2008

If it's always the same number, I strongly suspect it has to do with a specific game. The easiest way I can think to find it is to go to your newly created CP image directory and sort by name (sorting by date/time should result in exactly the same list). Go to the last file in the list and find it's name (for example 1942.png). Now, go to your rom directory and sort by name and scroll down to 1942. The game I suspect is causing the problem should be the next title after the last CP image you created. This should also be the 976th file in your roms folder.

Four more posts to go!

**Kenpachi** · February 20, 2008

The 976th game that it stops on then is connect4. I'm not sure what to do about this though, even knowing what game it is. There are no .cfg files or any temporary files of any kind for that game, I've never even played it in mame. Is there a way to tell CPWizard to skip that game? I'm not sure how to do that since it's creating bezels from mame itself and not my roms folder... or am i supposed to put my roms into the mame rom folder before I ever run CPWizard?

**bkenobi** · February 20, 2008

If that game is really the problem, then if you just move it to a temporary directory or rename it to connect4.zip.tmp or something. If it still breaks, then it's not the game (assuming it is connect4 that it's working on), it's got to be the CPWizard as best I can tell.

**Brian Hoffman** · February 20, 2008

The 976th game that it stops on then is connect4. I'm not sure what to do about this though, even knowing what game it is. There are no .cfg files or any temporary files of any kind for that game, I've never even played it in mame. Is there a way to tell CPWizard to skip that game? I'm not sure how to do that since it's creating bezels from mame itself and not my roms folder... or am i supposed to put my roms into the mame rom folder before I ever run CPWizard?

Try running connect4. I doubt it works. Thats probably why its failing.

Add that rom to the excluded game list. Update your game list again. And try again.

When you use the patched version of mame it wont tell you why a game isnt working.

**bkenobi** · February 20, 2008

He's trying to export CP images so GameEx MAME can display them without CPWizard running. I agree that he should probably filter it out of GameEx if it doesn't work, but he wants to generate all of the other CP's after it in CPWizard so I would still suggest removing it from the list that CPWizard works through.

**headkaze** · February 20, 2008

This sounds like a bug to me! Kenpatchi after you do an "Export Bezel" can you check your CPWizard.log file. I bet there is an error in there. If you can post the error I can fix it in the next version.

**Kenpachi** · February 20, 2008

Here's the log file for CPWizard after I run export --> batch bezel.

CPWizard.txt

**headkaze** · February 21, 2008

Here's the log file for CPWizard after I run export --> batch bezel.

Yeah that is definately a bug, I'll look into it when I get a chance.

**headkaze** · February 21, 2008

I'm having trouble locating this bug. Kenpachi can you please copy the attached CPWizard.exe over yours and then try exporting bezel again. It should show an "ERRORCODE: n" this time in the log file when it errors out. This will help me locate the exact line of error.

CPWizard.zip

**Kenpachi** · February 21, 2008

Here you are, good luck!

CPWizard_new.txt

**headkaze** · February 21, 2008

I'm not sure if I fixed this, but I did see something that might be causing that error. Can you try the attached exe and see if it works?

**Kenpachi** · February 22, 2008

Just tried it, no luck yet. It still stops at the same place. Here's the log file.

CPWizard.txt

**headkaze** · February 22, 2008

Were getting somewhere, it looks like the other errors were fixed.

Now I did see something that might cause this new error, but at least I've hopefully trapped it this time.

Let me know how this one goes.

CPWizard.zip

**Kenpachi** · February 22, 2008

Works! Thanks a ton headkaze!

Instasheller and CPWizard

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