## F.A.Q. - Frequently Asked Questions

You have some problems? Well..Then take a look at this little FAQ.

####

#### Common messages

I get a 'can't receive data' message.

> Be sure that your selected binary supports the parameter which is listed. Be sure that the harddrive with clrmamepro has enought free diskspace. I nothing works for you, use a real datfile for the binary

What are these wrong placed alerts ?

> This means that a clone file is in a parent set or a parentfile is in a cloneset. Use Fix-Unneeded (+enabled backupoption) to fix that.

What are these wrong merged alerts ?

> This message can appear when you're using full merged sets and still have some separate clonesets in your collection. Normally these files will be fixed by a fix-unneeded operation. You can also use the Rebuilder or Merger. This can also happen when you keep chdfiles in a subfolder named after a clone while you keep the romset fully merged. Put the chd in a subfolder named after the parent then.

What about this possible wrong named bios rom message while starting clrmamepro ?

> clrmamepro finds several bugs in datfiles. In this case there are listed biosroms which may have the wrong name. Let clrmamepro repair that for you.

What about missing biosfiles messages ?

> BIOS files are needed for some systems. Normally they are stored in a separate file (e.g. neogeo.zip or playch10.zip). If they are missing, clrmamepro displays an errormessage.

What about not separated biosrom messages ?

> You should put biosroms in the separated bios sets (like neogeo.zip etc.). Check out the Scanner for further options.

####

#### Zip, gameset and fixing problems

clrmamepro complains about unneeded zipfolders. But they aren't shown with Winzip. Why ?

> clrmamepro finds useless empty zipfolder entries and removes them. That's it. They are a waste of diskspace and aren't shown by common zipprograms (because they are empty...).

clrmamepro can't fix wrong sized ROMs. Why ?

> Well..Can have different reasons. Check if the correct size isn't larger than the wrong one. clrmamepro can't create missing data. Another reason can be that your current too large rom is a bad dump and clrmamepro doesn't find a memory area within it which matches the correct CRC32.

clrmamepro can't fix wrong named ROMs. Why ?

> Check if there's already a file with the right name in the same archive.

Why does MAMEMerge or ROMCenter report no problems while clrmamepro does ?

> Mostly caused be double ROMs. Double ROMs are at least two roms in sets with parent/clone relationships with equal crc32s but different names. Equal roms should have equal names. clrmamepro wants both (or more) files, even if they are equal. You can disable this behaviour by enabling the profiler option 'parse 'merge' tags. There are several profiler options which have an impact on how the datfile is used.

Why does clrmamepro says that it misses roms while the scanresults window doesn't report any missing ones ?

> Enable 'Bad Dump Handling -> show missing'

Why does clrmamepro complain about missing sets while the zipfiles exist ?

> This is mostly caused by bad zipfiles. Look at the warningswindow (below scanner, rebuilder or merger). Maybe it is filled with zipfile information.

clrmamepro complains about bad zipfiles but Winzip tests them ok. Are my roms bad ?

> Hehe...One of the most common problems. You have to differ between bad zipdata and bad zipstructures. A zipfile has structures (e.g. local file headers) and the compressed filedata. Winzip's test will decompress the data, calculate the crc32 and compares it with the one which is stored in the zipstructures. So you can have a zipfile with good filedata but bad zipstructures. clrmamepro complains about bad structures ! Why ? Because bad structures cause major trouble when adding or removing files from the archive. clrmamepro will do an extra (- this takes no extra time -) test for bad zipstructures and will report bad local fileheaders, etc. You'll be surprised how many zipfiles you may have which are bad. clrmamepro 2.41 and can fix these errors automatically. If you still see such an error, clrmamepro wasn't able to fix it.

Winzip tests some zipfiles as bad but clrmamepro scans them without any warnings. Are my zips bad ?

> Yes they are. clrmamepro doesn't check the data. It only checks some zipstructures and compares the crc32. Checking the data would mean to unzip any file in an archive to memory, calculate the checksum and compare that one with the one in the zipfile. This takes too long.

What is this ILLEGAL TIME/DATE STAMP all about ?

> At least one file within a zipfile has an illegal date/time stamp. Like e.g. 1.1.2913. You have to unzip the files, set the date/time by hand to a valid value and rezip it. clrmamepro 2.41 and can fix these errors automatically. If you still see such an error, clrmamepro wasn't able to fix it.

####

#### Other weird issues

clrmamepro freezes while receiving data.

> Most likely the binary which is called to produce a datfile crashed. Check that. If nothing helps, create a datfile on your own

clrmamepro doesn't import all sets from an EXE file.

> Free more diskspace on the clrmamepro-harddisk. Maybe the output of the binary isn't correct.

How can I add files to my collection ?

> Use the Rebuilder !...or the fix missing option.

I have so many unneeded files. Why ?

> Check your ROM/Samplepath settings. Check if 'Advanced Unneeded' is enabled..If so, disable it. Check your set settings, too !

I have so many missing files. Why ?

> Check the 'I'm using:' in the scanner dialog. You have to tell clrmamepro how you store your files.

Can I just scan my collection..without changing anything ?

> Sure...Use the Scanner and disable all 'fix' settings.

If I start clrmamepro Windows says something like: 'Switch to DOS mode'

> Well...Your system is a mess...Currently we don't really know when this is happening. It can be fixed by reinstalling Windows :o) But maybe you just have to remove any command.pif files and install some MFC updates.

You suck. clrmamepro deleted all my files.

> Well...It's not possible. clrmamepro doesn't remove any valid files which are listed in the datfile. Looks like you're using the wrong data.

Can you send me fileset xyz ?

> No.

Can I send you fileset xyz ?

> No.

Can I send you money for your program ?

> Well...clrmamepro is Freeware. So you don't have to pay me anything. On the other hand if you really want to support me by giving me money or presents, mail and let me know :o).

Will you release the sourcecode ?

> No...not in the near future. If I find the time I want to make it as portable as possible. And maybe then I will release the sources.

Write a frontend or an emulator !

> No. No time.

## Troubleshooting

You've run into major trouble ? Well..Read the upper FAQ first. If you don't find a solution for your problem, make a clean clrmamepro install. That means that you deinstall it by removing its files (esp. the cache folder) and the registrykeys and reinstall it. Read more about it in the Installation / Deinstallation section.

Most problems are caused by wrong or bad cache files. So quit clrmamepro, delete clrmamepro's cache folder and restart clrmamepro.

Some other hints are:

- Read this documentation carefully !
- Use as less rom/sample paths as possible.
- Rebuilding is an fine way to add new files or to clean sets.
- Lower your CPU usage by setting a lower thread priority.

## How to...

#### ...create a Diff Dat from 2 existing datfiles?

Use Logiqx' mamediff program.

#### ...change the buttonbar ?

Go to the about dialog and right-click in the window. You can now load a BMP file. This BMP file should be 384x64 pixels and should have a colordepth of 32 bit.

#### ...scan only some sets. I don't want to scan them all.

Go to the set information dialog. There you see a list of all current sets. Now you can enable/disable singe sets. You can also use the "Select Sets" edit box to enter the sets you want to enable. You can use wildcards there and can specify more than one term (separated by ;). Like: "a*;pacman; street*; [!v]*; [a-v]* ". The parent/clone checkbox at the topright is used to automatically enable all clones and parent of an enable set. The selected number of games will now be shown in the title line. Go to the scanner and scan your selected sets. The selected sets also affect the rebuilder and merger. Only the selected ones will be rebuilt/merged.

#### ...add support for a new emulator

Not so easy as writing a datfile....The emulator has to support an option to create a datfile. This list has to be sent to std (Standard Output). Then you have modify clrmamepro's engine.cfg file to add the support for the emulator. Take a look at the engine.cfg documentation.

#### ...write a datfile

You have to know the fileinformation and the datfile-syntax. Also read the datfile documentation.

#### ...add files to my collection

Use the Rebuilder. The destination path should point to your current collection and its source should point to the new files. You can also drag'n drop new files in the scan-results window. It will use the current rebuilder settings for rebuilding. After rebuilding it will do a fastscan operation, so don't forget that you should have finished a scan operation before dropping files in the scan-results window. Another method is to use the fix missing option.