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[snnowwy]

Hi guys,
I know this is probably a total noob question but then again I am a total noob.

Firstly, let me apologise if this has been handled elsewhere.
I have carried out extensive searches on this subject but can only find advice on problems that happen after Mame-X and Kawa-X load.
My problem is that they don’t load at all.

I know how irritating it is to troubleshoot a problem with no info (I work on a helpdesk) so here is all that I can tell ya.

PROBLEM:
Certain apps just refuse to load. I just get returned to the dash. I got them all from xbins (I hope mentioning this is OK, I saw a tutorial on xbins here so I assume it is, if not feel free to edit it out or say “the usual places”)
These apps are:
   • Kawa-X
   • Mame-X
   • MameoX
   • FBXXX (doesn't even show up on the menu of any dash)
   • X-Commander

BACKGROUND:
I recently modded my XBOX and a mates XBOX. Each has a Xenium Ice chip.
I have tried various different BIOS’s
While Mame-X works fine on my XBOX, it refuses to load on my mates.
The reverse is true for Kawa-X, it loads on his but not mine.
I have tried using another Dashboard (so far I’ve tried EvolutionX, UnleashX and MXM. I’m downloading Avalaunch as I type) and I’m having the same prolem.


OBSERVATIONS:
• IGR is turned off but if this were the cause then neither XBOX should work as they have the same ini files.
• I doubt the files that I got are corrupt as each has worked at some point, just not on both XBOXes.
• Both boxes are version 1.4 made only 6 weeks apart but do have different hardware. Again I am assuming that this isn’t the problem as if they were that temperamental then it would be difficult to get even Official games to work across the board.

PLEA:
Can anyone help me out?
I am in danger of pulling all my hair out and I’m very vain so I don’t want to do that.
 

[Chron Johnson]

Have you tried deleting the savegame data from the MS Dash for each of these programs before their reinstall?  If you're trying to launch a program that already has its "registry data" still saved to the hard drive, there's going to be a big schism and the program won't load regardless of which dash launches it.  And best to forget about MAME-X and Kawa-X in favor of MAME(d)OX and FBA-XXX, respectively.  Reading old tutorials creates the illusion that they're the arcade emus you want, but this is no longer so.

[snnowwy]

Thanks,
I’d thought of deleting the save games but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. Didn’t realise that it could be done from the MS-Dash.
I’ll try that as soon as I get a chance.

Regarding MAME(d)OX and FBA-XXX, I’ve got both and neither load for me.
FBA-XXX doesn’t even show up on the dash’s auto list.
I haven’t had a chance to manually link to it’s xbe tho.

Cheers for the advice on these 2, the problem with trying to do your research first is that you end up reading old info.

Another question:
I have a heap of roms for mame but I collected them ages ago. Is there a risk of them not running on the latest versions of MAME(d)OX and FBA-XXX if they’re based on the most recent mame core?
I know something like this is a problem with updated versions of the neogeo bios.
Would this apply to game roms too?
Also, what are the latest versions of MAME(d)OX and FBA-XXX?
Do they use virtual memory so I can run the bigger games?

Jeez, you let me ask one question and see what happens?

Thanks for you patience and help though.
I’ll let ya know how I get on.

S.

[Thraxen]

QUOTE

I have a heap of roms for mame but I collected them ages ago. Is there a risk of them not running on the latest versions of MAME(d)OX and FBA-XXX if they’re based on the most recent mame core?

Depends on how old.  The latest versions of MAMEoX are based primarily on MAME 0.84.  I'm not really sure what version FBAXXX is based on or is closest to, but it includes and can generate its own DAT files that you can use to check the ROM with a program like Romcenter.

QUOTE

Also, what are the latest versions of MAME(d)OX and FBA-XXX?
Do they use virtual memory so I can run the bigger games?

MAMEdOX v1.1 (or 1.5 with the new front end posted here.. but ROM set is the same).
MAMEoX 128 Plus! v20051002

FBAXXX 8/26/05
FBAXXX Pro based on the 8/26/05 version

And, yes, they all use virtual memory.

[Chron Johnson]

Hey hey.  The FBA-XXX Pro Thraxen refers to is version 0.2.95.23 (lots of decimals).  It sounds like if you're using a dashboard that requires manual linking to find its programs then we might be dealing with a dashboard problem, at least in the case of FBA-XXX not showing up.  Make sure you have fresh installations freshly unpacked from fresh current RARs of current installers.  FBA-XXX has an ini you can configure to point to your roms in its "ini" folder.  MAMEdOX 1.1's rom-pointing ini is in E:\TDATA\4d414d46  If you put them somewhere other than the default directly you'll need to alter that after you get MAMEdOX booted for the first time.  As to this version 1.5 of MAMEdOX, that's a malapropism.  That is in fact a skin for MAMEdOX 1.1, a test release for a future version of MAMEdOX we assume will be called 1.5

[BritneysPAIRS]

MAMEdOX 1.1 . OK the pointing stuff is in inis but id recommend changing them in the options. Just press start and selection options, press right trigger till you get to the directories or directories 2 and change any path you want there.

MAMEdOX 1.5 is not a skin! (although I updated it abit which needed doing to added in new features and removed outdated clutter) its the front end program. Im in the process of finishing it and ill release a full package soon in 2 forms (1 with new games drivers and one with same game drivers so all games will work as they did but with an improved game selector).

MAMEoX 1.1 or with 1.5 front end upgrade both use 0.84 rom sets, and KAWAKs 1.52 Neo Geo games, plus Progear, supper trio and new games after 0.84 with latest verions. Cheers

This post has been edited by BritneysPAIRS: Nov 2 2005, 02:29 AM

[Chron Johnson]

No offense meant.  Just trying to avoid confusion for someone who's already having trouble getting the program to load as is.  It's great to hear that MAMEdOX 1.5 is that close to completion...and that this is indeed its front end.  Just used the term "skin" in reference to its relative functionality to a new user.  Have you thought about teasing us voracious MAMEdOX fans with some of the ROMs you're working on adding?

Edit: just included the tdata info because I find it can be handy to be able to see the directories you're trying to link to while you point to them.

[BritneysPAIRS]

All is good, not many new roms

Samsho5sp has corrected sound, many files have updated so will need new dats .
Nothing worth mentioning runs. It has radien 2 driver etc but it doesnt load, outrun turbo wont load proplery, gforce runs at 2 frames a sec. So id recommend keeping same dats and wait for xbox 360 to hopefully be able to run latest core.

[snnowwy]

Cheers guys,
thanks for all the replies.

I have deleted all the savegame data from the MS Dash and this hasn't helped.
Could it be something about the MS Dash that isn't doing this fully?
Are there any other ways to do this?

Also, they don't work with Avalaunch either.
This would suggest that it's not the dash, but the application.
However, if that were the case then how can I get them running on one machine and not another?

QUOTE

It sounds like if you're using a dashboard that requires manual linking to find its programs then we might be dealing with a dashboard problem, at least in the case of FBA-XXX not showing up.

It doesn’t require manual linking, I was just trying this out to see if it would help. I get the same result (i.e. nothing) whether I use manual or dash automated  linking.

As far as FBA-XXX is concerned, that might be a corrupt installation cause I have never seen it work.
Anyone got a link to their homepage? I assume asking for emulators (but not roms) is OK?
While I'm at it, anyone got the link to the MAME(d)OX homepage (or anywehre else I can download it) I keep getting site under construction pages when I google it.

Regarding changing the rom location in the ini file:
I'm putting the roms in the default directories until I get the emulators up and running.
But even if they can't find any roms, they should still start up right?

It's not just Mame and Kawa that don't load so replacing them with better emulators wouldn't help me solve the original problem.
I hate letting something like this beat me.

Could there be anything else that I'm missing?

S.

[TMaul]

Somethings to consider:

It might be a network problem. I've seen problems with file corruption caused by shitty or broken network cables on more than one occasion.

It might also be worth trying a different ftp client on your PC, just in case its screwing up the required data directories.  While we are on the subject of directories, are you 100% sure that the xbes + datafiles are being copied to a directory thats being checked by your dashboard? I know that aceftp and sometimes cuteftp get confused with where you actually want the files to be copied, and this would explain why fbaxxx is not showing up.

Like you suggested, it might be worth re-downloading the emulators from somewhere else, just in case the copies you have are not complete or corrupt for some reason. I know that fbaxxx doesnt like it when the datafiles (i.e. fonts and skin) are missing. Linking to xbes is against forum rules but they are out there if you do some searching.

This post has been edited by TMaul: Nov 2 2005, 06:57 PM

[Thraxen]

Quick question... is the XBE file for your FBAXXX actually named "default.xbe"?  I ask because the most recent version of FBAXXX came with the XBE file named "fbax.xbe" and you had to rename it.

Of course, assuming you did it correctly, the manual linking should have worked if you linked to the fbax.xbe file, but I thought I would ask just in case.

This post has been edited by Thraxen: Nov 2 2005, 07:13 PM

[snnowwy]

QUOTE

It might be a network problem. I've seen problems with file corruption caused by shitty or broken network cables on more than one occasion.

Same cable used to upload to both X-BOXes

QUOTE

It might also be worth trying a different ftp client on your PC, just in case its screwing up the required data directories.

I use the Xenium samba server and make the directories myself.
Both Mame and Kawa are being picked up by the dash, they attempt to load and bomb out.
I set the link manually as a test to see if that had something to do with it.

QUOTE

Quick question... is the XBE file for your FBAXXX actually named "default.xbe"? I ask because the most recent version of FBAXXX came with the XBE file named "fbax.xbe" and you had to rename it.

I think you’re onto something there. I only set the manual link for Mame and Kawa, haven’t gotten round to doing it for FBA-XXX yet.
I can’t remember what the executable extracted as.
Do the dashes only look for “default.xbe”

[Thraxen]

QUOTE(snnowwy @ Nov 2 2005, 04:34 PM)

I think you’re onto something there. I only set the manual link for Mame and Kawa, haven’t gotten round to doing it for FBA-XXX yet.
I can’t remember what the executable extracted as.
Do the dashes only look for “default.xbe”

By default, yes.   Some dashes, like UnleashX, have a setting where you can tell it to list all XBEs that it finds, but by default they just list the default.xbe files they find since those are the main launch files for basically every XBox app.

This post has been edited by Thraxen: Nov 3 2005, 12:45 AM

[Chron Johnson]

It will also help if you reinstall the entire application from a fresh package when removing the savegame data...it sounds like you don't know where these things are found?  Reading up on the tried and true method at http://www.xbox-scen...icles/xbins.php will do you good.

[Thraxen]

QUOTE(Chron Johnson @ Nov 2 2005, 09:16 PM)

It will also help if you reinstall the entire application from a fresh package when removing the savegame data...it sounds like you don't know where these things are found?  Reading up on the tried and true method at http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/xbins.php will do you good.

The problem in this situation is that Xbins does not have the most recent version of FBAXXX.