Need help making MAME32 work.

[rackoon]

Im sure this is a simple problem so here it goes. By the way I am running winXP on a P4 if it matters.

Following esayemu instructions, I installed Mame32 on my computer and created the shortcut icon, as recomended to my desktop. At this point everything looks just like the examples and I have a little yellow folder on my desktop that opens up to a list of other yellow folders like roms and icons ect...

Next comes game installs. I bought my games from a good and popular burnner.

I opened up the empty rom folder and shrank down the window to a quarter of the screen. Then I poped in  the first of four dvd roms. Next I druged the yellow folder from the cd window to the empty folder in Mame32 window. After about 10 min I had a little yellow folder in my Mame32 folder. I did this with all four cd's and put the roms, art and icons and stuff in the right folders.

Next I double clicked on the four yellow folders in the Mame32 rom folder and they expanded into several hundred yellow folders with zippers on them. I then pushed f5 like the instuctions said then I get stuck.

I turned off the computer and tried clicking on my yellow Mame32 folder on my desktop and it still looks like the way I left it, just a list of about ten yellow folders  and some info files.

Please help, Im feeling real stupid right now.   

[FunWithFire]

One, you shouldn't mention where you got your ROMs. Two, you need to have one folder in the main Mame32 folder named roms, inside of that folder should be all of the zipped up Rom folders. Three, you push the F5 key after you have loaded Mame32 up. That tells Mame32 to look for the roms.

Here, this is a good Mame32 basics page:
http://www.geocities.com/mamehelp/

[rackoon]

I wouldnt tell where I got my roms. I know better than that. I just wanted to state that I know they are not currupted roms becuse they come from a reliable source.

Thanks for the link Ill take a look.

[rackoon]

Well my rom folder is full of roms and the artwork, flyers and snapshots are there but Mame32 says I have no games. Ya I know push f5 tried that in every way possible.
 I suppose I will delete all my roms and reinstall them later today.

2 things happen that might be a clue as whats going on are

first: when Im in the first Mame32 menue (with the ten or so folder icons) If i click on roms I get a window that has a little yellow folder that says roms and below it a text folder that says (when opened) place directries here. Anyway when I click on the little roms folder it opens up to my window that has all my zipped roms on it.
     
    (Hmmmmm it seems like I have one extra window than the instruction examples I have read at esayemu and Mame32 fror dummies.)

second: in the window with all the files with zippers on them one called 10 yard wond stay in in zipped form. If I double click on it several times eventual it will turn into severa zipped games. but it wont stay that way when I leave the menu. 

by the way I am down loading roms from disk so sould I put them on my desk top first then stick them in my rom folder? i drug them streight from the disk window to the rom folder. it seemed to work well but then again I cant get anything to work.

[KDOG]

Post a screen capture so we can see what you are looking at.

[rackoon]

I cant. My  Mame computer is seperate from the one Im using right now.

[vizzinni]

I don't have MAME32 close by, but as I recall there's a drop down on the menu bar (I don't remember which one) and from that list you select "directories," and you can select the folder where your ROMS, and snaps, etc, can be found.  You might want to check there to make sure MAME is looking in the right spot.

[FunWithFire]

Double click on Mame32 folder
Double click on roms folder
now you see all the roms

I think you have one extra folder.

[torez]

Make sure that your roms are in the root of the roms folder.  It looks to me that you put the whole 4 folders in roms directory.  You have two choices:
1.  Move all the roms from these 4 folders to roms folder, so all the roms are all together (roms-->your rom files ... not:  roms-->your 4 folders-->your rom files)
2.  Select Options-->Directories from the menu and point to each destination folder.  Make sure your samples, artwork, etc. matches also.

I put my roms, CHD and NeoGeo in separate folders, but that's just my preference.

[rackoon]

Thanks for all the replys guys. I found that somehow I had one extra file that my roms were in. I have been draging them to my desktop then into the right spot. I played my first mame game ever it was Indana jones and the temple of doom. Yea