What does your MAME desktop look like?

[MPTech]

I'm running 480 x 640 on my MAME cab.  I left the desktop solid blue for easy contrast and nothing busy, but I'd like to change it to something more Arcade looking.

What does your desktop look like?  (share your pics please)

[spacies]

My machines have the 'BUILT BY' thingy in my sig below. Its the whole thing too, not cut off like below.

I also have the bar along the bottom on auto hide.

Looks good.

[Bobbler]

Black, plain black, no icons nothing.

[DarkDraco]

http://www.darknemesis.com/projects/mamecab
almost complete

[FrizzleFried]

I too roll with 'all black' on my two cabinets that use Arcade Monitors,  thought the cocktail I am working on that uses a PC monitor will likely have the cabinet logo on it....

[notaburger]

i have the ms. pacman bezel for my background, with a few icons in the middle
but mamewah direct boots upon loading of windows, so you only see it for a split second

i also have a custom mame loading screen for my boot screen
http://www.mamedownunder.com.au/utilities.htm
(it says mame instead of a windows xp)

it also looks cooler

 

[MPTech]

yep, got the boot replacement (shows MAME instead on XP).
I agree, cool..........
I've debated booting directly to MAMEWAH. I like it alot, but I'm not convinced yet.

I had a Mario Kart desktop, but it was kinda busy with the Graphic and icons, so I went to the plain blue screen.

I want to reorganize it to remove 90% of my icons from my desktop and only have 1 or 2 instead.

[Chris]

My desktop has a grey-on-black grid with the Robotron "Initial tests" message superimposed over it.

[Aurich]

Black, plain black, no icons nothing.

++

480x640 nothingness. You should never see that you're in Windows AFAIK.

[um3k]

In Order of Boot:

• Full screen logo instead of bios screen
• BootSkin running MAME theme
• Auto login to Non-Admin "Arcade" account via TweakUI (never see the login screen)
• Desktop is pure black with no icons (TweakUI again) and toolbar to auto-hide.
• MameWAH or GameEX in "Arcade" users' Startup folder to boot directly to it, but allow me to easily drop to a real explorer shell if need be.
• Both FEs allow shutdown directly from the FE, so users never see/interact with the explorer shell, but I can quit the FE and get a quick explorer shell to fix any easy problems.
• Wireless keyboard attached to pass-through and stored in the cabinet.  I can whip this out and logoff of the "Arcade" user and on to "Admin" to fix any hard problems.  The "Admin" user has a regular desktop and full set of icons.

The effect is that other than the bios logo, you see nothing other than the MAME Boot Skin and the FE... and certainly nothing that looks remotely like Windows!!!

[Fozzy The Bear]

I've never understood why it is that people frett about seeing Windows at bootup.......

Several of the arcade machines that we have in the arcade I work for, run on Windows 98 and Windows XP.... and you most certainly do see windows during bootup every morning.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[notaburger]

it's not really a big deal but given the choice, i like seeing that different boot up
if not for me, for all of my non-arcade-enthusiest friends
it makes it feel more geniune and not like they are just playing on a glorified keyboard

but yeah, i didn't have the changed boot splash until a couple months ago
it takes all of about 5 minutes to get up

no biggie

[leapinlew]

I've never understood why it is that people frett about seeing Windows at bootup.......

Several of the arcade machines that we have in the arcade I work for, run on Windows 98 and Windows XP.... and you most certainly do see windows during bootup every morning.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

For us home users - it helps keep the arcade feeling. Especially with the classics.

Many people are amazed by my arcade, once they find out about the computer and keyboard encoder... well, it's like learning a magic trick.

[recklessindian]

   I use windows 98se.  My desktop is black and my taskbar is set to auto hide.  All of my icons are hidden, by using the folder option:  hide icons when desktop is viewed as a webpage.  The windows logo has been replaced with a mame logo.  It also loads directly to mame32, which will be upgraded to mala once I update my 600mhz computer.  Oh yeah my cursor has been changed to a tiny dot, two tiny dots when thinking (instead of the hour glass).

[Glaine]

I've never understood why it is that people frett about seeing Windows at bootup.......

Several of the arcade machines that we have in the arcade I work for, run on Windows 98 and Windows XP.... and you most certainly do see windows during bootup every morning.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

For us home users - it helps keep the arcade feeling. Especially with the classics.

Many people are amazed by my arcade, once they find out about the computer and keyboard encoder... well, it's like learning a magic trick.

Thats a good point and I used to worry about that a bit but now I don't - alot of people think its pretty cool its a PC in there, like an ubber case mod. And if I ever do care, all I have to do is turn on the cab before people come over. I rarely have to restart the compy or anything once it is running so the only reason they know its a PC is cuz there is a keyboard around the back.

[tetsu96]

I'm a fan of hiding the boot screen as well - if it's a hybrid PC station then no need, but for a MAME cab I like things to look as far away from PC as possible.

As to my desktop, it's the same as my boot screen minus the "system now loading" screens.

[ahofle]

I've never understood why it is that people frett about seeing Windows at bootup.......

I agree completely.  I think it's rather neat that everything runs via a normal PC.

Several of the arcade machines that we have in the arcade I work for, run on Windows 98 and Windows XP.... and you most certainly do see windows during bootup every morning.

Uh oh LOL. I would be pissed if I got a blue screen in the middle of playing a game.

"OK just one more zombie to shoot!!! --"
BAM! <Blue screen of death>
"HOTD3.exe has performed an illegal instruction.  Please reboot and if the problem persists, contact the manufacturer."
 

[sphetr2]

I don't have a desktop, as my frontend is set as the shell with T. Speirs' (sp?) excellent shell/boot logo changer.

[Glaine]

I've never understood why it is that people frett about seeing Windows at bootup.......

I agree completely.  I think it's rather neat that everything runs via a normal PC.

Several of the arcade machines that we have in the arcade I work for, run on Windows 98 and Windows XP.... and you most certainly do see windows during bootup every morning.

Uh oh LOL. I would be pissed if I got a blue screen in the middle of playing a game.

"OK just one more zombie to shoot!!! --"
BAM! <Blue screen of death>
"HOTD3.exe has performed an illegal instruction.  Please reboot and if the problem persists, contact the manufacturer."
 

Actually, it is quite common for me to shoot my machine if it blue screens on me. But really when was the last time you saw a blue screen on XP? It's been a long time for me.

Similar to that though,
I was playing an NBA Jam machine at a movie theatre as a kid once and at the "enter cheats" screen just before the game starts I just mashed around on all the buttons like I always do. Then the game restarts. Apparently I entered a code to reset the machine or something. What a waste of money.

So heres the next question: how many of you decased your mame cab PC? I did when I was all excited about having a mame cab (and I stripped the wires to the power button to the toggle switch on the back of the machine so you have to use it to turn it on like a real machine). I regret it a little just because the parts are all over, strapped to a piece of wood in there, and I dread the day I have to move it all - especially because I decased a TV and it just kind of sits there, it isn't really secured. Moving that mess sounds horrible and I dread it regularly.

[pmc]

Many people are amazed by my arcade, once they find out about the computer and keyboard encoder... well, it's like learning a magic trick.

I got pretty depressed when my nephews (children) said "oh, it's just a PC?". Damn kids.

-pmc

[_) (V) (-)]

Just reply with . . .
"OK, All nephews who were able to build a fully functional arcade game simulator raise your hand." using your best Adam Sandler voice, then stick out your toung and do your victory dance.


As for my 'desktop' I use a mame logo I stole from someplace. Also modified the windows 98 boot screens and replaced the ugly Intel bios screen with a custom mame logo.  I ditched all the icons and have everything I need on the quick launch bar that is on auto hide. I also use my cab as a juke box (80 gigs of mp3's!!!) so it's cool for me to have a blank background, When I am playing music I can start a cool visulation thingy that pulses lights to the music. I also can play music while I am playing games in mame, very cool option BTW!

[Glaine]

Plus, you can always refuse to let them play on it until they get off their high horses and accept that it's still awesome.

80 gigs of mp3's!!!

Wow. Trying to download the 80's there? I R Impressed.

[Kaytrim]

I have a standard boot up process with two hardware profiles and logins.  If I am going to have a party or friends are coming over I just boot it up prior to their arrival.  We all have fun and I just power it down after they have left.

The other hardware profile/login is for the kids to be able to do some homework if the main computer is occupied.

[Organic Jerk]

So far, I have three screens that are set up in the boot up/desktop process..

The boot screen, which replaces the windows logo(although still 16 colors, looks much better when not resized)..


The "default" desktop bg (which is seen when windows is loading settings)(also seen for longer than the one below when shutting down)



and the Desktop BG (which would be seen right before the GUI loads up)(and for a small moment when shutting down)



I tried to make it seem like a coherent progression, and the fact that the only difference between the "default" and "user" BG is a small message looks cool when loading up... since theres no screen flicker between the two it actually looks like some console is giving you status messages..  Also, the BG image itself and the top bar are both from my Mala theme, which work to integrate everything as well.  The bar and BG are the same, and then "the logo dissapears and the GUI pops in" when MaLa loads..

I'm not sure if this is a new idea, so I'm putting it out there as one people might like to know about...  it definitely helps to visually (and mentally) "replace" windows ...