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Noob..confused about installing mame.
diamondz:
Hello All,
I purchased a mame cabinet, running mame 32 via a dell computer inside of the cabinet. It was running windows 2000. So i decided to upgraded the operating system to windows xp pro 32 bit, and install games to my taste.
I have never dealt with mame before, but I have been reading and trying different things to get it to work. Google lead me in all different directions, but i could not fully get anything to work. I don't think the newest mame (.147) works on xp? I have tried compiling and all different things, but everything has failed.
Is there a set of updated instructions for a true beginner? Ones that tell you setp by step how to install mame? Is there anything i could just basically install and run, with minimal editing, and with room to grow? I am not too particular on games but i like pacman etc,
Any help or direction would be gratly appreciated. Thanks!
Vigo:
Well, you are asking a very broad question, but understandably so if you are just learning for the first time. There are different modified versions of mame, and the version of mame you are using is very important as well. Easier types of mame to start with, like mame32 windows, are not really ideal for a cabinet, you will need to go more in depth to get your system going smoothly. I will try to just get you started with getting standard mame to work.
Here is the very basics, hopefully it points you in the right direction at least:
1 - download mame from their website. Just get the binary package. Extract it somewhere simple.
2 - You need roms (aka your games). It is very important that the roms you get match the version of mame you are using. It is against the rules for me to tell you anything about where to find them. If you can google and torrent, you should be able to find something. Once you have something, put the Roms in the rom directory in your mame folder.
3 - You will need a frontend program to run Mame from a cabinet. Regular Mame wont start by double clicking it. I recommend starting with MALA. Extract it somewhere simple as well, and open it up. It will ask you to locate MAME, some files in the MAME directory, Roms, etc. do you best to locate it, and if all goes well, it will compile a list of the roms you have. you can scroll through the list and hit enter to play the games. hit tab while in game to change things like controls.
Obviously these are very simple instructions missing many details, but you can either fill in the gaps yourself or come back and ask more when the more specific questions come up.
:cheers:
lojac005:
Well.. I'm a noob myself.. and I've been through pretty much the same thing. What I can tell you (as far as I know.. so anyone please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) .. is that certain versions of MAME will only work with certain operating systems. I have .147 and I'm running 7 on mine. Be careful also with pulling in games individually as the other pain in the butt thing... all the games have to be of the same version or something ... release, update .. I'm not certain what its called exactly... but essentially everything has to be the same in order for it to all work correctly. Like if you have .146 Version Roms.. they won't work with .147 version... I think thats correct.. as I understand it. There are a bunch of sources you can go to.. the most helpful I've found is <link removed by HaRuMaN> .. I think is the site... I'm at work and can't access the link from here or would link it.. that place has good info and forum to ask questions. The best thing to do is as much research as you can... its the best way to learn as frustrating as it is. Hyperspin has a good forum too.
EDIT:
No linking to ROM sites.
-HaRuMaN
diamondz:
Thanks for the info.
Will the newest mame work with xp? When I go to download it seems and if only the newest version is supported at this time. There are older versions, but I couldn't find .diff files for them..(the instructions i was following told me to extract it). What is the newest version that windows xp pro can support? I think i need to start by getting the correct version as I can't upgrade my system any more.
I have a cabinet but it a complete computer (not parts or boards) was just sitting inside, hooked to the original monitor for the dell pc. I have an x-arcade gamepad(joystick) .
Thanks!
Vigo:
I believe the newest version of mame will work with XP, you just want to make sure you don't use the 64-bit version of MAME.
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