Frontend/Mame setup walkthrough?

[Stormy151]

Hi all!  I am a super n00b when it comes to all this.  I've begun assembling parts for my cabinet, and while construction is a week away or so, I'd like to start setting up the computer now.

I have Windows 95, 98 and 2k Pro.  I see all these systems where people have windows set to boot up this frontend or that frontend, or just go to command prompt etc.

I'm not totally ignorant when it comes to computers, but I have to idea where to go from here.  I have a clean harddrive.  Where do I start?  Is there a walkthrough or something for people like me?

Thanks in advance.

[SirPoonga]

http://www.mameworld.net/easyemu/

[APFelon]

Well, consider what you are going to be playing. If you are going to want to play the Killer Instincts or some of the other "newer" games, go for a WinOS. If you just want Donkey Kong, ETC. I'd say go for DOS.

With an Athalon 2100+, Killer Instinct plays like crap. It is marvelous under Windows (Iattribute the Direct Draw drivers).

So, I will try to explain the pros and cons:

DOS PROS

Cleaner images
Faster startup

DOS CONS

Fewer emulators available
Newer games run slower

WINDOWS PROS

Networking is simple (easily update your ROMs and emulators)
Easily configurable to run most emus through MAMEWah

WINDOWS CONS

Image looks worse, even with stretching off (direct draw).
Can crash to desktop
Popular front ends can't do vertical configurations (yet).

Incomplete, I know, but I think this might help your decision.

[Minwah]

Well, consider what you are going to be playing. If you are going to want to play the Killer Instincts or some of the other "newer" games, go for a WinOS. If you just want Donkey Kong, ETC. I'd say go for DOS.

With an Athalon 2100+, Killer Instinct plays like crap. It is marvelous under Windows (Iattribute the Direct Draw drivers).

So, I will try to explain the pros and cons:

DOS PROS

Cleaner images
Faster startup

DOS CONS

Fewer emulators available
Newer games run slower

WINDOWS PROS

Networking is simple (easily update your ROMs and emulators)
Easily configurable to run most emus through MAMEWah

WINDOWS CONS

Image looks worse, even with stretching off (direct draw).
Can crash to desktop
Popular front ends can't do vertical configurations (yet).

Incomplete, I know, but I think this might help your decision.

I don't altogether agree about your clean/bad image quality point.  The image should look just the same in DOS or Windows.  Do you have hwstretch on?

[APFelon]

No, I turned it off and fiddled with the settings for a while. If I turn off Direct Draw, it looks like it does in DOS. Direct Draw tends to blur the image for some reason.