Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) / Troubleshooting Guide
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   --> Important notes to myself <--

01. When using EasyListView on tabs (TPageControl or TNotebook), the item captions are not accessible
    unless the list gets visible on screen at least once (after every change to it!!!)
    ... maybe because ELV is using another aproach: "TEasyItemStored"

02. Splash screen's clock is stopped every time the splash screen is closed (FormStatus.Close)

03. Cannot create a function inside a main function or you get memory leaks... Delphi 7 doesn't
    work well this way, dunno why


   --> To Users <--

01. Can I use long filenames / folder names with Emu Loader ?
    Yes, you can. The front-end is compatible with long names, but the emulator you are
    using might not be.

02. A MAME game is set as missing. I have the parent zip or bios zip or CHD file but do not have the game zip.
    What is wrong ?
    This is NOT a bug. If the gamename.zip is not found EL does not mark the game as "missing ROMs/CHD"!!!
    This is to prevent listing games marked as "missing ROMs".

03. I am a Delphi programmer. Can I help with the development of Emu Loader ?
    Yes you can. Any help is more than welcome.

04. Will you port Emu Loader to other operational systems like Linux or Macintosh ?
    No.

05. When I get a new MAME version and try to change the default options, some of them are
    not saved on "mame.ini" file. What is going on ?
    By default, Emu Loader never add new entries to the MAME configurations files
    ("mame.ini"). This is to maintain some form of compatibility with older MAME versions.
    You must delete "mame.ini" and re-create it manually (or let Emu Loader do it on a restart).

06. I already have a MAME games list. Now I got a new MAME version, but the new games are not showing
    in the list... Why ?
    Emu Loader only detects new arcade binaries on startup and update their version info.
    You must create the games list manually (main menu "File", "MAME/Arcade", "Create ArcadeGames List").
    This is also valid for ther other arcade systems, not just MAME.

07. I already have a list of games created for a console/computer/handheld  system. How can I add new games
    to the list without deleting the existing ones ?
    Just unckeck "Create a New List" checkbox on the select console/computer/handheld system dialog before creating the games list.
    Arcade systems do not have this option!

08. Can I use relative paths for games files in console/computer/handheld systems ?
    No, you cannot. This is due to the fact the frontend support multiple games folders and
    four emulators per system.
    Arcade systems can have relative paths.

09. When I create custom options for a MAME game, the options I set are not being saved when
    I open the custom options screen again. What is going on ?
    The "INI Path" folder is not valid (folder doesn't exist), or the ini folder is locked by Windows,
    or there is already a game ini file there but is set as read-only.

11. I have games filenames in Unicode format. Can I use them with the frontend ?
    Yes you can. But remember that folder names and emulator filenames must still be in ANSI format. Zipped images filenames cannot be Unicode either.
    This is for console/computer/handheld systems. Arcade systems do not support Unicode filenames.

10. All my MAME games have a line thru them, not just games with preliminary drivers. What now ?
    Try recreating the games list.
    Another fix is to delete all configuration files (frontend only), or even make a clean
    install. I still don't know why this happens for some users...

11. Can I control Emu Loader with my gamepad ?
    No you can't. USB devices are not supported and I don't know how to implement that... sorry.
    As suggested by an user you can use a small utility called "Joy2Key".

12. Columns do not get sorted when I click in header, while in grouped view mode.
    Yes, the whole purpose of the grouped view mode is to group parent + clones together and the list
    is sorted only by game title. There is no point in sorting the games list by other columns

13. Frontend icons look ugly.
    Emu Loader is built to run on Windows with themes enabled (WinXP) and on Windows 7 with the Aero
    interface, so 32-bits icons can be properly loaded. This frontend doesn't have true color (24-bits)
    icons, or 256 colors icons (8-bits), except for MAMu_ icons

14. Frontend doesn't fit my screen.
    Emu Loader requires a minimum resolution of 1280x720 (16:9) or 1024x768 (4:3). However, some screens
    can fit 640x480 resolution.

15. Arcade game docs feature cannot be enabled or it's not showing anything.
    This is a MAME only feature. You must place the following files into MAME "\dats\" sub-folder or in root folder:
    "mameinfo.dat" / "messinfo.dat" / "history.dat" / "story.dat / marp.dat"

16. ZiNc is not working! It gives "Error code 1: Invalid function" message.
    Make sure you install the plugin file "d3d-ogl12.zip". A few users reported ZiNc started working after
    installing this plugin.


-- Master Control: "End of line." (quote from "TRON") --
