Where To Download Bios Files For Retroarch
Larry Steele
Open the .7z file with 7zip or WinRAR, or the archiver of your choice and extract the files to where you want to install RetroArch, or if on console/phone, install it using the standard method for that system.
Some emulation cores require special system files or BIOSes. These can be downloaded here. Extract the system folder in that archive to where you installed RetroArch (the folder where the retroarch program is. retroarch.exe on Windows).
But, for example, the system "Bally Astrocade".
It will run fine with mame (standalone). It will work fine with the following command-line: "astrocde -cart".
When I start a Bally Astrocade Game with the current mame-core within retroarch, it will show up the game-banner and after that, not more than a black sceen. No crash, no sound, no... nothing.
I think the problem is the bios file. I dont know, were to put it in.
Ive tried it in retroarch/rom, retroarch/system, retroarch/system/rom, retroarch/system/mame, retroarch/system/mame/rom.
As Lordmonkus mentioned, it's definitely better to use the stand-alone version of Mame than the Retroarch one. However, if you plan to use the Retroarch core, I believe that the bios files need to be in the same folder where your roms-games are located in order for it to run properly.
Having all mame roms organized like this, you can now use command lines to always point to the Arcade folder for your roms, which include bios files. You can still use rom sets outside of mame software lists in separate folders, such as "Launchbox\Games\Apple IIGS\" and import these rom files.
OVERRIDES. If you want to make a specific configuration that applies only to a certain emulator, emulated console, or game, you will want to use overrides. These are basically configuration (.cfg) files that are specific to a game or console. For example, if there is a certain game where you want to use a special hotkey or video scaling option, you would open up that game, make the adjustment in the settings, and then save it as a per-game override. Every other game will function normally, but the next time you boot that specific game, those per-game settings will load.
INDEPENDENT SAVES. Confusingly, there are a couple other options and configurations that work outside of the process above. This is because they are governed by their own configuration files, and not the typical retroarch.cfg or override cfg/rmp files mentioned above.
Another way to update RetroArch is to do a manual reinstallation while preserving your most critical files. To do so, you would want to go into the Settings > Directory section and point some important folders to somewhere besides the default RetroArch folder. Here is the process:
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