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Abdessamad Derraz
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111 lines
3.3 KiB
Markdown
111 lines
3.3 KiB
Markdown
---
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level: start
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order: 50
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nav_title: Common questions
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---
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# FAQ
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## Do I need BIOS files?
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For many consoles, yes: PlayStation 1 and 2, Saturn, Dreamcast, Neo Geo and
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many home computers. For NES or Super Nintendo cartridges, usually not.
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[What is a BIOS?](what-are-bios-files.md)
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## How do I know which BIOS I need?
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Run the installer with `--dry-run`. It lists what it would install and changes
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nothing.
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```sh
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curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Abdess/retrobios/main/install.sh | sh -s -- --dry-run
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```
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Your setup's page also lists every file, console by console.
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## Is the command safe? { #is-piping-the-installer-into-a-shell-safe }
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- It checks the installer's fingerprint before running it. If the download
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does not match its expected fingerprint, it stops.
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- It checks every file before saving it.
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- It writes only in your BIOS folder.
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To read the script before you run it:
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```sh
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curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Abdess/retrobios/main/install.sh -o install.sh
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less install.sh && sh install.sh
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```
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Details: [How the installer checks itself](installer.md#what-the-bootstrap-does).
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## Will it change my other files?
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No. It never touches games or saves, or a file it does not know. It replaces a
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BIOS file with the wrong contents, and keeps yours.
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## Windows or my antivirus blocks the command
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Download the ZIP of your setup instead, from [Get your files](../which-pack.md).
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It holds the same files.
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## Can I run it again?
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Yes. That is how you update. It downloads only what is missing or wrong.
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## Can I undo it?
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Yes. It keeps every file it replaces in a `retrobios-backup` folder, beside
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your BIOS folder. The end of the run prints the line that puts them back: the
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same command with `--restore` and that folder.
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Details: [Files you already had](installer.md#files-you-already-had).
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## Fill an SD card from a computer?
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Yes. Name your setup and the BIOS folder on the card:
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```sh
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curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Abdess/retrobios/main/install.sh \
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| sh -s -- --platform retroarch --dest /path/to/sdcard/retroarch/cores/system
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```
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On Windows the line is different. Details: [Passing options](installer.md#passing-options).
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## Does a BIOS work on every setup?
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Yes. Only the folder changes, and sometimes the name.
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## Why is a file missing from the ZIP?
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Some files come with the emulator when you install it. The ZIP leaves those
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out.
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## Required or optional?
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- **Required:** the emulator does not start games without it.
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- **Optional:** games start, with small differences, like no start-up screen.
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## My game shows a black screen
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Most of the time, a BIOS file is missing or is the wrong version.
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[When a game does not start](troubleshooting.md) shows how to check.
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## Is this legal?
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Laws on copying console firmware differ by country. The question is not
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settled, and nothing here is legal advice. Details: [The project's legal position](legal.md).
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To ask for a file to be removed, [open an issue](https://github.com/Abdess/retrobios/issues)
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and name the file. A file is removed when the owner of its rights asks.
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## Why keep recent consoles too?
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Files disappear when stores close, like the 3DS and Wii U shops in 2023. We keep
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them while they can still be found.
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!!! tip "Next"
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- [Get your files](../which-pack.md)
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- [Words used on this site](glossary.md)
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