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9 new wiki pages: getting-started, faq, troubleshooting, advanced-usage, verification-modes, adding-a-platform, adding-a-scraper, testing-guide, release-process. Updated architecture.md with mermaid diagrams, tools.md with full pipeline and target/exporter sections, profiling.md with missing fields, index.md with glossary and nav links. Expanded CONTRIBUTING.md from stub to full contributor guide. Filter .old.yml from load_emulator_profiles, generate_db alias collection, and generate_readme counts. Fix BizHawk sha1 mode in tools.md, fix RetroPie path, fix export_truth.py typos.
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Wiki - RetroBIOS
Technical documentation for the RetroBIOS toolchain.
For users
- Getting started - installation, BIOS directory paths per platform, verification
- FAQ - common questions, troubleshooting, hash explanations
If you just want to download BIOS packs, see the home page.
Technical reference
- Architecture - directory structure, data flow, platform inheritance, pack grouping, security, edge cases, CI workflows
- Tools - CLI reference for every script, pipeline usage, scrapers
- Advanced usage - custom packs, target filtering, truth generation, emulator verification, offline workflow
- Verification modes - how each platform verifies BIOS files, severity matrix, resolution chain
- Data model - database.json structure, indexes, file resolution order, YAML formats
- Troubleshooting - diagnosis by symptom: missing BIOS, hash mismatch, pack issues, verify errors
For contributors
- Profiling guide - create an emulator profile from source code, YAML field reference
- Adding a platform - scraper, registry, YAML config, exporter, target scraper, install detection
- Adding a scraper - plugin architecture, BaseScraper, parsers, target scrapers
- Testing guide - run tests, fixture pattern, how to add tests, CI integration
- Release process - CI workflows, large files, manual release
See contributing for submission guidelines.
Glossary
- BIOS - firmware burned into console hardware, needed by emulators that rely on original boot code
- firmware - system software loaded by a console at boot; used interchangeably with BIOS in this project
- HLE - High-Level Emulation; software reimplementation of BIOS functions, avoids needing the original file
- hash - fixed-length fingerprint of a file's contents; this project uses MD5, SHA1, SHA256, and CRC32
- platform - a distribution that packages emulators (RetroArch, Batocera, Recalbox, EmuDeck, etc.)
- core - an emulator packaged as a libretro plugin, loaded by RetroArch or compatible frontends
- profile - a YAML file in
emulators/documenting one core's BIOS requirements, verified against source code - system - a game console or computer being emulated (e.g. sony-playstation, nintendo-gameboy-advance)
- pack - a ZIP archive containing all BIOS files needed by a specific platform
- ground truth - the emulator's source code, treated as the authoritative reference for BIOS requirements
- cross-reference - comparison of emulator profiles against platform configs to find undeclared files
- scraper - a script that fetches BIOS requirement data from an upstream source (System.dat, es_bios.xml, etc.)
- exporter - a script that converts ground truth data back into a platform's native format
- target - a hardware architecture that a platform runs on (e.g. switch, rpi4, x86_64, steamos)
- variant - an alternative version of a BIOS file (different revision, region, or dump), stored in
.variants/ - required - a file the core needs to function; determined by source code behavior
- optional - a file the core functions without, possibly with reduced accuracy or missing features
- hle_fallback - flag on a file indicating the core has an HLE path; absence is downgraded to INFO severity
- severity - the urgency of a verification result: OK (verified), INFO (negligible), WARNING (degraded), CRITICAL (broken)