Converting .zip Files To .fba Files

[Kalisiin]

OK...I've tried everything, downloaded several different applications, went thru the readme files, tried using various applications, and nothing is working out.

I have several .zip files I'd like to convert to .fba so I can use them on Final Burn Alpha (or at least try to) And nothing I do works, I can't make .fba files.

Can someone provide some kind of tool, and literal step-by-step instructions that even an idiot like me could understand?

I had a hell of a time getting FBA to work on my Dingoo at all...and now I do have it working and several ROMS, too, but only .zips.

I have a number of files that did not work out as .zips that I want to try to convert to .fba but I can't make the SOB's convert. Nothing I do works. Please, please, please help!

I'm desperate. If you can't help me convert, can you point me towards some preconverted stuff, privately, since I'm sure it's frowned upon publicly.

I just don't know what else to do!

I have literally tried everything.

Incidentally, even in the command prompt, I could not make the command prompt recognize the directory I was trying to change to...I tried the slashes in several different directions, and nothing helped.

My SD card is routed to J Drive in my case, but no matter...nothing in the world helps. Nothing I do makes the files convert.

 

[gaterooze]

You can do it anywhere, doesn't have to be on your SD - you can just move the cached files over later.

For simplicity, try this step by step:

1) Make a directory on your c: drive root called 'fba'.

2) Put the file fbacache.exe into the directory you just created.

3) Inside the c:\fba directory, make a subdirectory called 'roms'.

4) Put any zipped game(s) you want to convert into the subdirectory c:\fba\roms . Let's say you put in kof94.zip.

5) Open a command prompt (DOS) - in WinXP you click Start->Run and type 'command' and hit enter.

6) In the command prompt window, type 'c:' and hit enter.

7) Type 'cd fba' and hit enter.

8) Type 'fbacache -d kof94.zip' and hit enter.

9) After it finishes, check the directory c:\fba\roms - you should find the cached file in there, kof94.fba.

10) Repeat for any other games.

NOTE: I have found a few games that gave an "OK" message but did not actually convert. I suspect these were from an incompatible romset...

 

[Kalisiin]

You can do it anywhere, doesn't have to be on your SD - you can just move the cached files over later.

For simplicity, try this step by step:

1) Make a directory on your c: drive root called 'fba'.

2) Put the file fbacache.exe into the directory you just created.

3) Inside the c:\fba directory, make a subdirectory called 'roms'.

4) Put any zipped game(s) you want to convert into the subdirectory c:\fba\roms . Let's say you put in kof94.zip.

5) Open a command prompt (DOS) - in WinXP you click Start->Run and type 'command' and hit enter.

6) In the command prompt window, type 'c:' and hit enter.

7) Type 'cd fba' and hit enter.

8) Type 'fbacache -d kof94.zip' and hit enter.

9) After it finishes, check the directory c:\fba\roms - you should find the cached file in there, kof94.fba.

10) Repeat for any other games.

NOTE: I have found a few games that gave an "OK" message but did not actually convert. I suspect these were from an incompatible romset...

thanks!

This worked.

Holy god the thing is fussy, though.
I found you cannot have the window up when you are doing this...it can be minimized, but not up.
I got a total of 5 of the ones I was trying to convert do the same thing...said ok, but not .fba file got created.

incidentally, if you do d- rom.zip instead of -d rom.zip it tries to play the fricken rom on your desktop!!

Also had a few files it said was totally not found, even though I know I typed them right, and so I assume that this means they are not supported roms (I also have the fbacache.dat batch file in there.)

At any rate, for now, I was able to convert 20 files over to .fba to try out and see if they work.

For now, I only tested one, but it worked.

I tested "Over Top" which I had as an .mvs file for play on the native OS - I re-took the .zip on OverTop and made an .fba

This game plays much better on FBA than it does on Native.

So, I have 19 more files to try out, which I'll get to tomorrow...meanwhile, I at least now have the fricken .fba files.

The five that did not convert, I suspect were missing something, somewhere, and so did not convert - I can try looking into the zip files to see if there are some files that need to be added to make it work.

But for now, I want to test the ones I do have.

I'm trying to make some of these work over on Final Burn...just to say I did it...because Final Burn has given me such a pain in the rear-end to make it work, but, by god, I think I finally have it!!

Thank you so much, you been a HUGE help!!