Mame4all 1.3, 4.1.0 Firmware, Clrmamepro -> Still Black Screens

[minizoot]

Hello.

I'm a newbie and I have some difficulties. I've just bought a GP2X-F200(B). It was delivered with Firmware 4.0.2. I've installed Mame4all 1.3, some ROMs and all I got was black screens when I started the emu. Reading things here and there I learned that many apps didn't work with 4.0.2 firmware and I flashed firmware 4.1.0 (first and second release). Black screen again when I loaded the ROMs (Battlezone, Bombjack, Bionic Commando). Then I converted the ROMs with ClrMamePro to make sure they were readable. Black screens again. A weird thing though: I start a freshly copied Mame4all, choose the ROM, black screen, off/on the GP2X, start Mame4all and I end up directly with a black screen !
Vice2X crashes, Duke3D (even though there's a mouse pointer as a beacon in the darkness...) and... oh my god Frodo2x works ?!?!
Am I missing something ? Any help would be appreciated. Plplplplplease.

Laurent

 

[zeblackos]

Hi all !
I'm a newbie too, and pretty happy to have received a new gp2x F-200 today.
I've got exactly the same problem, so I wonder why Mame4all simply don't work at all.
Firmware 4.0.2 pre-installed, I tried to run Mame4all and got nothing (not even the interface) <_<
Is there anyone here to help us to make this "must have" running fine ?

thanx


blk.

 

[tkoyah]

I got a GP2x with firmware 4.0.2 and was having the same problems you guys describe: black screen immediately when starting MAME4All, MAMEGP2x, Vice, Payback (demo and retail), and some others.. (and yes, Frodo worked for me too on 4.0.2)

After updating to the 4.1.0 firmware those problems went away. (Make sure the firmware update has taken .. 4.1.0 shown on booting, different background in the menus, english touch-screen calibration.) You held down select+home when booting for the ROM update?

Now, if you are getting the MAME menus, and *then* getting a black screen when launching a ROM, that's a different issue. I'd try more conservative settings.. is the GP2x Clock set too high? Most units can be overclocked to 250MHz, but at this stage I'd start on 200MHz and just get things working first. Don't turn on the RAM tweaks yet either.

Or is is getting to a further stage? Has it listed the ROMs? Reached the system-summary screen where it lists the CPUs and screen resolution, and says "Press Any Key"?

 

[minizoot]

After updating to the 4.1.0 firmware those problems went away. (Make sure the firmware update has taken .. 4.1.0 shown on booting, different background in the menus, english touch-screen calibration.) You held down select+home when booting for the ROM update?

Thank you for your answer TKO I have some kind of incoherence. 4.0.2 is still shown when I boot the console but when I go in info the console tells me it's running 4.1.0 firmware. Could this incoherence be related to my problem ? The firmware was update at boot time.

Now, if you are getting the MAME menus, and *then* getting a black screen when launching a ROM, that's a different issue. I'd try more conservative settings.. is the GP2x Clock set too high? Most units can be overclocked to 250MHz, but at this stage I'd start on 200MHz and just get things working first. Don't turn on the RAM tweaks yet either.

200MHz, no RAM tweaking.

Or is is getting to a further stage? Has it listed the ROMs? Reached the system-summary screen where it lists the CPUs and screen resolution, and says "Press Any Key"?

Yes I got to this point. It's when I launch the game that I get the black screen.

Thanks again guys !

Laurent

 

[juanvvc]

QUOTE
Then I converted the ROMs with ClrMamePro to make sure they were readable


ClrMamePro can convert some roms, but it doesn't do wonders. I was told that you can search in the internet 'gp2x' and 'torrents', and you'll find a page with tons of roms ready for mame4all.

 

[minizoot]

ClrMamePro can convert some roms, but it doesn't do wonders. I was told that you can search in the internet 'gp2x' and 'torrents', and you'll find a page with tons of roms ready for mame4all.

Thanks for the infos Juanvvc. I'll search for such ROMs but I wonder if my problem isn't more firmware related.

 

[tkoyah]

Thanks for the infos Juanvvc. I'll search for such ROMs but I wonder if my problem isn't more firmware related.

Yeah, if 4.0.2 is still displayed on boot-up I suspect the firmware update wasn't complete. I'd try it again. I haven't seen anything of 4.0.2 to 4.1.0 updates doing anything nasty to the system (where it shipped with 4.0.2) ..make sure you do hold select+home when booting for the update.

If the 4.1 update doesn't take, maybe revert back to 4.0.2 with the update that's now available on archive.gp2x.de then do the 4.1.0 flash again. ..I wouldn't worry about troubleshooting anything else until the 4.1.0 update looks complete.

 

[minizoot]

make sure you do hold select+home when booting for the update.

That's what was missing. Mame4all works and I can play some ROMs. It's funny that this wasn't written in the readme file. Huge thank you TKO ! B)

 

[zeblackos]

Thank you very much for your answers !!!!....
I've upgraded my gp2x firmware to 4.1.0 and Mame4all works now fine !

Once more thanx !

blk.

 

[kneehighspy]

to you guys with the mame probs and other, i too also received my new f200 ( B ) a few weeks ago, it came with 4.0.1 installed and showed this on system info screen, but the bootup screen said the unit was at 4.0.2.

i updated my unit to 4.1.0 (old version, haven't tried new version yet) and my problems with mame and some other titles (payback) went away and most seem to work fine now.

so anyone purchasing a new f200 with 4.0.1 (or 4.0.2 bootup screen) firmware, update to 4.1.0 and that should fix most issues at the moment.

sorry my post is late to the game, but i've been away from things for the last week or so.

 

[protossgp32]

Hello:

I'm very sorry about upping a 3 month's old thead, but I'm a new owner of a GP2X F200(B) and this seems to be the closest thread to my problem.

I'm having the same problems as some of you, black screen just executing mame4all, now v1.4. My GP2X is a F200(B), but I can't tell which firmware does it have, because as someone else have told here, the boot screen doesn't match with the firmware displayed on the Info section inside Settings. Boot tells me I've got a 4.0.2, while the Info says that I've the 4.1.1. Apart from the MAME problem, I also can't use my PS2 with USB adapter pad with the cradle, and I don't know if it is also a firmware problem. The pad + adaptor is completely plug & play, no drivers needed on WinXP, and when connected to a usb port of the cradle the green LED gets on. The only emulator that recognizes the USB Pad plugged in is Picodrive, but after that I can't configure its controls.

What should I do? Thanks anyway!

EDIT: I've just solved the MAME problem! Worried about this firmware mess, I've read all the info related to the latest upgrades, and I've finally decided to upgrade my GP2X to firmware 4.1.1 (even though it should have it). The update has been done flawlessly, and now a 4.1.1 appears on the Loading screen! Mame just works great, but still I've the problems with the pads. Any idea?

 

[Squirrel61]

The problem of the difference between boot screen and system info is caused by upgrading straight from 4.0.2 to 4.1.1. By following this path, somehow the boot screen isn't updated to match the firmware version. It seems it doesn't do this always, since I've been able to upgrade from 4.0.2 to 4.1.1 with correct boot screen, but on another occasion also with the version difference you describe.

The best way to get rid of this and other annoying problems in my experience is:
- Run Orkie's nandblanker. Can be found in the archive. Haven't time to link it up, maybe I'll edit my post later today with a working link.
- Run the 4.0.2 full firmware installer after nandblanking.
- Just to be sure, run the 4.1.0 updater. Theoretically you could skip this step, but sometimes it will result in the wrong version number on the boot screen.
- Then update to 4.1.1. Don't stay at 4.1.0, it's absolutely crap.

Alternatively, if your 2x came with 4.0.0 factory installed, you could consider installing the full 4.0.0 after nandblanking. I've found many emulators much more cooperative on 4.0.0 than on 4.1.1, so I'm back at 4.0.0 (and waiting for open2x).

 

[Manjuu]

Warning: Don't downgrade your firmware to 4.0.0 if your F-200 came with 4.0.2 (or 4.0.1). This will just brick your unit. Also, any version below 4 are also incompatible for any F-200.

 

[Squirrel61]

Warning: Don't downgrade your firmware to 4.0.0 if your F-200 came with 4.0.2 (or 4.0.1). This will just brick your unit. Also, any version below 4 are also incompatible for any F-200.

Thanks, I meant the same with my last line but I realize I wasn't loud and clear enough on something that important!