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Bulk Convert .cue/.bin (or files other than .bin) to .chd 1.02

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JoeViking245
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About This File

Bulk Convert .cue/.bin (or files other than .bin) to .chd

Using MAME’s chdman.exe (“Compressed Hunks of Data (CHD) Manager”, included with MAME), this plugin will convert CD based game files to a single .chd file in your selected Platform.  Example:

Before    Loom (USA).cue     Loom (USA).ccd     Loom (USA).img     Loom (USA).sub
After       Loom (USA).chd
Before    Arctic Thunder.cue     Arctic Thunder.bin
After       Arctic Thunder.chd

 

If you are looking to convert gdi or iso files (as well as cue) to CHD, see this plugin instead.

Bulk Convert cue/gdi/iso files to CHD - Third-party Apps and Plugins - LaunchBox Community Forums (launchbox-app.com)

 

Why convert?

 

  • You end up with just a single file per game
  • A CHD file is, well… compressed. Resulting in less storage space requirements
    • Arctic Thunder.cue + .bin = 601MB    Arctic Thunder.chd = 466MB
    • Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro = 684MB    CHD format = 318MB
  • Because we can and it's easy to do


Requirements

  • This plugin file
  • chdman.exe (included with MAME)
  • Game rom-sets that include a .cue file. (Loom (USA).cue, Arctic Thunder.cue etc.)

 

What happens after converting?
After successfully creating a CHD Image, the games application path will be changed to the new .chd file.

Also, after the files have been converted you have the option to 

  • Leave the old files in place (default)
  • Move the old files to a separate [backup] folder
  • Delete the old files
     

 

Installing the plugin

  1. Download the plugin
  2. Unblock “cue2chd (v1.00).zip” by right clicking the file and checking “Unblock” and clicking “OK”.
  3. Open the zip file and copy the contents (1 folder containing 1 file) into /LaunchBox/Plugins/
    • i.e. G:/LaunchBox/Plugins/cue2chd/cue2chd.dll

image.png.85087847d85ef26c747b022235f9e1a3.png

 

Using the plugin

  1. Start LaunchBox
  2. Select Tools, Convert cue to chd
  3. Select a Platform
  4. Click Convert
  5. (Optional)
    • Check Delete old files when complete 
      • This will permanently delete the old files (.cue, .bin, .img etc) after successfully converting them to .chd.
    • Check Move old files when complete
      • This will move the old files (.cue, .bin, .img etc) after successfully converting them to .chd to a folder you specify [for ‘backup’].
         

If you do not select Delete or Move, all files will remain in their current location along with the newly created .chd file. 

 

 If you opt to delete the old files and later want/need to convert the CHD files back to .cue etc., you can use chdman.exe to "reverse the process".  The command line is: 

chdman.exe extractcd -i “file_name.chd” -o “file_name.cue”

 

 

Special thanks to @faeran for coming up with the idea for this plugin and his support and testing.

 As always, all comments and suggestions are welcome.

What's New in Version 1.01   See changelog

Released

Version 1.01 (April 7, 2022)

  • Now scans Additional Apps for .cue files to convert
  • The chdman.exe Command Window no longer appears. 
  • Added status window to UI while converting.
  • Like 15
  • Thanks 7
  • Unusual Gem 8
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User Feedback

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k_rollo

k_rollo 70

· Edited by k_rollo

   2 of 2 members found this review helpful 2 / 2 members

Worked like a charm!

 

Bonus Tip:

You can grab chdman.exe on its own and drop it in the same folder as the cue2chd.dll. No need to install MAME in LB if that is the only thing you need from it. Only the .dll and .exe files are required.

 

Bonus Tip #2:

With the added info from @JoeViking245 , you can grab the latest chdman.exe from MAME's official binaries - https://www.mamedev.org/release.html

Extract the binary with an archiver like 7Zip/PeaZip and grab the executable from there.

 

Screenshot_1.png

 

Response from the author:

Good tip! 😎

Adding to that tip:  For best success, use the most recent version of MAME's chdman.exe.

The version linked in this review is from MAME release 0.205 (Dec. 2018).  As of this writing, the current release is 0.244.  Although r0.205 may very well work in many cases, a higher guarantee of success will be achieved with a more recent version.

  • Like 1
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izzy2fancy

izzy2fancy 2

   1 of 1 member found this review helpful 1 / 1 member

This is an awesome tool. Easy to use and helped me save space. Thank you!

  • Like 1
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The Papaw

The Papaw 283

   1 of 1 member found this review helpful 1 / 1 member

This is an amazing plugin! If you want to save tons of HDD space and make your rom collections sleeker and cleaner and easier to work with, this is a Must Have plugin,

@JoeViking245 Joe does some awesome things that makes LB/BB a better experience. Thanks Joe. 

This plugin should be incorporated into Launchbox!!

  • Like 2
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Nightlight

Nightlight 3

   1 of 1 member found this review helpful 1 / 1 member

Works like a charm! Saved around 40% of disk space.

Replace the file path in your list when the chd file is created so you can immediately play your games without doing anything!

Thanks for the plugin.

  • Like 2
  • Game On 1
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