-McFly-

Launchbox Precache Manager - Speed up your build - BETA VERSION! View File LaunchBox Precache Manager (WebP / Image Optimizer) Author: McFly Platform: Windows 10/11 – LaunchBox / BigBox Language: PowerShell 5.1 (built into Windows) This toolset helps you shrink your LaunchBox Images folder safely by: Converting heavy originals into WebP precache images in a _Precache folder Keeping a full-quality backup copy in an _Originals folder Letting you preview savings with an audit before you touch anything Letting you backfill any images that were missed by earlier runs Providing tools to activate / deactivate the precache and clean XML references Everything is designed to be: Reversible – originals are preserved in _Originals Incremental – you can run multiple passes with different presets Safe on huge libraries – supports checkpoints/resume and quick sampling Included Files Place all of these in the same folder (e.g. C:\Users\<You>\Desktop\LB-Precache): LB-Precache-Manager.ps1 – the main menu script (what you run) Build-LaunchBox-Thumbnails-Parallel.ps1 – the engine that does actual conversion / activation / restore Audit-LaunchBox-Images.ps1 – audit script that scans the library and estimates potential savings Hardware-Probe.ps1 – lightweight hardware probe (CPU/RAM/GPU, disk info, etc.) cwebp.exe – Google’s WebP encoder (required for conversion) Recommended launcher (.cmd) Because Windows blocks unsigned .ps1 files, it’s easiest to call the manager via a .cmd file in the same folder; Double-click the Launch-LPM.cmd to start the Manager. What the Manager Does (High Level) Hardware probe On startup it briefly checks your CPU, threads and memory and picks default worker / batch settings that shouldn’t bog your system down. LaunchBox path detection It asks where your LaunchBox folder is (e.g. H:\LaunchBox) and remembers that for the current session. It then derives: Images root → H:\LaunchBox\Images Data folder → H:\LaunchBox\Data Optional Defender exclusions In FULL mode it can temporarily add Defender exclusions for your Images folder to avoid the AV scanner throttling disk I/O during long runs. These are removed when the Manager exits. Menu-driven workflow Everything else is driven from the Main Menu: audit, build thumbnails, activate precache, restore originals, clean XML, and backfill missing precache. Start-Up Prompts (explained) 1. Safe vs Full mode Choose run mode: [0] SAFE – low impact (single worker, small batch, no Defender changes) [1] FULL – uses hardware recommendations (multi-threaded, faster on SSD/NVMe) SAFE mode – good for old machines, USB drives, or if you’re nervous. FULL mode – recommended on modern PCs and internal SSD/NVMe. This just affects default worker/batch values and whether you’re offered Defender exclusions. 2. LaunchBox folder Where is your LaunchBox installed? Examples: D:\Games\LaunchBox or H:\LaunchBox If you just press Enter it uses the default shown (you can change that in the script). It then prints: LaunchBox Root – the folder you picked Images Root – where it will work (creates _Precache / _Originals under here) Data Folder – where XML cleaning uses metadata 3. Defender exclusion prompt (FULL mode only) Add temporary Defender exclusion for "H:\LaunchBox\Images"? (y/N) Y – adds temporary Microsoft Defender exclusions for Images and the _Precache folder to speed up heavy disk activity. N / Enter – skip; nothing is changed in Defender. On exit, any exclusions this tool added are removed. 4. Hardware summary You’ll see a short hardware summary and the recommended defaults: CPU model & thread count Total RAM Default workers / batch for Fast / Balanced / Extreme profiles This is just for info; you can override any of it later on the Build Thumbnails screen. Main Menu (all options) From here on, everything is menu-driven: Main Menu [0] Audit images (recommended first step) [1] Build Thumbnails [2] Activate Precache (junction swap) [3] Restore Originals [4] Clean XML references [5] Backfill missing precache from Images [6] Exit Select [0..6] (default 0): Below is what each option does and every question you’ll see. [0] Audit images – “What could I save?” Use this FIRST on a new setup. It’s read-only. Prompts Quick vs full audit Run a quick sample-based audit (recommended)? (Y/n) Enter / Y – quick sample (default cap ~250,000 files). Great for a fast preview. N – full audit of the entire Images tree (can be hours on huge libraries). Quick mode does not write checkpoints; full mode does. Checkpoint (full audits only) If you’ve run a full audit before and stopped it, you’ll see: Checkpoint file found… Resume from this checkpoint? (Y/N) [Y] Enter / Y – resumes where it left off using the lightweight ledger file. N – discards old checkpoint + ledger and starts fresh. During a full audit, every ~5,000 files it will print: [Checkpoint] Saved at …, ProcessedCount = N Output & summary When done, it writes: lb_audit.json – machine-readable summary lb_audit.csv – per-extension breakdown (for Excel/Sheets) Console summary shows: total files / image files / non-image files bytes by zone: Base, _Originals, _Precache (each with GB in brackets) how many original ↔ precache pairs exist and how many bytes they’ve saved how many originals still have no precache and how many bytes are sitting there estimated extra savings if you converted everything This is what feeds the planning hints you see before a Build run. [1] Build Thumbnails – “Make / update precache images” This is the main conversion action. Step 1 – Choose preset You’ll see something like: [0] Fast [1] Balanced [2] Extreme [3] Custom Select speed/quality preset [default 1]: Fast – more conservative, quicker, less aggressive compression Balanced – default sweet spot Extreme – slowest, aims for maximum size savings If you choose Custom, you’ll be asked: Which profile baseline (Fast / Balanced / Extreme) Whether to force JPEG only (no WebP) Custom JPEG quality (1–100; lower = smaller files, more loss) Step 2 – Planning hints (from last audit) If you have a recent audit, it prints: === Planning hints from last audit === Audit scope: X files (Y images) Convertible originals: N files (~AAA.GB), potential extra savings up to ~BBB.GB if fully converted. Profile Extreme: rough full-library runtime ~5h 50m; estimated recoverable space ~211.39 GB. This helps you decide if this preset is worth it before you commit. Step 3 – Worker / batch size Workers (3): Batch size (800): Defaults are based on your hardware/audit. You can: Hit Enter to accept Or type a different number of parallel workers and batch size Step 4 – Category scope (what types of imagery to process) You’ll see a menu like: 0) All – Everything under Images 1) Logos – Clear Logo*, Logo*, Platform Clear Logo* 2) Banners – Banner*, Steam Banner*, Epic Games Banner* ... 3) BoxArt – Box - Front/Back/Spine/Full, 3D Box, Reconstructed, Front/Back 4) Screenshots... 5) Fanart... 6) Marquees... 7) Media... 😎 CartsDiscs... 9) Custom – Type a comma-separated list (e.g. Marquee,Banner) Prompt: Choose category numbers (e.g. 0 or 2,5,6). For Custom, choose 9: 0 → All 2,5,6 → just those specific categories 9 → then you type names like Banners,BoxArt (not numbers) Special handling for Logos: If Logos are included, you get a “Include Logos in this run? (Y/N)” gate. This is because LaunchBox really prefers Logos to remain PNG. Step 5 – Filtered view vs full Images If you didn’t pick All, the Manager builds a filtered _LBTemp\_view using junctions so the engine only traverses relevant folders. You’ll see: Heads up: building the filtered view. This can take a while. Keep an eye on the Explorer window – links will appear as the view builds. If _LBTemp\_view already exists, you’ll be asked: Delete _view and rebuild junctions? (Y/n) Y / Enter – rebuild with new categories N – reuse existing view if the category scope matches Step 6 – Final run summary Example: === Run Summary === Root : H:\LaunchBox\Images\_LBTemp\_view Profile : Extreme Workers : 3 BatchSize : 500 UseWebP : True JpegQuality : 80 Categories : Banners, BoxArt, Screenshots, Fanart, Marquees, Media, CartsDiscs Proceed? (Y/n): Y / Enter – start the conversion N – cancel and return to Main Menu (junction view is cleaned up) Behind the scenes it sends these settings into Build-LaunchBox-Thumbnails-Parallel.ps1, which: Reads ImagesRoot (full Images or _LBTemp\_view) Writes WebP precache images under _Precache Copies the original into _Originals the first time it converts a given asset [2] Activate Precache – “Use the optimized images in LaunchBox” This calls the engine with: Mode = Activate ImagesRoot = ...\Images PrecacheRoot = ...\Images\_Precache The engine does a junction swap so LaunchBox starts using your precache images (while preserving originals in _Originals). Prompts: Just a confirmation message + “Press Enter to return to Main Menu” if success. On error, you’ll see a reason (permissions, missing _Precache, etc.). [3] Restore Originals – “Undo and go back to full originals” This is the reverse of Activate: Mode = Restore Uses _Originals folder as the source of truth. Use this if: You want to revert the library to original quality You want to change presets and rebuild everything from scratch Again you’ll see a short message and be returned to the Main Menu. [4] Clean XML references – “Tidy up image paths in LB XML” Calls the engine with: Mode = CleanXml ImagesRoot + LBData (your Data folder) + _Precache This scans LaunchBox XML metadata and fixes any image references that: Point to files that no longer exist Need to be pointed at new precache paths You get a completion message and then a “Press Enter to return to Main Menu” prompt. [5] Backfill missing precache from Images – “Second chance pass” Use this after you’ve run one or more big conversions and maybe changed presets. It: Rescans your main Images folder directly Looks for originals that don’t currently have a precache copy Converts those and copies originals into _Originals so your safety net stays complete This is especially useful after: You added new platforms/games You did earlier partial runs with different categories or presets You want to push any remaining unconverted originals through with a more aggressive profile Prompts Confirmation This will rescan your main Images folder... Proceed with backfill now? (Y/n) Profile choice Choose profile for backfill: [0] Balanced (recommended) [1] Extreme (slower, aims for maximum savings) Select [0/1] (default 0): Workers / batch Shown and editable (same as Build). Backfill summary === Backfill Summary === ImagesRoot : H:\LaunchBox\Images PrecacheRoot: H:\LaunchBox\Images\_Precache Profile : Extreme Workers : 4 BatchSize : 5000000 UseWebP : True JpegQuality : 80 Run backfill with these settings? (Y/n): Y / Enter – runs a targeted pass that only acts on originals with no precache. N – cancel. [6] Exit Cleanly exits the Manager. If Defender exclusions were applied earlier in this session, they’re removed here. Safety Notes The tool is heavily biased toward safety: Every converted image’s original is stored in _Originals You can always Restore Originals Audit is read-only Feel free to create your own LaunchBox Images folder backup (or the whole LB folder) before large first-time runs on production setups if you're unsure. Long runs on external USB drives can take many hours; that’s normal with multi-million-image libraries. If you like this and want to help me out, buy me a coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/mcflylpm Submitter -McFly- Submitted 11/22/2025 Category Third-party Apps and Plugins  

In your collection?

The archive has a new manager - Thanks everyone for your DM's.

This archive needed someone like Hayato to take it over and do it justice, someone who can drill deeper into it that I ever did. I'm looking forward to seeing the work he does for the community.

Many are incomplete due to them simply being missing from the web. Some games become available or found by people and ripped for everyone, some are incomplete due to bad rips, etc. The archiving should have started about 30 years ago when everything was new and available, but here we are.

Risks?

yes, i started there and gave up due to all the failures with uploading that way.

All my files are there, uploading and downloading is simple and straightforward. I just don't have time for all the questions and requests.

The repo is up for grabs to anyone interested in taking it over -

I'm giving up the entire repository that used to be at snaapgames.com as I don't have the time to manage it anymore. If you know what this is and are interested in taking it over, let me know. If you're not sure what this is; it's a MEGA site I used to upload my entire collection for archiving purposes. My goal was to keep everything available forever for anyone interested in preserving our collections, but the time I've had to give this has been far more than I anticipated and I just don't have the bandwidth anymore due to professional and personal reasons. It's currently sitting at 26TB and costs around $90 per month, payable on the 15th. ASparky was interested in taking this over but I haven't heard from him in a couple of months, so I'm opening it up to everyone. This is NOT FOR SALE - there is a monthly cost for this that will be payable to MEGA, not to me. There is / was a website associated with this and an email address. At a minimum I'll need an email address from whoever takes it over to forward messages to. I was asking for donations to help cover the monthly MEGA fees, you may need a website if you choose a similar path. Reach out to me via DM is interested. If no-one takes this over, it'll be cancelled before November 15th 2025 and gone forever.

repo update - Asparky is still taking this over (until he tells me otherwise) so all the files will be available when he does.

Hi everyone. I don't have the time to continue it so I'm closing the MEGA repository in 2 weeks on September 30th 2025. If anyone wants to take it over, PM me and we can discuss as there are several things that need to be done before the handover can happen, specifically email, web and banking back-end stuff. If anyone is interested in taking it over there are costs involved with hosting the repo. Thanks to everyone who grabbed what they could while they could, sorry it wasn't forever. I may make this its own post, I'll just put this here for now. Asparky - if you're still interested, let me know.