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-McFly-

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Posts posted by -McFly-

  1. So... I've had it running now for over 3 hours without crashing. Here's what I found.

    BigBox was running under PageHeap / IFEO debug instrumentation, which was making it far more likely to terminate or behave abnormally during long runs. Windows had a hidden per-app debugging setting attached to BigBox.exe, even though normal verifier /query looked clean.

    HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\BigBox.exe
    GlobalFlag 0x02000000
    PageHeapFlags 0x3

    BigBox itself was being destabilized by PageHeap being enabled, and removing it fixed the problem. The crash problem was caused, or at least heavily triggered, by hidden Windows PageHeap debugging being enabled specifically for BigBox.exe.

    - This may return or may not have fixed everything but I've not had it run for 3 hours for at least a month.

  2. I'm continually seeing my Bigbox setup hang or crash when I run all my platforms and playlists. I'm trying to use Attract Mode with the Aeon MQ7 theme with almost 800 platforms and a little over 700 playlists. (I have too many and I'm asking too much, I know.)  I've spent the last few weeks going through my hardware, software, operating system, drivers and more with fixes, trial runs, tests, VLC/FFME/Media Player trials, and just about everything I can with AI without success. The final result is to send this to the Launchbox devs, which I'm doing here. Others may have similar issues or have comments to add as well as a few 'just use less platforms and playlists you muppet' which I do, but I'd really like to have this run for more than 90 or so minutes before crashing or freezing with everything added. I've attached a Crash Packet that ChatGPT put together for me and there is a link to other files available inside the document for Devs or anyone else to look at.

    Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining that Bigbox has any errors or should support something this ridiculous, but I really would love to have this running during the day while I sit working from home, for me to look up to and break the monotony that is emails and teams meetings and phone calls and powerpoint presentations. I expect that I'm just asking for too much... but if you don't ask, you don't get...?

    BigBox_Developer_Crash_Packet_Mcfly.docx

  3. Launchbox Video Recovery - Audit, Find and Fix

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    LaunchBox Video Recovery v1.0

    Recover missing playlist and platform videos

    LaunchBox Video Recovery scans your video library and helps you recover missing platform or playlist videos by finding likely matches elsewhere in your LaunchBox video collection.

    The script can then optionally create symbolic links to the best matches, restoring videos without duplicating files.

    This is especially useful for large LaunchBox libraries where videos may already exist but are stored under a different platform or theme folder.


    What This Script Does

    LaunchBox Video Recovery can:

    • Scan LaunchBox Playlist XML files for missing videos
    • Scan LaunchBox Platform XML files for missing videos
    • Search your video library for possible matches
    • Score candidate videos based on similarity
    • Let you choose the correct match
    • Create symbolic links to restore missing videos

    The script helps recover missing videos without copying or duplicating large files.


    Why This Exists

    Large LaunchBox video libraries can become fragmented over time.

    Common causes include:

    • Media packs installed for the wrong platform
    • Theme videos stored in different platform folders
    • Moving media between drives
    • Playlists referencing videos that no longer exist
    • Duplicate or renamed videos

    Instead of manually searching thousands of files, this script finds and links likely matches automatically.


    Features

    • Recover Playlist videos
    • Recover Platform videos
    • Dry-run mode (test without making changes)
    • Interactive selection of candidates
    • Candidate scoring system to identify best matches
    • Automatic symlink creation for recovered videos
    • Report generation for all actions


    Match Score Explanation

    When the script finds possible replacement videos, it displays them with a '[ match score ]':

          Missing: Aquarium Collection
    
    0. [1170] H:\LaunchBox\Videos\Final Burn Neo\Theme\Aquarium.mp4
    1. [960] H:\LaunchBox\Videos\MAME\Aquarium Gameplay.mp4
    2. [820] H:\LaunchBox\Videos\Arcade\Aquarium Trailer.mp4
    3. [610] H:\LaunchBox\Videos\Arcade\Aquarium Intro.mp4
    The number in brackets is the match score calculated by the script.

    Higher scores mean the script believes the video is a closer match.

    Score Guide

    Score Range Meaning
    1000+ Very strong match
    700–1000 Likely correct
    400–700 Possible match
    Below 400 Weak guess

    Example:

         Missing: Aquarium Collection
         Candidate: Aquarium.mp4
    The script sees:

    • "Aquarium" → strong match
    • "Collection" → missing word (small penalty)

    Result: high score


    How Matching Works

    The script evaluates candidate videos using several factors:

    • Exact word matches
    • Partial word matches
    • Filename similarity
    • Platform folder relevance
    • Penalties for extra or missing words

    This helps identify videos that are likely correct even when stored in another platform folder.


    Requirements

    • Windows
    • PowerShell
    • Administrator privileges (required for symlink creation)

    LaunchBox does not need to be running while the script runs.


    How to Run

    Place the script anywhere and run it with PowerShell from inside that location:

             powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\LaunchBox-Video-Recovery-v1.0.ps1
    The script will guide you through:
    1. Selecting Playlist or Platform recovery

    2. Choosing dry-run mode (shows what will be changed without changing anything yet)

    3. Setting report output folder

    4. Selecting video search roots


    Example Workflow

    Example scenario:

    A playlist references a missing video:

           H:\LaunchBox\Videos\Playlists\Aquarium Collection.mp4
    But the actual video exists here:
           H:\LaunchBox\Videos\Final Burn Neo\Theme\Aquarium.mp4
    The script detects the match and can create:
           H:\LaunchBox\Videos\Playlists\Aquarium Collection.mp4
           → symlink to H:\LaunchBox\Videos\Final Burn Neo\Theme\Aquarium.mp4
    LaunchBox will then play the video normally.

    Typical Output

    Example:

    Playlist XML files checked : 718
    Missing destination videos : 365
    
    Missing: Aquarium Collection
    
    0. [1170] H:\LaunchBox\Videos\Final Burn Neo\Theme\Aquarium.mp4
    1. [960] H:\LaunchBox\Videos\MAME\Aquarium Gameplay.mp4
    2. [820] H:\LaunchBox\Videos\Arcade\Aquarium Trailer.mp4
    You can then select the correct match.

    Safety

    The script is designed to be non-destructive.

    It:

    • Does not delete videos
    • Does not overwrite existing videos
    • Only creates symbolic links to existing files

    Dry-run mode lets you preview all changes before anything is created.


    Recommended Usage

    This script is most useful for:

    • Very large video libraries
    • Recovering missing playlist videos
    • Fixing broken media references
    • Consolidating video libraries across platforms


    Feedback

    If you encounter issues or have suggestions, feel free to post feedback.

    Launchbox Video Recovery - menu.png

    Launchbox Video Recovery - running.png


     

  4. Launchbox Doctor - Audit Tool

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    LaunchBox Doctor v1.0

    Repair, audit, and verify LaunchBox installations

    Author: Mcfly

    LaunchBox Doctor scans your LaunchBox installation and repairs common structural issues that can break LaunchBox, BigBox, or large collections.

    It was built specifically for large libraries and multi-drive setups, including collections using junctions, symbolic links, or split storage across multiple drives.


    What LaunchBox Doctor Does

    LaunchBox Doctor performs several checks and repairs:

    • Detects missing or broken symbolic links / junctions
    • Repairs missing game folder links
    • Detects missing or invalid media paths
    • Verifies LaunchBox XML structure integrity
    • Identifies orphaned or unreachable content
    • Identifies missing Platform and Playlist videos

    The script can recreate missing junctions automatically if the source folders exist.


    Why This Exists

    Large LaunchBox collections (especially multi-drive setups) often use:

    • Junction links
    • Symbolic links
    • Split storage across drives
    • Network shares

    If one of those links breaks, LaunchBox may suddenly show missing games, empty platforms, or startup errors.

    LaunchBox Doctor helps identify and repair those problems quickly.


    Typical Problems This Script Fixes

    Examples of issues LaunchBox Doctor can detect or repair:

    • Platform suddenly showing 0 games
    • Games missing after drive letter change
    • Broken LaunchBox\Games junctions
    • LaunchBox failing to load certain platforms
    • Broken symlink libraries after drive reconnect
    • Incorrect folder mappings


    Safety

    LaunchBox Doctor is designed to be non-destructive.

    The script:

    Does not delete games
    Does not modify ROM files
    • Only recreates missing links when the source exists

    If a required source folder cannot be found, the script will skip it and report the issue instead of making changes.


    Requirements

    • Windows
    • PowerShell
    • Administrator privileges (required for junction creation)

    LaunchBox / Bigbox itself should not be running while the script runs. 


    How to Run

    Place the script anywhere and run it with PowerShell as an Administrator inside that location:

                         powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\LaunchBox-Doctor-v1.0.ps1
    Follow the prompts to select your LaunchBox installation and check paths.
    The script itself can be updated with these paths using Notepad, although last-run paths are remembered.

    Example Use Case

    Example scenario:

    You store games across multiple drives:

    H:\LaunchBox\Games
    K:\LaunchBoxGames
    J:\LaunchBoxGames
    LaunchBox Doctor can detect if a junction under LaunchBox\Games has broken and automatically recreate it pointing to the correct location.

    Typical Output

    See example image.

     

    Recommended Usage

    Run LaunchBox Doctor if you experience:

    • Missing platforms
    • Empty game lists
    • Broken junction libraries
    • Problems after moving drives
    • Issues after rebuilding storage
    • Missing Platform or Playlist videos

    It can also be useful as a quick audit tool for very large LaunchBox installations.


    Notes

    If you use:

    • NAS storage
    • Multiple SSD/NVMe drives
    • Junction-based libraries

    this script can save a lot of time when troubleshooting missing content.


    Feedback

    This tool was written to support large LaunchBox collections.
    If you find bugs or have improvement ideas, feel free to post feedback.

    Launchbox Doctor dropped in D then ran.png

    Launchbox Doctor running - menu.png

    Launchbox Doctor running all tasks (dry run).png


     

  5. Platform / Playlist / Platform Categories Icons. Single download, almost 2GB.

    View File

    Here are my current Platforms / Playlists / Platform Categories icons, all taken as a complete zip from my 'LaunchBox\Images\Media Packs\Platform Icons' folder. This is my complete 'Nostalgic Platform Icons' folder in there.

    Many of these are downloaded via Launchbox itself, some are from various icon packs available in these forums (thanks to everyone who have the time and skill to make these, it's much appreciated), some I found myself and a few I created.


     

  6. 720 Playlists - Some new, some old - Best of, Arcade, Computers, Consoles, etc. XML files only. Single download.

    View File

    Here's the newest versions of my Playlists. Most of these have been uploaded here already but some have been improved or re-done. There are a few new ones too. No images here, just the .xml files from my Data / Playlists folder.

    *I've since found a couple that were duplicated, UBISOFT and WARNER BROS. Also, WAR is incorrect and should be deleted (recreate with GENRE = Action; Shooter)*

    Let me know if you see any others that need correcting.


     

    • Like 1
  7. Launchbox Precache Manager - Speed up your build

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    LaunchBox Precache Manager (LPM)

    Mass image optimizer + precache system for LaunchBox libraries (PowerShell 5.1, ASCII-only).

    TL;DR

    LPM scans your LaunchBox Images folder, builds a compressed WebP/JPEG precache into:

    LaunchBox\Images\_Precache

    …then (optionally) swaps your original image folders for the precache using NTFS junctions.

    Original art is protected in: Images\_Originals

    LaunchBox/Big Box browsing gets faster and lighter

    You can restore originals at any time

    Designed for very large libraries (hundreds of thousands to millions of images).

    What’s included

    This package contains two main scripts:

    LB-Precache-Manager.ps1 – interactive front-end menu (the “manager”)

    Build-LaunchBox-Thumbnails-Parallel.ps1 – the “engine” that does the heavy lifting

    Optional (recommended):

    cwebp.exe – Google WebP encoder (best compression / speed)

    Launcher:

    Launch-LPM.cmd (optional convenience)
    You can also run the manager directly with PowerShell.

    High-level workflow

    Audit your Images folder (counts, types, savings estimates).

    Build thumbnails (create/update files in Images\_Precache).

    Backfill later (fill gaps only after partial runs or new content).

    Activate Precache (parks originals into _Originals, junction-swaps to _Precache).

    Restore Originals (undo junction swap, put everything back).

    Rebuild existing precache later with a new profile if you want tighter compression.

    Important notes up front

    Close LaunchBox and Big Box before running (especially Activate/Restore).
    Locked folders will be skipped.

    Back up first.
    Make a backup/snapshot of your LaunchBox folder if you’re cautious (recommended for first-time users).

    LPM does not change your game metadata except when you explicitly use:

    Clean XML references (only removes references to images already moved to _BadImages).

    Remote / network / external path warning (important)

    LPM is built for local, fixed disks.

    If your LaunchBox path is a mapped drive / UNC path / remote share, some operations will refuse to run and you will see:

    Remote paths not supported; run on the Launchbox PC.

    This prevents multi-day failures, broken junctions, and extreme slowdowns.

    SAFE vs FULL run mode

    At startup you’ll choose a run mode:

    SAFE: low impact (older/USB systems)

    FULL: uses hardware recommendations for faster multi-threaded work (best on SSD/NVMe)

    FULL mode will also show detected hardware and recommended defaults (workers/batch sizing).

    Why counts don’t always match

    It’s normal to see differences between:

    a simple file count script, and

    what the engine prints during scanning/building

    Reasons:

    The engine may walk additional internal paths (depending on mode and what already exists in your Images tree).

    “Visited directories” and “files matched” are progress counters, not a strict “real folder count.”

    Bottom line: don’t panic if counts don’t line up perfectly, especially after multiple runs or after Activate/Restore operations.

    Handling locked folders / “file in use”

    During Activate/Restore (and sometimes builds), you may see locked items skipped.

    What it means:

    LaunchBox/Big Box/Explorer/AV has something open.

    What LPM does:

    prints a warning

    continues with the rest (doesn’t abort the entire run)

    Fix:

    close LB/BB

    re-run the option (safe to re-run)

    Installation

    Extract the zip anywhere (Desktop/tools folder).

    Run one of:

    Launch-LPM.cmd (recommended convenience)

    or open PowerShell and run: .\LB-Precache-Manager.ps1

    Recommended:

    Run PowerShell as Administrator for:

    junction swap operations

    optional Defender exclusion

    standby-cache clearing (RAM file cache)

    Logging

    LPM-Answers-Last.json
    This stores the last answered prompts so you can re-run the same build easily (Repeat mode uses this).
    This is NOT a log and remains on by default.

    Session logs can be viewed or deleted from the install folder.

    Batch mode also maintains small state/summary files so it can resume safely.

    Main Menu (Manager)

    You’ll see:

    Main Menu
    [0] Audit images (recommended first step)
    [1] Build Thumbnails
    [2] Activate Precache (junction swap)
    [3] WebP -> PNG hardlink aliases (LaunchBox compatibility)
    [4] Restore Originals
    [5] Clean XML references
    [6] Backfill missing precache from Images
    [7] Rebuild existing precache at new profile
    [8] Exit
    [B] Batch run-all (50,000 cap per session)
    [R] Repeat last build (use saved answers)
    [T] Clean LPM temp files (optional)

    WebP note (important):
    - LaunchBox / Big Box do not load images with a .webp extension.
    - LPM can still build WebP precache for disk savings, but you must create .png/.jpg filename aliases for LaunchBox.
    - Use menu option [3] to create .png hardlink aliases next to each .webp (no extra disk usage).
    - On startup, LPM checks whether Windows can decode WebP and (if missing) opens the Microsoft Store "WebP Image Extensions" page.

    [0] Audit images

    Walks the Images tree and produces:

    counts

    convertible totals

    rough space saving estimates

    planning hints per profile

    Outputs:

    lb_audit.json

    lb_audit.csv

    [1] Build Thumbnails

    Creates/updates the precache under:

    LaunchBox\Images\_Precache\...

    Profiles:

    Fast

    Balanced

    Extreme

    Custom

    Notes:

    If cwebp.exe is present, WebP is used (best compression).

    You can force JPEG-only (optional).

    [2] Activate Precache (junction swap)

    “Turns it on.”

    Moves originals to Images\_Originals\...

    Creates junctions under Images\... pointing to _Precache

    [3] WebP -> PNG hardlink aliases (LaunchBox compatibility)

    Run this after [1] or [2] to create replacement .png hardlinks for all the new .webp files for LB / BB compatibility.
    This will scan and create all the files in the _Precache folder.

    [4] Restore Originals

    Undoes Activate:

    removes junctions

    moves originals back from _Originals

    [5] Clean XML references

    Advanced/optional cleanup for broken image refs linked to _BadImages.

    [6] Backfill missing precache from Images

    Fills only what’s missing:

    finds originals without corresponding precache output

    generates precache copies only for those

    [7] Rebuild existing precache at new profile

    Re-encodes existing precache using a different profile (only replaces when beneficial, depending on settings).

    [B] Batch run-all (50,000 cap per session)

    This is for huge libraries with hundreds+ platforms/folders.

    What it does:

    Iterates through platform folders under Images

    Processes them in segments capped at 50,000 per batch session

    Writes output into: Images\_Precache\<Platform>\...

    Can resume where it left off in later runs using a state file

    Behavior:

    Prompts per platform with an auto-default (so you can run unattended)

    Designed so you can run overnight without bogging down the machine for days in one “run all”

    Batch state:

    LaunchBoxRoot\LPM-Batch-State.json (resume point / continuation)

    Batch summary:

    Writes short progress summaries to the LaunchBox root (easy to find)

    Also:

    Batch runs can clear standby cache automatically (admin required) before segments to reduce cache thrash.

    [R] Repeat last build (use saved answers)

    Re-runs your last answered configuration using:

    LPM-Answers-Last.json

    This is the “do exactly what I did last time” option.

    [T] Clean LPM temp files (optional)

    Cleans LPM temporary working files (typically under Windows %TEMP% related to LPM processing).
    This is safe housekeeping and does not change your LaunchBox Images content.

    Notes about WebP + LaunchBox

    LaunchBox can display WebP files when they’re in place in the Images tree, but:

    Drag/drop and scraping workflows typically expect PNG/JPG sources.

    LPM’s approach keeps originals safe, while precache improves performance.

    Clear Logos:

    PNG sources are strongly recommended (transparency matters).

    Recommendation for first-time users

    Run Audit

    Run Build Thumbnails with Balanced

    Test LaunchBox/Big Box performance

    Then consider Activate Precache

    Support / community

    If you like this and want to help me out, buy me a coffee :)
    https://buymeacoffee.com/mcflylpm

     


     

  8. 1 minute ago, Hayato Tsukishiro said:

    Not really, I'm a programmer, so... there are other ways to update collections in a more useful and easy way

    Btw, no all of them are incomplete. just some of them. I will have soon a tracking for this, and I will analyze the collections

    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.

  9. 27 minutes ago, damageinc86 said:

    Ohh they are incomplete?  Yeah, i think you have to just delete and re-upload entire collections if you want to update there.  Bummer.

     

    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.

  10. 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.
     image.thumb.png.9e1efd6411bf99a2f579ff00b0afb3ba.png

  11. 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.

  12. On 8/27/2025 at 7:13 PM, KRI$85 said:

    🤯OMFG What a CRAZY BEAST COLLECTION, ffff yeaaaaaaaa is also planning, but I'm aiming for at least 100TB. I'd like to have the largest collection of games, movies, music, etc. :P 
    Are you planning to record an update on your YT channel with the current collection💪 - No, I just don't have the time.

    As someone with the largest collection, could you offer some advice:
    1. What HDDs and SSDs do you use, recommend, and what about RAID? It's the same here? - I use SSD for the C:\ drive, 3x hard drives in a soft RAID using Stablebit Drivepool. They all 'appear' as 1 drive (E:\ in my case) in explorer. No specific brand of HDD, they all die eventually.

    2. Do you keep media manuals, movies, and games on separate HDDs and SSDs?
    - Your collection a whole or is it broken down into smaller ones? I mean, as we know, LB-BB can't handle a very large collection and you have a huge one and people wrote on the forum that it's best to break the collection down into parts? - Yes, they are broken down onto other drives but not included in the E:\ drive as I keep that strictly for games only with symlinks where needed. Same drives though, just outside the 'poolpart' folder.

    3. Cache
    - How did you build the cache? Did you leave it in attract mode and let it build, or what?
    - Could you tell me how many GB it takes up when building the cache? I'd like to be prepared. 😋
    Do you keep the cache on the SSD or HDD? - I tried keeping the cache updated but every time I scan a system it wipes the cache so I gave up. Attract mode is useful but it's pretty useless at caching everything - all platforms would take forever to be guaranteed complete. It's on the E:\ drive also. I did have it on the SSD for a while but it got far too large for that.

    Launchbox is known to prefer SSDs, so I suspect you have LB-BB on the SSD, newer games on the SSD, and retro games, etc., on the HDD? - I only have LB/BB on the SSD currently. Everything else in the RAID.

    That's all for now. 

    I was going to ask in a private message, but maybe I'm not the only one who would like to know.

    Ps:

    Thanks for sharing the files.
    1 Peta is waiting hehe.

    I'll add that my system needs 32GB memory and an i7 processor that's less than 2 years old. It used to work fine on a lower spec PC but somewhere along the road it started choking.... I don't have a separate video card either, just the one that's built in (it does have a couple of monitor outputs which is nice). I rarely have everything in the Data\Platforms folder, so it only loads the specific platforms I actually want to look at or play that I drop in there. Anything more than 400k titles seems to be the breakpoint, at least for me.

    My collection has evolved over 8 years or so. Don't rush it, it'll be better in the end if you take your time and do everything the way you want it first time, without having to go back and 'tweak' anything. 

    Best of luck with your build, and keep us updated here?

     

    • Thanks 1
  13. 1 hour ago, trueanimus said:

    is there any way to run gamewave disks/roms    i see you have it listed but i didint think there was an emulator for those yet

     

    I'm not using this, but it might be useful to you? https://nytric.com/clients-zapit-games/ I have several systems that don't have working emulators yet, I have everything queued up for when they arrive and work well.

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