SiriusVI

My rom set comes from a trusted source. I'm not sure what version it is, but it might be the most recent one (245), since mk3 does work with hbmame standalone version 245. The hbmame core version however is 220. That's probably why not all of the (probably) more recently added games work.

So, I feel I need to clarify some things again, just to avoid confusion. 1. I was importing only the HBMAME set, so all roms that are present in my import, should be from HBMAME and not regular mame. 2. All games work fine when using the standalone HBMAME emulator. 3. Some games do NOT work when using the hbmame core. So, for example: these are all the Mortal Kombat games that HBMAME imported: As you can see thereis one entry that's just called Mortal Kombat 3. The actual file is called "mk3.zip". This game is one example where it works with HBMAME standalone, but NOT with the core. can you confirm the same behavior on your end? Or do you for some reason not have this title imported?

Ah so it could be that it imported a wrong rom? I thought mk3 was a different rom hack than umk3. I will have to check later. Thx for your suggestion. What version does your hbmame core display in retroarch? Is it 220 for you, too?

No, the regular mk3. I got umk3 working. Regular mk3 won't work. I can send a picture later.

That would be great. I was wondering if I made a mistake or if the older core just won't run MK3. There are a few other games that don't run also, but I haven't tested all of them, so I don't know how severe the problem is...

Yeah, it took me a while, too. But as I said, not all games are working. Are you able to launch, for example, Mortal Kombat 3 with the hbmame core? (Not MK 3 Ultimate, the other MK 3). It works with hbmame standalone, but not with the core.

I figured it out, but it's not perfect: 1. I converted the merged set to a split set. 2. I set up HBMAME as an emulator and used this emulator for importing the hbmame split set 3. I googled and downloaded an unofficial hbmame core. Now many of the games I try to launch work (the "rom not found" message does not poop up anymore). However, not all of them work. The problem I believe is that the hbmame core represents the version 220 while the romset (and teh HBMAME emulator) is version 245. I think that might be a reason that not all of the games work.

I was able to import a merged HBMAME romset and they launch fine with the HBMAME standalone emulator. However, I would like to use retroarch and here I encounter some problems. When using Retroarch and manually navigating to the rokm file and launching it, it works with the regular mame core. However, when trying to launch the imported roms from LaunchBbox with retroarch selected as the emulator, I sometimes get an error message saying: "The ROM file you've specified does not exist." I guess that might be an issue because I have a merged set and not a split set, whereas the additional apps for the rms are listed as separate ...zip files. However, I can importa standard mame roms from a merged set just fine. So do I absolutely need a split HBMAME set? Why won't a merged set work even though it does work on regular mame?

I ended up mass editing the platform xml files with Notepad++. That was very quick and now everything is back to normal. Thank you for your help!

I figured it out! OMG! So, I merged some of the eXo's collections (eXoDOS and the likes) with my existing LaunchBox install. it comes with an "eXoPlugin.dll" that is supposed to go in the "Plugins" folder inside LaunchBox. Well, THAT caused the issues I was having. After deleting this .dll from my Plugins folder, I can change the install status of all of my games and LaunchBox will not restore it to <Installed>false</Installed> . That leads to further questions: 1. Why does the exo plugin alter all of my existing platforms that have nothing to do with the exo packs 2. Will eXoDOS still work without the plugin? Well, anyway, I'm just glad I won't have to start from scratch. On the other hand, now I have to manually edit all of my over 400 existing platforms and delete the <Installed>false</Installed>. That will take some time, too. Ah well, at least I know now hat was causing it...

Thx for the suggestion, will test that later. But actually I don't think that lunchbox is restoring some backup xml file (there is none, as you also said). Could it be that when I delete the <Installed>false</Installed> line in the "faulty" xml file, some internal check that LB performs thinks there is something wrong / missing in the xml file and the "repairing" it? EDIT: The reason why I believe this that other changes, such as deleting or adding games to the existing platform sticks after I restart Launchbox. EDIT 2: "HasCloudSynced" is false. So that's not it. EDIT 3: It's getting weirder. I set up a fresh LB install on another drive, copied the data flder from my main setup over. And here I can change the "install" setting and the changes stick. On my my main setup they don't stick. I don't know what's happening.

Thx for taking the time to answer. I'm really at a loss here. So the problem is that, yes, after a bulk edit or an edit of the xml files, somehow Launchbox always brings back the <Installed>false</Installed>. Launchbox is not running (not in task manager) when I'm editing. I always make sure of that. I completely removed any and all files that are not supposed to be in te data folder (it was just the files that the flashpoint importer added actually and they have nothing to do with e.g. the SNES platform). But anyway, they are all gone. Data is clean. launchbox is installed on an internal M2 SSD. I often have to froce close Launchbox in the task manager. It's been haunting me since forever. However, in my test cases, I always make sure that Launchbox closes properly (which can take FOR EVER for me unfortunately, and sometimes LB won't close even after hours, so testing is slow). Anyway, when I force quit LB, then manually edit the xml file and then start LB, it should just load with my edited XML files and not inster the deleted <Installed>false</Installed> back into the xml files again, right? EDIT: I tried deleting the backups and disabling Auto-Backups in LB, but it didn't work. <Installed>false</Installed> came right back after I deleted it from the xml. EDIT 2: I have alos tried deleting the settings.xml and letting start LB with default settings, but this also does not work. EDIT3: OK last insight for now. I have imported a second SNES platform with one game. This platform works fine in my main set up. It displays the play button and I can even edit it so that it displays the "install button", and then edit it back so it displays the "play" button again. With my "older" / main SMES xml. All edits of the "install" field are reverted back by launchbox after a restart.

OK, there seems to be something seriously wrong with my xml files. I just set up a new Launchbox install and imported DKC for SNES and this is how the entzry looks like in my SNES xml file: <Game> <ApplicationPath>M:\Donkey Kong Country (USA) (Rev 2).sfc</ApplicationPath> <Completed>false</Completed> <DateAdded>2025-12-10T09:20:14.3231507+01:00</DateAdded> <DateModified>2025-12-10T09:20:14.3675072+01:00</DateModified> <Developer>Rare</Developer> <Emulator>00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000</Emulator> <Favorite>false</Favorite> <ID>e63a79cf-a164-4bb0-a92c-d40d46672e0a</ID> <Notes>Donkey Kong is back in Nintendo's Donkey Kong Country, with a new sidekick, Diddy Kong, in a crazy island adventure. Challenged by the crazed tribe of reptilian Kremlings, they endeavor to get back their stolen banana horde! Armed with lightning-quick moves, chest-pounding muscle and awesome aerial acrobatics, our duo is ready to face their cunning adversaries. With the help of Donkey Kong's quirky family and his wild animal mounts, they squabble and scamper their way through the unending monkey mayhem.</Notes> <Platform>Super Nintendo Entertainment System</Platform> <Publisher>Nintendo</Publisher> <Rating>E - Everyone</Rating> <ReleaseDate>1994-11-24</ReleaseDate> <ScummVMAspectCorrection>false</ScummVMAspectCorrection> <ScummVMFullscreen>false</ScummVMFullscreen> <StarRatingFloat>0</StarRatingFloat> <StarRating>0</StarRating> <CommunityStarRating>4.5477347</CommunityStarRating> <CommunityStarRatingTotalVotes>1108</CommunityStarRatingTotalVotes> <Status>Importierte ROM</Status> <DatabaseID>131</DatabaseID> <WikipediaURL>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_Country</WikipediaURL> <Title>Donkey Kong Country</Title> <UseDosBox>false</UseDosBox> <UseScummVM>false</UseScummVM> <Version>(USA) (Rev 2)</Version> <PlayMode>Kooperativ; Multiplayer</PlayMode> <Region>North America</Region> <PlayCount>0</PlayCount> <PlayTime>0</PlayTime> <Portable>false</Portable> <Hide>false</Hide> <Broken>false</Broken> <Genre>Platform</Genre> <MissingVideo>false</MissingVideo> <MissingBoxFrontImage>false</MissingBoxFrontImage> <MissingScreenshotImage>false</MissingScreenshotImage> <MissingMarqueeImage>false</MissingMarqueeImage> <MissingClearLogoImage>false</MissingClearLogoImage> <MissingBackgroundImage>false</MissingBackgroundImage> <MissingBox3dImage>false</MissingBox3dImage> <MissingCartImage>false</MissingCartImage> <MissingCart3dImage>false</MissingCart3dImage> <MissingManual>false</MissingManual> <MissingBannerImage>false</MissingBannerImage> <MissingMusic>false</MissingMusic> <UseStartupScreen>false</UseStartupScreen> <HideAllNonExclusiveFullscreenWindows>false</HideAllNonExclusiveFullscreenWindows> <StartupLoadDelay>0</StartupLoadDelay> <HideMouseCursorInGame>false</HideMouseCursorInGame> <DisableShutdownScreen>false</DisableShutdownScreen> <AggressiveWindowHiding>false</AggressiveWindowHiding> <OverrideDefaultStartupScreenSettings>false</OverrideDefaultStartupScreenSettings> <UsePauseScreen>false</UsePauseScreen> <OverrideDefaultPauseScreenSettings>false</OverrideDefaultPauseScreenSettings> <SuspendProcessOnPause>false</SuspendProcessOnPause> <ForcefulPauseScreenActivation>false</ForcefulPauseScreenActivation> <ReleaseType>Released</ReleaseType> <MaxPlayers>2</MaxPlayers> <VideoUrl>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUTQBeS4l08</VideoUrl> <RetroAchievementsBeatenSoftcore>false</RetroAchievementsBeatenSoftcore> <RetroAchievementsBeatenHardcore>false</RetroAchievementsBeatenHardcore> <HasCloudSynced>false</HasCloudSynced> <Progress>Not Started / Unplayed</Progress> Compare this to the entry in my main SNES XML file,, it looks completely different: <Game> <GogAppId /> <OriginAppId /> <OriginInstallPath /> <VideoPath /> <ThemeVideoPath /> <Installed>false</Installed> <ApplicationPath>L:\LaunchBox\Games\Super Nintendo Entertainment System\Super Nintendo Entertainment System\Donkey Kong Country (USA) (Rev 2).zip</ApplicationPath> <CommandLine /> <Completed>false</Completed> <ConfigurationCommandLine /> <ConfigurationPath /> <DateAdded>2025-11-02T23:20:25.0945958+01:00</DateAdded> <DateModified>2025-12-03T15:47:52.8520611+01:00</DateModified> <Developer>Rare</Developer> <DosBoxConfigurationPath /> <Emulator>2caa545d-1b4b-4621-bc19-45e4c7245340</Emulator> <Favorite>false</Favorite> <ID>a4794aa0-d7ac-4d44-9587-dee0e11c3588</ID> <LastPlayedDate>2025-11-04T13:56:51.8915978+01:00</LastPlayedDate> <ManualPath /> <MusicPath /> <Notes>Donkey Kong is back in Nintendo's Donkey Kong Country, with a new sidekick, Diddy Kong, in a crazy island adventure. Challenged by the crazed tribe of reptilian Kremlings, they endeavor to get back their stolen banana horde! Armed with lightning-quick moves, chest-pounding muscle and awesome aerial acrobatics, our duo is ready to face their cunning adversaries. With the help of Donkey Kong's quirky family and his wild animal mounts, they squabble and scamper their way through the unending monkey mayhem.</Notes> <Platform>Super Nintendo Entertainment System</Platform> <Publisher>Nintendo</Publisher> <Rating>E - Everyone</Rating> <ReleaseDate>1994-11-24</ReleaseDate> <RootFolder /> <ScummVMAspectCorrection>false</ScummVMAspectCorrection> <ScummVMFullscreen>false</ScummVMFullscreen> <ScummVMGameDataFolderPath /> <ScummVMGameType /> <SortTitle /> <Source /> <StarRatingFloat>0</StarRatingFloat> <StarRating>0</StarRating> <CommunityStarRating>4.5490355</CommunityStarRating> <CommunityStarRatingTotalVotes>1099</CommunityStarRatingTotalVotes> <Status>Imported ROM</Status> <DatabaseID>131</DatabaseID> <WikipediaURL>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_Country</WikipediaURL> <Title>Donkey Kong Country</Title> <UseDosBox>false</UseDosBox> <UseScummVM>false</UseScummVM> <Version>(USA) (Rev 2)</Version> <Series /> <PlayMode>Cooperative; Multiplayer</PlayMode> <Region>North America</Region> <PlayCount>3</PlayCount> <PlayTime>76</PlayTime> <Portable>false</Portable> <Hide>false</Hide> <Broken>false</Broken> <CloneOf /> <Genre>Platform</Genre> <MissingVideo>false</MissingVideo> <MissingBoxFrontImage>false</MissingBoxFrontImage> <MissingScreenshotImage>false</MissingScreenshotImage> <MissingMarqueeImage>false</MissingMarqueeImage> <MissingClearLogoImage>false</MissingClearLogoImage> <MissingBackgroundImage>false</MissingBackgroundImage> <MissingBox3dImage>false</MissingBox3dImage> <MissingCartImage>false</MissingCartImage> <MissingCart3dImage>false</MissingCart3dImage> <MissingManual>false</MissingManual> <MissingBannerImage>false</MissingBannerImage> <MissingMusic>false</MissingMusic> <UseStartupScreen>false</UseStartupScreen> <HideAllNonExclusiveFullscreenWindows>false</HideAllNonExclusiveFullscreenWindows> <StartupLoadDelay>0</StartupLoadDelay> <HideMouseCursorInGame>false</HideMouseCursorInGame> <DisableShutdownScreen>false</DisableShutdownScreen> <AggressiveWindowHiding>false</AggressiveWindowHiding> <OverrideDefaultStartupScreenSettings>false</OverrideDefaultStartupScreenSettings> <UsePauseScreen>false</UsePauseScreen> <PauseAutoHotkeyScript /> <ResumeAutoHotkeyScript /> <OverrideDefaultPauseScreenSettings>false</OverrideDefaultPauseScreenSettings> <SuspendProcessOnPause>false</SuspendProcessOnPause> <ForcefulPauseScreenActivation>false</ForcefulPauseScreenActivation> <LoadStateAutoHotkeyScript /> <SaveStateAutoHotkeyScript /> <ResetAutoHotkeyScript /> <SwapDiscsAutoHotkeyScript /> <CustomDosBoxVersionPath /> <ReleaseType>Released</ReleaseType> <MaxPlayers>2</MaxPlayers> <VideoUrl>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUTQBeS4l08</VideoUrl> <AndroidBoxFrontThumbPath /> <AndroidBoxFrontFullPath /> <AndroidClearLogoThumbPath /> <AndroidClearLogoFullPath /> <AndroidBackgroundPath /> <AndroidBackgroundThumbPath /> <AndroidGameTitleScreenshotThumbPath /> <AndroidGameplayScreenshotThumbPath /> <AndroidGameTitleScreenshotPath /> <AndroidGameplayScreenshotPath /> <AndroidVideoPath /> <RetroAchievementsHash>2e604bc12fb8f9467765c807c24877fa</RetroAchievementsHash> <RetroAchievementsId>337</RetroAchievementsId> <RetroAchievementsSoftcoreProgress>0.12676056</RetroAchievementsSoftcoreProgress> <RetroAchievementsBeatenSoftcore>false</RetroAchievementsBeatenSoftcore> <RetroAchievementsBeatenHardcore>false</RetroAchievementsBeatenHardcore> <HasCloudSynced>true</HasCloudSynced> <Progress>Active / In Progress</Progress> Is there any way to fix this without reimporting everything? I have over 400 Platforms. This the result of roughly 8 years of work. I really don't want to set up an entirely new Launchbox collection and I really don't have the time to do so, either. Plus I also don't know what exactly caused this behavior or when it first occured. I just noticed it a while ago, but it could have happened a long time ago (Sometimes I go months without using LaunchBox). So re-imprting everything is not a sure way to permanently fix this issue. I hope someone knows how I can fix this.

Thank you so much for your detailled answer. I indeed have some additional files in my Data folder (some manual backups and some .fbk files which are created when using the Flashpoint importer tool). I deleted all of the non-native files in my Data, Platforms and Playlists folder. Then I deleted this line from my test platform: <Installed>false</Installed> Unfortunately, after re-starting Launchbox and clicking on the platform. The install button is back and the xml added back: <Installed>false</Installed>

I didn't intentionally change any of these settings, but I tried bulk-editing the games and after setting the "installed" value to the "box" setting like you suggested, the "Play"-button did return. However, after exiting and restarting Launchbox, the install button is back. So for some reasong, Launchbox seems to change the settings back. Any idea on how to fix this? EDIT: Maybe I could manually edit my platform xml files? For example, in my snes platform xml, each entry has this listed: <Installed>false</Installed> What would I need to change this to, so that it would correspond to the "box"-setting? Should I just delete the while line? Should I delete "false", leaving this: <Installed></Installed> Any help is greatly appreciated. EDIT 2: I tried manually changing the xml file, but no matter what I change, once I start Launchbox and click on the respective platform, this line always returns: <Installed>false</Installed>