AstroBob

Hi Folks, Happy to report we finally have an implementation for .RVZ scanning! 🙌 This is available in our latest beta for 13.20 GameCube games in the .RVZ will now be able to scan correctly for achievements, and achievement badges will now show for any matched games. If you're keen to give this a try you can join the latest beta, otherwise you can expect this in 13.20. Cheers,

Hi Folks, Just to let you know this, issue has now been addressed internally and will be available in the next version of LaunchBox (13.20). An early beta is available of this version which contains this fix, which you are welcome to try out below: 🔗 https://forums.launchbox-app.com/topic/89482-launchbox-1320-beta-thread/ Otherwise, you can expect to receive this fix in 13.20. Thanks for bearing with us there, and apologies for any issues due to this.

Hi Folks, Just to let you know this, issue has now been addressed internally and will be available in the next version of LaunchBox (13.20). An early beta is available of this version which contains this fix, which you are welcome to try out below: 🔗 https://forums.launchbox-app.com/topic/89482-launchbox-1320-beta-thread/ Otherwise, you can expect to receive this fix in 13.20. Thanks for bearing with us there, and apologies for any issues due to this.

Hi Folks, Just to let you know this, issue has now been addressed internally and will be available in the next version of LaunchBox (13.20). An early beta is available of this version which contains this fix, which you are welcome to try out below: 🔗 https://forums.launchbox-app.com/topic/89482-launchbox-1320-beta-thread/ Otherwise, you can expect to receive this fix in 13.20. Thanks for bearing with us there, and apologies for any issues due to this.

HI there, Thanks for the report here. I'm looking into a potential issue where .chd files don't appear to be getting recognised by the importer. Could you please walk me through your exactly import steps (including what files you have in the directory you're trying to import). If it's easier, you can also share a screen recording, but I'm most curious to see what is the structure of the directory your trying to import, and which import steps your following to get them into LaunchBox. Please let me know and we'll try to get you sorted. Cheers,

Hi there, I've split this out into its own topic since that thread was specifically with Big Box, and if you're not using Big Box it would be good to keep this separate. To investigate further, could you please confirm the following? Steps to reproduce: Please describe the full steps you took to encounter this error. Consistency: Are you able to reproduce this error reliably, or does it occur sporadically? Error details: Are any errors shown, and if so please attach to this thread When did the issue start? Let us know when you first noticed this issue occurring. Screen recording: If possible, providing a screen recording of the issue in action would greatly help our team narrow down the cause. Let us know, and we’ll work on getting this resolved for you.

Hi there, Thanks for the report here. It's hard to tell without the full error log, but for any issues with 13.19, please first check out this post to ensure there aren't any issues with incompatible plugins: If it's not that, there are references to mapped drives there. May I confirm, do you have any data (games, media etc), that is stored on a drive different to your LaunchBox install, and that wasn't connected at the time of this report? There are some known issues where LaunchBox will complain in certain places if a mapped drive is not connected, however this shouldn't have any impact during startup. I'd also be keen to understand if this was a one-off issue, or if it continues to be slow to startup. Finally, just to confirm I assume you're referring to 13.19 and 13.18, but can you confirm exactly which version you are using? Cheers,

Hi there, Thanks for reaching out and reporting this error. To investigate further, could you please confirm the following? Consistency: Are you able to reproduce this error reliably, or does it occur sporadically? Error details: Is any error displayed when LaunchBox closes? If so, please ensure that the full content of the error message is visible in your response or pasted into this thread Screen recording: If possible, providing a screen recording of the issue in action would greatly help our team narrow down the cause. Let us know, and we’ll work on getting this resolved for you.

Thanks for the additional context! You both make some great points, and the fact is that the Scan for Added ROMs functionality wasn’t originally intended for Windows shortcuts, so there’s definitely room for improvement in this area. I’ve gone ahead and scoped out a proper feature request based on your feedback. You can view and upvote it here: 🔗 https://feedback.launchbox.gg/p/support-for-windows-shortcuts-in-scan-for-added-roms Thanks for bringing this to our attention! While I wasn’t able to confirm that this behavior has changed in recent versions (as far as I know, it’s always been this way), I believe these reports may have been mixed up with the drag-and-drop issue in LaunchBox, which was an actual bug that has since been fixed. However, if you’re certain it behaved differently in a previous version, please let me know which version that was, and I’ll do my best to track it down.

Hi there, Thanks for the report! Would you be able to paste the full output of the error here? Unfortunately, it’s cut off in the screenshot, so we can’t see the entire message. From what we can see, it looks like the issue is related to a specific file being unreadable. Could you confirm which file is mentioned in the first line of the error? Also, since the file is on the E: drive, is that a removable drive? If so, please check that it’s properly connected and that other files on the drive are accessible. If you can share the full error log, we’ll do our best to advise further.

Hi Folks, We're still investigating to understand the cause here, as we're not able to fully reproduce this yet. That said, please see the update and description of the known issue report here 🔗https://feedback.launchbox.gg/p/known-issue-big-box-freezes-after-being-left-idle-on Right now, while I realise some people have reported this hasn't helped, others have said that switching the video playback engine from VLC to Windows Media player has helped with this. For those who haven't, it would be worth making that change to see if it has any effect. I'd also suggest following that known issue so that you can see any updates we post. Will update this thread as soon as we know more. Apologies for the issues here. Cheers,

HI Folks, We're still investigating to understand the cause here, as we're not able to fully reproduce this yet. That said, please see the update and description of the known issue report here 🔗https://feedback.launchbox.gg/p/known-issue-big-box-freezes-after-being-left-idle-on Right now, while I realise some people have reported this hasn't helped, others have said that switching the video playback engine from VLC to Windows Media player has helped with this. For those who haven't, it would be worth making that change to see if it has any effect. I'd also suggest following that known issue so that you can see any updates we post. Will update this thread as soon as we know more. Apologies for the issues here. Cheers,

Livestream starting soon! Wednesday, February 19, 2025 - 5:00PM EST Looking to supercharge your LaunchBox and Big Box experience? Join AstroBob for a performance-focused livestream where we’ll be fine-tuning, optimizing, and making sure your build and games are running buttery smooth! 🧈 Here’s what’s on the agenda: ✅ Exploring the latest improvements in LaunchBox 13.19 – What’s new and how it enhances performance ✅ Optimizing your LaunchBox & Big Box setup – Best practices for smooth navigation & snappy UI ✅ Dialing in emulation performance – Ensuring your games run as flawlessly as they should Whether you’re a LaunchBox pro or just starting out, this stream is packed with tips, tricks, and fixes to help you get the best possible experience. As a certain blue hedgehog might say… gotta go fast! 🦔💨

Thanks for the update! The bug fix in 13.19 specifically addressed users who were dragging and dropping shortcuts into the LaunchBox interface and following the wizard that specified applications, that were being incorrectly set as ROMs. However, based on how you’re currently handling this, it turns out this behaviour is actually expected. The Scan for Added ROMs function, as the name suggests, is designed specifically for ROM files, which is why anything detected during this process ends up with the Use Emulator checkbox enabled. That said, I totally get why this feels counterintuitive—especially for platforms like Windows, where applications aren’t traditional ROMs. At its core, the function simply doesn’t have a way to distinguish between a ROM and an application, which is why it’s treating them the same way. I’m curious about your workflow—what’s the reason for relying on shortcuts rather than using the storefront importers? I can understand if it’s for non-storefront games that might be installed in different locations, but you also mentioned Steam games are included. Just wondering if there’s a specific use case we’re not currently accommodating that we could improve. You also mentioned that this “used to work.” I checked back to 13.17 (since the initial report was for 13.18), but even in that version, it looks like shortcuts weren’t being recognized correctly at all. I definitely think there’s room for improvement when it comes to Windows imports and a better way to handle non-storefront games. If you can share a bit more about your specific setup, I’d love to scope out a possible feature improvement and get it logged for you. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Hi there, Thanks for the update, we've seen quite a few people who have this plugin installed have the same issue and also have one of the extreme home arcade builds. Unfortunately, we don't really know what it does, since it doesn't appear to be hosted on our forums, and if you've purchased a build from another source it's likely something that came from that seller. Chances are, if you're unaware of what it does and if removing it doesn't have any impact on your usual LaunchBox workflows that it can be safely removed. Hopefully, other users who use this plugin may be able to chime in on its usage here, but glad to hear you found the culprit. Cheers,

Hi there, thanks for the report and sorry for the issues here. Regarding Big Box lockups, we are tracking a known issue bug report which has some workaround that might help here. Can you please give it a try and let us know if that helps with the freezing situation - Bug Report: Big Box Freezes After Being Left Idle The TLDR is to try changing Big Box's Video Playback Engine from VLC to Windows Media Player Let us know how you get on Cheers,

Fantastic, yeah apart from the eXoPlugin the rest are default LaunchBox plugins that will have been re-created. So unless you specifically need those other 3rd party plugins seems like you're good to go.

Hi folks, With the release of LaunchBox for Windows 13.19, a significant structural change was made under the hood—the transition to .NET 9.0. This update brings major improvements and positions the app for exciting developments in the future. However, as part of this change, all third-party plugins were required to be tested and (potentially updated) to be compatible with .NET 9.0. We’ve received numerous reports of users experiencing crashes when launching LaunchBox after updating to this version, and the most common cause of these crashes is outdated third-party plugins that have not been updated for .NET 9.0. If you’re experiencing crashes and use third-party LaunchBox plugins, please read below carefully to troubleshoot the issue. How do I know if an outdated plugin is causing my crash? A clear indication is that LaunchBox will crash during the loading splash screen, throwing an error before exiting. One of the most common error messages users encounter is: (Inner Exception) “BinaryFormatter serialization and deserialization have been removed.” If you see this error or similar, it’s highly likely that an outdated plugin is causing the crash. How can I identify which plugin is causing the issue? 1. Check the error message. The plugin name is usually referenced in the error details. 2. Temporarily remove all third-party plugins. Navigate to your LaunchBox\Plugins directory. Move all third-party plugins out of this folder. Try launching LaunchBox again. 3. If LaunchBox loads successfully, then one of the removed plugins is the culprit. 4. Reintroduce plugins one by one until you identify the one causing the crash. Which plugins are known to cause issues? 🚨 AddToGamesDB • This plugin has been unsupported for years and is recommended for removal. 🚨 OmegaSettings • This plugin is commonly pre-installed on certain prebuilt arcade machines from Extreme Home Arcade. • If you’re using one of these machines, you’ll need to remove this plugin for LaunchBox 13.19 to work properly. I’ve identified the problem plugin—does that mean I can’t use it anymore? Unfortunately, yes. If you want to continue using LaunchBox 13.19, you will not be able to use the outdated plugin unless it is updated by its developer. What can I do? If the plugin is essential to your setup, consider reaching out to the developer: Check the support tab on their forum post (if applicable). Contact them directly through their original source to inquire about a potential update for .NET 9.0 compatibility.

@inukshuk99 thanks for the report, the problematic plugin is the AddToGamesDb plugin, as that one has not been updated for LaunchBox 13.19. This plugin is no longer supported by the developer anyways, so please delete it from your LaunchBox\Plugins directory, and this should fix the error. Cheers,

Hi there, Thanks for the report here, this is actually a known issue in 13.19. If you edit the Dolphin Emulator's setting, where you specify your command line parameters you'll also see an option called Attempt to hide console window on startup/shutdown. There is currently an issue with this setting which we're working on to address, but the result is that Dolphin doesn't launch in fullscreen, even though the command line parameter is correct. If you turn that option off, it should launch correctly in fullscreen. Sorry for the confusion caused here, we're working to address this issue and I'll let you know once that has been rolled out. Cheers,

Absolutely, if you contact support@unbrokensoftware.com, they will be able to provide you with an installer.

LaunchBox is DRM-free, giving you full control over which version you choose to install. Whether you want to stay on the latest cutting-edge betas or maintain a specific version for a dedicated build, upgrading (or downgrading) LaunchBox is straightforward. This guide will cover everything you need to know about installing, updating, and managing your LaunchBox installation. Installing LaunchBox Downloading the Setup File If you're new to LaunchBox, you can download it from our official website: 🔗 Download LaunchBox Enter your email address and hit the download button. A download link for the setup.exe file will be sent to your email. Run the installer and follow the setup process. 🚨 Important Note 🚨 Even if you’re bringing over an existing LaunchBox build, it’s recommended to run the installer at least once to ensure you have all required dependencies, such as .NET Core 3.1 Runtime, which is essential for LaunchBox to function correctly. Choosing an Installation Location During installation, you’ll be asked to choose where to install LaunchBox. It is highly recommend to Install the main LaunchBox build on an internal SSD for optimal performance. Games and media files can be stored either as part of the main build or on external or network drives and configured later. Once installation is complete, LaunchBox is ready to use! Updating LaunchBox By default, LaunchBox notifies you whenever a new official version is available. When you launch the application: A pop-up will indicate a new version is available. The update will download in the background. You’ll be prompted to install the update—just follow the wizard to complete the process. Managing Update Preferences You can modify update settings under: Tools > Options > General > Updates Here, you can: Disable automatic update checks. Enable/disable automatic downloads. Opt into beta releases (see below for details). You can also manually check for updates via: Menu > Help > Check for Updates Updating to Beta Releases What Are Beta Releases? Before every official release, we publish multiple beta versions featuring new features, improvements, and bug fixes. These are released early so the community can test and provide feedback before the final release. How to Enable Beta Updates To opt into beta updates: Go to Tools > Options Enable Update to Beta Releases You’ll receive notifications about beta updates just like regular updates 🚨 Important Note 🚨 Beta versions may contain bugs or experimental features. If you encounter issues, report them in our Beta Testing Forum, including detailed steps to reproduce the issue. Downgrading LaunchBox In rare cases, you may need to revert to a previous version of LaunchBox. While downgrading is generally safe, we strongly recommend backing up your data first: Backup your data: Go to Tools > File Management > Create Data Backup Find your previous version installer: Each version you install (official or beta) is saved in LaunchBox\Updates Run the installer for the version you want to downgrade to. 🚨 IMPORTANT: Selecting the Correct Directory 🚨 At the stage where you’re asked to choose which directory to install LaunchBox to: DO NOT select the existing LaunchBox folder directly. Instead, choose the root folder where LaunchBox is located. Example: If your LaunchBox directory is in C:\Games\LaunchBox, select C:\Games, allowing the installer to append \LaunchBox automatically. Incorrect path example: If you choose the existing LaunchBox directory, you’ll get a path that looks like this C:\Games\LaunchBox\LaunchBox 🚨 WARNING 🚨 If you do this, the setup wizard will install a new instance inside your existing one 😱 This is the cause of many LaunchBox issues down the line, so avoid this at all costs! ⬆️ Can you see the problem here? DO NOT do this! With that in mind, follow the setup wizard to complete the downgrade. Reinstalling LaunchBox Reinstalling the same version is rarely needed but can help if certain files become corrupted, or you have been instructed to do so by our support team Follow the same steps as downgrading but select the same version installer as your current build. 🚨 Ensure you select the correct installation path (see above) 💡 Tip: While a full history of installers is saved in LaunchBox\Updates, you can safely delete older installers if not needed. For more housekeeping tips, check our FAQ on managing LaunchBox. For upgrading, downgrading and re-installing, your data files should be intact. Just take note of where the install directory is when downgrading or re-installing. By following this guide, you’ll be able to confidently install, update, downgrade, or reinstall LaunchBox while maintaining a smooth experience. Happy gaming! 🎮

Okay, what you can try is navigate to LaunchBox\Themes, and then temporarily remove any custom theme that is not `Default` or `Old Default`, then reload LaunchBox. Please let me know if that enabled you to start Big Box

Thanks for the update there. Okay, now that the first error is addressed, lets focus on this new one. Can you confirm: How often does this error appear when opening Big Box (i.e does it appear right after opening in, randomly, when accessing certain views etc?) What theme are you using? If you aren't using the default theme, does changing to the default theme have any effect? Does this error occur if you switch to a different view within Big Box? If you're able to reliably reproduce this issue, can you please record a video showing how and when the error occurs? This will be incredibly helpful in us helping to identify this Please keep me posted

Hi @leefaster I've broken this out into a new topic, since after giving this a quick test, startup videos do appear to still be working correctly on our side. To confirm how you need to have set this up Inside your LaunchBox\Videos folder, you need to create a directory called startup. In that directory is where you place your startup videos (it doesn't matter what those are called) If that isn't how you've got it setup, can you confirm what your directory setup looks like, and what you've named each of your folders and files? Cheers,