shadowfire36

UPDATE: This is a complete modernization of a guide I originally wrote 10 years ago. With VMware Workstation Pro now being free for personal use and VirtualBox being more robust, we can use advanced virtualization features to seamlessly integrate broken legacy games (Gingerbread/Lollipop era) into a modern LaunchBox setup. This guide will show you how to use a "Time Capsule" Virtual Machine to play games that crash on modern emulators (like Zenonia 1-3) and launch them with a single click from LaunchBox. The Core Concept We are creating a "Russian Nesting Doll" to bypass modern compatibility issues: Host PC (LaunchBox) -> VM (Windows 7 Guest) -> BlueStacks 0.8 -> Game By using Unity Mode (VMware) or Seamless Mode (VirtualBox), the Guest Windows OS disappears, and the Android emulator window floats on your real desktop. LaunchBox treats it like a standard Windows game, but inside, it is running a perfect Android 2.3 environment. Part 1: Prerequisites Software (Choose One Virtualization Platform): Option A: VMware Workstation Pro (Free for personal use from Broadcom). Option B: Oracle VirtualBox (Free Open Source). Required Files: Windows ISO: A copy of Windows 7 is recommended (lower RAM usage), but Windows 10 works. BlueStacks 0.8.0: The specific "Gingerbread" era installer. Search for BlueStacks_App_Player_0.8.0.2997.msi or "BlueStacks 0.8.0 XDA". LaunchBox: Your front-end on your main PC. Hardware: At least 8GB RAM on the Host PC. 30GB Free Hard Drive space. Part 2: Building the VM 📝 NOTE: This guide assumes you have a basic understanding of how to set up a Virtual Machine and install Windows. I will not go into extreme detail on the OS installation process as there are countless tutorials on YouTube. If you are brand new to virtualization, please search YouTube for "How to install Windows 7 in VMware" (or VirtualBox) before proceeding. Option A: VMware Workstation Pro (Recommended) Create VM: Open VMware -> Create a New Virtual Machine -> Select your Windows ISO. Specs: Click "Customize Hardware". Memory: Assign 4GB. Processors: Assign 2 cores. Display: Check "Accelerate 3D Graphics". Install: Finish the wizard and install Windows. Install VMware Tools (CRITICAL): Once Windows boots: Menu VM -> Install VMware Tools. Run the installer inside the Guest VM and Reboot. Unity Mode will NOT work without this. Option B: Oracle VirtualBox Create VM: Open VBox -> New -> Type: Windows 7 -> Select ISO. Specs: Base Memory: 4096 MB (4GB). Display: Check "Enable 3D Acceleration" and max out Video Memory (128MB or 256MB). Install: Finish the wizard and install Windows. Install Guest Additions (CRITICAL): Once Windows boots: Menu Devices -> Insert Guest Additions CD image. Run the installer inside the Guest VM and Reboot. Seamless Mode will NOT work without this. Part 3: Setting Up the "Time Capsule" (Identical for Both) Perform these steps inside your new Windows Virtual Machine. Install BlueStacks: Drag the 0.8.0 installer from your PC into the VM window and install it. Disable Auto-Update (VITAL): Inside the VM, press Win + R, type services.msc. Find BlueStacks Updater Service. Right-click -> Properties -> Startup type: Disabled. Click Stop. Install Games: Drag your .apk files into the VM and install them. Create Shortcuts: Ensure your game shortcuts (e.g., Zenonia icon) are visible on the Guest Windows Desktop inside the VM. Part 4: The Integration Strategy Here is where the two methods differ. Follow the section for your software. Option A: VMware Integration (Batch Script Method) 1. Gather Your Paths: Copy these paths to a Notepad file to prepare them: Path to vmrun: "C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Workstation\vmrun.exe" Path to your VM file (.vmx): "C:\Users\YOUR_NAME\Documents\Virtual Machines\Gingerbread\Gingerbread.vmx" Path to Game Shortcut: Enter Unity Mode (Ctrl+Shift+U). Right-click your game in the VMware menu -> "Create Shortcut on Desktop". You will need the path to this specific .lnk file for the script below. 2. Create the Script (Template): Create a new text file (e.g., Launch-GameName.bat) and paste the code below. ⚠️ IMPORTANT: You must create a separate batch file for each game you want to add to LaunchBox (e.g., Launch-Zenonia1.bat, Launch-Zenonia2.bat). You must edit the GAME_SHORTCUT line in each file to point to that specific game's shortcut. batch @echo off :: CONFIGURATION :: Set the path to the vmrun.exe tool (Standard location below) SET VMRUN="C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Workstation\vmrun.exe" :: Set the path to your Virtual Machine file (.vmx) SET VM_PATH="C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\Documents\Virtual Machines\Gingerbread\Gingerbread.vmx" :: !!! CHANGE THIS FOR EACH GAME !!! :: Set the path to the specific Game Shortcut (.lnk) you created on your desktop SET GAME_SHORTCUT="C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\Desktop\NAME_OF_GAME.lnk" :: EXECUTION :: Ensure VM is running (starts it silently if off) %VMRUN% -T workstation start %VM_PATH% nogui :: Wait 5 seconds for VM to be ready timeout /t 5 /nobreak >nul :: Launch the specific game shortcut start "" %GAME_SHORTCUT% exit Option B: VirtualBox Integration (Shared Folder Method) VirtualBox does not export shortcuts easily, so we use a Shared Folder workaround. 1. Create a Shared Folder: Create a folder on your Real PC (Host) named C:\RetroShortcuts. In VirtualBox Settings -> Shared Folders -> Add C:\RetroShortcuts. Check Auto-mount and Make Permanent. 2. Move the Shortcut: Inside the VM, drag the Game Shortcut from the Guest Desktop into that Shared Folder (Drive Z: or similar). Result: The .lnk file is now visible on your Real PC in C:\RetroShortcuts. 3. Enter Seamless Mode: Press Host Key + L (Default Host Key is Right Ctrl). The Guest desktop vanishes, leaving only the BlueStacks window floating. Leave the VM running like this. Part 5: Adding to LaunchBox Open LaunchBox. Import: Drag and drop your file: VMware Users: Drag your Launch-Zenonia.bat. VirtualBox Users: Drag the shortcut .lnk file from C:\RetroShortcuts. Select "None of the above" (Import as a standard application). Platform: Select Windows. Metadata: Manually search for "Zenonia" (or your game name) to get the correct box art. Clean Up: Right-click the game in LaunchBox -> Edit -> Launching tab -> Check "Hide Console" (for Batch files). Part 6: Controller Support & Troubleshooting Controller Support: BlueStacks 0.8.0 has no native gamepad support. You must use a key-mapper. Recommended Tools: AntiMicroX (Free/Open Source - Highly Recommended) JoyToKey (Free Shareware) Pinnacle Game Profiler (Legacy favorite) Setup: Install one of these tools. (You can install it on your Host PC for easier management, or inside the Guest VM if you want the controller profile to travel with the VM). Run the software as Administrator (Required to send commands into a VM). Mapping: Map your controller buttons to the keyboard keys the game uses (e.g., D-Pad to Arrow Keys, A Button to Z Key). Zenonia Note: The Backspace key often acts as the "Menu" button in old Android games. Map a spare controller button (like Select/Back) to Backspace to access inventory and save menus. Troubleshooting: Black Screen: If the Unity/Seamless window is black, go to BlueStacks Settings (inside the VM) and change the Graphics Mode (OpenGL vs DirectX) or increase Video Memory in the VM settings. VM Freezing: For faster launches, never "Shut Down" the VM. Just "Suspend" (VMware) or "Save State" (VirtualBox). The script/shortcut will wake it up instantly.

i updated to the latest Retroarch 1.20 and LB 13.18. I'm not sure what changed but i cant seem to launch my NEO-GEO set with final burn alpha 2012 core . I went to the retroarch settings and double checked the settings they still look correct SNK NEO GEO MVS core= fbalpha2012_libretro, default emulator checked , extract roms = unchecked SNK NEO GEO AES core= fbalpha2012_libretro, default emulator checked , extract roms = unchecked I went and installed a separate retroarch with only the fbalpha2012_libreto.dll core and it works , but i didnt want to have 2 separate emulators t runnning . If any one has the time i could use some advise on what to check to get this corrected

thank you kind sirs appreciate the help

I have had this software since like 2016.. give me a little credit on i know how to use and not as a noob I know how to import roms , im telling i went through the wizard and that how it came out i didnt import one rom , these are things that have JUST started since my last update .. thats why i posted things have been a little unusual minor things happening I have never imported to all .. these has been a weird update fellas

no i cant right click there are no options to make changes , i added a dreamcast rom last night and the all Icon changed to dreamcast

i didnt have an .xml in there with "all"that was the 1st thing i checked , which i thought was weird

its greyed out , i cant make any changes to either categories, there are not any options to edit or delete

it removed one if i uncheck it , if i re-enable its adds one back

Not sure why this update did this, but i now have two categories for under platform "All" ... anyone know how to remove this double entry ? I looked the .xml flies cant seem to find anything to remove

that did it ty

its a specially modded version that allows naruto ninja 4 to be played in English it does not have a version build number

I recently updated my Launchbox to 13.16 . Now that i have I am getting an error message from dolphin emulator stating "Unknown long option 'version'" Im not sure what changed but I cant seem to get rid of this error message from opening on launch box

I have been trying to write a .bat to convert .7z files to .CHD.. it sort of works i can get the zip files to drop the .7z files into .ISO's , but thats it.. it doesnt seem to convert the other part of the .bat which is to change them to a .CHD can anyone take a look and see what im doing wrong in this ?? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- @echo off setlocal enabledelayedexpansion for %%i in (*.zip *.7z *.rar) do ( "C:\Program Files\7-Zip\7z.exe" x "%%i" if errorlevel 1 goto fail del "%%i" ) for %%f in (*.cue *.gdi *.iso) do ( chdman createcd -f "%%i" -o "%%~nf.chd" if errorlevel 1 goto fail del "%%f" del *.bin del *.cue ) echo Done! goto :end :fail echo Error! Stopped :end -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I got them from " The internet archive " search there. then go in the system folder for retroarch and place it there

wouldnt it make more sense to be able to copy over an already built setup from a windows machine to copy it over with the dll's?

@Jason Carr so i was wondering would it be possible to run big box using photon ? I have seen tutorials where people are running the windows install for PSN the steam by adding some .dll to the directory. I was thinking is it possible to possibly to the same for launchbox ?

bump

I have my big box setup to run thru steam-link , but when ever i run standards Windows pc games The controls do not seem to work for that game. So for example I have Samurai Shodown i can use the XB1 controllers to navigate through Big box menu and select the game , once it switches to the game it looks like it defaults to keyboard input only ..there a way to change this so i can keep my xb1 controllers on the remote machine ? ?

this is my setup hope it helps, i have switched to flycast works a lot better these in the retroarch than demul

since i updated last week , i keep getting this error when i try to scroll thru my tools>manage>platforms this is the message i get and its reboots my pc, any suggestions Dispatcher processing has been suspended, but messages are still being processed. App: LaunchBox Version: 12.13 Type: System.InvalidOperationException Site: IntPtr WndProcHook(IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr, Boolean ByRef) Source: WindowsBase at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.WndProcHook(IntPtr hwnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam, Boolean& handled) at MS.Win32.HwndWrapper.WndProc(IntPtr hwnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam, Boolean& handled) at MS.Win32.HwndSubclass.DispatcherCallbackOperation(Object o) at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.InternalRealCall(Delegate callback, Object args, Int32 numArgs) at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.TryCatchWhen(Object source, Delegate callback, Object args, Int32 numArgs, Delegate catchHandler) Recent Log: 11:06:21 PM Exception

Thanks ,, that did it !

do you know how i can get this core ? i cant find an older core release anywhere .. i have never installed the core until recently

i have read around people having issues with launch issues with video issues , which i have double checked and do not have set it to on , but has anyone else had issues ? i cant seem to get anything working , either with zip or unzipped files . I have the bios files in the correct place so im kinda of out of ideas after going through the youtube video

yea im good with new beta , seems to have issues with d3d9 causing the issue