Mame not starting

[Pixelfetish]

I have upgraded the MAME romset to 0.283
if I run MAME from its folder, it loads correctly and plays the selected rom.
when I start MAME from the context menu and the select the rom within MAME, the roms load correctly
Every attempt to start via Play in LB fails.

Here is the log:
 

2025-12-11 04:49:07 PM Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.Desktop.ViewModels.MainViewModel.window.Activated Start
2025-12-11 04:49:07 PM Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.Desktop.ViewModels.MainViewModel.window.Activated Before JoystickTimer Enabled Set
2025-12-11 04:49:07 PM Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.Desktop.ViewModels.MainViewModel.window.Activated Before Resume Video
2025-12-11 04:49:07 PM Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.Desktop.ViewModels.MainViewModel.window.Activated Before Check Already Focused
2025-12-11 04:49:15 PM Music.Play Start
2025-12-11 04:49:15 PM Music.Kill Start
2025-12-11 04:49:15 PM Music.Kill Finished
2025-12-11 04:49:15 PM Music.Play Empty Music Path
2025-12-11 04:49:15 PM Music.NotifyTrackList Start
2025-12-11 04:49:15 PM Music.NotifyTrackList Invoke WPF
2025-12-11 04:49:15 PM GameDetailsViewModel returning to pool...
2025-12-11 04:49:15 PM GameDetailsViewModel return to pool: Video control dispose...
2025-12-11 04:49:15 PM GameDetailsViewModel return to pool: Video control nulling...
2025-12-11 04:49:15 PM GameDetailsViewModel return to pool: Invoking UI thread...
2025-12-11 04:49:15 PM GameDetailsViewModel.Dispose: Nulling out all image sources...
2025-12-11 04:49:15 PM GameDetailsViewModel successfully returned to pool
2025-12-11 04:49:16 PM ContentViewModel Context Building
2025-12-11 04:49:16 PM ContentViewModel Context Built
2025-12-11 04:49:16 PM ContentViewModel Context Opening
2025-12-11 04:49:16 PM ContentViewModel Context Opened
2025-12-11 04:49:17 PM GameDetailsViewModel returning to pool...
2025-12-11 04:49:17 PM GameDetailsViewModel return to pool: Video control dispose...
2025-12-11 04:49:17 PM GameDetailsViewModel return to pool: Video control nulling...
2025-12-11 04:49:17 PM GameDetailsViewModel return to pool: Invoking UI thread...
2025-12-11 04:49:17 PM GameDetailsViewModel.Dispose: Nulling out all image sources...
2025-12-11 04:49:17 PM GameDetailsViewModel successfully returned to pool
2025-12-11 04:49:17 PM Music.Play Start
2025-12-11 04:49:17 PM Music.Kill Start
2025-12-11 04:49:17 PM Music.Kill Finished
2025-12-11 04:49:17 PM Music.Play Empty Music Path
2025-12-11 04:49:17 PM Music.NotifyTrackList Start
2025-12-11 04:49:17 PM Music.NotifyTrackList Invoke WPF
2025-12-11 04:49:19 PM Music.Pause Start
2025-12-11 04:49:19 PM FIRST CHANCE EXCEPTION: ImageSourceConverter cannot convert from (null).
   at System.ComponentModel.TypeConverter.GetConvertFromException(Object value)
2025-12-11 04:49:19 PM FIRST CHANCE EXCEPTION: ImageSourceConverter cannot convert from (null).
   at System.ComponentModel.TypeConverter.GetConvertFromException(Object value)
   at System.Windows.Media.ImageSourceConverter.ConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, CultureInfo culture, Object value)
2025-12-11 04:49:19 PM FIRST CHANCE EXCEPTION: ImageSourceConverter cannot convert from (null).
   at System.ComponentModel.TypeConverter.GetConvertFromException(Object value)
2025-12-11 04:49:19 PM FIRST CHANCE EXCEPTION: ImageSourceConverter cannot convert from (null).
   at System.ComponentModel.TypeConverter.GetConvertFromException(Object value)
   at System.Windows.Media.ImageSourceConverter.ConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, CultureInfo culture, Object value)
2025-12-11 04:49:19 PM Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.Desktop.ViewModels.MainViewModel.window.Deactivated Start
2025-12-11 04:49:19 PM Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.Desktop.ViewModels.MainViewModel.window.Deactivated Before Pause Video
2025-12-11 04:49:19 PM Music.StopAndResumeBackground Start
2025-12-11 04:49:19 PM Music.Kill Start
2025-12-11 04:49:19 PM Music.Kill Finished
2025-12-11 04:49:19 PM Music.PlayerEndReached Start
2025-12-11 04:49:19 PM Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.Desktop.ViewModels.MainViewModel.window.Deactivated Completed
2025-12-11 04:49:20 PM MameHighScores.Prepare: Beginning the preparation process...
2025-12-11 04:49:20 PM Begin M3U Check.
2025-12-11 04:49:20 PM RomPath after M3U build: X:\_RomArchive\__zipped sets\_Mame Roms\MAME 0.283 ROMs (non-merged)\gradius.zip
2025-12-11 04:49:20 PM SevenZip.Extract Log: 
7-Zip 19.00 (x64) : Copyright (c) 1999-2018 Igor Pavlov : 2019-02-21

Scanning the drive for archives:
0M Scan X:\_RomArchive\__zipped sets\_Mame Roms\MAME 0.283 ROMs (non-merged)\

1 file, 119413 bytes (117 KiB)

Extracting archive: X:\_RomArchive\__zipped sets\_Mame Roms\MAME 0.283 ROMs (non-merged)\gradius.zip
--
Path = X:\_RomArchive\__zipped sets\_Mame Roms\MAME 0.283 ROMs (non-merged)\gradius.zip
Type = zip
Physical Size = 119413
Comment = TORRENTZIPPED-034265D7

0%

Everything is Ok

Files: 7
Size:       336384
Compressed: 119413

2025-12-11 04:49:21 PM Game.PlayCount changed from 23 to 24: Nemesis (Arcade)
2025-12-11 04:49:21 PM DataManager.SaveInternal started.
2025-12-11 04:49:21 PM Saving InputBindings.xml...
2025-12-11 04:49:21 PM Saving GameControllers.xml...
2025-12-11 04:49:21 PM Saving ListCache.xml...
2025-12-11 04:49:21 PM Saving Settings.xml...
2025-12-11 04:49:21 PM Aborting MameHighScores.Parse: No high score or nvram files found.
2025-12-11 04:49:21 PM Saving UnsyncedChanges.xml...
2025-12-11 04:49:21 PM Saving ImportBlacklist.xml...
2025-12-11 04:49:21 PM Saving E:\LaunchBox\Data\Platforms\Arcade.xml...
2025-12-11 04:49:23 PM Game.PlayTime changed from 48 to 50: Nemesis (Arcade)
2025-12-11 04:49:23 PM Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.Desktop.ViewModels.MainViewModel.window.Activated Start
2025-12-11 04:49:23 PM Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.Desktop.ViewModels.MainViewModel.window.Activated Before JoystickTimer Enabled Set
2025-12-11 04:49:23 PM Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.Desktop.ViewModels.MainViewModel.window.Activated Before Resume Video
2025-12-11 04:49:23 PM Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.Desktop.ViewModels.MainViewModel.window.Activated Before Check Already Focused
2025-12-11 04:49:23 PM AddEditGameViewModel Closed Updating GameDetailsViewModel
2025-12-11 04:49:24 PM AddEditGameViewModel Closed Updating ContentBackground
2025-12-11 04:49:24 PM FIRST CHANCE EXCEPTION: E:\LaunchBox\pack:\application:,,,\WpfResources\Background.png
   at System.Drawing.Image.FromFile(String filename, Boolean useEmbeddedColorManagement)
2025-12-11 04:49:24 PM GameDetailsViewModel returning to pool...
2025-12-11 04:49:24 PM GameDetailsViewModel return to pool: Video control dispose...
2025-12-11 04:49:24 PM GameDetailsViewModel return to pool: Video control nulling...
2025-12-11 04:49:24 PM GameDetailsViewModel return to pool: Invoking UI thread...
2025-12-11 04:49:24 PM GameDetailsViewModel.Dispose: Nulling out all image sources...
2025-12-11 04:49:24 PM GameDetailsViewModel successfully returned to pool
2025-12-11 04:49:25 PM Music.Play Start
2025-12-11 04:49:25 PM Music.Kill Start
2025-12-11 04:49:25 PM Music.Kill Finished
2025-12-11 04:49:25 PM Music.Play Empty Music Path
2025-12-11 04:49:25 PM Music.NotifyTrackList Start
2025-12-11 04:49:25 PM Music.NotifyTrackList Invoke WPF
2025-12-11 04:49:25 PM Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.Desktop.ViewModels.MainViewModel.window.Deactivated Start
2025-12-11 04:49:25 PM Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.Desktop.ViewModels.MainViewModel.window.Deactivated Before Pause Video
2025-12-11 04:49:25 PM Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.Desktop.ViewModels.MainViewModel.window.Deactivated Completed

[JoeViking245]

1 hour ago, Pixelfetish said:

Every attempt to start via Play in LB fails.

In LaunchBox, edit your MAME emulator and uncheck Extract ROM in both

• the main Details section
• the Associated Platforms section

   

 

If there's still issues, share a screenshot of both those sections so we can have a better look.

 

[Pixelfetish]

Thanks for helping out Joe, as always.

I deticked the extracting but it didn't solve the issue.
What helped was to untick "remove qoutes" and "remove file extension and folder path"....and unticking the unzip rom.
Why is that? 
- the qoutas, okay, there are whitespace in the path.
- the extension and path, yes, I have multiple rom locations and no base folder, makes sense
- but not to unzip the rom? I take a guess and it is not related to mame but LB unzipping the rom beforehand, which is not working.
but why is this feature an option anyway?

Edited Thursday at 08:46 PM by Pixelfetish

[JoeViking245]

43 minutes ago, Pixelfetish said:

What helped was to untick "remove qoutes" and "remove file extension and folder path"....and unticking the unzip rom.
Why is that? 

If you let MAME know where the ROMs are, it only needs the filename (without extension).  e.g. gradius (vs. gradius.zip)

That said, you have either

• manually set the ROM paths in MAME itself (told it where they're located),
• you placed them in its /roms/ folder (default location for where it looks)
• or... in the Details section of your MAME emulator (in LaunchBox), the Default Command-line Parameters has the variable -rompath %romlocation% in it.
  • %romlocation% is a LaunchBox variable in which it replaces that with the full path to the ROM with quotes  "C:\Path\To\Rom"
  • e.g.  "X:\_RomArchive\__zipped sets\_Mame Roms\MAME 0.283 ROMs (non-merged)"

 

50 minutes ago, Pixelfetish said:

but not to unzip the rom?  I take a guess and it is not related to mame but LB unzipping the rom beforehand, which is not working.

NEVER unzip MAME ROMs.  That's just how MAME (and any emulator using MAME ROMs [e.g. SuperModel3]) works.

 

51 minutes ago, Pixelfetish said:

but why is this feature an option anyway?

Some emulators need to have the ROMs unzipped to be able to emulate them.  90%+ of the cores in RetroArch for example.