diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MFEmuLoadHelper.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MFEmuLoadHelper.cs
index dc33602955..a5f71320a6 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MFEmuLoadHelper.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MFEmuLoadHelper.cs
@@ -25,40 +25,52 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 			MessageBox.Show(parent, msg, "Load Warning");
 		}
 
+		void FirmwareWarn(string sysID, string firmwareID, bool required, string msg = null)
+		{
+			if (required)
+			{
+				string fullmsg = string.Format(
+					"Couldn't find required firmware \"{0}:{1}\".  This is fatal{2}", sysID, firmwareID, msg != null ? ": " + msg : ".");
+				throw new Exception(fullmsg);
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				if (msg != null)
+				{
+					string fullmsg = string.Format(
+						"Couldn't find firmware \"{0}:{1}\".  Will attempt to continue: {2}", sysID, firmwareID, msg);
+					ShowMessage(msg);
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+
+		public string GetFirmwarePath(string sysID, string firmwareID, bool required, string msg = null)
+		{
+			string path = firmware.Request(sysID, firmwareID);
+			if (path != null && !File.Exists(path))
+				path = null;
+
+			if (path == null)
+				FirmwareWarn(sysID, firmwareID, required, msg);
+			return path;
+		}
+
 		public byte[] GetFirmware(string sysID, string firmwareID, bool required, string msg = null)
 		{
 			byte[] ret = null;
-			string path = firmware.Request(sysID, firmwareID);
+			string path = GetFirmwarePath(sysID, firmwareID, required, msg);
 			if (path != null && File.Exists(path))
 			{
 				try
 				{
 					ret = File.ReadAllBytes(path);
 				}
-				catch (IOException)
-				{
-				}
+				catch (IOException) { }
 			}
 
-			if (ret == null)
-			{
-
-				if (required)
-				{
-					string fullmsg = string.Format(
-						"Couldn't find required firmware \"{0}:{1}\".  This is fatal{2}", sysID, firmwareID, msg != null ? ": " + msg : ".");
-					throw new Exception(fullmsg);
-				}
-				else
-				{
-					if (msg != null)
-					{
-						string fullmsg = string.Format(
-							"Couldn't find firmware \"{0}:{1}\".  Will attempt to continue: {2}", sysID, firmwareID, msg);
-						ShowMessage(msg);
-					}
-				}
-			}
+			if (ret == null && path != null)
+				FirmwareWarn(sysID, firmwareID, required, msg);
 			return ret;
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
index 9f5fdff84d..44e9616ea7 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
@@ -3152,7 +3152,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 
 									((CoreFileProvider)nextComm.CoreFileProvider).SubfileDirectory = Path.GetDirectoryName(path.Replace("|", "")); //Dirty hack to get around archive filenames (since we are just getting the directory path, it is safe to mangle the filename
 
-									var snes = new LibsnesCore(nextComm);
+									var snes = new LibsnesCore(nextComm, EmuLoadHelper);
 									nextEmulator = snes;
 									byte[] romData = isXml ? null : rom.FileData;
 									byte[] xmlData = isXml ? rom.FileData : null;
@@ -3250,7 +3250,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 										game.System = "SNES";
 										game.AddOption("SGB");
 										nextComm.SNES_ExePath = SNES_Prepare(Global.Config.SNESProfile);
-										var snes = new LibsnesCore(nextComm);
+										var snes = new LibsnesCore(nextComm, EmuLoadHelper);
 										nextEmulator = snes;
 										snes.Load(game, rom.FileData, EmuLoadHelper, deterministicemulation, null);
 									}
diff --git a/BizHawk.Emulation.Common/Interfaces/IEmuLoadHelper.cs b/BizHawk.Emulation.Common/Interfaces/IEmuLoadHelper.cs
index 04909259a2..9a1b576fc0 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Emulation.Common/Interfaces/IEmuLoadHelper.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Emulation.Common/Interfaces/IEmuLoadHelper.cs
@@ -13,5 +13,6 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Common
 		void ShowMessage(string msg);
 
 		byte[] GetFirmware(string sysID, string firmwareID, bool required, string msg = null);
+		string GetFirmwarePath(string sysID, string firmwareID, bool required, string msg = null);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/SNES/LibsnesCore.cs b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/SNES/LibsnesCore.cs
index 5014442445..6ddc6839eb 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/SNES/LibsnesCore.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/SNES/LibsnesCore.cs
@@ -181,16 +181,29 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.SNES
 				return "";
 			}
 
-			//build romfilename
-			string test = Path.Combine(CoreComm.SNES_FirmwaresPath ?? "", hint);
+			// not MSU-1.  ok.
 
-			//does it exist?
-			if (!File.Exists(test))
+			string firmwareID;
+
+			switch (hint)
 			{
-				System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show("The SNES core is referencing a firmware file which could not be found. Please make sure it's in your configured SNES firmwares folder. The referenced filename is: " + hint);
-				return "";
+				case "cx4.rom": firmwareID = "CX4"; break;
+				case "dsp1.rom": firmwareID = "DSP1"; break;
+				case "dsp1b.rom": firmwareID = "DSP1b"; break;
+				case "dsp2.rom": firmwareID = "DSP2"; break;
+				case "dsp3.rom": firmwareID = "DSP3"; break;
+				case "dsp4.rom": firmwareID = "DSP4"; break;
+				case "st010.rom": firmwareID = "ST010"; break;
+				case "st011.rom": firmwareID = "ST011"; break;
+				case "st018.rom": firmwareID = "ST018"; break;
+				default:
+					EmuLoadHelper.ShowMessage(string.Format("Unrecognized SNES firmware request \"{0}\".", hint));
+					return "";
 			}
 
+			//build romfilename
+			string test = EmuLoadHelper.GetFirmwarePath("SNES", firmwareID, false, "Game may function incorrectly without the requested firmware.");
+
 			Console.WriteLine("Served libsnes request for firmware \"{0}\" with \"{1}\"", hint, test);
 
 			//return the path we built
@@ -215,9 +228,10 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.SNES
 		public LibsnesApi api;
 		System.Xml.XmlDocument romxml;
 
-		public LibsnesCore(CoreComm comm)
+		public LibsnesCore(CoreComm comm, IEmuLoadHelper EmuLoadHelper)
 		{
 			CoreComm = comm;
+			this.EmuLoadHelper = EmuLoadHelper;
 			api = new LibsnesApi(CoreComm.SNES_ExePath);
 			api.CMD_init();
 			api.ReadHook = ReadHook;
@@ -916,6 +930,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.SNES
 		#endregion
 
 		public CoreComm CoreComm { get; private set; }
+		private IEmuLoadHelper EmuLoadHelper;
 
 		// ----- Client Debugging API stuff -----
 		unsafe MemoryDomain MakeMemoryDomain(string name, LibsnesApi.SNES_MEMORY id, MemoryDomain.Endian endian)