From eef90a8f14e60e97dc355d1a8cd3553218918864 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Tim Allen Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2017 14:33:27 +1000 Subject: [PATCH] How to obtain and install the GBA BIOS. --- README.md | 50 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 50 insertions(+) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index e6b83286..8fe33a93 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -404,6 +404,56 @@ You may also wish to delete the higan source directory. Installing the GBA BIOS ----------------------- +For most of the systems higan emulates, +the console itself contains (almost) no actual software, +so emulating the system does not require +infringing the copyright of the hardware manufacturer. +However, +the Game Boy Advance is different: +every device contains a standard library of software routines +for [common functions games require][bios], +often called a "BIOS" +by analogy with the Basic Input/Output System +used in IBM PC compatibles. + +For the same legal reasons that commercial games +cannot be distributed with emulators, +the GBA BIOS cannot be distributed with higan, +but is required for GBA software to run. + +If you have a real GBA and a flashcart, +the Internet contains many tools +that will extract the BIOS image so it can be copied +to your desktop computer. +The correct GBA BIOS file is exactly 16384 bytes long, +and has the SHA-256 hash +fd2547724b505f487e6dcb29ec2ecff3af35a841a77ab2e85fd87350abd36570. + +Once you have the correct BIOS file: + + 1. rename it to `bios.rom` + - if you're using Windows, + turn off "hide extensions for known file types" + so you don't wind up with a file called + `bios.rom.dat` + or whatever the file's original extension was. + 2. Copy the file into higan`s `Game Boy Advance.sys` directory, + alongside the `manifest.bml` file that is already there. + - In Windows, + find `Game Boy Advance.sys` in the same folder + as `higan.exe` + - In Linux, + find `Game Boy Advance.sys` in + `~/.local/share/higan/` + +**Note:** +If you upgrade this version of higan to a newer version, +make sure the `bios.rom` file +winds up in the `Game Boy Advance.sys` directory +of the new version. + +[bios]: http://problemkaputt.de/gbatek.htm#biosfunctions + Importing games ===============