mirror of https://github.com/bsnes-emu/bsnes.git
53 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
53 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
Installing the GBA BIOS
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For most of the systems higan emulates,
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the console itself contains (almost) no actual software,
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so emulating the system does not require
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infringing the copyright of the hardware manufacturer.
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However,
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the Game Boy Advance is different:
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every device contains a standard library of software routines
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for [common functions games require][bios],
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often called a "BIOS"
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by analogy with the Basic Input/Output System
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used in IBM PC compatibles.
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For the same legal reasons that commercial games
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cannot be distributed with emulators,
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the GBA BIOS cannot be distributed with higan,
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but is required for GBA software to run.
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If you have a real GBA and a flashcart,
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the Internet contains many tools
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that will extract the BIOS image so it can be copied
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to your desktop computer.
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The correct GBA BIOS file is exactly 16384 bytes long,
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and has the SHA-256 hash
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fd2547724b505f487e6dcb29ec2ecff3af35a841a77ab2e85fd87350abd36570.
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Once you have the correct BIOS file:
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1. rename it to `bios.rom`
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- if you're using Windows,
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turn off "hide extensions for known file types"
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so you don't wind up with a file called
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`bios.rom.dat`
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or whatever the file's original extension was.
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2. Copy the file into higan's `Game Boy Advance.sys` directory,
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alongside the `manifest.bml` file that is already there.
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- In Windows,
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find `Game Boy Advance.sys` in the same folder
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as `higan.exe`
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- In Linux,
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find `Game Boy Advance.sys` in
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`~/.local/share/higan/`
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**Note:**
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If you upgrade this version of higan to a newer version,
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make sure the `bios.rom` file
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winds up in the `Game Boy Advance.sys` directory
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of the new version.
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[bios]: http://problemkaputt.de/gbatek.htm#biosfunctions
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