File Manager
This option is an important part of MAME as it allows you to load, save and create software images. It can also create and manage NEO-GEO and console memory cards.
You will also find extra options if you add certain slot devices to the running machine. For example, if you add an Interface 2 to the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, you can select cartridge images as it supported ROM based software. Again these can be selected manually by you or via a softlist (if it is supported).
To load a new software image then you will need to pick a media format. For example some systems could use several media formats for software. Select the media format that you want to use and this screen will open.
This list has two parts. The bottom part is a standard file list. Anything marked with "[DRIVE]" is one of your hard drives. Anything with "[DIR]" next to it is a folder. Finally, anything marked "[FILE]" is a file on your computer. This list will allow you to navigate to the image file that you want to load. Just highlight it and press enter. The list will close and you will see it appear on the previous menu.
The three options at the top determine what you want to do...
| Menu Option | Description |
| [empty slot] | This option removes the software image from the device. This is the same as physically ejecting a cassette, disk or cartridge from a system. |
| [create] | This option lets you create a new software image that you can write to. This can be used for making blank media for saving data to. These new images will be created in a compatible format for the system and you will be given the option of where to save them. One thing to note is that the new file will need a file extension. There is no definite naming convention that the extension should follow but you could check the software image files for the system and use the same one. The new image file will be saved in the root folder for MAME. |
| [software list] | This option give you access to the internal software list for the running system. This allows you to pick from the same list as you would in the main UI. Just highlight the image you want and press enter. The list will close and you will see it appear on the previous menu. |
The "Reset" option at the bottom will perform a hard reset on the loaded system. This can be useful on console systems as they often need to be reset to load a new game.
Memory Cards
As I said before, this screen allows you to make and manage console and NEO-GEO memory cards. Memory cards are created exactly the same as above and need to be loaded to be accessed.
