NeoMythMenuDX v2.7

[ChillyWilly]

Here's the current MD Myth menu. It includes the binary for the menu flash on the cart, and the binary you can run off the SD card if you have that. It also includes the latest source for the menu and libff.

The primary bug fix for the average user for this release is I finally nailed that problem loading files from SD that weren't an even multiple of the sector size in length. This mostly concerned homebrew and hacks. So you should no longer have to worry about padding the length of rom images to get them to load properly. If you use homebrew as much as I do, that's a welcome fix.
 

There is another feature, but won't concern the average person. There are hardware test routines you can access from the Options Screen. When browsing the flash or SD, press A to go to the Options Screen. You notice some new entries that allow you to test the PSRAM in the Myth cart, and the SRAM in the flash cart. You would only need to run the checks if you were concerned your hardware was bad. Remember that options are run by hiliting them and pressing C.

[joyeux]

I'm getting frustrated because I can't run the Myth with 2.7 DX Menu in my fave MD. It is a tectoy board, similar to a VA4 (cleaner sound and good video chip), with this exact board:

I've recorded a video using my VA0 MDIII revision to show that my cart is working. After 2:45 I plugged my MDIII VA4 rev., and it doesn't boot. After plugging it with the 32x, it works, but not without lots of bugs. Sorry for the horrible spoken english. Games tested are Castlevania Bloodlines, Shadow of the Beast and Sonic 2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmEsVbQlPaY
Please guys, could you help me this time?
Menu DX 2.5 kind of works, with lotsa bugs too, but at least it booted most times.

[ChillyWilly]

It's not a software problem, it's a hardware problem. There's something about that second console the Myth can't handle, even with the 32X acting as a buffer between them. The fact that it works fine on the first console shows it's not the software.

Sounds like either a timing problem, or maybe a power problem. I don't enough about the hardware for that rev board to advise you how to deal with it. You might google for mods for that particular board rev and see if there's anything like hacks to make it work (better) with things like Virtua Racing or the Game Genie.

[joyeux]

Thanks for the response. I forgot to tell the console fully works with normal cartridges, even with game genie or 32X, or my Virtua Racing MD Cart. The Myth with Game Genie will load, but it will show the game names totally messed up, and then hangs.

Google brings me just a topic in Sega-16, whose info won't help much. Anyway, I will try to find another Mega Drive with the same revision just for testing purposes. Eventually I will post the results.

[ChillyWilly]

Thanks - every bit of info may help NeoFlash to make things better.

You would expect the menu in flash to run because rom read timing is pretty sloppy. Beyond that is where timing starts to matter more. Writing to the Myth hardware, for example, relies on write timing matching the hardware, and is much more critical than reading. That it somewhat works shows it's close.

[69mustang]

I've tested the new menu and ran all the tests and passed but Crusader of Centy still does not work. It will load the game and create a save file but once you get into the game and the first line of text is over the game freezes, but the music keeps playing. Any suggestions? I have tried using several different roms and regions and the same thing happens for all.

Does anyone else have this issue?

[ChillyWilly]

Nope. Works fine for me. Remember to not use roms with things like f, h, or t in them since they're hacked. I used the plain dump and it runs fine. Look for one with just [!] as that signifies a plain GOOD dump.

[treepop]

Kinda a noob here. How do I update my menu?

Thanks!

[ChillyWilly]

Kinda a noob here. How do I update my menu?

Thanks!

If you have written a (fairly) recent version of MDBIOS.BIN to the menu flash of the cart, then you should only need to copy the MDEBIOS.BIN file to the "/menu/md" folder on the SD card. If you are using a flash-only cart, clearly you always need to flash the MDBIOS.BIN file to the menu flash. To do that, copy the new MDBIOS.BIN file over top the old one in the "Program Files/NEO2/Manager" folder of your Windows partition. Then go into the Neo2 Pro client app and click the Burn button - it should read the menu flash, see that the menu in the flash is older than the file you just overwrote, and then burn the new menu, keeping all current flashed games.

[treepop]

If you have written a (fairly) recent version of MDBIOS.BIN to the menu flash of the cart, then you should only need to copy the MDEBIOS.BIN file to the "/menu/md" folder on the SD card. If you are using a flash-only cart, clearly you always need to flash the MDBIOS.BIN file to the menu flash. To do that, copy the new MDBIOS.BIN file over top the old one in the "Program Files/NEO2/Manager" folder of your Windows partition. Then go into the Neo2 Pro client app and click the Burn button - it should read the menu flash, see that the menu in the flash is older than the file you just overwrote, and then burn the new menu, keeping all current flashed games.

Awesome! Thank you!

[treepop]

Awesome! Thank you!

Oddly enough. I have Menu version 2.5, yet when I look at the Date modified MDBIOS.BIN on my windows partition it says 5/9/2012. The 2.7 version says 2/12/2012.  I wonder what's up with that.

[ChillyWilly]

Oddly enough. I have Menu version 2.5, yet when I look at the Date modified MDBIOS.BIN on my windows partition it says 5/9/2012. The 2.7 version says 2/12/2012.  I wonder what's up with that.

The old one is from when it was installed, while the newer is from when it was created. You get odd things like that where archives/installers are involved.

[keropi]

May I ask why the 2.7 menu takes much longer to load with a classic 512mbit card? is it normal compared to 2.5 version?

[ChillyWilly]

May I ask why the 2.7 menu takes much longer to load with a classic 512mbit card? is it normal compared to 2.5 version?

That's fixed in the 2.8 menu. My thanks to keropi for reporting his last two bugs and testing the 2.8 menu for me.