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    Please do not post a support request without first reading and following the advice in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

    Please Help!! Adding New Systems nightmare!

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Help and Support
    permissionsemulationstatonnew system
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    • R
      RetrolixusMcD
      last edited by

      Hey All,

      please can somebody help, i can go into more details if needed but essentially: i'm trying to add new systems to the es_systems.cfg file, i have tried the following ways below each to no avail:

      1. through RetroPie Manager accessing via chrome - will not save due to permissions
      2. tried setting permissions on pi 4 on retropie on terminal after quitting emulation station using chmod and does not work
      3. tried setting permissions when sd card is in an USB reader on my pi3 running PI OS via the permissions on properties and comes back saying operation not granted or something
      4. tried changing ownership of the retropie image on the sd card via in the reader as above, on terminal via ssh and on the pi4 itself and again not working.
      5. when sd card is on the reader on the OS ive tried editing the cfg file via nano and seems to save but then when i run retropie on the pi4 it comes back again saying 'cfg file is missing, will have to do manually'

      can anyone help please, i'm going out of my mind, very new to linux etc and getting stressed out now as all the guidance and youtube vids i've followed havent worked, even the main guide on adding new systems on docs on here is fine but doesnt say how to sort out permissions.

      cheers

      Danny

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      • mituM
        mitu Global Moderator
        last edited by mitu

        @retrolixusmcd said in Please Help!! Adding New Systems nightmare!:

        i'm trying to add new systems to the es_systems.cfg file [..]

        Which file (exact path) are you trying to edit ? Have you followed the steps outlined in https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Add-a-New-System-in-EmulationStation/ ?

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        • R
          RetrolixusMcD @mitu
          last edited by

          @mitu hey there,

          its the one under from memory as on other system
          etc/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg

          essentially on
          retropie manager - cannot save due to permissions

          on the pi 4 which is my rig i have retropie on, i quit emulation station and from terminal on the pi i cannot set the permissions or access the etc folder (only the bios/roms and setup)

          when having the sd card in a reader connected to windows or my pi 3 (running raspberry OS) i cannot set the permissions in either using terminal , and cannot update the .cfg file as when i do its saying i don't have permission to save

          when trying via ssh into the pi4 from either windows or my pi3 i can access the .cfg file via NANO and SSH and it seems to save but when i reboot the pi4 it comes up with the messege saying cfg file is broken or missing. i

          i've double checked the wording im using etc and only adding systems which are basic like famicom and super famicom etc..when adding them im following example like this to keep emulator etc as nes in case for famicom:

          <system>
          <name>famicom</name>
          <fullname>Nintendo Famicom</fullname>
          <path>/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/famicom</path>
          <extension>.nes .zip .NES .ZIP</extension>
          <command>/opt/retropie/supplementary/runcommand/runcommand.sh 0 SYS nes %ROM%</command>
          <platform>nes</platform>
          <theme>famicom</theme>
          </system>

          and yes tried following the guide but again it won't let me save due to permissions, and i have tried changing ownership and permissions and literally won't work....
          so basically i need help changing permissions either from retropie on the pi4, or by having the sd card in my pi3/windows or via ssh
          and also am i doing something stupid with the cfg file? i've had to wipe the sd and start again about 6 times now, luckily my roms are on a 4tb usb external drive so not losing them each time

          thanks

          mituM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • mituM
            mitu Global Moderator @RetrolixusMcD
            last edited by

            @retrolixusmcd said in Please Help!! Adding New Systems nightmare!:

            retropie manager - cannot save due to permissions

            That's not the right file - see the previous link for how to do it properly.

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            • R
              RetrolixusMcD @mitu
              last edited by

              @mitu Hey

              yeah i tried making a copy into the OPT folder and again it comes up with not having permission to save?

              mituM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • mituM
                mitu Global Moderator @RetrolixusMcD
                last edited by

                Post the permissions of the file you copied.

                R 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • R
                  RetrolixusMcD @mitu
                  last edited by

                  @mitu !2021-05-13-211406_1920x1080_scrot.png )

                  hey i've just tried again to copy it via ssh when retropie was running on the pi4 via my terminal on the pi3 and when i took out the sd card and put into the desktop to view files it is not there.

                  just tried doing it whilst sd card is in the reader too and got this messege even though can see the file there.

                  can i just copy and paste the file into opt? and if i do do i need to do the contents of the whole emulation station dir that is in the etc folder?

                  R 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • mituM
                    mitu Global Moderator
                    last edited by

                    Your screenshot doesn't show the permissions - just a failed copy command.

                    can i just copy and paste the file into opt? and if i do do i need to do the contents of the whole emulation station dir that is in the etc folder?

                    Yes, you can copy it. You only need to copy 1 file (es_systems.cfg) and not the entire folder.

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                    • R
                      RetrolixusMcD @RetrolixusMcD
                      last edited by

                      also getting these messeges when i try to a) copy the file manually and b) set the permissions on the file2021-05-13-211837_1920x1080_scrot.png 2021-05-13-211804_1920x1080_scrot.png

                      R 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • R
                        RetrolixusMcD @RetrolixusMcD
                        last edited by

                        apologies thats the permissions shown! when i try changing it all to anyone it is coming up with that messege2021-05-13-212010_1920x1080_scrot.png

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                        • mituM
                          mitu Global Moderator
                          last edited by

                          Just run the cp command on the system that you want to customize, from a terminal.

                          R 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • R
                            RetrolixusMcD @mitu
                            last edited by

                            @mitu i tried accessing the file from the terminal on the retropie build (once exiting emulation station) and it only lets you go into the RetroPie or RetroPie-Setup directories which only have teh bios/roms/splashscreens etc but i will try again now

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                            • R
                              RetrolixusMcD @mitu
                              last edited by

                              @mitu hey,

                              I've screenshotted me tryin gto add the famicom system, so i have managed to create the copy of the file with the method you suggested, when trying to edit it from my desktop (via sd card reader & text editor on raspberry OS) it is opening it, but still coming up as permissions when trying to save...so do i need to do the chmod command whilst the card is on the system i'm going to use it on (pi4/retropie) or can i do it whilst in the sd card reader on my desktop (pi3 running raspberry OS) or should i do via SSH2021-05-13-213914_1920x1080_scrot.png 2021-05-13-213846_1920x1080_scrot.png 2021-05-13-213833_1920x1080_scrot.png

                              R 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • R
                                RetrolixusMcD @RetrolixusMcD
                                last edited by

                                command i would use based on what i did before (again very new to this and going from a dummies guide) would be

                                sudo chmod a=w opt/retropie/configs/all/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg

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                                • mituM
                                  mitu Global Moderator
                                  last edited by

                                  Why don't you install the desktop on the Pi4 system where you want to edit things and just edit from there ? Mounting the sdcard on another system will probably result in incorrect permissions on the new system, since it's mounted as root/system there.

                                  R 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • R
                                    RetrolixusMcD @mitu
                                    last edited by

                                    @mitu
                                    What so have retropie installed on the desktop instead rather than a standalone image? I'll give it a try, thanks for your help

                                    mituM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • mituM
                                      mitu Global Moderator @RetrolixusMcD
                                      last edited by mitu

                                      @retrolixusmcd said in Please Help!! Adding New Systems nightmare!:

                                      What so have retropie installed on the desktop instead rather than a standalone image? I'll give it a try, thanks for your help

                                      No, that's not what I meant. You can install the desktop part on any RetroPie image - see https://retropie.org.uk/docs/FAQ/#where-did-the-desktop-go. You can then start the desktop from the Ports system, without needing a separate (desktop enabled) system.

                                      R 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • R
                                        RetrolixusMcD @mitu
                                        last edited by

                                        @mitu ahh ok, perfect, I'll give that a try today and hopefully that will work around the permissions.
                                        Thanks again 😊

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