First attempt with Retropie 4.2 install trouble

RetroHopeful

Hi, I hope someone can help be or let me know if I should try again from scratch. If I damaged too much.

This is where I'm at with my first ever computer build:

Pi Model: Pi3 model B

Power Supply used: AC/DC adapter 5V...3.0A

RetroPie Version Used: 4.2 which includes RetroArch v1.5.0

Built: on 16gb SD preloaded with noobs but the steps I followed had me reformat to FAT32 before I downloaded RetroPi 4.2 flashed with Etcher to card. When I replugged SD card into my windows 10 machine it said it found errors on SD card and asked if I wanted to fix this. I said yes.
Was this one mistake?
USB Devices connected: H9 mini keyboard, PiHut SNES gamepad, had a Xbox360 pad configured but not connected now because it has no effect in game play as of yet, HDMI cable to tele/TV,

Controller used: SNES

Error messages received: I get a yellow bar when I load a game that is too fast to read and now I'm stuck in the game. It seems to allow me to start but that's it and then my keyboard won't let me esc . and I have to pull plug to get out. Both gamepad and keyboard appear to work in emulation station. I have resorted to unplugging when stuck and unable to enter area to input command sudo shutdown. :(
Log found in /dev/shm/runcommand.log (if relevant): Errors logged into "to dev/shm/runcommand.log" but I've watched video that this appears and they play there games just fine with controller.
Guide used: multiple guides, I started with..
following a video on How to install retropie 4.2 Raspberry pi 123 (I am unsure if I made usb full size at this time before downloading retropie 4.2 image from retropie website; should I have made full? I'm still not sure why I needed a noobs loaded sd card when all I did was format right away. Was this another mistake? I did do it for the 16mg sd card in my usb reader I use for Rom transfer.
when in Retropie game rom for asteroids it asked me to configure controller but I got stuck in it here as it wouldn't finish and may have messed something up at this time, if not already. So I tryed this... thinking maybe my transfer went wrong.
From a video, I went into retro pi setup and update>yes>reboot.
then Retro Pi setup again and manage packages>manage experimental packages>retro pi manager>installed from source over ethernet, (because I couldn't set up wifi.) >configuration and options>enable manager to start on next boot and in here I transferred baseball stars for nes. In hopes it would recognise my gamepad but not.
I have since disabled because I like idea of a back up but unsure how to back up once on pi sd card.Another thing to learn.
(I have very little understanding of DOS from my yester years I took one class) but I like the other way off site using USB because then I have a copy If I ever figure this out and mess anything else up or corrupt my sdcard.

File: (File with issue - with FULL path) I don't understand what File you mean.

Emulator: NES

Attachment of config files: (PLEASE USE PASTEBIN.COM FOR LARGE LOGS)
How to replicate the problem: Have I messed everything up?Do you think I'd be better off starting from scratch. I really was wanting to do this build to understand how it works and be able to fix things. I have read and reread multiple forum pages and googled but, I'm stuck in a loop. I would be so empowering to grasp this.
I have researched the parts I wanted for my retropie build for weeks and tryed to get parts with less chance of me messing something up. Everyone made it look so easy but I am finding this quite confusing. I was hoping to save some money and learn with a DIY project. Now I fear I will never get it working right.
PS with the fear of truly showing my incompetence. On the first boot I only saw Retropie and in grey bar on emulation station it never showed 13 games like all the pictures, it had configuration instead, is this correct and new for 4.2 and ok?

I look forward to your advise.

Thank you/Cheers

N.A.R.E.K.96

Did you use standard windows app or SDFormatter .It is recommended to use SDFormatter and dont forget to change SDFormatter options
alt text

pjft

Hi and welcome!

Apologies if it isn't clear to me, but I'm not fully sure what you're asking for in terms of the problem you're facing as there are quite a few different things mentioned in your post.

If you're referring to not being able to exit an emulator, my advice is to redefine your controls in EmulationStation and when asked about the HotKey, press "select" (or any button you find that you won't use much). You'll then press Hotkey+Start to exit emulators (in this case, select + start).

If you're referring to the Windows machine stating there are errors on the card... I'm not sure. Windows will not fully read both partitions on your card, but I wouldn't expect it to claim there's an error on the FAT partition.

You might be better off re-formatting the card altogether and re-imaging, I suppose, if it isn't too much trouble. Certainly unplugging the Pi when it's running won't help the overall card data reliability so re-imaging is an option.

I'm not sure what yellow bar you may be referring to when launching a game, though.

The emulators you'll want to use for them to recognize your controllers are the LibRetro cores - they start with lr- something. I imagine they are the default ones, though, so you will want to make sure to configure all your controllers in EmulationStation for the settings to propagate properly.

I know this is a bit scattered, but hopefully one of these will nudge you in the right direction. I'm sure you'll be able to sort it out in no time, and this is certainly a great DIY project :)

Cheers!

rbaker

@RetroHopeful said in First attempt with Retropie 4.2 install trouble:

When I replugged SD card into my windows 10 machine it said it found errors on SD card and asked if I wanted to fix this. I said yes.

I believe that this is your problem. The best thing is to format your card and just write a fresh image. Why did you put the card into your PC? The card will have Linux partition on that cannot be read by windows.

The process is download image > extract image > write image and you are good to go. Now, based on this:

On the first boot I only saw Retropie and in grey bar on emulation station it never showed 13 games like all the pictures, it had configuration instead

It seems you are actually working! You have to configure your controllers at this point. have you followed the guide step by step? What are the 13 games that you are referring to? Retropie does not come with any, you are most likely seeing the configuration menu options. Emulators only show up when you add roms. Reading back through your post, I am not clear what the issue is really? You have to press start and select together to escape a game.

RetroHopeful

@N-A-R-E-K-96
Both, I think I used standard windows formatter on the initial download of Retropie that I keep in my Raspberry Pi and I used SD Formatter with format size ON to my SD card I tranfered Rom with. Could that have created a problem? I am really learning as I go.

RetroHopeful

@pjft

Hi how would I go about redefining my controls?
I'm sorry I'm so new to linux.
Yes, I agree I cringe every time I cut the power. :/
Yes, I'm thinking I may have to start from scratch again, too.
Thank you for encouragment, I have a scatter brain and have been lost at what to do next.

RetroHopeful

@rbaker
Hi
I put the card into my PC to download and do the process you mentioned to my SD card.
Is there a better way?
I have tried to press start and select together my controller has no effect in a game But it will let me select one. Then nothing. game does it own thing and doesn't recognise any input.
Thanks

RetroHopeful

@RetroHopeful
Yes, I followed that exact guide.
The 13 games I'm referring to, that I don't see, is in the link you posted(retropie first installation) above just a bit more than half way down the page.
If I don't see that does that confirm I have done something wrong or is it normal to say configuration instead of 13 games in the most up-to-date version of retropie?

mediamogul

@RetroHopeful

is it normal to say configuration instead of 13 games in the most up-to-date version of retropie?

It is indeed. "13 Games" was referencing the 13 default menu items in the RetroPie menu of emulation Station. Since no games are ever in that menu, it was changed to avoid confusion. The tutorial images just haven't been updated to reflect the change.

herb_fargus

@mediamogul said in First attempt with Retropie 4.2 install trouble:

The tutorial images just haven't been updated to reflect the change.

My bad :p

pjft

@RetroHopeful no need to do anything in Linux. :)

On EmulationStation press start and there should be a menu option for controls configuration.

If you don't have an entry for hotkey, though, do make sure to have set up the select key as exiting is fl done by pressing select and start at the same time in that case.

RetroHopeful

@herb_fargus

Thank you Herb
Believe me I have Read so many Docs, some more than once; but, my head can only absorb so much at one time and this is all so new to me. Problem is most of it is above me and requires knowledge to understand what is being explained.

RetroHopeful

@pjft
please clarify what this means: "as exiting is fl"
I turned Pi on and went back into configuration > configure input > configuring usb gamepad 2 >re-inputted the control settings for my SNES and at end it said I didn't have a hotkey enable and pressed start and select at same time but it did not define. > OK > You didn't chosse a hotkey enable button. This is required for exiting games with a controller. do you want to se the select button default?Please answer yes to use select or no to not set a hotkey enable button> YES> quit>restart system.
Same thing gamepad has no effect in game. :/

pjft

@RetroHopeful It's a typo. "As exiting is currently done by pressing select and start".

Does your controller have a "select" button?

Can you explicitly press "select" when asked for the hotkey?

Also, can you update the RetroPie-Setup script? You need to go to the RetroPie section > RetroPie Setup > Update RetroPie Setup scripts (or similar).

Then redefine the inputs.

What happens if you press Select + (the top button - triangle on the PSX controller, maybe X on the SNES)?

What emulator are you using when it launches a game? What text shows up?

RetroHopeful

@pjft
yes it looks just like the image in first installation doc. SNES
I did it again and pressed 'select' as hotkey enable in configuring gamepad 2 but it stayed not defined and moved onto ok and same thing asked "You didn't choose a hotkey enable button. This is required for exiting games with a controller. do you want to use the select button default?Please answer yes to use select or no to not set a hotkey enable button" I clicked YES >
atari 2600 lr-stella
I will run update script again. I think I did it but will do again now.
Thank you for your help.

pjft

@RetroHopeful Hm.

That is weird, the fact that it does not select a hotkey.

Can you retrieve the contents of /home/pi/.emulationstation/es_input.cfg?

Or, alternatively, go to the command line and run

cat /home/pi/.emulationstation/es_input.cfg

I'm keen on seeing what's set for HotKey and Select - I'd expect it to be the same key.

I don't know where it would be stored on the RetroArch settings, but it's a start.

RetroHopeful

@pjft
did not find need package trying to install now.... ok> would you like to update the underlying OSpackages choose YES
Reading package lists....

NB: The fist time I plugged my noobs 16gb sd card was into my PC not the Raspberry Pi and reformatted before doing anything to it. Is this where I went wrong?

it is doing a lot of Get:87 http:// mirrored director.raspbian.org/raspbian/ jessie/main blahblah stuff now at Get:91 and Reading changelogs..

Thank you so much I feel like I'm getting somewhere. :)

Unpacking.....

pjft

@RetroHopeful Oh, oh, oh... :|

Well, if you're going through it already, it's fine, that that may be an overkill.

I was actually just suggesting updating the RetroPie-Setup scripts - it should be a 5 second thing, under "Update RetroPie-Setup script".

You may be going for a full blown update, which would likely not be needed. If you get a prompt to interrupt it at any time, feel free to stop it. :/

If not... well, let's go with it and see where it takes us.

RetroHopeful

@pjft
I'm not sure how to actually tell it to go to command line area. It just takes me there. It's been along time since I've actually used sudo shotdown properly. I'm usually stuck in game watching it play by itself without control. I think I buggered something up the first time it asked in a game to setup control and I got stuck and went to a place I shouldn't be allowed and changed configurations to something.

But I will see where I'm at after it does its thing here. it lookes like it is now installing lots of lr stuff.

If I get to command line you would like me to paste this: cat /home/pi/.emulationstation/es_input.cfg in there eh?

RetroHopeful

@pjft

okay it says installed packages have been updated. > OK > restarting system