Problems getting pi 3+ to load front end

Lugzyboy82

@mitu OK. I have to insert the sd card into my laptop to format. Correct. But when I use the win32diskimager to write retropie 4.4 to the sd card, when the process is complete, my laptop seems to partition the sd card. I have drive E (boot) and drive g on the same sd card.

mitu

@Lugzyboy82 If Windows asks you to format the card, just choose No, the card is already formatted once you've written the image.

Lugzyboy82

@mitu I have done this step. I have now put the newly written card into the pi unit. I have powered up the pi unit and it takes a long time to boot. Much longer than the model b unit I had.

mitu

@Lugzyboy82 Just be patient and wait for the 1st reboot. Resizing the partition to the whole 128Gb takes some time the 1st time.

Lugzyboy82

@mitu ok. Im going to continue setting it up with a theme and roms etc. Hopefully it will speed up next time.

Lugzyboy82

@mitu are you aware of any issues getting the model 3b+ to connect to wifi??

Lugzyboy82

@Lugzyboy82 set localisation to en_GB.UTF-8 and now working fine. I must say, I do prefer the model B instead of the model b+.

Lugzyboy82

@Efriim I cant locate the place where the themes are kept. Where do I type /etc/emulatsionstation/themes???

mitu

@Lugzyboy82 https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Themes/#install-emulationstation-themes:

Alternate themes can be easily installed with the RetroPie Theme Installer.

RetroPie Setup Script >> Configuration / Tools >> esthemes

EDIT: Or you go directly to the RetroPie system in Emulationstation and start the ESThemes menu.

Lugzyboy82

@mitu I get that bit. I want to make some changes to a theme though. As in change the images etc.

mitu

@Lugzyboy82 In this case - https://retropie.org.uk/docs/EmulationStation-Advanced-Theming/.

Efriim

@Lugzyboy82
Enable SSH in the raspi-config on the pi.
Install winscp on your windows computer.
Configure WinSCP to connect to the local ip address with SCP protocol; (edit connection) enter advanced settings, and find and change 'SCP/Shell' Shell: sudo su -.

Then you have a two-pane file manager to navigate the root directory, be cautious of the sensitive filesystem.

The 3b+ wifi and bluetooth work great, no antennae needed. A cooling system is generally a must for the 3b+, otherwise you will experience throttling. A lot of the cases that you can get come bundled with a fan and heatsinks.

First boot takes some time expand the filesystem, if that is the right term it has been a while. When the image is written to the micro sdcard whether by win32 disk image, etcher, or SUSE studio image writer; the filesystem information is formatted and replaced by the disk images. In the case of the RetroPie Image, I think it has two primary filesystems 1: Boot FAT32, 2: Raspbian EXT4.

Lugzyboy82

@Efriim Sorry for the delay in response but thank you for your help.

Lugzyboy82

@Efriim Just to confirm, I change 'SCP/Shell' to 'Shell: sudo su-'

Is this correct? I don't want to make a mess of the sensitive files.

mitu

@Lugzyboy82 said in Problems getting pi 3+ to load front end:

Is this correct? I don't want to make a mess of the sensitive files.

Then don't change it to sudo su -. Please don't use the root account for everyday operations.

Efriim

@Lugzyboy82
I may have exaggerated the Cooling System. I lowered the cpu clock speeds on my 3b+ so as not to need a fan, and it emulates most everything just as well.

Yeah sudo su- will work with SCP protocol only, it is just a two-pane file manager. Except with linux files and folders have important attributes and there is nothing to safeguard against deleting important operating system files.

Efriim

But if you gotta set a wallpaper, then its probably the way to do it. The themes are all written a little differently and some have extra assets to customize with, they are in the folder /etc/emulationstation/themes/ the backgrounds are usually in the _asset, or _art folder.

Lugzyboy82

@Efriim awesome. I will give it a go later. Am I ok to ask any questions if required??

Efriim

@Lugzyboy82
Ask away, I have no desire to stop you.

Lugzyboy82

@Efriim Thank you. I shall let you know how it goes