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BIOSes

A BIOS (basic input/output system) is a software which provides basic, low-level access to the hardware of a computer system. Many types of computer systems come with a pre-installed BIOS which is embedded in the hardware, often stored on read-only memory (ROM). Some video game consoles also come with BIOses. When emulating those systems, sometimes the BIOSes are required to emulate the systems properly.

BIOSes are protected by copyright

Much like many games, BIOS firmwares are protected by copyright. Consequently, KNULLI does not come with any BIOS files! If you want to emulate systems with KNULLI, you will have to provide any required BIOS files by yourself.

Adding BIOS files

KNULLI comes with many different emulators for many different systems. Not all of these systems require BIOS files. However, emulators which required BIOS files expect the BIOS files to be stored in the bios folder. The emulators expect the files to be stored under very specific names, sometimes even in a very specific subfolder.

Identifying missing BIOS files

Thankfully, KNULLI comes with a Missing BIOS check which helps you determine which BIOS files are missing for your emulators to run. To launch the Missing BIOS check, press Start and head to Game settings where you will find Missing BIOS check. Here, you will be informed about all the BIOS files which are either missing entirely or not matching the checksum and therefore possibly wrong files in the right place.

Make sure to pay attention to

  • the path of the file. (Is it bios/[filename] or bios/[subdir]/[filename]?)
  • the exact path/file names. (Mind spaces, underscores, etc.)
  • any lowercase/uppercase letters. (Knulli is case-sensitive!)
  • whether the file is really missing or just has the wrong checksum, indicating a wrong file rather than a missing file.

Files with wrong checksum

The Missing BIOS check is very strict about correct checksums. However, in some cases, even though the checksums do not match up, the BIOS files are still working fine. If your BIOS files are in the right place but not passing the checksum test, try running your games anyway.

Additionally, if you are using Microsoft Windows, you might want to make sure that file extensions are visible in your Windows Explorer. This way, you will be able to avoid accidentally having double file extensions like .bin.bin or wrong file extentions like .bin.zip.

If you want to learn more about compatible BIOS files, you might want to check out the Systems section of the very comprehensive Batocera Wiki. In this section, you will find detailed information about the required BIOS files for many different systems.

Missing BIOS warnings

When launching a game, KNULLI warns you if BIOS files are missing. It is possible (but not recommended) to disable this feature: Press Start to bring up the main menu, then go to Game settings and disable Check BIOS files before running a game.

Adding the files

You can add the files to your bios folder the same way you add your games to the roms folder. You will find detailed instructions in the Add Games section. Please make sure to add BIOS files exactly as specified by the Missing BIOS check.