HOWTO: Ask for help with an emulator and get the best answer
Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 6:16 pm** Please do not ask your questions about roms/emulators in this thread. Make a new help thread topic for that. Keep replies in this thread to discussion about the original post. Thank You. **
Dear persons having issues with your game and/or emulator of choice,
We here at The Old Computer are always happy to help you have a great gaming experience with your retro games, and we will assist you to the best of our abilities. To do this, we are going to need some information from you. Computers have a variety of different parts, different operating systems have different issues, there are a plethora of emulators (and versions of each) with their own way of setting up games, there are different versions (and regions) of the games themselves, and there are even different versions of plugins (and then settings) that you can choose from.
We have no way of knowing what any of those various combinations you have unless you tell us. The following is some of the information you should include when requesting help with an emulator or rom:
-rom. name, version, region.
-emulator. name, version.
-plugins. name and settings
-specs. Operating system, 32 or 64 bit, processor, graphics card, amount of ram.
*-various. having controller issues? tell us the model of controller you are using. things looked stretched, pixelated, letterboxed, or distorted? tell us your monitor size and aspect ratio.
*How to find information about your computer. From your desktop or start menu, right click on 'My Computer' and select "properties'. This will bring up a screen listing your processor name, CPU clock speed, amount of RAM, and whether your Operating System is 64bit (x64) or 32bit (x86). On the left side, you can click on 'Device Manager' for more detailed system info, under 'Display Adapters' it will list your graphics card. If the 'Display Adapter' information is not very precise, you probably have an older integrated graphics card (part of your processor), and you should be able to find this information on the computer manufacturer's website. You can right click on a single device and select 'Properties' to find out driver information also.
You can also give us some information on your knowledge of computers. Doing this can help to make sure we give you help that you can understand, and that won't just confuse you more.. or make it too simple and feel as if you're being talked down to.
-1- 'Please tell me how to do everything. I don't know how to get to installation folders or 'run as administrator' I need full step-by step instructions.'
-2- 'I know the basics. I can find files on my computer, and I can run compatibility modes. Anything more complex and I will need step-by-step instructions.'
-3- 'I am pretty familiar with my computer, and am alright unless I need to use the command line'
-4- 'I've got this, just point me in the right direction"
Also, Google is always your friend. If we explained something in a way you don't understand, it will likely be quicker to Google that part than to wait for a new response that is related more to the Operating System than a rom or emulator. Some of us run different OSes and use general terms on how to arrive at the results; Windows 8 is somewhat different than Windows XP, and some users run Linux and have base knowledge of Windows, they may not be able to tell you exactly how to get to the point you need to be at, this is where Google can help a lot.
These things will help us help you, and as quickly as possible. By doing this, there is a good chance that our response may actually be a solution to your problem. Thank you for your cooperation, and enjoy your time on TOC.
Dear persons having issues with your game and/or emulator of choice,
We here at The Old Computer are always happy to help you have a great gaming experience with your retro games, and we will assist you to the best of our abilities. To do this, we are going to need some information from you. Computers have a variety of different parts, different operating systems have different issues, there are a plethora of emulators (and versions of each) with their own way of setting up games, there are different versions (and regions) of the games themselves, and there are even different versions of plugins (and then settings) that you can choose from.
We have no way of knowing what any of those various combinations you have unless you tell us. The following is some of the information you should include when requesting help with an emulator or rom:
-rom. name, version, region.
-emulator. name, version.
-plugins. name and settings
-specs. Operating system, 32 or 64 bit, processor, graphics card, amount of ram.
*-various. having controller issues? tell us the model of controller you are using. things looked stretched, pixelated, letterboxed, or distorted? tell us your monitor size and aspect ratio.
*How to find information about your computer. From your desktop or start menu, right click on 'My Computer' and select "properties'. This will bring up a screen listing your processor name, CPU clock speed, amount of RAM, and whether your Operating System is 64bit (x64) or 32bit (x86). On the left side, you can click on 'Device Manager' for more detailed system info, under 'Display Adapters' it will list your graphics card. If the 'Display Adapter' information is not very precise, you probably have an older integrated graphics card (part of your processor), and you should be able to find this information on the computer manufacturer's website. You can right click on a single device and select 'Properties' to find out driver information also.
You can also give us some information on your knowledge of computers. Doing this can help to make sure we give you help that you can understand, and that won't just confuse you more.. or make it too simple and feel as if you're being talked down to.
-1- 'Please tell me how to do everything. I don't know how to get to installation folders or 'run as administrator' I need full step-by step instructions.'
-2- 'I know the basics. I can find files on my computer, and I can run compatibility modes. Anything more complex and I will need step-by-step instructions.'
-3- 'I am pretty familiar with my computer, and am alright unless I need to use the command line'
-4- 'I've got this, just point me in the right direction"
Also, Google is always your friend. If we explained something in a way you don't understand, it will likely be quicker to Google that part than to wait for a new response that is related more to the Operating System than a rom or emulator. Some of us run different OSes and use general terms on how to arrive at the results; Windows 8 is somewhat different than Windows XP, and some users run Linux and have base knowledge of Windows, they may not be able to tell you exactly how to get to the point you need to be at, this is where Google can help a lot.
These things will help us help you, and as quickly as possible. By doing this, there is a good chance that our response may actually be a solution to your problem. Thank you for your cooperation, and enjoy your time on TOC.
and appreciated. 
with getting Daphne set up to use with HyperSpin (Frontend.) 