Emulation/On Dreamcast/Burning discs on a Mac

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This is how to burn "ham sandwich" such as DreamSNES, NesterDC, SMEG, MAMED, MAMEDC, and NeoPoccot. (Those are the emulators that I burned using this method, but I am pretty sure that it works with every self-bootable emulator for the Dreamcast.) Making a ROM disc is covered in the second section.

Emulators[edit | edit source]

Burning a self-bootable emulator for the Dreamcast isn't difficult. These are the tools you need:

  • Mac Pack 4.0
  • Roxio Toast 5, 6, or 7
    • In Toast 7, make sure you have "Show Legacy Formats" turned on in the preferences.
  • A program that can save SimpleText documents, such as jEdit.

First, you will need to download a DiscJuggler image—a .cdi file—of the emulator. Most, if not all, websites have zipped the emulator, and the archive will have to be unzipped by a program such as MacRAR or StuffIt Expander. Once the file is unzipped, open CDIRip 0.5 in the Mac Pack Applications folder and select the .cdi file. Select a file in the directory that you want to save in, and wait until the CDIRip process says "All done, good burning! Click to exit." After this process, you'll have two new files: an audio file and a data file. You will now have to copy the Isofix Config File, which can also be found in the Mac Pack Applications folder. Drag it to where the emulator's files are.

Open the file named CDIRip CDI Analysis with a text editor. (The file was created when the CDIRip process was completed.) Copy the number following "LBA:" of the second session. (It's usually a five-digit number.) Now open the Isofix Config File with a text editor. (It was the file you copied earlier.) Its text should be exactly what follows*:

isofix
xxxxx
mac

Replace whatever number is on the second line (where the x's are in the example) and paste the LBA number that you copied from the CDIRip CDI Analysis file.

Open Isofix 1.3—which is also located in the Mac Pack Applications folder—and it will ask you for the ISO to work with. That would be the data (generally the second) session created by CDIRip 0.5. (In my test, it was called Session 2 Track 02 Data, but that may not be the case for everyone.) It will then ask you for the ISO Config file. Open the now-edited config file and wait for the process to end. (It may take some time, so don't think that your computer has frozen.) Now, when it is done you should notice three new files: bootfile.bin, fixed.iso, and header.iso. Trash bootfile.bin: you don't need it.

Open Toast and select Disc Image from the Other menu in Toast 5, or on the left under the Copy tab in Toast 6 and 7. Drag your fixed.iso file into Toast and burn it as Write Session. (In Toast 6 and 7, these options are located under the Advanced tab on the screen where you can select the burn speed.) When it is done, close Toast and open it up again. This time, select Multitrack CD-ROM XA and drag header.iso into Toast. Burn it as Write Disc.

Insert the disc into your Dreamcast, power it on, and your emulator should load.

ROMs[edit | edit source]

First you'll need toast (Tested on 5.0) but other versions may work. Create game ROMs from a copy of the game you own if you have not already. Then open up toast. Hold down other and set it to ISO 9660. Drag all of your ROMs to this and make sure you have these settings.

  • CD-ROM, ISO9660 Level 1,
  • Append version numbers checked
  • Use Apple extensions unchecked

Now click done and drag all of your ROMs to toast and burn it as write disk.

First download the plain files then extract them. Make a roms folder and throw all of your roms in that folder. Now open toast and select ISO 9660. Make sure you follow these exact settings...

Insert the bootdisc then the switch the disc with the emu.