Tutorial for preparing Neo4allrc1 to play NeoGeo CD games on Dreamcast
Note to moderators: if any part of this guide violates anything, please let me know and I will fix the problem.
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Hello. There doesn't seem to be a guide out there to explain how to create a working neo4allrc1 and neo4allrc2 disc for the Dreamcast, and it can be confusing so I figure i might as well spend 15 minutes (Edit: one hour) or so to make a quick guide on it. REMEMBER, THIS IS FOR NEO GEO CD GAMES, NOT PLAIN OLE' NEO GEO!
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Creating a bootable CD-R of Neo4allrc3
1) Okay, to begin, first you need the neo4allrc1 file. Go here: http://chui.dcemu.co.uk/neo4all.html
You should also check the compatibility report on this page before you decide what games you plan on playing
2) Go down to "Binary downoads", then click on "RC-1 Binary" to download it.
3) Extract the files in the folder (using any archiver, such as 7-zip), and you should see something called "1st_read.bin" that's around roughly 2.7MB in size. This file is important.
5) Now, look for a program called Bootdreams. You can find it here: http://dchelp.dcemulation.com/?BootDreams
6) Install BootDreams. Preferably, install it at "C:\Bootdreams"
7) Okay, now, create a folder inside your "C:\Bootdreams" folder called Neo4All. So, the address should be "C:\Bootdreams\Neo4All"
8) Put the "1st_Read.bin" file and the NeoGeo CD Bios .bin file in this folder.
9) Now in "C:\Bootdreams", double click on Bootdreams, then at the Bootdreams menu, click on "Browse" and locate "C:\Bootdreams\Neo4All"
10) Your selfboot folder should read "C:\Bootdreams\Neo4All" and the CD label should be "Neo4All"
11) Click on "Process" to create an Image called "Neo4All". A message should pop up asking you if you want Bootdreams to create an IP.BIN for you. Choose "Yes".
12) Now, you have an image called "Neo4All". You can use whatever program that burns images onto cd-r's that you wish. There's Nero, but that is pretty expensive. I use a Demo version of Discjuggler that has limitations but it does everything needed in this situation.
13) So anyway, use the appropriate program to burn the "Neo4All" image onto a cd-r. CD-RW's WILL NOT WORK ON THE DREAMCAST!
14) After you create the Neo4all CD-R, you now have a boot disc that will load Neo4all on your Dreamcast!
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First things first, you must first load the Neo4All cd-r on your Dreamcast. Then after that boots, you must then swap it with your game cd. Then, set your settings at what you want, then select "run" at the emu menu and the game will boot. So, the one cd-r boots Neo4All, and the other cd is for playing your game.
To return to the Neo4All menu, hold down the left shoulder button. Hold it down again from the emu menu if you wish to return to the game. As you can see, you only need to use the Neo4allrc3 cd-r to initially boot things up, and from there you no longer need it.