RetroArch Black Screen on New Install 1.5.0

RetroArch Windows devices
#1

So I have just found out about RetroArch after watching a few documentaries on Netflix and then getting all emotional about the good old gaming days. I started searching for emulators and found RetroArch.

The video tutorials made it look so easy to install so off I went to do it myself.

I have Windows 10 64bit Home Edition.

Intel Core 2 Duo CPU E7400 @ 2.80Hz. I’ve attached my dxdiag.

At first it would just open and crash instantly. So I changed the video_driver to d3d. Then I found somewhere that on doing this I needed to change the menu driver from XMB to rgui. I did this and it would open without crashing. However it just opens with a black screen and nothing more.

I have searched and searched. I have tried installing older versions. I Updated DirectX. I have tried to update graphics driver but it’s telling me it’s up to date (see dxdiag).

I feel that I have finally exhausted my researching capabilities and I am now looking to the experts so I can walk away from the screen after hours of googling. I’m starting to lean towards a problem with the graphics card being old and replacement required but hopefully there is something easier to fix this.

Please help.

#2

Yeah, could be GPU-related. Are you using the Intel integrated GPU?

#3

If you have intel hd 3000 then you can find solution here given link in edit 2 of this post…

After using this tool xmb menu should work fine…

#4

OK. I started again. Got 1.5.0, unzip’d to C:\Program Files (x86)\RetroArch. Downloaded the wtfi.exe, ran this on the retroarch.exe. It says the file was updated successfully but then there is also a warning.

retroarch.exe has no compatibility record in manifest.

Tried running retroarch and crashes, did the same and changed the d3d and rgui and now opening with black screen again.

#5

This is all I have.

#6

Okay, yeah, the crappy Windows WDM drivers don’t actually provide any of the stuff needed for 3D acceleration, shaders, etc. You could try changing your video driver to GDI and menu to RGUI or XMB and see if that treats you any better.

Again, it won’t work with shaders or any libretro-gl cores, only software-rendered cores.

#7

You can try to install the drivers used in windows 7 to get hardware acceleration, but that integrated gpu is quite old. According to this: http://www.intel.com/assets/pdf/whitepaper/313343.pdf , That gpu only supports up to direct x 9 and opengl 1.4. So you can try to use the windows 7 version of the driver on windows 10 and at least d3d will work. But if you want to use xmb, you’ll need a discrete graphics card (doesn’t need to be high end, but dx11 and opengl 4.x support at least. Something newer if you want dx12 opengl 4.x and vulkan support or a computer that has integrated graphics that has dx11 and opengl 4.x support).

#8

Did you try MSVC build? Idk if it will work or not…but you can download them from nightly builds…

#9

Tried the GDI with XMB and got the menu up so thank you. A lot of flickering going on, but I guess to be expected.

#10

So just to tie this post up. Ultimately I was just after a way to play old games on my low spec, old PC. Sort of got there with the above advice. Then I found a post about how to create a Lakka boot disc and play from that.

If interested:

Not sure if it’s the done thing to mention Lakka on RetroArch Windows forum post, not quite sure on that etiquette. However, that being said after following that video I am now up and running. Menu looks great, no display issues. Running very smooth.

Have NES, SNES and N64 all up and running, just need to play around with BIOSes for PS, but shouldn’t be too hard. And have just introduced my son to Super Bomberman…ah they were simpler times. Thanks for all your help. I won’t be leaving my screen for the whole weekend now.

#11

Same issue here… :f

Intel i7-4700HQ NVidia 770m Win 8.1

Tried GDI nothing happened.