Saves folder necessary? DOSBox-PURE

Libretro Cores
#1

Are the files in the “saves” folder necessary? The reason I ask is I had a save file for “windows 98” which I run through dosbox pure and when I tried to restore a backup by replacing the img file in my “system” folder I believed that wouldn’t do a thing with the same save file so I deleted the save file expecting retroarch to make another one. It didn’t. So I don’t have a save file for “windows 98” and it doesn’t seem to be affecting windows 98 in any noticeable way.

I also have a save file for a game called “X-wing” which I also run in dosbox pure and I didn’t delete the save file but moved it to the desktop and I don’t see any difference in the game.

#2

Not sure why you get this behavior. I have all my native dosbox saves saved in the saves folder and they work from there normally, just like most other cores.

The only core that don’t use the save folder (from the ones i use) is pcsx2, which saves the memory cards in the system folder.

#3

What do the save files in the saves folder do? I understand the playstation games have their memory card files there but my dos games the files are kept in their respected game folders, which are kept in a frontend program called LaunchBox (I use retroarch to run the .exe files as an emulator) so do I need a save file for those games? The windows 98 operating system seems to run just fine from the img file in the system folder so is that why it is also unnecessary?

Basically I want to know if it really is useless (is it my hypothesis’s?) and if not having a save file is going to screw with my game because the individual files in the game folders are a whole lot more easier to manage, backup, replace, and edit than a zipped up, everything but the kitchen sink, zip file.

#4

Many games, across many different systems, save information. It may be your progress, unlocks or even high score. A memory card is a way to do it, but not the only one; it can be done on static ram (sram) or even your hdd (in case of PC games). Whenever a game tries to save something, RetroArch will create a savefile for it. You may choose where this file will land: if in a discrete, separate folder or inside your game’s location. Take a look inside of Settings > Saving and tune the save options to your liking.

#5

First of all, please correct the titles, category and tag. They are important to have a good organization of the forum and it is the only way I can help you, even if you put the correct ones, I receive an instant norification.

I have already answered this 4 or 5 times. I don’t understand what confusion you can have, are you trolling?

For the last time I’m going to answer you, if you don’t understand something, tell me and until you get a handle on it all and understand it all, we don’t stop.

‘Saves’ are any file that the game creates; it can be the installation, progress, achievements, whatever the game does is saved in that file.

In DOS, they are created when you install the game or when you get advancements and so on. Usually it’s the ‘C:’ drive but it can be any, it doesn’t matter.

In Windows, it is specifically the ‘D:’ drive, which is the ideal place to install games. Everything you do on ‘D:’ is going to appear there, if you do nothing, the file is not created.

To be more specific, if you deleted the ‘save’ of X-Wing (DOS) what you deleted was all the progress you made when you played.

Windows 9x is saved in the system .img file. If you have a Windows save, it is because the ‘D:’ disk was created or modified.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

#6

My apologies, I’m not trying to troll. Please let me explain.

I just noticed that retroarch doesn’t seem to care about my save files which made me believe they aren’t necessary or worse, they are and something is wrong. It seems like everything is working fine and from what I understand based on what was mentioned in this specific thread the games and system I am concerned about have other places they save data. My windows 98 system also saves in the img file while my dos game saves in seperate files (i’m not runnning a does game from a zip file, I am just running the .exe which saves date on other files). It looks like the save file is reduntant so retroarch doesn’t care. Normally save files are essential and so they exist (for example games that had memory cards).

As for the other times I had different issues those times that involved save files but weren’t a case of me deleting save files. I did have a topic about properly backing up my windows 98 and from what I understood in that topic even if I replaced the img file the save file would still be the last time I ran windows 98 which was what I would try to replace if it crashed and got damaged, this is why I deleted the save file thinking now I only need to replace the img file and a new save file would generate.

Please be patient I am learning, I learned from this just as I learned from the others.

1 Like
#7

Another thing, how do I update the tags? I don’t see an “edit thread” feature where I can choose the tags.

#8

I understand, so excuse me. It is that there is a wave of trolls, that what they do is to sabotage and it does not happen only in this forum, if you see the others it also happens.

There is plenty of patience, so let’s go step by step and if you don’t understand something, ask me again. Sometimes the language barrier makes it complicated…

If you are running the game from the .EXE, all changes are saved in that same folder. In this case the save files do not matter.

In the case of X-Wing. If you had a save file it is because you previously loaded it from a .zip. If now, you are running it from the .EXE, that save does not matter.

In the case of Windows, the save is not necessary, it does not affect Windows because the operating system is installed in the .img in ‘C:’ . If you have a Windows save, it is because you wrote the disk ‘D:’.

If you open Windows and create a folder in ‘D:’, a save is created. If you delete that save, the folder is lost, it is as if you change the disk for a new one.

About Windows, I am going to make you a recommendation that I use and it works well for me. Have two copies of Windows. One for testing, to do installations for the first time and test (or destroy) anything else. With a backup (in .7z it does not occupy almost nothing) and if I damage Windows, I decompress the backup and nothing has happened.

And a stable one, which is to do the final installation of the game library (I also have it backed up for security). This Windows I have it always frozen. I unfreeze it to make the installation of the game and when closing I freeze it again, it has never been damaged to me.

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Next to the name of the publication you have a pencil, there you can edit everything.

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