Are "Emulators" Really That Dangerous To Use?

[9006]

I'm using Vista

There's your problem haha.

But seriously try running compatibility mode, because most emulators (An I think the one you're using) was made years back.

Just go to the folder you unzipped the files to, right click the emulator (the exe) and go to Properties, then click on Compatibility and select "Run this program in compatibility mode for:" then select an operating system in the combo box below, try Win XP sp3 or something.

It may not fix the problem but it's worth a try.

Otherwise when you get the "This program has stopped working" screen, you can click "View problem details", it will show a memory dump of loads of rubbish, but it should have the offending conflict in there, mostly listing a specific file.

 

[LoneKiller]

I'm using Vista

There's your problem haha.

But seriously try running compatibility mode, because most emulators (An I think the one you're using) was made years back.

Just go to the folder you unzipped the files to, right click the emulator (the exe) and go to Properties, then click on Compatibility and select "Run this program in compatibility mode for:" then select an operating system in the combo box below, try Win XP sp3 or something.

It may not fix the problem but it's worth a try.

Otherwise when you get the "This program has stopped working" screen, you can click "View problem details", it will show a memory dump of loads of rubbish, but it should have the offending conflict in there, mostly listing a specific file.

Hi 9006. I use windows 7 now. Any difference?

 

[9006]

Nah same deal, and to answer your initial question I forgot to respond to, no they don't damage your computer, they may use more CPU, VPU and memory operations which in turn will make them hotter, but that's about it. As long as you don't have a rubbish cooling system on them it'll be fine.

 

[Felix]

I used so many emulators over the years... If you wanna be safer you could download them from their official site. And use "famous" emulators such as MAME, Virtua NES, ZSNES, Visual Boy Advance, WinKawaks... That should be more than enough to keep you safe.

 

[Truback]

I've used so many Emulators throughout the years, but I don't remember the last time I had a hard drive crash. Maybe I had too many viruses on my older PCs of dangerous files, but really I can't remember very well.

One question for everyone: Has anyone ever heard about those products called the Everdrive flashcarts for retro consoles?

 

[MindsArmor]

no reason to be affraid of emulators, they're just applications like any other application, being an emulator doesn't make them special. There isn't a any great risk of "damaging" your computer. If you're emulator isn't working, then you're emulator just isn't working, it's not killing your computer in the background.

 

[bulmabriefs144]

I've been using emulators for years, and the only ones I had the least bit of trouble with were DS and PS1. Ps1 was slow, and they didn't feel up to making an all-in-one program, just a bunch of fragmented files that needed to be pieced together. DS to PC I had a 5+ year computer with no graphics card, so it did in fact produce a load on the computer. I also tried a Snes to DS emulator (worked but the width and height was screwed up and it was laggy), and an Snes to PSP emulator (sorry, no dice, PSP is hard-protected, meaning you have to do some serious screwy stuff like build a fake memory card or something to run programs that aren't PSP iso).

Generally, no, not dangerous at all. But the higher-end stuff may have graphical conflicts, especially if they have certain things running that the computer doesn't do (3DS is a good example, since there isn't a way to really code the 3D stuff, beyond just displaying a facsimile). Or if emulating one console for another, you may get weird screen display.

 

[Kai]

As far as I know emulators aren't suppose to directly effect your BIOS, you should have nothing to worry about.
However. That being said... depending on your system, some emulators like Desmume and Pcsx2 may sometimes run games which may require you to update the software itself.
Possibly even changing the in game settings to something which is more fitting to system specs, to prevent your computer from overheating (what you call "damage beyond repair").
Its all about knowing what you to do, with what you have.

For example: running ROMS on Pcsx2, usually goes better than running ROMS on Desmume.
I`m... not exactly sure why this happens (because i`m not a programer).
But I do know that running old PS ROMS (via Pcsx2) is easier for most system.
Or, at least that it works more smoothly than is does with running 3DS ROMS (on Desmume).

 

[LoneKiller]

Could you imagine how powerful a computer's specs must be to use a PS3 emulator!? It must be some tricky.

 

[bodafuko]

Sounds kind of like a virtual machine for other devices as opposed to other operating systems. Hmm, cool.

 

[Kai]

Could you imagine how powerful a computer's specs must be to use a PS3 emulator!? It must be some tricky.

A PS3 emulator? don`t you think its best to first cross the PS2 bridge? XD

For real though, its a nice idea, but I have no idea how such an emulator would work. Its gonna be at least ten years before such a thing would exists. However, if I would have to guess, id say that nowadays such a feat would be quite a catatonic experience for the average computer, and it would require having a 12 core monster with at least 1TB on the primary (drive C:/), and have a battalion of the latest 6 ATI cards installed in - all of which have the ability house more cards on them. In addition, that computer should be a Mac, and it should be empty at all times, and operate exclusively on safe mode. Only the minimal background programs should be allowed to run. Also, if you do not have at least 10 additional TB`s on a secondary drive (where you put your games, and install the EMU itself), then you have no business to even consider trying to play Mario galaxy lol. And even if you have all that (in addition to at least 10 fans, and a water cooling system built in your computer), the chances of it working more than 10 minutes, are beyond slim. Oh, and did I mention that you would also need a monitor which can support 1080p resolution - and - a 64bit soundcard. Those are quite a hassle as well. Even buying a car would be cheaper than building a custom computer which will be able to run a PS3 Emu.

So... in short:
Yeah I can imagine it. I can imagine that if you ever wondered how to really "kill" a computer with using ROMS, than I believe that running a PS3 emulator on any computer nowadays should do the trick.
And if you want to see some fireworks, try to get it running on an i3. Should be quite a show lol.

 

[LoneKiller]

Could you imagine how powerful a computer's specs must be to use a PS3 emulator!? It must be some tricky.

A PS3 emulator? don`t you think its best to first cross the PS2 bridge? XD

For real though, its a nice idea, but I have no idea how such an emulator would work. Its gonna be at least ten years before such a thing would exists. However, if I would have to guess, id say that nowadays such a feat would be quite a catatonic experience for the average computer, and it would require having a 12 core monster with at least 1TB on the primary (drive C:/), and have a battalion of the latest 6 ATI cards installed in - all of which have the ability house more cards on them. In addition, that computer should be a Mac, and it should be empty at all times, and operate exclusively on safe mode. Only the minimal background programs should be allowed to run. Also, if you do not have at least 10 additional TB`s on a secondary drive (where you put your games, and install the EMU itself), then you have no business to even consider trying to play Mario galaxy lol. And even if you have all that (in addition to at least 10 fans, and a water cooling system built in your computer), the chances of it working more than 10 minutes, are beyond slim. Oh, and did I mention that you would also need a monitor which can support 1080p resolution - and - a 64bit soundcard. Those are quite a hassle as well. Even buying a car would be cheaper than building a custom computer which will be able to run a PS3 Emu.

So... in short:
Yeah I can imagine it. I can imagine that if you ever wondered how to really "kill" a computer with using ROMS, than I believe that running a PS3 emulator on any computer nowadays should do the trick.
And if you want to see some fireworks, try to get it running on an i3. Should be quite a show lol.

Ok. Could you please translate what all that means to computerwhatthefuckese so I'll understand?

EDIT: I just have to say that the computerwhatthefuckese joke is hands down, the poorest attempt at humor that I ever recall posting. I should be arrested for this one.

 

[Kai]

Could you imagine how powerful a computer's specs must be to use a PS3 emulator!? It must be some tricky.

A PS3 emulator? don`t you think its best to first cross the PS2 bridge? XD

For real though, its a nice idea, but I have no idea how such an emulator would work. Its gonna be at least ten years before such a thing would exists. However, if I would have to guess, id say that nowadays such a feat would be quite a catatonic experience for the average computer, and it would require having a 12 core monster with at least 1TB on the primary (drive C:/), and have a battalion of the latest 6 ATI cards installed in - all of which have the ability house more cards on them. In addition, that computer should be a Mac, and it should be empty at all times, and operate exclusively on safe mode. Only the minimal background programs should be allowed to run. Also, if you do not have at least 10 additional TB`s on a secondary drive (where you put your games, and install the EMU itself), then you have no business to even consider trying to play Mario galaxy lol. And even if you have all that (in addition to at least 10 fans, and a water cooling system built in your computer), the chances of it working more than 10 minutes, are beyond slim. Oh, and did I mention that you would also need a monitor which can support 1080p resolution - and - a 64bit soundcard. Those are quite a hassle as well. Even buying a car would be cheaper than building a custom computer which will be able to run a PS3 Emu.

So... in short:
Yeah I can imagine it. I can imagine that if you ever wondered how to really "kill" a computer with using ROMS, than I believe that running a PS3 emulator on any computer nowadays should do the trick.
And if you want to see some fireworks, try to get it running on an i3. Should be quite a show lol.

Ok. Could you please translate what all that means to computerwhatthefuckese so I'll understand?

EDIT: I just have to say that the computerwhatthefuckese joke is hands down, the poorest attempt at humor that I ever recall posting. I should be arrested for this one.

Its okay, man you wouldn't believe how many jokes ive made today..
could have gotten myself banned lol.

Anyhow. Simply out - if you wanted to play a PS3 game on a computer, you would need a really strong one. A super computer. But in case you weren't kidding all the way.. here:

TB = Terra byte (1000 Gigabyte)
EMU = short for "Emulator"
ATI / AMD Radeon = a brand of graphics processing units.
ROM = Read Only Memory (a media storage unit. The game file you load into your emulator)
Internal Water (or liquid) Cooling System = as the name implies
i3 = third generation processor (its one step "above" dual core)
1080p = high definition video mode (Mostly applied in Bluray)
64-bit soundcard = high quality sound cards, mostly used for production.

 

[LoneKiller]

Could you imagine how powerful a computer's specs must be to use a PS3 emulator!? It must be some tricky.

A PS3 emulator? don`t you think its best to first cross the PS2 bridge? XD

For real though, its a nice idea, but I have no idea how such an emulator would work. Its gonna be at least ten years before such a thing would exists. However, if I would have to guess, id say that nowadays such a feat would be quite a catatonic experience for the average computer, and it would require having a 12 core monster with at least 1TB on the primary (drive C:/), and have a battalion of the latest 6 ATI cards installed in - all of which have the ability house more cards on them. In addition, that computer should be a Mac, and it should be empty at all times, and operate exclusively on safe mode. Only the minimal background programs should be allowed to run. Also, if you do not have at least 10 additional TB`s on a secondary drive (where you put your games, and install the EMU itself), then you have no business to even consider trying to play Mario galaxy lol. And even if you have all that (in addition to at least 10 fans, and a water cooling system built in your computer), the chances of it working more than 10 minutes, are beyond slim. Oh, and did I mention that you would also need a monitor which can support 1080p resolution - and - a 64bit soundcard. Those are quite a hassle as well. Even buying a car would be cheaper than building a custom computer which will be able to run a PS3 Emu.

So... in short:
Yeah I can imagine it. I can imagine that if you ever wondered how to really "kill" a computer with using ROMS, than I believe that running a PS3 emulator on any computer nowadays should do the trick.
And if you want to see some fireworks, try to get it running on an i3. Should be quite a show lol.

Ok. Could you please translate what all that means to computerwhatthefuckese so I'll understand?

EDIT: I just have to say that the computerwhatthefuckese joke is hands down, the poorest attempt at humor that I ever recall posting. I should be arrested for this one.

Its okay, man you wouldn't believe how many jokes ive made today..
could have gotten myself banned lol.

Anyhow. Simply out - if you wanted to play a PS3 game on a computer, you would need a really strong one. A super computer. But in case you weren't kidding all the way.. here:

TB = Terra byte (1000 Gigabyte)
EMU = short for "Emulator"
ATI / AMD Radeon = a brand of graphics processing units.
ROM = Read Only Memory (a media storage unit. The game file you load into your emulator)
Internal Water (or liquid) Cooling System = as the name implies
i3 = third generation processor (its one step "above" dual core)
1080p = high definition video mode (Mostly applied in Bluray)
64-bit soundcard = high quality sound cards, mostly used for production.

What about using Game Genie codes on your emulator? Is that safe?

 

[Kai]

Could you imagine how powerful a computer's specs must be to use a PS3 emulator!? It must be some tricky.

A PS3 emulator? don`t you think its best to first cross the PS2 bridge? XD

For real though, its a nice idea, but I have no idea how such an emulator would work. Its gonna be at least ten years before such a thing would exists. However, if I would have to guess, id say that nowadays such a feat would be quite a catatonic experience for the average computer, and it would require having a 12 core monster with at least 1TB on the primary (drive C:/), and have a battalion of the latest 6 ATI cards installed in - all of which have the ability house more cards on them. In addition, that computer should be a Mac, and it should be empty at all times, and operate exclusively on safe mode. Only the minimal background programs should be allowed to run. Also, if you do not have at least 10 additional TB`s on a secondary drive (where you put your games, and install the EMU itself), then you have no business to even consider trying to play Mario galaxy lol. And even if you have all that (in addition to at least 10 fans, and a water cooling system built in your computer), the chances of it working more than 10 minutes, are beyond slim. Oh, and did I mention that you would also need a monitor which can support 1080p resolution - and - a 64bit soundcard. Those are quite a hassle as well. Even buying a car would be cheaper than building a custom computer which will be able to run a PS3 Emu.

So... in short:
Yeah I can imagine it. I can imagine that if you ever wondered how to really "kill" a computer with using ROMS, than I believe that running a PS3 emulator on any computer nowadays should do the trick.
And if you want to see some fireworks, try to get it running on an i3. Should be quite a show lol.

Ok. Could you please translate what all that means to computerwhatthefuckese so I'll understand?

EDIT: I just have to say that the computerwhatthefuckese joke is hands down, the poorest attempt at humor that I ever recall posting. I should be arrested for this one.

Its okay, man you wouldn't believe how many jokes ive made today..
could have gotten myself banned lol.

Anyhow. Simply out - if you wanted to play a PS3 game on a computer, you would need a really strong one. A super computer. But in case you weren't kidding all the way.. here:

TB = Terra byte (1000 Gigabyte)
EMU = short for "Emulator"
ATI / AMD Radeon = a brand of graphics processing units.
ROM = Read Only Memory (a media storage unit. The game file you load into your emulator)
Internal Water (or liquid) Cooling System = as the name implies
i3 = third generation processor (its one step "above" dual core)
1080p = high definition video mode (Mostly applied in Bluray)
64-bit soundcard = high quality sound cards, mostly used for production.

What about using Game Genie codes on your emulator? Is that safe?

To be honest I dunno what that is. Ive never seen something like that in my life. I`m not a technician, nor am I an expert on game consoles. I`m just an oldschool gamer which knows a little about computers. Meaning - i`m not an academic, and I am only following logical conclusions - I could be wrong - Please keep that in mind.

However...
from what your saying (being as I am too lazy to google it), i`m getting the impression that its something that wasn't intended for a PC. Is that correct? is that like a cheating or gaming console of some kind? if so, than all you need to do is add up the most logical equation. From what I know, game codes primarily alter and re-arrange the in games binaries. Thus, allowing the game to work and apply both unused, and un-edited content. It forces "unnatural" behaviors, and allows for a wider code spam (more codes = more options). Meaning, that if this "Game Genie" is something that was designed to apply "cheats" or "additional content", then you should have nothing to worry about. Worse case scenario you end up ******* up your save games, and may have to re-install the EMU. Though even if that wont be the case, you should also assume the overall likelihood of having some major comparability problems. Why? because if you try to use codes which were never designed to support the item at question (the emulator your using), the game may not recognize them.

What exactly are you trying to do, anyway? lol

 

[LoneKiller]

A PS3 emulator? don`t you think its best to first cross the PS2 bridge? XD

For real though, its a nice idea, but I have no idea how such an emulator would work. Its gonna be at least ten years before such a thing would exists. However, if I would have to guess, id say that nowadays such a feat would be quite a catatonic experience for the average computer, and it would require having a 12 core monster with at least 1TB on the primary (drive C:/), and have a battalion of the latest 6 ATI cards installed in - all of which have the ability house more cards on them. In addition, that computer should be a Mac, and it should be empty at all times, and operate exclusively on safe mode. Only the minimal background programs should be allowed to run. Also, if you do not have at least 10 additional TB`s on a secondary drive (where you put your games, and install the EMU itself), then you have no business to even consider trying to play Mario galaxy lol. And even if you have all that (in addition to at least 10 fans, and a water cooling system built in your computer), the chances of it working more than 10 minutes, are beyond slim. Oh, and did I mention that you would also need a monitor which can support 1080p resolution - and - a 64bit soundcard. Those are quite a hassle as well. Even buying a car would be cheaper than building a custom computer which will be able to run a PS3 Emu.

So... in short:
Yeah I can imagine it. I can imagine that if you ever wondered how to really "kill" a computer with using ROMS, than I believe that running a PS3 emulator on any computer nowadays should do the trick.
And if you want to see some fireworks, try to get it running on an i3. Should be quite a show lol.

Ok. Could you please translate what all that means to computerwhatthefuckese so I'll understand?

EDIT: I just have to say that the computerwhatthefuckese joke is hands down, the poorest attempt at humor that I ever recall posting. I should be arrested for this one.

Its okay, man you wouldn't believe how many jokes ive made today..
could have gotten myself banned lol.

Anyhow. Simply out - if you wanted to play a PS3 game on a computer, you would need a really strong one. A super computer. But in case you weren't kidding all the way.. here:

TB = Terra byte (1000 Gigabyte)
EMU = short for "Emulator"
ATI / AMD Radeon = a brand of graphics processing units.
ROM = Read Only Memory (a media storage unit. The game file you load into your emulator)
Internal Water (or liquid) Cooling System = as the name implies
i3 = third generation processor (its one step "above" dual core)
1080p = high definition video mode (Mostly applied in Bluray)
64-bit soundcard = high quality sound cards, mostly used for production.

What about using Game Genie codes on your emulator? Is that safe?

To be honest I dunno what that is. Ive never seen something like that in my life. I`m not a technician, nor am I an expert on game consoles. I`m just an oldschool gamer which knows a little about computers. Meaning - i`m not an academic, and I am only following logical conclusions - I could be wrong - Please keep that in mind.

However...
from what your saying (being as I am too lazy to google it), i`m getting the impression that its something that wasn't intended for a PC. Is that correct? is that like a cheating or gaming console of some kind? if so, than all you need to do is add up the most logical equation. From what I know, game codes primarily alter and re-arrange the in games binaries. Thus, allowing the game to work and apply both unused, and un-edited content. It forces "unnatural" behaviors, and allows for a wider code spam (more codes = more options). Meaning, that if this "Game Genie" is something that was designed to apply "cheats" or "additional content", then you should have nothing to worry about. Worse case scenario you end up ******* up your save games, and may have to re-install the EMU. Though even if that wont be the case, you should also assume the overall likelihood of having some major comparability problems. Why? because if you try to use codes which were never designed to support the item at question (the emulator your using), the game may not recognize them.

What exactly are you trying to do, anyway? lol

Hey Kai.
A Game Genie is an accessory that allows you to input various number and letter codes that will allow you to enhance your gaming experience by way of altering gameplay.

The image below is a Game Genie for the NES. You insert the cartridge into the south end of the accessory, then insert the north end of the accessory into your console like you would any other game.

A screen than appears where you enter the cheat codes.(i.e. "Infinite Money" or "Max Stats" in a games like Final Fantasy for example.) The problem with the Genie is that it warns the user that using such codes can create a permanent effect thus corrupting your game cartridge. This is why the manufacturers of the games don't condone their use and will never repair damage made by use of this accessory.

I was afraid that this Game Genie might screw up my pc, which is why I brought it up.

 

[Kai]

Ok. Could you please translate what all that means to computerwhatthefuckese so I'll understand?

EDIT: I just have to say that the computerwhatthefuckese joke is hands down, the poorest attempt at humor that I ever recall posting. I should be arrested for this one.

Its okay, man you wouldn't believe how many jokes ive made today..
could have gotten myself banned lol.

Anyhow. Simply out - if you wanted to play a PS3 game on a computer, you would need a really strong one. A super computer. But in case you weren't kidding all the way.. here:

TB = Terra byte (1000 Gigabyte)
EMU = short for "Emulator"
ATI / AMD Radeon = a brand of graphics processing units.
ROM = Read Only Memory (a media storage unit. The game file you load into your emulator)
Internal Water (or liquid) Cooling System = as the name implies
i3 = third generation processor (its one step "above" dual core)
1080p = high definition video mode (Mostly applied in Bluray)
64-bit soundcard = high quality sound cards, mostly used for production.

What about using Game Genie codes on your emulator? Is that safe?

To be honest I dunno what that is. Ive never seen something like that in my life. I`m not a technician, nor am I an expert on game consoles. I`m just an oldschool gamer which knows a little about computers. Meaning - i`m not an academic, and I am only following logical conclusions - I could be wrong - Please keep that in mind.

However...
from what your saying (being as I am too lazy to google it), i`m getting the impression that its something that wasn't intended for a PC. Is that correct? is that like a cheating or gaming console of some kind? if so, than all you need to do is add up the most logical equation. From what I know, game codes primarily alter and re-arrange the in games binaries. Thus, allowing the game to work and apply both unused, and un-edited content. It forces "unnatural" behaviors, and allows for a wider code spam (more codes = more options). Meaning, that if this "Game Genie" is something that was designed to apply "cheats" or "additional content", then you should have nothing to worry about. Worse case scenario you end up ******* up your save games, and may have to re-install the EMU. Though even if that wont be the case, you should also assume the overall likelihood of having some major comparability problems. Why? because if you try to use codes which were never designed to support the item at question (the emulator your using), the game may not recognize them.

What exactly are you trying to do, anyway? lol

Hey Kai.
A Game Genie is an accessory that allows you to input various number and letter codes that will allow you to enhance your gaming experience by way of altering gameplay.

The image below is a Game Genie for the NES. You insert the cartridge into the south end of the accessory, then insert the north end of the accessory into your console like you would any other game.

A screen than appears where you enter the cheat codes.(i.e. "Infinite Money" or "Max Stats" in a games like Final Fantasy for example.) The problem with the Genie is that it warns the user that using such codes can create a permanent effect thus corrupting your game cartridge. This is why the manufacturers of the games don't condone their use and will never repair damage made by use of this accessory.

I was afraid that this Game Genie might screw up my pc, which is why I brought it up.

Oh I see now. So I was kinda right. That`s a neat little gizmo!
So basically its kinda like an advanced cheating method, only for people who already cheat the heads off a game? cool XD.

Well, again, i`m not an expert. If something happens to your computer than that`s your problem. Okay. I have no idea how you intend to connect that into your PC, but unlike an actual game console, I think that the worse thing you can is mess up the EMU`s installation. At which point, you simply re-install the EMU, and give up on using that thing. In short: I don`t think it will hurt your computer. I mean, as long as its contained and limited only to the emulator itself. I think. To be honest its look a little like a weapon, so who knows? seriously though, its shouldn't be a big deal. I... can`t imagine it will actually work on a PC because god only know what type of programming actually gets used on EMU`s... but who knows. Ive seen crazier stuff. Though if your really unsure about this, you can always test it out on some else`s computer. Or on someone else`s iPad. ** Notice how I said "someone else`s" ** lol.

 

[LoneKiller]

My bad. I wasn't clear enough. Some nes emulators come with a preset selection of game genie codes built in. The image is the actual look of the physical product, and is only for use on a nes console. You insert the cartridge in the south end and then insert the north end of the genie into the nes console.

 

[Kai]

My bad. I wasn't clear enough. Some nes emulators come with a preset selection of game genie codes built in. The image is the actual look of the physical product, and is only for use on a nes console. You insert the cartridge in the south end and then insert the north end of the genie into the nes console.

Don`t worry about it It may even be my own fault, being as my English isn't so great (i`m not an American). Well, if that`s the case than I still think you have nothing to worry about. Everything should run okay. Though if I were you, I wouldn't use that at all. If you said that the company that made it stopped supporting it, than I would consider that as a sign to leave it alone. You see, a long time ago I used to work with a sampler program called GigaStudio 3, which one day simply got discontinued entirely, and I got stuck with a copy (which I paid good money for) that will simply not run on Windows 7 (or even XP). And it can no longer be upgraded to GS4, nor do they offer any support. So yeah.. don`t trust that device to last too long.

 

[bodafuko]

Likely the best system for playing PS3 games is a PS3. There are reasons why devices have specific fans that run at specific speeds, or specific memory of a specific type, or CPUs with a specific type of heat sink and surface area, and the list goes on and on... Not to oversimplify, but I've been a mechanical technician for well over a decade and the one thing I've learned is that once you step outside the realm of what something is engineered for and supported for, you are going to break something. Not if, but when...