Usbcable.exe (and X-Rom Testing Tools)
How to start the program:
Download X-Rom Testing Tools and unzip it. First of all I will explain how to start and use this program correctly. Simply opening the exe file wont do. It must be opened in a command dos prompt. If you already know how to operate in dos you don't need to read this.
Click start, run and type "command" if you are using win98 or "cmd" if you are using NT, 2000 or XP.
A dos command line window will appear.
What does C:\> mean? It means you're in the C drive (root). Alright, now we need to go into the folder where usbcable is located.
We are going to do it the simple way. In windows go into the folder where usbcable is located and copy the address (CTRL+C).
Back in the command line type "cd " (with a space after) and then paste in the address by right clicking and selecting paste.
Note: In dos "cd" means to open a folder. You can also go into the folders one by one. "cd program files" ENTER "cd GBA" ENTER etc. etc. till you get where you want.
Press enter and the this happens:
Ok cool, now we are in the same folder as usbcable. This is where you type your commands... like "usbcable -u" for example. Press enter and it will run the test.
Tip: To make it even simpler you can put x-rom testing tools in your system folder. This way you can type the command right away after opening the dos prompt. But if you think it's too messy to put lots of files in your system folder I recommend to do it the way described above instead.
Here is a list of all the commands:
usbcable -b = Backup save file (X-Rom to PC)
usbcable -c = Specify cart size
usbcable -d = Dump game off the cart
usbcable -f = Format cart
usbcable -g = Disable save erase. Type this before flashing and it will NOT delete your saves on the cart.
usbcable -m = send multiboot file (*.mb). You can use MRTOOL to make *.mb files out of *GBA roms.
usbcable -p = Flash rom file
usbcable -r = Restore save file (PC to X-Rom)
usbcable -s = Save flash
usbcable -S = Save flash using unusual offset and size (for advanced users).
usbcable -u = Shows USB info. If you have a problem
with your cart this test will show if the cart is defective or not.
I suggest you read the readme that comes with X-Rom Testing Tools to get more information about the commands.
With MrTOOL it's the same thing. Only you type MrTOOL instead of usbcable of course. Here are the commands:
MrTOOL -d = Directory
MrTOOL -g = Output individual roms
MrTOOL -i = Information
MrTOOL -n = Suppress intros
MrTOOL -o = Set output name
MrTOOL -p = SRAM patch games.
MrTOOL -t = Trim roms
Basically that's all you need to know. Check out the readme for more info.
Correct results of usbcable -u:
This is what is supposed to happen when you run the test. So you can compare it with your own if you are unsure what everything means.
| UCVER: v2.1, OS: XP, HW: ~3072MHz Intel 586 [x86 Family 15 Model 3 Stepping 3] List of fully and partially installed USB drivers: |
The first lines are irrelevant. It will just show your PC's hardware. |
|
Vendor/Product ID USB Device (* = Supported USB Linkers) vid=0000 pid=0000 Ukjent enhet vid=046d pid=c025 USB-enhet for menneskelig grensesnitt vid=046d pid=c216 Logitech Dual Action USB vid=04a9 pid=30a0 Digitalt fotoapparat vid=054c pid=0084 Net MD vid=07ab pid=fccd USB-masselagringsenhet vid=0a91 pid=3801 USB-enhet (sammensatt) vid=0a91 pid=3801&mi_00 USB-enhet for menneskelig grensesnitt vid=0a91 pid=3801&mi_01 USB-enhet for menneskelig grensesnitt vid=0b7a pid=07d0 Zeevo Bluetooth Device |
This will list all of your installed USB devices. All of this is irrelevant. We will be looking at the bottom of the list. |
| vid=4542 pid=4144 *XRC XROM LP Final Driver vid=4542 pid=4149 *XRC XROM LP Init Driver |
Right here. These two should be listed. If these are not listed it means your driver installation wasn't completed successfully. |
|
USB Linkers found: XROM Cable (XRC) appears completely installed. |
Again. If it says something else like partially installed or not installed, you have probably done something wrong and should try to reinstall the drivers. |
|
LINKER: XROM cable [FW:30701] STATUS: Fastloader installed STATUS: XROM OS detected CART: XROM 512M [0x62] CSIZE: 512 DONE: Pass |
This is where it checks the actual hardware of your
cart. It first looks for the linker, which should be the X-Rom one. Then checks the fastloader and X-Rom OS, and then the size. If you get something other than 512 on a 512mbit cart you might have a defective cart. Finally it should say "Pass" if the test was run successfully or "Fail" if something went wrong. |
If you have a problem and are not sure what to do, just come to help-forums.com and we'll help you out.
USBcable in a GUI:
Daniel15 has created X-Rom Frontend, a GUI for usbcable! This is for everyone who wants the functionality of Usbcable.exe, but don't like using dos, or just want a faster way to use it. Who doesn't anyway? X-Rom Flasher is also a GUI for usbcable, but it's very limited compared to X-Rom Frontend. Unlike X-Rom Flasher, X-Rom Frontend supports ALL features of X-Rom Testing Tools (USBCable.exe and MRTOOL.EXE) plus some other interesting features such as built-in BOMA, PocketNES and SMSAdvance. It's definitely worth a try. The program is fairly easy to use and comes with a complete guide so I wont explain the program in any more detail. Download it (v0.51) and see for yourself. Here's a screenshot:
