Launch Diagnostics

Launch diagnostics: identify the package, core and transport

Record the loader build and the core that actually launches the game before changing settings. The same library row can use different runtimes. A working native OPL launch does not validate Neutrino, POPStarter, Ember or an achievements runtime on that transport.

Choose the matching installation

Installation	What to preserve and check
Standard complete kit	Keep its supplied neutrino/, EMBER/, POPS support files and notices together. The loose loader ELF alone does not refresh them
RetroAchievements complete kit	Use its paired companion and pinned ORBIT Neutrino runtime; see RA setup. A newer companion release is not automatically the tested pairing
PR/Actions artifact	Record PR, commit, workflow, edition, configuration and artifact name. Read the artifact's contents rather than assuming it is a full install kit; see test builds
External or older runtime	Record the runtime version and actual path. RiptOPL's argument-length checks do not establish that an arbitrary runtime recognizes every option

Keep the previous working kit as a recovery copy. Do not mix runtimes while also changing the loader build and transport: that makes a useful before/after comparison difficult.

Identify the failing stage

Observation	First checks
Source does not appear	Source Start Mode, selected device/slot and hardware detection; then setup questions
Source opens but a game is absent	Folder, filename and supported image format; see format matrix. Refresh after changes. A listed cached game does not prove the device is present
Immediate return to Browser	Selected core, actual runtime and support-file paths, arguments and complete runtime configuration. Record the error verbatim; an unsupported option or malformed TOML is different from a game compatibility failure
Logo then black/white screen	Compare the same image/core/transport with the last working build; record compatibility modes, VMC, PADEMU, GSM and RA state
Freeze after gameplay starts	Record title serial/revision, time or action, core and transport, companion/server version and the full log. A network timeout is evidence of a failed request, not by itself the underlying cause
VMC creation or replacement fails	Preserve the existing card and recovery files. Use VMC recovery; do not delete saves to test a hypothesis
Exit/reset behaves differently	Use the core-specific IGR reference. Native OPL, external Neutrino and the PS1 cores have separate hooks and return-path rules

Keep transport and runtime evidence separate

Path	Details that change the diagnosis
USB / MX4SIO / iLink / exFAT HDD	Actual device and filesystem, selected core, VMC/PADEMU state and whether another device changes mount ordering. A massN: alias belongs to a mounted environment; it is not a permanent physical drive identity
MMCE	Device/firmware, slot, source mode, GameID and IGR bootcard settings, and where the loader/runtime resides. A GameID switch changes the emulated mcN: card contents; keep the runtime accessible after switching
APA HDD	Console/adapter, APA installation and per-core VMC support. Preserve the disk; use APA safety before repair or repartitioning
SMB	Server implementation/version, share and prefix, credentials, negotiated SMB version, wired topology and core
UDPFS / UDPBD	Protocol and server version, Core/standalone server mode, generated runtime configuration and selected device. Do not infer UDPBD behavior from a UDPFS result
HTTP	Server profile, catalogue and range support; see HTTP limits. Host conformance does not establish real-console game compatibility

For MMCE, copying files or creating a per-game card can compete with loading and controller work. First reproduce with a known complete card and record firmware/device state. A read-only launch comparison is more useful than repeatedly recreating cards. For POPStarter and Ember, follow PS1 core and device restrictions rather than applying PS2-core options.

MMCE Game ID: waiting for the card

With Game ID on, sd2psXtd starts the card switch a moment after it is asked, so a launch could read "not busy" before the switch began and start the game mid-switch (RIPPS2's report: Burnout 3 hung). The launch now waits up to 2 seconds to see the card go busy, then shows The MMCE is getting this game's memory card ready (N s) until it is done, up to 180 seconds. START launches at once. A failed busy query never counts as ready; three in a row end the wait unconfirmed, and the launch goes ahead. Ported from RIPPS2 by akilluminati47. NOT TESTED on hardware: it needs an SD2PSX with sd2psXtd firmware.

Drive Status and DIAG.TXT

Drive Status in the main menu (above About) lists, without changing anything:

• each started BDM drive by its driver (USB, MX4SIO, iLink, internal HDD exFAT and so on), with free space, size, format and cluster size;
• the APA HDD's free space;
• MMCE cards, and each memory card's free KB;
• the folder settings are read from and saved to.

RiptOPL keeps a 16 KB log in RAM of pad reads long enough to swallow a press, the MMCE Game ID switch and its wait, each launch, the boot, and failed settings saves. Save Diagnostics on the Drive Status page writes it to DIAG.TXT in the settings folder. Attach that file to a bug report with the steps above. With Debug on, an MMCE launch saves DIAG.TXT before the game starts and again after the Game ID wait, never to a memory card or an MMCE card.

Drive Status and the log are ported from RIPPS2 builds 114 and 115 by akilluminati47. NOT TESTED on hardware.

A useful controlled comparison

1. Preserve the working build, configuration and saves. Select one console, device and game image.
2. Record loader commit, edition and configuration, external runtime path/version and companion/server version.
3. Reproduce with the current settings and record the last visible stage or exact message.
4. Change one variable. For an optional feature, disable that feature first; preserve the original settings so the result can be repeated. For a regression, compare a control and candidate build.
5. Verify the intended outcome: reaching a logo, reaching gameplay, save/load and returning to the loader are separate checks. A host test or build cannot substitute for any of them.

Share the smallest repeatable sequence, the complete relevant log and both outcomes. Remove passwords/tokens from configuration excerpts. Keep reporter-owned issues open until the reporter confirms the affected setup, unless the maintainer explicitly decides otherwise.

Reading the fork comparison

The fork-gap report tracks source mechanisms, release descriptions, development work and design alternatives. RIPPS2's Recent Games, artwork aliases, MMCE Game ID wait, Drive Status and DIAG.TXT were ported on 2026-10-28 (RiptOPL #99, Open-PS2-Loader #1084) with credit to akilluminati47; see Game library and the sections above. RIPPS2's Trust Cache was not ported. See the collaboration review practice for how candidates become small, credited changes with appropriate checks.

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Source: docs/LAUNCH-DIAGNOSTICS.md @ 983cc93b93c8.