GBA
ROM FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about GBA ROMs and Flash Advance Linkers
Beginners guide to writing / backup of GBA roms 
Ask your Question!
Are emulators and roms legal?
 YES,
But there are many restrictions! Read more about Legal
issues
Are backup devices like Flash Advance Linker eXtreme legal?
YES.
You have the right to make backup of software that you own. Just
like with CD-Recorders that you use to copy music you have bought
you can use FA
Linker to copy and backup games that you own.
How many games (gba roms) can I fit on Flash Advance Cartridge?
Sizes of the currently available FA Cards are 64M, 128M, 256M, 512M, 1G, 2G and 4G. Current commercial gba game roms at the time of writing are a maximum of 128M with 32M being the smallest. (take not that if you plan on using your GBA Flash Card for playing Nintendo DS roms - NDS ROMS are 64M to 512M big) These are NOT PC file sizes, 64M cartridge size would be a PC file size of 8MB, and 256M would be 32MB. Here is a example of what cart size you can fit on the Flash Advance. This is because Video Game memory is measured in Megabits when as PC memory comes in MegaBytes.
1 Byte = 8 bits.
64M - Two 32M games or one 64M game
128M - Four 32M games, two 64M or a mixture of both up to 128M
256M - Eight 32M games, four 64M games or a mixture of both up to 256M
PC MB (Bytes) |
Zipped on PC |
|
M (Bits) on GBA |
4 MB |
~2MB |
= |
32M |
8 MB |
~4MB |
= |
64M |
16 MB |
~8MB |
= |
128M |
32 MB |
~16MB |
= |
256M |
64 MB |
~32MB |
= |
512M |
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For the new cards that you can buy now minimum sector size is 32KBytes (ie. 256Kbit) allowing 64Mbit F2A Cards to hold a maximum of 255 mini-games (Freeware / PD / Demos). In the case of 256Mbit Flash Advance Card, it can hold up to 1023 mini-games.
Suggested minimum size for GBA Flash Cards is 256 Mb as you have to take into account that the Boot-Menu for multigames takes up some space on the cartridge.
Does Flash Advance Linker really works?
YES.
Most of the roms that you can download from the internet were made
using Flash Advance Linker. Freeware,
Public Domain roms and Demos are made exclusively FOR FAL because
that is the only way you can play them on Gameboy.
Will my Flash Advance Linker Set work with PAL, NTSC, USA,
JAP, EU GameBoy?
YES!
Actually the question is incorrect.. There is no USA, JAP or UK
gameboy - All game boys are same inside. Only difference is the
outer GBA shell that can be any color, but that doesn't meter to
us. Nintendo has not implemented any country code or region lockout
for GBAdv so - yes all GB cartridges/roms imported or local and
and also Flash Advance Cart will work 100% the same in any country
of the world!
Can I use FAL to write a rom to original Nintendo Gameboy
Cartridge?
NO.
Not unless you replace the chip with the game on it with a rewritable
Flash Memory chip. You see Nintendo cartridges are Read Only Media
(ROM). GBA can only read from them, when as Flash Advance Cards
are fitted with Flash Memory that can be written and erased like
a memory card for PSX or one in the MP3 player. You can use FAL
to read and write Save Game data to orriginal GB cartridges that
have built in RAM for saving (reading out) games and backuping as
roms on your PC.
How many times can I write ROMs to a Flash Card?
Practically
infinite number of times. Makers of flash memory chips guaranty
that you can write to the flash 10 000 times. That means if you
replace the roms games every day the card will last for about 27.5
years... Your children will be able to use it ;)
Should I get Flash Advance Linker, FAL Xtreme, EZ-Flash
or Flash 2 Advance set?
 FL
Advance is the oldest one of GBA backup devices and has the most
custom software written for it. Also Home made games in 99% are
tested on it. FAL
Xtreme is the new generation of the FA Linkers. It adds USB
support - faster write times and intelligent savegame handling.
EZ-Flash and Flash 2 Advance are newcomers in GBA backup device
market but very promissing ones! Right now I would suggest you to
get Flash Advance Linker Xtreme 128M set becouse of all the addicional
software you can run on it.
One thing is sure
you must get a Flash Advance Set becouse for the price of 3-4 orriginal
cartridges you can open a world where you have thousands of free
games and gba software waiting for you!
Ask your Question!
Related links:
Flash
Advance Linker FAQ
FAL
Troubleshooting and Help
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