GBA Flash Advance Troubleshooting & Help.

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Beginners guide to writing / backup of gba roms

Q. I get transfer errors when writing a game to the cart or a 'No adaptor found!' message.
A. Here are some things you should check:

- Have you switched the Flash Linker on? An obvious answer but I still sometimes forget to switch it on! A red light should be visible on the Flash Linker if it is switched on. If your PC printer post has a strong signal the light could be slightly lit even when without power supply or batteries just from the pc signal so Double check!

- Are you using the latest Advance Writer software?

- In your PC's BIOS change your parallel port from SPP to EPP/ECP mode. Exactly how to do this varies between PC's but if you reset your PC and press the DEL or maybe ESC key you will get into the BIOS. Have a look around and you will see a Parallel Port setting, change this setting ONLY to EPP/ECP and save and exit. Your motherboard manual should explain exactly how to do this.

- Buy a smaller length of parallel cable, a Male to Male straight through cable under 2 meters seems to do the job.

- Are you sharing the parallel port with a printer or something? If so try removing the other device(s) and any memory resident programs associated with it. This solved most cases!

- Check the cartridge is plugged in the right way, it can be connected either way but only one way will work. Make sure the label of the cartridge is on the same side of the linker as the linker's label. You should also double check the everything is fully connected.

- Some people seem to be having problems when using Win2K/NT/XP. Get the latest NT divers!

- Try using if possible a power adaptor. A 9v 300ma on center negative polarity adaptor works great. Batteries do not last very long, invest a few dollars in a power adaptor.

- Set the transfer speed on the software to speed 1 (slow) and see what happens. If it works increase the speed by one and try again until you get to the highest speed your PC supports.

- Try restarting your PC if the linker normally works. Obvious but it works :)

Q. I get a 'Could not open the driverLINX driver' when starting the Flash Advance Writer software.
A. You should have the Win2K/NT version of the Flash Advance software. This archive will include the DLPORTIO.DLL & DLPORTIO.SYS files which need to be in the same directory as the software or use the latest version of LittleWriter.

Q. ### game randomly crashes while playing!
A. This problem was mostly found in the AB4 versions of the old 64M cartridges. Newer AB5 cartridge and the Turbo 64M, Turbo 128M and 256M do not have crashing problems.

Q. I get a 'Can not put all files to cart!' error when trying to multiboot games
A. This is because there is not enough room on the cartridge to put the multiboot program onto it. Some ROM's have junk data or intros at the end of the file to pad the file out, this is normally where the multiboot program is written to. Use LittleWriter to get more roms on one card!

Q. Flash Advance Writer/LittleWriter crashes or freezes when I write to card?
A. Your cartridge could be 'locked'. Two possible fixes are:

1. Use the Adv. Test Cart function on LittleWriter to repair the cartridge.
2. Put your cartridge into the GBA and leave it switched on for a few minutes.

Q. I get errors when trying to use Flash Advance Writer on WinXP?
A. Try deactivating 'spool.exe' in your task menu.

Q. I recently purchased a Flash 64M and linker for the GBA. I flashed a few times and everything worked great! While attempting to flash again, about half-way through I got a writing Flash error... Now, every time I try to flash I get errors.
A. You have to change the battery or better use a power supply

Q. I have tried various DB25 cables of varying lengths in win98 / Me/ 2000 /XP .even though it finds the connection it always times-out when sending data to the flash card.
A. Have the GBA Flash Linker connected & turned on *before* you switch on your machine. Also try enabling Plug-n-Play support on your printer port and rebooting.

Q. My Linker works when plugged straight into the back of the PC but as soon as i use a cable is always says "adaptor not found" ?
A. Even if you are using 180cm male to male cable, sometimes the cables are different. Use a correct cable, which should be: male to male, not too long, 1:1 connected, printer port extension cable.

Q. I was trying to upload PocketNES for use on the GBA, but the transfer cancelled. Now, whenever i try to upload a backup image, the program says "Flash not found" although I the flash card is inserted. What's wrong?
A. Did you try brand new batteries or a good power supply? And also the cable, are you sure it is the correct one? And is your printer port in the correct mode? Those are the most common problems you need to check.

Q. Is the size of the 64M card 64Mbits or 64Mbytes ?
A. The size factor is 8 ! For videogame cartridges, the size is calculated in Mega Bits -> Mbit is 8x smaller than a MByte

Q. how do i install a game patch my flash card keeps freezing up on me?
A. Just download SMART IPS dx-ips11.zip then use it to patch your rom file. Very easy.

Q. Can you upload GB/GBC games to the flash advance cartridge?
A. Yes but due to different voltage of both systems (GB and GBA), you will need GB Bridge adapter to play them!

Q. For the cable: Please give me the pin matching table & table of pin which is used in your system.
A. The cable is 1:1, male to male, all pins connected. Please take care the cable isn't to long. You should be able to get a correct cable at the place you bought the Set.

Q. Can I format an original GBA-Cardridge and put my games on it ?
A. That is impossible - sorry. Only Flash Memory in FA Card is ReWritable.

Q. When will the 512mbit version of the cart be ready and will it support EEPROM?
A. It was released this summer.

Q. Will JAP or USA games play on my european GBA ?
A. Yes, the GBA console is 100% region lock free.

Q. Where I try to upload the game to the cartridge it say PortMode = EPP Flash not Found!! What does that mean?
A. If your cart is plugged in, please check if the connection is alright and if the connector is clean. Also, check if the power of the battery is enough. You may also remove the Linker&Card from your Monitor, as some of the devices are not working when electronic noise is there.

Q. 'no adaptor found' error ?
A. Check the LTP port. LTP1 may not be your LTP 1 - the actual address is the important thing. My printer port says it's ltp 1, but the address is actually your ltp 3 (3bc)

Q. I know the power supply needs to be 9v, center point negative,
but 500, 850 or 1000mA?
A. The power adapter needs to meet the following requirements: 8 to 12 volts DC, 150 milliAmps(mA) or greater, center is negative.

Q. Where can the Flash Advance be bought?
A. Many shops sell Flash Advance Hardware online with world wide shipping but look for the ones with secure CC handling and good customer support - we have a list of trustworthy shops Here

Q. What is the Flash Advance Linker and Cards?
A. The Flash Advance is a device which connects your PC and Game Cartridge or Flash Cartridge together. This allows you to play backup games and homegrown ROMS on your Gameboy Advance and Gameboy Color.

Q. Does the Flash Advance Cartridge support games that use EEPROM such has Mario?
A. Yes. The Linker has to emulate the EEPROM by using the SRAM , this is done by patching the game ROM. Patches can be found here  

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