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RetroBIOS

fMSX

fMSX emulates Microsoft MSX, MSX2 and MSX2+. It reads 22 files, 5 of them required: without a required file it does not start games. A required file is needed only by the machines that use it. Each file below cites the line of source code that reads it.

About this profile
Detail Value
Type libretro
Classification Community fork
Source https://github.com/libretro/fmsx-libretro
Upstream https://fms.komkon.org/fMSX/
Version 6.0, stated in libretro.c
Revision libretro/fmsx-libretro@4de11755ce4f
Profiled 2026-03-23
Profile YAML, JSON
Cores fmsx
Systems Microsoft MSX, MSX2, MSX2+
Install this emulator's files

The installer finds your setup and its BIOS folder, then downloads only the files this emulator reads there and checks each one.

Open the Start menu. Type PowerShell and open it. Paste the line. Press Enter.

PowerShell
&([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://abdess.github.io/retrobios/i.ps1))) --emulator fmsx
Technical notes

Place all ROM files directly in the RetroArch system directory. No subdirectory needed. The core does chdir() to system_dir before loading.

The default model is MSX2+, which needs MSX2P.ROM and MSX2PEXT.ROM. If you only play cartridge ROMs, these two files are sufficient. For disk games (.dsk), also add DISK.ROM and enable "Simulate DiskROM" in core options.

KANJI.ROM and FMPAC.ROM are loaded automatically when present, no option needed.

Files

Section titled “Files”

22 files: 5 required, 17 optional.

In this collection: 21 in repo, 0 missing and 1 unsourceable.

Required

Section titled “Required”
FileStatusHash

MSX.ROM

Hashes, packages and source
  • SHA1: 409e82adac40f6bdd18eb6c84e8b2fbdc7fb5498
  • MD5: aa95aea2563cd5ec0a0919b44cc17d47
  • Installed by the platform's own package on: recalbox
  • Source: fMSX/ROMs/MSX.ROM
required for Microsoft MSX in repoMD5 aa95aea2563c

MSX2.ROM

Hashes, packages and source
  • SHA1: 6103b39f1e38d1aa2d84b1c3219c44f1abb5436e
  • MD5: ec3a01c91f24fbddcbcab0ad301bc9ef
  • Installed by the platform's own package on: recalbox
  • Source: fMSX/ROMs/MSX2.ROM
required for MSX2 in repoMD5 ec3a01c91f24

MSX2EXT.ROM

Hashes, packages and source
  • SHA1: 5c1f9c7fb655e43d38e5dd1fcc6b942b2ff68b02
  • MD5: 2183c2aff17cf4297bdb496de78c2e8a
  • Installed by the platform's own package on: recalbox
  • Source: fMSX/ROMs/MSX2EXT.ROM
required for MSX2 in repoMD5 2183c2aff17c

MSX2P.ROM

Hashes, packages and source
  • SHA1: e2fbd56e42da637609d23ae9df9efd1b4241b18a
  • MD5: 6d8c0ca64e726c82a4b726e9b01cdf1e
  • Installed by the platform's own package on: recalbox
  • Source: fMSX/ROMs/MSX2P.ROM
required for MSX2+ in repoMD5 6d8c0ca64e72

MSX2PEXT.ROM

  • Size: 16.0 KB, SHA1 fe0254cbfc11
  • Collection copy: bios/Microsoft/MSX/MSX2PEXT.ROM
  • Platforms: MSX2PEXT.ROM: Lakka, RetroArch, RetroPie. bios/Machines/MSX/MSX2PEXT.ROM and bios/Machines/MSX2+/MSX2PEXT.ROM and bios/Machines/MSX2/MSX2PEXT.ROM and bios/Machines/Shared Roms/MSX2PEXT.rom: AmberELEC, EmuELEC. openmsx/fs-a1wsx_msx2psub.rom: Batocera, KNULLI. MSX2PEXT.ROM and openMSX/share/systemroms/fs-a1wsx_msx2psub.rom: RetroBat. Machines/Shared Roms/MSX2PEXT.rom and msx/MSX2PEXT.ROM: Recalbox. bios/MSX2PEXT.ROM and bios/fs-a1wsx_msx2psub.rom: RetroDECK. msx/MSX2PEXT.ROM: RomM
Hashes, packages and source
  • SHA1: fe0254cbfc11405b79e7c86c7769bd6322b04995
  • MD5: 7c8243c71d8f143b2531f01afa6a05dc
  • Installed by the platform's own package on: recalbox
  • Source: fMSX/ROMs/MSX2PEXT.ROM
required for MSX2+ in repoMD5 7c8243c71d8f

Optional

Section titled “Optional”
FileStatusHash

DISK.ROM

  • Disk controller BIOS (16 KB). Needed for .dsk content. Enable 'Simulate DiskROM' option (fMSX/MSX.c:784).
Hashes, packages and source
  • SHA1: 032cb1c1c75b9a191fa1230978971698d9d2a17f
  • MD5: 80dcd1ad1a4cf65d64b7ba10504e8190
  • Installed by the platform's own package on: recalbox
  • Source: fMSX/ROMs/DISK.ROM
in repoMD5 80dcd1ad1a4c

FMPAC.ROM

  • FM-PAC cartridge ROM (64 KB, YM2413 FM synthesis). Auto-loaded into first free slot (fMSX/MSX.c:561).
Hashes, packages and source
  • SHA1: 9d789166e3caf28e4742fe933d962e99618c633d
  • MD5: 6f69cc8b5ed761b03afd78000dfb0e19
  • Installed by the platform's own package on: recalbox
  • Source: fMSX/ROMs/FMPAC.ROM
in repoMD5 6f69cc8b5ed7

KANJI.ROM

  • Kanji font ROM (128 KB). Auto-loaded if present, no option needed (fMSX/MSX.c:534).
Hashes, packages and source
  • SHA1: 84a645becec0a25d3ab7a909cde1b242699a8662
  • MD5: febe8782b466d7c3b16de6d104826b34
  • Installed by the platform's own package on: recalbox
  • Source: fMSX/ROMs/KANJI.ROM
in repoMD5 febe8782b466

MSXDOS2.ROM

  • MSX-DOS 2 ROM (64 KB). Loaded when 'fmsx_dos2' option enabled and model is MSX2 or MSX2+ (fMSX/MSX.c:549).
Hashes, packages and source
  • SHA1: c36c9e0f96738a340381e23b4f97245388801a46
  • MD5: 6418d091cd6907bbcf940324339e43bb
  • Installed by the platform's own package on: recalbox
  • Source: fMSX/ROMs/MSXDOS2.ROM
in repoMD5 6418d091cd69

PAINTER.ROM

  • Paint utility ROM (64 KB). Auto-loaded for MSX2 and MSX2+ models (fMSX/MSX.c:556).
Hashes, packages and source
  • SHA1: 7fd2a28c4fdaeb140f3c8c8fb90271b1472c97b9
  • MD5: 403cdea1cbd2bb24fae506941f8f655e
  • Installed by the platform's own package on: recalbox
  • Source: fMSX/ROMs/PAINTER.ROM
in repoMD5 403cdea1cbd2

RS232.ROM

  • RS-232C serial interface ROM (16 KB + 256 B). Loaded into slot 3:3 (fMSX/MSX.c:537).
Hashes, packages and source
  • SHA1: 7aec0134ad6a5177f4056fcb6047083e8e00529b
  • MD5: 279efd1eae0d358eecd4edc7d9adedf3
  • Installed by the platform's own package on: recalbox
  • Source: fMSX/ROMs/RS232.ROM
in repoMD5 279efd1eae0d

GMASTER2.ROM

  • Konami GameMaster2 cartridge ROM. Loaded when 'fmsx_game_master' option enabled (fMSX/MSX.c:580).
in repo-

GMASTER.ROM

  • Konami GameMaster cartridge ROM. Fallback if GMASTER2.ROM is missing (fMSX/MSX.c:584).
in repo-

CMOS.ROM

  • RTC/CMOS settings. Auto-saved by the core on exit, auto-loaded on start (fMSX/MSX.c:530).
in repo-

DEFAULT.FNT

  • Default text font. Loaded by LoadFNT() (fMSX/MSX.c:527). Same content as CYRILLIC.FNT.
Hashes, packages and source
in repoMD5 85b38e4128bb

ITALIC.FNT

  • Italic text font.
Hashes, packages and source
in repoMD5 c83e50e9f33b

INTERNAT.FNT

  • International text font.
Hashes, packages and source
in repoMD5 ac4f4a90c1b1

CYRILLIC.FNT

  • Cyrillic text font. Same content as DEFAULT.FNT.
Hashes, packages and source
in repoMD5 85b38e4128bb

KOREAN.FNT

  • Korean text font.
Hashes, packages and source
in repoMD5 73291e76638a

JAPANESE.FNT

  • Japanese text font.
Hashes, packages and source
in repoMD5 aa28f0703b95

CARTS.CRC

  • Mapper database opened in the system directory before CARTS.SHA. Each line holds the sum of the ROM bytes as eight hexadecimal digits and a mapper number (%08X %d). A matching line sets the mapper and CARTS.SHA is not read.
  • Not collectable: no fMSX release examined ships one, and the mapper database the author distributes is CARTS.SHA (acknowledged gaps)
Source
unsourceable-

CARTS.SHA

  • SHA1 database for cartridge identification and mapper detection. Read when CARTS.CRC is absent or holds no matching line (fMSX/MSX.c:2716).
Hashes, packages and source
  • MD5: 74b0f217fa0e2b8bb5a2f8e2ecc69da3
  • Installed by the platform's own package on: recalbox, retropie
  • Source: fMSX/ROMs/CARTS.SHA
in repoMD5 74b0f217fa0e

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”
.

Maintained by Abdess on GitHub. Report a problem.

Packs from release v2026.10.10, .

MIT for the tooling and metadata. BIOS and firmware files are third-party system software, preserved for personal backup, archival and interoperability.