You need a MAME 0.139 ROM set (sometimes called "0.139 ROMs"). It is a matched set – ROMs from any other MAME version (0.138, 0.140, 0.155, etc.) will have mismatched checksums and will not work or will show missing files.
The primary reason the 0.139 set has survived is software compatibility. Not everyone wants to run the latest, sluggish MAME with a bloated UI.
Final Burn Alpha, later renamed FinalBurn Neo, was the competitor focused on 2D CPS1, CPS2, Neo Geo, and Sega System 16/18 hardware. For years, FBA was notoriously picky. However, around 2010, the FBA devs aligned their ROM requirements with MAME 0.139. mame 0.139 romset
This meant that a single set of ROMs (specifically the Neo Geo bios neogeo.zip and the CPS2 ROMs) worked perfectly in both MAME 0.139 and the fastest versions of FBA. For gamers building arcade cabinets on low-end PCs (Pentium 4s and early Core 2 Duos), FBA ran games faster, while MAME 0.139 ran everything else. A unified ROMset was a godsend.
Ask any veteran emulator user about "missing ROMs" or "incorrect checksums." With 0.139, the ROMsets were largely finalized for major titles like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Galaga, and Neo Geo games. If you have a complete 0.139 set, you have a library of over 7,000 unique games that just work without endless fiddling. You need a MAME 0
The official build from 2010. Cruel by modern UX standards, but blindingly fast on any hardware from the last 15 years. No nag screens, no initialization of 40,000 machines on startup.
Since 0.139 command-line is bare, use a front-end: This creates mame
| Front-End | Platform | Notes | |-----------|----------|-------| | MAMEUI | Windows | Native GUI | | QMC2 | Windows/Linux/macOS | Modern but older version works | | RetroArch (lr-mame2010 core) | Multiplatform | exact 0.139 core | | Attract-Mode | Multi | Lightweight, very configurable | | LaunchBox (free version) | Windows | Great art/metadata support |
Open command prompt in your MAME folder and run:
mame.exe -cc
This creates mame.ini.