OK, so how did you all get the actual driver for the USB Slim Loader loaded up into Windows? What a f*cking chore.
I've wasted an hour and a half on this but finally got it working.
This is what I had to do:
a) Allow Windows New Hardware Wizard to identify the "USB PACK".
b) Choose "Install from my own driver/location."
c) Go into the directory "USB_Driv\DD03_-_S" on the CD.
d) Choose XGSSlim.inf
e) Now Windows is looking for SlimLoaderV4.sys, which doesn't exist anywhere on the CD.
f) On a hunch, copy off SlimLoad.sys and rename it SlimLoaderV4.sys
g) Run through the whole process again, this time pointing to my newly renamed driver.
This was after screwing around with the "NEO Power PC-E V1.0.exe" for 45 minutes and not getting anything but "Connection fault".
Could they have made it ANY HARDER to get the Slim Loader driver off the disc? Someone who doesn't know anything about how Windows works would probably have found it impossible and given up. God this is why I f*cking hate Windows. But it's also partly the "Neo" team's fault for not writing their driver .INF file correctly. The program "UPDATE_U.EXE" does absolutely nothing, BTW.
For Mac users out there, this setup works perfectly on a Mac if you can figure out how to actually install the driver. The only catch is you're going to need a copy of XP installed either in a virtual environment (Parallels) or in a separate partition (Boot Camp) to run the flash software. I have XP under Parallels and it works great.
A couple of notes about the package in general:
1. What's with these dinky little CDs? My everyday 2GHz Mac has a slot-loading DVD+RW drive so I can't insert this disc into it. It just disappears into the slot and doesn't do anything. I had to use a paperclip to pry it back out. Then, I had to go boot up the ol' PowerMac 6300 (which has a tray CD-ROM) and copy the contents of the CD over my LAN to the new Mac. After I removed the little piece of crap disc, a huge chunk of the reflective foil just ripped off in my hand! I couldn't believe it. Talk about cheap. Luckily I got the files off in time. I can at least burn them to some real media now. Did they really save that much by putting the support files on these tiny discs? I've never even seen these for sale anywhere. It almost seems like you'd spend more time and money seeking out these small CD-Rs than if you just used crappy regular media that comes pennies a piece. Jeez.
2. Does anyone else's setup not look new? The back of my flash cart has lots of those scratches HuCards get after being inserted and removed a zillion times from systems. It even has a 1/2" dirty smudge on it. It was the first thing I noticed when I took it out of the package.
3. What the hell is with this reset button? Talk about a bad idea. After loading up the cart and testing the first ROM on the SuperGrafx I went to hit the reset button to go back to the main menu. When my finger was closing in about a half inch away, a spark jumped from my hand to the metal casing around the button! Or maybe it was the other way around, I will never know for sure. Either way, I thought my cart was fried. Luckily it is not. But believe me, that is the last time I will attempt to use that button. What a joke.
Beyond that, I guess I can't complain. The software does it's job once you get it installed. The cart works perfectly as it should. I will undoubtedly get a lot of use out of it in the future. But what an episode.
