Anbernic RG35XX H Setup Guide

Recommended Accessories

  • SanDisk 64GB – Regarding the initial SD card slot.
  • Samsung 128GB – for the second slot for an SD card.
  • UGREEN SD Card Reader – Excellent choice for an SD card reader.

What is GarlicOS?

This post will focus on installing GarlicOS as an operating system. Why Garlic? It is currently the most feature-rich operating system for the RG35XX and is superior to the standard OS. The Recents function, which displays a picture of your most recent save state, makes it worthwhile.

I must now make a few assumptions—or rather, ask some questions—before we begin. First of all, you will require your SD cards. These devices' SD cards are of poor quality and have a high failure rate. The one that came with mine, after all, is titled 64. 64 is that dependable SD card manufacturer, you know. SanDisk, get out of there.

Along with having low-quality SD cards, you'll also know that buying a ROM SD card is not advised because the ROM files aren't suitable. So, let's avoid it now and get two high-quality SD cards: one for ROMs and one for the operating system. My suggestions are shown above.

If you prefer a single SD card for everything, I recommend the 128GB model mentioned above.

Another area of failure is the SD card reader, which you will also need. For an SD card reader, click the website above.

I'll repeat it: a defective SD card or SD card reader accounts for 99.99% of all issues individuals encounter throughout this procedure. Avoiding that now is not worth the headache; do it.

ROMs & BIOS Preparation

Your BIOS library and ROM are the last things you'll need. "Archive.org tiny best set go" provides an excellent collection and a means to be set up with many games to play (hint: Google the phrases in quotes). If you want an extensive list of games, you can then select yourself. If you would like, read the instructions and download the version corresponding to the size of your SD card and the artwork. You can skip my box art tutorial later if you choose to download the artwork in this manner. When we reach that step, you can drag & drop and go because the zip file already has all the directories set up to operate with GarlicOS. In case you forgot, here's a link to the folder names that GarlicOS requires.

Now that you have a ROM and BIOS library, one or two SD cards, and an SD card reader, let's go on.

Software needed

You must download a few pieces of software.

If you don't already have it, you'll need 7-Zip; click this link, download it, and install it.

You'll also need a tool to flash the image file to the SD card, so download Rufus here.

You will need MiniTool Partition Wizard (download here) to view the SD card after flashing.

Install GarlicOS

Now that we're prepared let's get started.

Go to Black Seraph's Patreon website (link here) and scroll down to the RG35XX MicroSDCardImage.7z.001 and 002 files. After clicking to download them, store them both in the same folder. Choose both of them, then use right-click > 7-Zip > to extract them to prevent headaches. You should get two files after extracting this file: a readme and a garlic. IMG file.

Now that Rufus is open, connect your SD card reader and SD card to flash the garlic.img file that we just extracted to the SD card. If you're using the two SD card technique like I am, flash the operating system SD card, which is the 16GB or 32GB one. Ensure it is your SD card and not a hard drive or any other type of device. When you click Start, a warning about wiping the SD card will appear; accept it and spend time with your loved ones. It will take some time. Any cautions you receive about formatting the SD card or partitions should be ignored. There will be a few of them that don't format whenever you plug the SD card back into the computer. Rufus, get close.

Locate your SD card by opening MiniToolPartitionWizard and looking at the bottom left corner. Usually, storage space is a dead giveaway. One of the partitions you'll see is called FAT32. If it wasn't already assigned—mine was—right-click and assign a drive letter. After that, launch File Explorer and navigate to the drive you designated. The BIOS, ROMS, and CFW folders should now be visible.

Both Methods

Using either technique, I cut and pasted all three folders from the SD card and temporarily moved them to a different location. I will place them in a subdirectory within my Downloads folder for now.

Return to MiniToolPartitionWizard, right-click on the FAT32 partition, and select "Delete" for both approaches. Next, create a new FAT32 partition as big as you can. If you're using the single SD card approach, call it ROMS; if you're using the two SD card technique, leave it unidentified.

Single Card Method Only

After that, transfer the three backed-up folders to the SD card using the single SD card technique. BIOS, Roms, and CFW.

Two-Card Method Only

Move the CFW folder onto the SD card and carefully remove it if you're using the two SD card techniques. Then, insert the second SD card—the 64GB or 128GB one you'll use for ROMs. Utilizing MiniToolPartitionWizard, format the SD card in the FAT32 format. Additionally, send it a letter. Finally, please remove the ROMS and BIOS folders we relocated, cut them out, and attach them to this SD card.

Both Methods

We now need to add BIOS files for both approaches. The previously downloaded zip file (archive.org) would contain the BIOS files. Your BIOS files should be copied and pasted into the SD card's BIOS folder. Just get this out of the way now because specific systems require BIOS files.

Finally, we can discuss your ROMs. The folders for each system are located in the Roms folder on the SD card. Copy and paste your folders from the archive.org zip file, which we have already set up, and they should overwrite. If you're using your ROMs collection, there are limitations on file formats and whether zipped files are compatible with specific emulators. Click this link to view a complete list of emulators and what works and what doesn't.

Box Art

Now, let's discuss how to obtain BoxArt. Keep in mind that romhacks would need to be done by hand before I begin and aren't a part of the process that will be happening.

Visit Skrper.net. Click the download button at the top to select your operating system. Extract the 7z file using 7-zip. After opening the folder, choose SkraperUI.exe.

To create an account, click the signup button. Click Register at the top of the page. Enter your details and sign up. Return to Skraper, click validate using those details, and select Next. It will download some materials; please return in a little while.

Now, if you used the two-card option, let's insert your ROM or SD2 card into your device; if not, use your single SD card.

After choosing Recalbox, click the folder to select your SD card's Roms folder, and make sure to include non-Recalbox directories. Click "Next" once more. All consoles discovered based on folder names are displayed on the left. Some, like the PS1 and Super Nintendo, are missing, so I'll demonstrate how to add them manually, and you'll have to verify. To illustrate the steps, I'll do PS1. Select the PS1 logo by scrolling to the console image and clicking the Plus symbol beneath each platform. Please navigate to the games & front-end tab on the right by clicking it on the side. Change the games/rom folder to match the location of your PS1 games. You will need to do this again for any missing platforms.

Click game list, choose no backup, make new or replace existing, and then scroll back to All Systems. Go to the media page now, where we may choose the media we wish to use. Select the user-provided mix as the media type. For this next section, special thanks go to EBZero. Choose from the Full Height, Three Images, or Full-Screen Mix options by visiting the EBZero GitHub link. Hover your cursor over the green code button at the top, then click the download zip button. Then, follow the EBZero instructions on the page to get Full Height or 3 Images. I'll demonstrate Full Screen Mix to you because I want that.

A link to another repository can be found at the bottom of the Full-Screen Mix Instructions page; Timault deserves special recognition. He can choose between two options: one with and one without a border. Extract it after selecting the "download zip" option from the green code icon at the top of that repository. Return to Skraper and choose the page icon. Next, please select the desired XML file; I'll create the Black Gradient Shadow Border myself. Change the output folder to %ROMROOTFOLDER%\ after selecting it. Images and confirm that the cleanup output folder is chosen. Click play and leave everything else as it is.

Please return in a little while, as this will take some time. Once it's finished, open your file explorer and look for "game list" on that SD card. If you locate any XML files, delete them. Now, eject the SD card and insert your operating system card if you're using the two SD card technique; if you're using the single card method, leave the SD card in place. In File Explorer, navigate to the SD card, select CFW, select the skin folder, and then select Settings.json in Notepad. Text alignment should be changed to "left," and the text margin should be changed to 32 (without quotes). Close and save.

Everything is finished and put up! If you're using the single SD card approach, put your SD card in the first slot (TF1), which is the one nearest the reset button. When using the two SD card techniques, insert your ROM SD card into slot TF2 and your operating system SD card into the first slot.

Now, switch the gadget on.

Let's discuss some adjustments you ought to make.

Keep Aspect Ratio On

Although it's a matter of taste, I don't like stretching and having the wrong aspect ratio even with black bars. There are two methods to accomplish this: either enter RetroArch, Settings, Video, and Scaling and choose Keep Aspect Ratio, or perform a complete override for everything. Return to Configuration, go to the main menu and select Save Current Configuration. Proceed to the exact location, turn off the maintain aspect ratio, and then choose Overrides and Save Core Override when playing a PS1 game.

Alternatively, you can use the same core override step for every platform to alter the aspect ratio for each platform. Launch a game on any platform and follow the exact instructions. You can choose from a variety of options here.

Real-Time Clock

The real-time clock will be enabled for Pokemon enthusiasts, so press start in the main GarlicOS menu, change the time to your preferred time, and then click start again. Completed.

Hotkeys

You may also be wondering about the GarlicOS hotkeys. Pressing and holding your menu button while playing a game is a really simple way to find out. It will display every available hotkey.

Overclocking/Underclocking

This function may be accessed by pressing choose on the GarlicOS main screen. As you should already know, plus represents an overclock, two pluses represent a larger overclock, minus represents a minor underclock, and two minutes represent a larger underclock. It will only use the electricity when needed, so you may leave it set at two pluses all the time.

Sleep/Shutdown

Finally, how can I shut this device off? You can store your status and shut down the system with a single power button push. Press and hold the power button until the green LED at the top appears to turn it back on. The LED is the only indicator that your battery is low; it will turn red in the final third of its charge, indicating that you need to charge it to prevent losing your progress.

How to update GarlicOS

Let's now discuss how to upgrade GarlicOS. If you altered the aspect ratio, like I did, be aware that this will erase whatever modifications you have made to the RetroArch settings.

You should download the additional files, designated CopyPasteOnTopOfStock 001 and 002, from Black Seraph's site this time. When downloading, choose both, then extract as previously.

Locate your misc partition now. Finding the smallest partition with MiniToolPartitionWizard and assigning it a letter if it lacks one is a simple method. It's correct if you look inside and see two directories named dibs and modules, a file called image, and several other files. After we extract the misc folder, you should copy and paste its contents into this partition, overwriting any existing files. You should be able to cut and paste your files again after deleting the image file from your SD card if you receive an error about insufficient space.

Then, proceed with the CFW folder in the same manner. This folder is located on the largest partition—FAT32—that I have given to H for the single SD card technique. The two SD card methods are in Slot 1 of the operating system card.

Finally, new directories for any new systems the operating system supports should be established by doing the same thing with the ROMS folder. Put your ROM SD card into slot 2 to use the two SD card approach.

Just start playing games now and enjoy yourself. The guide's primary focus was on this: accomplishing all you need to for everyday use. Once you're up and going, everything is up to you.