ClrMamePro vs ROMSorter

ClrMamePro scans and rebuilds MAME machine sets, checking ROM, sample, and CHD files for missing, unnecessary, or incorrectly named files. Its Rebuilder matches input files against a database using hashes and size, then writes correctly named machine files to an output folder. The package includes a graphical interface and a command-line executable with Scanner, Rebuilder, and Dir2Dat functions. The tools can use a MAME executable's listxml or listsoftware export as a data source. They use 7z.dll for 7z archive support and can produce zip, 7z, or decompressed output. A suitable DatFile allows use with systems beyond MAME. There is no install wizard; users unpack the archive into a folder. Current builds run on Windows 7 and higher, while older documentation describes Linux use under WINE or similar. The software is freeware, and the copyright notice identifies Roman Scherzer as its author; he says he started clrmame(pro) in 1997. Incorrect settings or removal operations can cause data loss, so the author recommends backups.

ROMSorter detects and renames ROMs and other games, with tools for archives, duplicates and file checks. It can zip files, convert supported archive formats by extracting and recompressing them, or unpack archives into a folder. Identical files can be moved into a subfolder named after the original file. A catalog stores file names and hashes for later checks that files have not changed. The program can create DAT files for other ROM manager apps and rename single-file games using a supplied DAT file. It converts BIN/CUE or ISO files to CHD and can extract CHD back to BIN/CUE using chdman. Other tools include building one-game, one-ROM sets from Parent/Clone DAT files with region priorities, sorting Everdrive folders by starting letter, generating M3U playlists, and batch IPS/BPS patching. The current ROMSorter release is for Win-x64 only; its Librarian command-line companion is available across platforms. Both require .NET 6. Linux and Mac Librarian users need an appropriate MAME chdman build for CHD commands. It is free, MIT licensed and provided without warranty.