openMenu Virtual Folder Bundle

This is a new version of openMenu with virtual folder/subfolder support and other updates and fixes, including a modified version of GD MENU Card Manager to support it. It aims to be the ultimate menu software and SD card management solution for SEGA Dreamcast GDEMU users.

openMenu was originally written by mrneo240, later forked by megavolt85, and then finally sbstnc. With each iteration, important updates have been made to this open source menu software for the GDEMU, a SEGA Dreamcast optical drive emulator.

However, due to the fragmented nature of these forks and the lack of time for each of their respective owners to contribute to them, the author of this new openMenu build has decided to create a brand-new fork, rather than contribute to any of the existing ones. As an active member of the Dreamcast community, this author will work hard to maintain, update, and fix this new version of openMenu.

For those unfamiliar with the branching history of openMenu, it's important to note that openMenu Virtual Folder Bundle was built on top of the latest public version of openMenu, meaning it has full support for per-game virtual VMUs with VM2, VMUPro, USB4MAPLE, and Pico2Maple.

To accommodate the new openMenu, a modified version of GD MENU Card Manager has also been developed and included in this bundle.

Current Version

The latest version of openMenu Virtual Folder Bundle is 1.5.3-ateam.

Roadmap Ideas

New metadata format with optional openMenu popup window when a disc image is selected, showing screenshots, description, and more.
Support artwork assignment for openMenu folders.
Keep track of a recently played list in openMenu.
See Dreamcast Now information directly from openMenu (DreamPi or BBA required).
Add drag-and-drop support to Linux version of GD MENU Card Manager.
Implement a housekeeping function in GD MENU Card Manager to help users easily identify gaps or issues with their disc image collection (e.g., duplicate serials, missing artwork, missing discs in multi-disc sets).

Changelog

Version 1.5.3-ateam (2026-04-05)
- GD MENU Card Manager
  - CUE to CCD conversion for Mode 2 discs was broken, now fixed (see Issue 150).
Version 1.5.2-ateam (2026-04-03)
- GD MENU Card Manager
  - Support extended to arm64 architecture for macOS build (see Issue 141).
  - Enhanced multi-game automatic rename logic (see Issue 142).
  - "Sort" button no longer mentions sorting by path if in gdMenu mode (see Issue 143).
  - Artwork assign/manage window left/right shortcut now supports hold (see Issue 144).
  - Width of "Size" column increased in Linux/macOS builds in order to not cut off contents (see Issue 145).
  - SD Drive dropdown now displays filesystem label (see Issue 146).
  - Non-Dreamcast disc images (e.g., PlayStation discs, audio CDs, video CDs) now automatically converted from CUE to CCD (see Issue 147).
  - Region/VGA patching no longer performed on any non-Dreamcast disc image (see Issue 148).
  - "IP.BIN Info" window disabled for non-Dreamcast disc images (see Issue 149).
Version 1.5.1-ateam (2026-03-09)
- openMenu
  - Fixed errant CMD2 sent in Save/Load window (see Issue 130).
  - Fixed incorrect labeling of a VMU as "loaded" in Save/Load window during hot-swap scenarios (see Issue 129).
- GD MENU Card Manager
  - Artwork management window now includes previous/next arrows (see Issue 131).
  - Tab size corrected in "DAT Tools" window for Linux/macOS version (see Issue 132).
  - Regression due to "no Serial ID" check fixed (see Issue 134).
  - Enhanced restriction of ASCII-only for Title, Folder, and Serial values (see Issue 137).
  - "Is Writable" check now performed on DATs and saved settings file (see Issue 138).
Version 1.5-ateam (2026-02-26)
- openMenu
  - Serial VMU feature added, enabling per-game virtual VMUs using serial SD adapter (see Issue 108).
  - Retro Fighters wireless controller/dongle stability greatly improved (see Issue 121).
  - Disc images can now appear in more than just one folder (see Issue 110).
  - Save/Load manager now performs live VMU device detection (see Issue 107).
  - The "save" openMenu VMU LCD icon now sent to any VMU for 1.5s where read/write operations are occurring (see Issue 118).
  - openMenu VMU LCD icon now sent live whenever a VMU is inserted (see Issue 117).
  - New "Exit to BIOS" options to avoid issues with custom BIOS bootloader on some console revisions (see Issue 122).
  - Endless/infinite scrolling added to all windows (see Issue 109).
  - Save files labeled "future" can now be overwritten, as well as downgraded (see Issue 105).
  - openMenu VMU LCD icons now correctly oriented on light gun (see Issue 127).
- GD MENU Card Manager
  - Automatic updater added for seamless upgrades in the future (see Issue 116).
  - Disc images can now be assigned to more than one folder (see Issue 110).
  - New DAT Tools function added to overwrite local DATs with those from SD card's openMenu GDI (see Issue 111).
  - Metadata file region.txt now generated and honored, correcting issues with PAL consoles using analog video cables and some Japanese games (see Issue 112).
  - All "Disc Image Options" settings now remembered on next launch (see Issue 113).
  - Disc image "Info" window fixes and enhancements (see Issue 114).
  - SD card can no longer be saved in Card Manager if one or more disc images are missing a Serial ID (see Issue 120).
  - macOS package fixed to allow editing of artwork/metadata DATs, as well as saving custom settings (see Issue 123).
  - Fixed regression that prevented adding non-game disc images (e.g., audio CDs, VCDs) (see Issue 124).
  - Enhanced automatic disc image type detection (see Issue 125).
  - Card Manager now properly handles an SD card removed mid-session (see Issue 126).
Version 1.4-ateam (2026-02-14)
- openMenu
  - Fixed crash when launching games or exiting to BIOS while using "DeepDream" themes (see Issue 98).
  - CodeBreaker cheat database updated to include easy-to-find deflicker codes (see Issue 97).
  - Save/Load window's width tweaked, was too wide (see Issue 99).
  - Keyboard Shift+<character> will not erroneously trigger menu action assigned to said character (see Issue 102).
- GD MENU Card Manager
  - Games List table can now be filtered (see Issue 101).
  - Section headings in help/about window now automatically line break (see Issue 100).
  - Window size and position remembered on next launch (see Issue 103).
  - Margins and spacing in Settings section made uniform, gdMenu/openMenu radio buttons now labeled "Menu Type" (see Issue 104).
Version 1.3-ateam (2026-02-13)
- openMenu
  - Support added for saving/loading settings to/from serial SD (see Issue 84).
  - DreamConn S "Exit to BIOS" fixed (should only cater to VM2) (see Issue 82).
  - Changed settings are now automatically applied after saving settings (see Issue 80).
  - Errors on Save/Load window no longer render outside of window (see Issue 79).
  - Date/time from VMU can now be synchronized to console (see Issue 70).
  - Loading splash screen has been added (see Issue 91).
  - Keyboard shortcut added to jump to items in list starting with any given character (see Issue 92).
  - Very rare, difficult to reproduce bug fixed where openMenu fails to launch without a VMU present (see Issue 87).
  - Popup window tweaks (see Issue 94).
- GD MENU Card Manager
  - Disc images in CHD format are now automatically decompressed (see Issue 45).
  - Custom paths (not just SD cards) can now be used (see Issue 89).
  - Margins and vertical centering of several UI elements fixed (see Issue 90).
  - Info window height fixed, was too tall (see Issue 93).
  - Ellipses after progress bar messages no longer have an extra space before it (see Issue 81).
  - New optimized auto-creation of GDEMU.INI file if none exists (see Issue 95).
Version 1.2-ateam (2026-02-05)
- openMenu
  - New VMU save/load functionality with live detection of VMU devices upon loading the save manager, plus ability to upgrade old save files (see Issue 60).
  - New themes added, with old themes cleaned up or purged (see Issue 44).
  - Updated cheat database to v2.7 (see Issue 61).
  - Fixed vertical alignment of title bar text in credits window (see Issue 62).
  - Game ID support was added for Pico2Maple (see Issue 67).
  - Rare double button press trigger bug likely fixed (see Issue 73).
  - Exit to BIOS without sending Game ID now handled properly with DreamConn S (see Issue 75).
  - Eliminated state-transition input delay and improved button-hold detection (see Issue 76).
- GD MENU Card Manager
  - New streamlined artwork management: artwork management directly in GD MENU Card Manager (no need for external DAT Editor), auto-generates bare minimum DAT files when none exist, prompts to auto-fix BOX.DAT/ICON.DAT mismatches, creates automatic backups to dat_backups folder, and performs the same Serial ID translation as openMenu (see Issue 49).
  - New DAT Tools window featuring import/merge, PNG export, and clear functions (see Issue 50).
  - Redump CUE/BIN images of both GD-ROM and CD-ROM rips now automatically converted to GDI and CDI, respectively (see Issue 47).
  - Moved GDI Shrink function (Windows only) to new "Disc Image Options" window, along with new VGA flag force and region patching options to support launching out-of-region games and games requiring VGA flag adjustment when launched from BIOS after "Exit to BIOS" (see Issue 42).
  - Search now covers both disc image titles and their Serial IDs (see Issue 51).
  - Added check for SD card files/folders in use, giving users a chance to close locking processes to avoid SD card corruption (see Issue 53).
  - Moved "Sort List" button to the top and added confirmation dialog (see Issue 56).
  - Added required SD card space check with graceful exit when space is exceeded (see Issue 57).
  - Changes made to temporary folder path are remembered on next application launch (see Issue 58).
  - Added undo/redo buttons to the bottom left of the main window for quickly undoing the last 10 edits to the games list, covering all operations (see Issue 59).
  - Removed now unnecessary Preload button (see Issue 54).
  - Removed Batch Rename button and moved all functions into right-click context menu, where one or more rows can be selected for batch operations (see Issue 55).
  - Fixed partially broken "IP.BIN Info" display (see Issue 52).
  - Sentence Case rename changed to Title Case and improved, Uppercase and Lowercase added (see Issue 64).
  - New Help/About window to reflect current state of GD MENU Card Manager (see Issue 65).
  - Card Manager now automatically performs Serial translations of two varieties (see Issue 68).
  - In addition to DISCLIST.TXT, a DISCLIST.XLSX spreadsheet is now also generated with a full listing of all disc images on SD card (see Issue 71).
  - Text alignment fixes in SD Drive, Temporary Folder, and Search (see Issue 72).
  - Tooltips added to all buttons (see Issue 74).
Version 1.1-ateam (2026-01-16)
- openMenu
  - New "Exit to BIOS" options (see Issue 32).
  - Added keyboard support for navigation and input (see Issue 27, thanks Xerxes3rd).
  - New virtual VMU device Game ID options added (see Issue 35).
  - Changed button mapping in Folders view mode: A launches disc, B goes back a folder, X launches CodeBreaker, Y exits to BIOS, Start opens Settings menu (see Issue 26).
  - Added "Boot Mode" setting for various full/fast boot options (see Issue 39).
  - Renamed Multi-Disc setting options from "Show"/"Hide" to "Show All"/"Compact" (see Issue 25).
  - Instances of "Multidisc" changed to "Multi-Disc" (see Issue 30).
  - New "Multi-Disc Grouping" setting added to Folders mode (see Issue 31).
  - Added info read-out display for cursor's currently highlighted item, with new theme parameters item_details_x, item_details_y, and item_details_text_color (see Issue 24).
  - Changed default sort option label to "Alphabetical" and added new "SD Card Order" sorting option across all view modes (see Issue 23).
  - Added optional real-time clock to Folders view mode (see Issue 29).
  - Renamed "Index" setting to "Display Index Numbers" for a clearer label in Scroll mode (see Issue 22).
  - Added option to hide/show disc details in Scroll mode Settings menu (see Issue 18).
  - Increased maximum supported discs in Multi-Disc launcher from 4 to 10 (see Issue 17).
  - Added new theme parameters list_count and list_marquee_threshold for Folders mode (see Issue 16).
  - Added blue swirl default theme variant, as well as red/blue swirl versions of a text-only theme (see Issue 15 and Issue 33).
  - Added confirmation icon after updating VMU save file (see Issue 14).
  - Long game names in Multi-Disc popup now truncated with ellipsis (see Issue 12).
  - Added "PSX" disc type with optional Bloom emulator launcher for PlayStation disc images (see Issue 9).
  - Disc image now mounts on GDEMU when user selects "Exit to BIOS", enabling direct game launch or playback of a game disc's CDDA from BIOS (see Issue 6).
  - Non-game disc images (e.g., audio CDs) now skip full boot cycle and return directly to BIOS (see Issue 5).
  - Removed non-functional "Aspect" setting from Scroll mode (see Issue 20).
  - Fixed cover art sometimes displaying oversized/zoomed in FolderDefault theme (see Issue 19).
  - Fixed inconsistent margins and positioning of popup windows (see Issue 8).
  - Fixed PlayStation disc launching, which was non-functional in v1.0 (see Issue 9).
  - CodeBreaker launcher turned into navigable menu like all other popup windows (see Issue 34).
  - Folders mode is now default (see Issue 36).
  - "Close" buttons added to Multi-Disc and PlayStation Emulator launchers (see Issue 37).
- GD MENU Card Manager
  - Added blue swirl default theme variant (see Issue 15).
  - Now writes DISCLIST.TXT to SD card root (see Issue 13).
  - First entry in list is no longer editable (see Issue 11).
  - Added "PSX" option to Type column dropdown for PlayStation disc images (see Issue 9).
  - Added batch folder rename/move functionality in Windows build (see Issue 7).
  - Folder column cells now have dynamic dropdown for folder selection in Windows build (see Issue 4).
  - "Sort List" button now sorts by combination of Folder + Title instead of just Title (see Issue 2).
  - Fixed missing default Scroll (gdMenu) style theme (see Issue 10).
  - Fixed CD-ROM/XA format disc parsing issues (see Issue 3).
  - Fixed virtual folder path being ignored on disc images without an ID (see Issue 1).
  - Default release package now ships with an empty META.DAT (see Issue 38).
  - Changed automatic disc image renaming option behavior (see Issue 40).
  - Updated File/Directory Move operations to overwrite existing to prevent errors (see Issue 41).
Version 1.0-ateam (2026-01-07)
- Initial release (see the Changes to openMenu and GD MENU Card Manager section).

Credits

Programming
- Derek Pascarella (ateam)
Testing
- NO HXRO
- SEGA RPG FAN
- Kanji
- agarpac
- null
- Ade
- NeoGohan
- pipporamone
- Tongara
- Chris Daioglou
- Retro Repair Corner
- Farkus
- FMRad10
- Colin L.
- PlayerGameSK
- Virtua Shenmue
- Nachosonic
- Patrick Graham
- onlycodered
Special Thanks
- mrneo240 for his original work on openMenu
- megavolt85 for forking openMenu and adding new features
- sbstnc for forking openMenu and adding a Docker development container
- Sonik for his work on GD MENU Card Manager
- RazorX, Chris Daioglou, and the testers for good ideas for new features
- darc for Redump2CDI, used for Redump CD-ROM CUE/BIN to CDI conversion
- feyris-tan for gdidrop, code from which is used for Redump GD-ROM CUE/BIN to GDI conversion
- All of the wonderful people in the Dreamcast scene

Changes to openMenu and GD MENU Card Manager

Many components of both openMenu and GD MENU Card Manager have been drastically overhauled for this version. See below for a list of changes.

Changes Since openMenu v1.3.0

Below represents all the changes brought with the initial release of openMenu Virtual Folder Bundle. Since then, many more changes have been made (see the Changelog section).

New "Folders" Style mode, plus custom themes:
- Virtual folder support includes eight levels of nested subfolders.
- Complete subfolder path maximum length is 256 characters, including backslashes (e.g., Games\JP\RPG).
- Maximum number of virtual folders supported per SD card is 1024.
Long entry names now supported (256 characters), along with marquee scrolling over those exceeding 49 characters.
Scroll mode improvements:
- Jumping cursor fixed
- New setting to toggle index numbers in the game list (On/Off)
- New setting to toggle artwork display (On/Off)
Settings menu now has wrap-around cursor scrolling.
GDEMU firmware version and openMenu build version now shown in the Settings menu.
VMU configuration save file is no longer written on every openMenu startup, now only when saving settings or during save file migration.
Non-game discs are mounted by GDEMU instantly, returning user to BIOS for things like playing audio CDs.
Game ID is not sent to VM2/VMUPro/USB4MAPLE when a non-game disc is launched (e.g., an audio CD).
VMU beep setting disabled (feature is not implemented yet).
Credits updated to include additions from this author.

Changes Since GD MENU Card Manager v2.0.1

Below represents all the changes brought with the initial release of openMenu Virtual Folder Bundle. Since then, many more changes have been made (see the Changelog section).

Game list column widths and window width adjusted for better visibility.
Version check in About window removed (with possibility of returning in the future).
A new "Folder" column added when building menu in openMenu mode, allowing users to specify virtual folder path for a disc image (e.g., Games\RPGs\NTSC-U).
Non-game disc images now supported, with a new column named "Type" added where users can select from two dropdown options: Game and Other. Note that non-game disc images are automatically assigned the Other value, as openMenu will check this property to decide how to initialize the GDEMU.
Disc image names no longer limited to 39 characters, increased to 256 characters.
Disc numbers can now be customized by the user (e.g., 1/3, 2/4).
Maximum length for Game IDs is now ten (instead of 9), but is customizable by changing the ProductIdMaxLength key inside GDMENUCardManager.dll.config.
Latest version of CodeBreaker cheats database included by default.

Upgrading

As of v1.5-ateam, the Windows and Linux versions of this software package include an automatic in-app updater. However, macOS users must undertake the process described below.

The upgrade/migration process is very simple for:

Upgrading from a previous version of openMenu Virtual Folder Bundle to the latest version.
Upgrading from an old version of the openMenu/GD MENU Card Manager combination to the latest version of openMenu Virtual Folder Bundle.
Migrating from legacy gdMenu to the latest version of openMenu Virtual Folder Bundle.

Regardless of scenario, users follow these steps:

Download the latest release package for the appropriate platform (Windows, Linux, macOS).
Restore personal DATs if applicable (see the Restoring a New User's Personal DAT Files section).
Insert GDEMU SD card into computer.
Launch GD MENU Card Manager.
Ensure "openMenu" is selected in the top right radio button, then click Save Changes.

GD MENU Card Manager Usage

Managing Artwork

GD MENU Card Manager provides a streamlined artwork management system for adding cover art to games and other disc images. Artwork is stored in DAT files (e.g., Folders mode uses BOX.DAT for full-size cover art) located in the tools\openMenu\menu_data folder (~/Library/Application-Support/GDMENUCardManager/menu_data on macOS).

Artwork Assignment

To assign artwork to a game:

In the Games List table, click the Assign or Manage button under the Art column in the row of the game to edit.
- The button is labeled Assign if no artwork is presently tied to the Serial ID, and Manage if there is.
The Artwork window displays the game's Serial ID and current artwork (if any).
Click Browse for Image to select an image file (supported formats: PNG, JPG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, BMP, TIFF, TGA).
The application automatically generates two PVR textures:
- 256x256 pixels for BOX.DAT (full-size artwork shown in openMenu)
- 128x128 pixels for ICON.DAT (thumbnail preview used in Grid mode)
Preview the artwork in the window, then click Save to apply the changes.
To remove artwork, click Delete Entry (only available when the game has existing artwork and no pending changes).

Important Notes:

Artwork changes are held in memory until the user clicks Save Changes in the main window to write them to the DAT files.
The application automatically performs Serial ID translation to ensure artwork is filed under the correct serial that openMenu uses internally. This handles regional variants and problematic disc IDs automatically. Because of this, users may notice they're unable to store specific serials without GD MENU Card Manager automatically correcting them per openMenu's expected serials (e.g., NTSC-U "Nightmare Creatures 2" has ID T9504M but will be automatically changed to T9504N).
If BOX.DAT and ICON.DAT don't exist in the tools\openMenu\menu_data folder (~/Library/Application-Support/GDMENUCardManager/menu_data on macOS), the application will auto-generate minimal starter files.
If a mismatch is detected between BOX.DAT and ICON.DAT (mismatched entry counts), the user will be prompted to auto-fix the issue.
All DAT modifications are backed up automatically to the dat_backups folder before changes are made.

DAT Tools

The DAT Tools button opens a window providing three functions for managing artwork data:

Import DAT Entries

Merge artwork entries from another installation's DAT files into the current setup.
Select a folder containing BOX.DAT and/or META.DAT files.
Choose import mode:
- Import only missing entries: Only adds artwork for serials not already in current DAT files.
- Import all entries (overwrite existing): Replaces all matching entries with the imported versions.
ICON.DAT is automatically regenerated from the merged BOX.DAT.
Original DAT files are backed up before the merge operation.

Export Artwork to PNGs

Export all artwork from currently assigned artwork to PNG image files.
Files are named using the format: Title [Serial].png
Useful for backing up artwork or sharing with others.

Clear All DAT Entries

Removes all entries from BOX.DAT, ICON.DAT, and META.DAT.
Creates fresh, empty DAT files.
Original files are backed up before clearing.
Warning: This action cannot be undone except by restoring from the backup.

Overwrite DATs with SD Card

Overwrite application's local DAT files with BOX.DAT, ICON.DAT, and META.DAT from the SD card's current openMenu build in the 01 folder.
Original files are backed up before being replaced.

Restoring DAT Files From Backup

Automatic backups are saved to the dat_backups folder with timestamps (located in ~/Library/Application-Support/GDMENUCardManager on macOS). To restore:

Navigate to the dat_backups folder in the GD MENU Card Manager application directory (~/Library/Application-Support/GDMENUCardManager/dat_backups on macOS).
Find the backup folder with the desired timestamp.
Copy the BOX.DAT, ICON.DAT, and META.DAT files from the backup, removing the timestamp from the file name.
Paste them into tools\openMenu\menu_data (~/Library/Application-Support/GDMENUCardManager/menu_data on macOS), overwriting the current files.

Restoring a New User's Personal DAT Files

New users of openMenu Virtual Folder Bundle on Windows and Linux may wish to use their existing DAT files containing artwork and metadata. There are two options for performing this operation.

Restoring From Files

Navigate to the tools\openMenu\menu_data folder in the original GD MENU Card Manager application folder and copy BOX.DAT, ICON.DAT, and META.DAT to the tools\openMenu\menu_data folder inside the openMenu Virtual Folder Bundle's GD MENU Card Manager application folder, overwriting the defaults.

macOS users may take their old DATs and copy and paste them into ~/Library/Application-Support/GDMENUCardManager/menu_data.

Automatically Restoring From SD Card

With the Overwrite DATs with SD Card function in DAT Tools (see more in the DAT Tools section), users can take the DATs directly from their openMenu SD card and use them in GD MENU Card Manager.

Cover Art Resources

A collection of Dreamcast cover art maintained by RazorX is available for download:

Dreamcast Cover Art Repository

This collection contains high-quality cover images that can be used with the artwork assignment feature.

Managing SD Card

Initial Setup

Insert GDEMU SD card into computer.
Launch GD MENU Card Manager.
Select SD card from the SD Drive dropdown. The application will auto-detect drives containing GDEMU.INI or a folder named 01. Alternatively, click the folder browse icon to the left of the dropdown to select any custom path to be treated as if it were a GDEMU SD card.
Choose a Menu Type:
- gdMenu - Traditional Scroll mode menu interface.
- openMenu - Full-featured menu with virtual folder support.

If needed, click Refresh Drive List to rescan available drives after inserting an SD card.

Understanding the Interface

The Games List table displays all disc images currently on the SD card. Each column serves a specific purpose:

Column	Description
Info	Click the icon to view detailed file information, `IP.BIN` metadata, and `0GDTEX.PVR` artwork preview.
Location	Shows whether the game is on "SD Card" or "Other" (pending copy).
SD #	The numbered folder on the SD card (`01`, `02`, `03`, etc.).
Size	File size of the disc image.
Title	Game display name (editable, max 256 characters).
Folder	Virtual folder path for organization (openMenu only, e.g., `Games\RPGs`).
Serial	Product ID from `IP.BIN` (editable, max 12 characters).
Art	Click the Assign or Manage button to open the artwork editing window for that game.
Disc	Disc number for multi-disc games (editable in openMenu mode only).
Type	Disc type: `Game`, `Other`, or `PSX` (openMenu only). Note that type `Other` will exit directly to BIOS, useful for things like audio CDs.

Note: The first entry in the list is reserved for the menu disc image itself and cannot be edited, moved, or deleted.

Adding Games

Games can be added in three ways:

Click the Add button (plus icon) and select one or more files from the file browser.
Drag and drop files directly onto the application window (Windows and macOS only).
Add compressed archives (7Z, RAR, ZIP) containing supported disc images.

Supported disc image formats: GDI, CDI, CCD, MDS, and CUE/BIN (Redump format).

Automatic Redump CUE/BIN Conversion

GD MENU Card Manager automatically detects and converts Redump-style CUE/BIN disc images:

GD-ROM CUE/BIN: Automatically converted to GDI format using code borrowed from gdidrop. The converter detects GD-ROM images by the presence of a "HIGH-DENSITY AREA" comment in the CUE file and properly handles track indexing and LBA calculations.
CD-ROM CUE/BIN: Automatically converted to CDI format using Redump2CDI.

This feature allows users to add Redump-format disc images directly without manual conversion.

Additionally, GD MENU Card Manager automatically detects and converts non-Dreamcast disc images in CUE format to CCD format. Such images include audio CDs, video CDs, and PlayStation discs.

Removing Games

Select one or more games and either:

Click the Remove button (minus icon).
Press the Delete key.

Removed games are deleted from the SD card when Save Changes is clicked.

Reordering Games

Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons (arrow icons) to change the order of selected games, or drag them from place to place (Windows and macOS only). The order determines how games appear in openMenu's "SD Card Order" sort mode and affects folder numbering on the SD card.

Editing Game Information

Renaming a Single Game

Double-click the Title cell, or
Right-click and select Rename.

Batch Renaming

Select multiple games by holding the Shift or Control keys, then right-click and choose a rename option:

Using IP.BIN info - Uses the game name embedded in the disc image's IP.BIN header.
Using its folder name on computer - Uses the containing folder's name (disabled when disc image is already on SD card).
Using disc image's base file name - Uses the disc image's filename (disabled when disc image is already on SD card).

Title Case

Right-click selected games and choose Title Case to convert titles to Title Case formatting.

Virtual Folders (openMenu Only)

When using openMenu mode, the Folder column allows organizing games into a hierarchical folder structure:

Use backslashes to create nested folders (e.g., Games\Action\US).
Maximum folder path length is 256 characters.
Up to eight levels of nested subfolders are supported.
Maximum of 1024 virtual folders per SD card.

Batch Folder Move and Rename (Windows Only)

By clicking the Batch Folder Move and Rename button at the top right of the Games List table, users can perform bulk folder rename and move operations, affecting all associated disc images.

Batch Folder Assignment

By selecting two or more rows in the Games List table, users can right-click and execute Assign Folder Path to update the virtual folder path definition for multiple disc images at once.

To assign multiple games to the same folder, edit each game's Folder cell with the identical path.

Assigning Additional Folder Paths

openMenu is capable of displaying a single disc image in multiple folders. This is useful for those who may want alphabetized folders, as well as those organized by genre.

Select a disc image in the Games List table, then right-click and select Assign Additional Folder Paths. Up to five additional folder paths can be assigned per disc image.

Multi-Disc Games

Edit the Disc column to specify disc numbering (e.g., 1/4 for disc one of four). openMenu's "Compact" multi-disc setting groups games with matching titles and sequential disc numbers into a single entry with a disc selection popup.

It's important to note that in order for openMenu to correctly identify that multiple discs are part of a single set, they must share the same unique Serial value when the SD card was authored.

For arbitrary multi-disc collections, such as an MP3, Karaoke, or VCD player boot disc plus a collection of media discs, all associated discs must appear in sequential order so that the disc-swap button on the GDEMU PCB can cycle through them correctly (while also sharing the same Serial). Next, ensure they share a sequential disc number and count value, with 10 discs being the maximum. See the example below, where the first entry is the MP3 player boot disc itself and all subsequent entries are the discs containing MP3 files.

Title	Folder	Serial	Disc	Type
MP3 Discs	Multimedia\Audio	MP3	1/4	Game
MP3 Discs (Rock)	Multimedia\Audio	MP3	2/4	Other
MP3 Discs (Country)	Multimedia\Audio	MP3	3/4	Other
MP3 Discs (Jazz)	Multimedia\Audio	MP3	4/4	Other

In the table above, notice how even when using openMenu's "Alphabetical" sort setting, the MP3 player boot disc will appear first on the list, followed by each disc containing MP3 files. See more in the Multi-Disc Launcher and Folders Mode Settings sections.

Disc Types (openMenu Only)

The Type column categorizes disc images:

Type	Description
Game	Standard Dreamcast game (default).
Other	Non-game discs (audio CDs, utilities). These skip the full boot sequence and return directly to the BIOS.
PSX	PlayStation disc images for use with either the Bleemcast! or Bloom emulators (see the PlayStation Emulator Feature section).

Searching and Filtering

Enter a search term in the search box and click Search (or press Enter). The search checks:

Game titles
Serial IDs (product numbers)

The first matching game is highlighted and scrolled into view. Click Search again to find the next match. The search is case-insensitive.

Sorting

Click Sort List to alphabetically sort all disc images. When in openMenu mode, this is a combination of Folder path and Title. In gdMenu mode, sorting is done by Title alone. A confirmation dialog is shown before sorting is applied.

Undo and Redo

The Undo and Redo buttons at the bottom left of the main window allow users to quickly reverse or reapply changes to the Games List table. The system tracks up to 10 levels of history and supports all operations including:

Adding and removing games
Editing titles, serials, folders, disc numbers, and types
Reordering games (drag-and-drop or move up/down)
Batch operations (bulk rename, folder assignment)
Artwork changes

Saving Changes

Click Save Changes to commit all modifications to the SD card. Before saving, the application performs several checks:

SD Card Space Check

The application calculates the required space for all operations:

Space needed for new games (including decompression of archives)
Space freed by removed games
Space for menu files and metadata

If there isn't enough space, a warning dialog shows the shortfall. Users can choose to proceed at their own risk or cancel to free up space first.

File Lock Check

Before modifying files, the application checks if any SD card files or folders are in use by other programs. If locked files are detected:

A dialog lists the affected paths and error messages.
Close any programs that may be using the files (file explorers, media players, etc.).
Click Retry to check again, or Cancel to abort the save.

This prevents SD card corruption from concurrent file access.

Users can choose to forgo this operation by unchecking the File/Folder Lock Check option, a setting that will be remembered the next time the application is launched.

Save Operations

When the save proceeds, it:

Renumbers and renames SD card folders as needed.
Copies pending disc images to the SD card.
Updates BOX.DAT and ICON.DAT if the session contained any artwork assignment changes.
Generates openMenu configuration, including a virtual folder structure where applicable.
Copies menu disc image files to folder 01.
Generates DISCLIST.TXT and DISCLIST.XLSX containing a list of all disc titles.

A "Done!" message confirms successful completion.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
Delete	Remove selected item(s)
Escape	Close window
F2	Rename selected item
Ctrl+Z/Y	Undo/Redo

Disc Image Options

The Disc Image Options window provides settings that affect how disc images are processed when saved to the SD card.

GDI Shrink (Windows Only)

Reduces the size of GDI disc images on the SD card by removing unused data.
Options:
- Apply to newly added games: Shrink games when they're first copied to the SD card.
- Apply to existing games: Shrink games already on the SD card.
- Also shrink compressed: Apply shrinking to games added from compressed archives.
- Use blacklist (recommended): Skip shrinking for games known to have issues with the process.

VGA Patch

Forces the VGA flag on games launched via "Exit to BIOS" from openMenu.
Useful for games that don't natively support VGA output but work with the flag forced.
Options:
- Apply to newly added games: Patch games when they're first copied.
- Apply to existing games: Patch games already on the SD card.

Region-Free Patch

Enables launching out-of-region games via "Exit to BIOS" from openMenu.
Patches games to bypass region lockout when launched from the BIOS.
Options:
- Apply to newly added games: Patch games when they're first copied.
- Apply to existing games: Patch games already on the SD card.

Click Save to apply changes or Cancel to discard them.

Application Settings

SD Drive

Select SD card from the SD Drive dropdown. The application will auto-detect drives containing GDEMU.INI or a folder named 01. Alternatively, click the folder browse icon to the left of the dropdown to select any custom path to be treated as if it were a GDEMU SD card.

Temporary Folder

GD MENU Card Manager uses a temporary folder for operations like decompressing archives and converting disc images. By default, it uses the system's temp folder, but users can specify a custom location:

Click the Settings button (gear icon) in the main window.
Browse to select a new temporary folder location.
The setting is saved to GDMENUCardManager.TempFolder.config in the application folder and remembered for future sessions.

This is useful if a user's system drive has limited space or if a user prefers to use a faster drive for temporary operations.

Menu Type

Choose a Menu Type:

gdMenu - Traditional Scroll mode menu interface.
openMenu - Full-featured menu with virtual folder support.

openMenu Usage

VGA and Region Patching

openMenu's default behavior is to both VGA patch and region patch any and all launched disc images. As a result, there is no setting to toggle said behavior.

Using Cheats

While hovered over a game in Folders view mode, press the X button to launch it with CodeBreaker for cheats. When in Grid, LineDesc, and Scroll view modes, press the B button.

On Windows and Linux, the cheat database is stored in GD MENU Card Manager's tools\openMenu\menu_data\CHEATS\FCDCHEATS.BIN folder, which is the latest available version. Cheat editing isn't supported on macOS.

Per-Game Cheat Files

openMenu supports per-game cheat files for customized cheat configurations. When launching a game with CodeBreaker:

openMenu first looks for a game-specific cheat file named after the game's Serial ID: tools\openMenu\menu_data\CHEATS\[SERIAL].BIN (e.g., MK51049.BIN for "ChuChu Rocket!").
If no per-game file exists, it falls back to the global FCDCHEATS.BIN database.

Creating Per-Game Cheat Files

To create a per-game cheat file, download the XPDC Code Compiler from this repository.

Launch Code Compiler and click Import Save, select Binary Files (*.bin) for "Files of type", then navigate to the tools\openMenu\menu_data\CHEATS folder and select the example MK51178.BIN file.
In the tool's main window will be an example layout for an individual game's cheats. Use this format to compile a cheat code list for the desired game.
Once complete, click Browse File, select Binary Files (*.bin) for "Files of type", then navigate to the tools\openMenu\menu_data\CHEATS folder, enter the game's unique Serial ID plus the .bin file extension (e.g., HDR0005.BIN), then click Save. A game's Serial ID can be found under the "Serial" column in GD MENU Card Manager.
Click Compile Save to write the new per-game cheat file to the tools\openMenu\menu_data\CHEATS folder.
Insert the GDEMU SD card into computer, launch GD MENU Card Manager, and click Save Changes to rebuild openMenu with the new cheat file.

Note that this same method can be used to modify the global FCDCHEATS.BIN database file, and new codes are sometimes posted to the cheat collection's Dreamcast-Talk.com Forum Thread. Users should be warned that a cheat database file may have size limits, and after a certain length entries for one or more games may disappear from the CodeBreaker menu.

Virtual VMU Device Support

openMenu supports sending Game IDs to virtual VMU devices like the VM2, VMUPro, USB4MAPLE, and Pico2Maple to achieve per-game VMUs. The presence of such a device affects some features, like "Exit to BIOS" (see more in the Exiting to BIOS section).

Note that unlike previous versions of openMenu, openMenu Virtual Folder Bundle has an option to transmit Game IDs to any and all virtual VMU devices connected to the console when launching disc images and when choosing "Send Game ID" when exiting to BIOS.

Use the "Game ID" setting (see the Settings Menu section) to turn transmission on or off.

Note that the Serial VMU (see the Serial VMU Feature section) and Game ID features are mutually exclusive, and enabling one will disable the other.

Serial VMU Feature

When the Serial VMU feature is enabled, users must save openMenu settings to serial SD card instead of VMU (see the Save/Load Manager section).

openMenu supports backing up and restoring VMU save data to and from a serial SD adapter (like the one sold here) on a per-game basis. When enabled, launching a game will automatically restore VMU data from the serial SD card before booting, and the next time openMenu starts it will back up any changes made during gameplay. This allows users to maintain persistent per-game VMUs without relying on excessive physical VMU storage.

New users of this feature may find this video overview helpful in understanding how it works.

Over the years, it's been noted that the Dreamcast serial SD adapter is picky with SD card support. Users have reported success with cards like this, this, and this. Furthermore, users have reported more success when they select "Default allocation size" for the Allocation unit size option when formatting their SD card.

On a FAT32-formatted serial SD card, individual per-game VMUs can be found in the OPENMENU\SAVES folder, where each game's unique Serial ID is used to create a dedicated folder (e.g., OPENMENU\SAVES\MK5115450). Inside this folder are the individual .VMU files for each slot, along with a TITLE.TXT file containing the full title of the game to which that Serial VMU belongs. These .VMU files can be modified using tools like VMU Explorer.

The "Serial VMU" setting (see the Settings Menu section) specifies which controller port and socket to use for backup and restore operations (e.g., Port A Socket 1, Port B Socket 2, etc.). Set it to "Off" to disable the feature entirely.

Restoring (game launch): When a game is launched (either directly, with cheats, or when exiting to BIOS), openMenu checks the serial SD card for a matching Serial VMU. If found, it is copied to the VMU in the configured port/socket before booting the game. If no Serial VMU exists, a blank VMU or a copy of the currently inserted physical VMU is prepared instead.
Backing up (next boot): The next time openMenu starts, it detects that a game was previously launched with Serial VMU active and automatically backs up the physical VMU data from the configured port/socket to the serial SD card.
Exit to BIOS: When using "Exit to BIOS", openMenu offers to create a Serial VMU for that game, or restore that game's existing Serial VMU.

When the "Serial VMU Multi-Slot" setting is turned on (see the Settings Menu section), openMenu provides five save slots per game instead of one. A slot selector is displayed before any backup or restore operation, allowing the user to choose which slot to use. Each slot shows a timestamp indicating when it was last written to, or "EMPTY" if unused.

With the "Serial VMU Multi-Slot" setting turned on, a custom display label can be given to each slot. On the serial SD card, navigate to the OPENMENU\SAVES folder and locate the dedicated folder for that game's Serial VMU (e.g., OPENMENU\SAVES\MK5115450). Next, find the .VMU file for a specific slot (e.g., SLOT1.VMU) and then create a .TXT file alongside it using the same base file name (e.g., SLOT1.TXT). Up to 28 characters are supported for custom slot labels, and anything exceeding that length will be automatically truncated when displayed. Note that slot labels can be defined ahead of time even when no .VMU file exists for it yet.

When "Serial VMU Multi-Slot" is off, slot 1 is used silently with no prompt.

For backup operations (returning to openMenu after playing a game), the slot selector pre-positions the cursor on the slot that was used when the game was last launched.

Note that the Serial VMU and Game ID (see the Virtual VMU Device Support section) features are mutually exclusive, and enabling one will disable the other.

Migration Tutorial

openMenu's Serial VMU feature makes the process of migrating from several physical VMUs simple.

This guide walks through how to copy save files from physical VMUs onto the serial SD card using the Serial VMU feature. The basic idea is to use the Dreamcast BIOS as a middleman to copy saves from physical VMUs onto a single VMU that a user dedicates as their Serial VMU device.

What's Needed

openMenu settings must be saved to serial SD card (not VMU).
A dedicated VMU to be used for everyday Serial VMU backups/restores
One or more additional VMUs containing save data to migrate
A serial SD adapter and FAT32 formatted SD card

Steps

Plug in both VMUs. The dedicated VMU should be in the port/socket configured in openMenu's "Serial VMU" setting (see the Settings Menu section). The VMU with the save data to migrate should be in a different port or socket.
In openMenu, highlight the game whose save data is to be migrated.
Press the button mapped to "Exit to BIOS". When prompted, select the Create/Restore Serial VMU + Exit to BIOS option. This allows an easy return to openMenu afterward by choosing Play from the BIOS.
As this will be the first time the game has been launched with the Serial VMU feature activated, a prompt will appear asking how to initialize the dedicated VMU. Choose "Start fresh and format VMU" unless there's a specific reason to leave the contents of this dedicated VMU intact.

If it's not the first time the game has been launched with the Serial VMU feature activated, allow openMenu to automatically load the serial SD card's Serial VMU, or choose the desired slot if the "Serial VMU Multi-Slot" setting is turned on.
The Dreamcast BIOS will load. From here, choose File (the VMU icon on the main screen). Both the VMUs should be listed in their respective ports/sockets.
Copy the save data from the secondary VMU to the dedicated VMU. To do so, open the secondary VMU and locate the desired save file. Once selected, press the A button, then choose "Copy" from the menu. For the target VMU, select the VMU dedicated to everyday Serial VMU backups/restores. Repeat this process for games that use more than one save file.
Once the save data copying process is complete, return to openMenu by either choosing Play from the BIOS menu or power-cycling the console.
In openMenu, the backup prompt will appear. openMenu remembers that the previous session exited to BIOS with this game's Serial VMU active. It will detect the save data now on the dedicated VMU and back it up to a Serial VMU on the serial SD card. One of two things will happen depending on whether the "Serial VMU Multi-Slot" setting is turned on or off:
- On: The user will be prompted to select one of five Serial VMU slots in which to store the backed up VMU contents.
- Off: The dedicated VMU will automatically be backed up to the default Serial VMU slot (Slot 1).

At this point, save data migration is complete. In the future whenever this game is launched, its Serial VMU will either be automatically restored, or a prompt will appear asking the user to choose the Serial VMU slot from which to restore (dictated by the "Serial VMU Multi-Slot" setting).

To perform a save file migration for another game, simply repeat the above steps.

Save/Load Manager

openMenu includes a Save/Load Manager for managing VMU configuration save files, including support for saving/loading settings to/from the serial SD adapter.

Access it from the Settings menu by selecting "Save/Load".

Note that when openMenu launches, it first scans for a serial SD card with valid openMenu settings saved to it (i.e., an OPENMENU\OPENMENU.CFG file). If found, those settings are automatically loaded and no VMU save file scan is performed. If a serial SD card with valid settings is not found, openMenu will automatically load saved settings from the first VMU that it finds (starting with Port A, Socket 1). If no valid settings are found, openMenu's default settings are used instead.

Features:

Live VMU Detection: The manager scans all four controller ports and both VMU sockets, displaying detected devices in real time. Device types (standard VMU, VM2, VMUPro, USB4MAPLE, and Pico2Maple) are identified and shown.
Save Status Display: Each detected VMU shows its current save status:
- (no save): No openMenu save file exists on this VMU.
- (saved): A current-version save file exists.
- (loaded): This VMU's save was loaded at startup.
- (old vX): An older version save file exists (will be upgraded on load).
- (invalid): A corrupted or unrecognized save file exists.
- (full): The VMU doesn't have enough free space for a save file.
- (future): The save file is from a newer version of openMenu.
Save to Selected: Writes the current openMenu settings to the selected VMU.
Load from Selected: Loads settings from the selected VMU. If the save file is from an older version, it will be automatically upgraded to the current format.
Automatic Upgrade: When loading an old save file, openMenu automatically upgrades it to the current format and offers to save the upgraded version back to the VMU.

Navigation:

Use D-Pad Up/Down to navigate between VMU slots and actions.
Press A to select a VMU or execute an action.
Press B to close the manager.

PlayStation Emulator Feature

openMenu features a built-in version of the Bleemcast! emulator for launching PlayStation discs. While this emulator's performance and compatibility aren't perfect, it will typically be capable of at least booting most retail PlayStation discs as well as specially formatted self-booting Bleemcast! discs.

The following custom button combinations have been added to Bleemcast!:

Restart emulator: A + B + X + Y + D-pad Down
Exit to menu: A + B + X + Y + Start

Support also exists for the work-in-progress Bloom emulator. Users can compile Bloom from source and then place BLOOM.BIN in the tools\openMenu\menu_data folder, after which launching a PlayStation disc will bring up a menu allowing for the selection between Bleemcast! and Bloom.

It's important to note that Bloom is early in its development, and while it impressively places heavy emphasis on accuracy and compatibility, most games are not currently in a playable state.

Multi-Disc Launcher

openMenu detects multi-disc sets by finding two or more entries with the same Serial and matching disc number/count values (e.g., 1/2, 2/2). It's important to note that in order for openMenu to correctly identify that multiple discs are part of a single set, they must share the same unique Serial value when the SD card was authored. See more in the Multi-Disc Games section.

If the Multi-Disc setting is on "Compact", multiple discs part of the same entry will only appear once in the menu and users will be provided with a launcher menu to decide which disc to boot. There's an additional degree of control over how multi-disc entries are treated, the details of which can be read about in the Folders Mode Settings section.

Exiting to BIOS

This build of openMenu has enhanced "Exit to BIOS" options which are dynamically displayed based on the disc image type and the presence of a virtual VMU device like VM2, VMUPro, USB4MAPLE, and Pico2Maple.

Furthermore, there are additional "Exit to BIOS" settings users can explore (see more in the Available Options by Context section).

Note that region and VGA patching is not automatically applied when launching games from the BIOS. Instead, use Disc Image Options in GD MENU Card Manager to apply these patches directly to disc images.

Available Options by Context

Context	Available Options
Folder selected	Exit to BIOS, Close
Dreamcast/PlayStation disc (no virtual VMU)	Mount disc + Exit to BIOS, Exit to BIOS, Close
Dreamcast/PlayStation (with virtual VMU)	Send Game ID + Mount disc + Exit to BIOS, Send Game ID + Exit to BIOS, Mount disc + Exit to BIOS, Exit to BIOS, Close
Other disc types (e.g., audio CDs)	Mount disc + Exit to BIOS, Exit to BIOS, Close

Options Explanation

Option	Mounts Disc	Sends Game ID	Exits to BIOS
Send Game ID + Mount disc + Exit to BIOS	✓	✓	✓
Send Game ID + Exit to BIOS		✓	✓
Mount disc + Exit to BIOS	✓		✓
Exit to BIOS			✓
Close

Note: "Send Game ID" options only appear when a virtual VMU device (VM2, VMUPro, USB4MAPLE, or Pico2Maple) is detected and the selected item is a Dreamcast or PlayStation disc.

Settings Menu

The Settings menu is accessed differently depending on the current view mode:

Grid/LineDesc: Press Start button
Scroll: Press X button
Folders: Press Start button

Each view mode has its own set of available settings. Below is a breakdown of each.

Grid/LineDesc Mode Settings

Setting	Options	Description
Style	LineDesc, Grid3, Scroll, Folders	Changes the visual layout/view mode of openMenu.
Theme	NTSC-U, NTSC-J, PAL, Custom...	Selects the color scheme and background artwork. Custom themes appear if present.
Aspect	4:3, 16:9	Adjusts background artwork for standard or widescreen displays.
Exit to BIOS	Standard, Alternate, Alternate + 3D	"Standard" uses a standard method when exiting to BIOS, whereas "Alternate" uses a custom method that removes save file copy protection in the BIOS save manager. "Alternate + 3D" does the same while also enabling the "hidden" 3D BIOS feature. If users experience a freeze when exiting to BIOS with either "Alternate" setting, it's advised they use the "Standard" setting instead.
Sort	Alphabetical, Name, Region, Genre, SD Card Order	Determines how the game list is sorted. "SD Card Order" matches physical folder order on SD card.
Filter	All, Action, Racing, Simulation, Sports, Lightgun, Fighting, Shooter, Survival, Adventure, Platformer, RPG, Shmup, Strategy, Puzzle, Arcade, Music	Filters the game list to show only titles matching the selected genre.
Multi-Disc	Show All, Compact	"Show All" displays every disc individually. "Compact" groups multi-disc games into a single entry.
VMU Time Sync	Off, On	Use VMU date and time to set console date and time when openMenu boots (VM2 and VMUPro must be using a supported firmware).
VMU Game ID	Send to All, Send to First, Off	If virtual VMU device like VM2, VMUPro, USB4MAPLE, or Pico2Maple detected, send Game ID to the first one detected (starting at the first controller port and first VMU socket), all detected, or turn off ID transmission altogether (see the Virtual VMU Device Support section)
Serial VMU	Off, On (A1), On (A2), On (B1), On (B2), On (C1), On (C2), On (D1), On (D2)	If serial SD card detected, use it to store per-game virtual VMUs in the specified Port and Socket.
Serial VMU Multi-Slot	Off, On	If Serial VMU is enabled, also enable up to five per-game slots, or leave off to default to one virtual VMU per game.
Boot Mode	Full Boot, License Only, Animation Only, Fast Boot	Controls how the game is launched. "Full Boot" displays the complete boot sequence, "License Only" shows only the SEGA license screen, "Animation Only" plays only the Dreamcast boot animation, and "Fast Boot" skips all startup screens and launches the game immediately. Some titles may not function correctly in modes other than "Full Boot". DreamConn S users are generally advised to use "Full Boot" to ensure VMU synchronization completes before the game starts, which is required for certain games' automatic load features.
Save/Load	N/A	Opens the Save/Load Manager.
Apply	N/A	Applies settings for current session only.

Scroll Mode Settings

Setting	Options	Description
Style	LineDesc, Grid3, Scroll, Folders	Changes the visual layout/view mode of openMenu.
Theme	GDMENU, Custom...	Selects the theme. Custom themes appear if `SCROLL_X` folders exist.
Exit to BIOS	Standard, Alternate, Alternate + 3D	"Standard" uses a standard method when exiting to BIOS, whereas "Alternate" uses a custom method that removes save file copy protection in the BIOS save manager. "Alternate + 3D" does the same while also enabling the "hidden" 3D BIOS feature. If users experience a freeze when exiting to BIOS with either "Alternate" setting, it's advised they use the "Standard" setting instead.
Sort	Alphabetical, Name, Region, Genre, SD Card Order	Determines how the game list is sorted. "SD Card Order" matches physical folder order on SD card.
Filter	All, Action, Racing, Simulation, Sports, Lightgun, Fighting, Shooter, Survival, Adventure, Platformer, RPG, Shmup, Strategy, Puzzle, Arcade, Music	Filters the game list to show only titles matching the selected genre.
Multi-Disc	Show All, Compact	"Show All" displays every disc individually. "Compact" groups multi-disc games into a single entry.
Artwork	Off, On	Toggles display of box art/cover artwork.
Display Index Numbers	Off, On	Shows or hides the index number next to each game entry.
Disc Details	Show, Hide	Toggles display of disc information (region, VGA support, etc.) alongside game entries.
Marquee Speed	Slow, Medium, Fast	Controls how quickly long game names scroll horizontally.
VMU Time Sync	Off, On	Use VMU date and time to set console date and time when openMenu boots (VM2 and VMUPro must be using a supported firmware).
VMU Game ID	Send to All, Send to First, Off	If virtual VMU device like VM2, VMUPro, USB4MAPLE, or Pico2Maple detected, send Game ID to the first one detected (starting at the first controller port and first VMU socket), all detected, or turn off ID transmission altogether (see the Virtual VMU Device Support section)
Serial VMU	Off, On (A1), On (A2), On (B1), On (B2), On (C1), On (C2), On (D1), On (D2)	If serial SD card detected, use it to store per-game virtual VMUs in the specified Port and Socket.
Serial VMU Multi-Slot	Off, On	If Serial VMU is enabled, also enable up to five per-game slots, or leave off to default to one virtual VMU per game.
Boot Mode	Full Boot, License Only, Animation Only, Fast Boot	Controls how the game is launched. "Full Boot" displays the complete boot sequence, "License Only" shows only the SEGA license screen, "Animation Only" plays only the Dreamcast boot animation, and "Fast Boot" skips all startup screens and launches the game immediately. Some titles may not function correctly in modes other than "Full Boot". DreamConn S users are generally advised to use "Full Boot" to ensure VMU synchronization completes before the game starts, which is required for certain games' automatic load features.
Save/Load	N/A	Opens the Save/Load Manager.
Apply	N/A	Applies settings for current session only.

Folders Mode Settings

Setting	Options	Description
Style	LineDesc, Grid3, Scroll, Folders	Changes the visual layout/view mode of openMenu.
Theme	FoldersDefault, Custom...	Selects the theme. Custom themes appear if `FOLDERS_X` folders exist.
Exit to BIOS	Standard, Alternate, Alternate + 3D	"Standard" uses a standard method when exiting to BIOS, whereas "Alternate" uses a custom method that removes save file copy protection in the BIOS save manager. "Alternate + 3D" does the same while also enabling the "hidden" 3D BIOS feature. If users experience a freeze when exiting to BIOS with either "Alternate" setting, it's advised they use the "Standard" setting instead.
Sort	Alphabetical, SD Card Order	Determines how the game list is sorted. "SD Card Order" uses a "seen first" routine that organizes disc images, virtual folders, and subfolders based on their SD card sequence.
Multi-Disc	Show All, Compact	"Show All" displays every disc individually. "Compact" groups multi-disc games into a single entry.
Multi-Disc Grouping	Anywhere, Same Folder Only	Only enabled if Multi-Disc option is set to "Compact". "Anywhere" will show all associated discs on SD card when opening multi-disc launcher. "Same Folder Only" will treat discs as part of their own multi-disc (or single disc) set when organized in different folders.
Artwork	Off, On	Toggles display of box art/cover artwork.
Item Details	Off, On	Toggles display of the item details read-out below the artwork.
Clock	On (12-Hour), On (24-Hour), Off	Toggles display of the BIOS clock.
Marquee Speed	Slow, Medium, Fast	Controls how quickly long game names scroll horizontally.
VMU Time Sync	Off, On	Use VMU date and time to set console date and time when openMenu boots (VM2 and VMUPro must be using a supported firmware).
VMU Game ID	Send to All, Send to First, Off	If virtual VMU device like VM2, VMUPro, USB4MAPLE, or Pico2Maple detected, send Game ID to the first one detected (starting at the first controller port and first VMU socket), all detected, or turn off ID transmission altogether (see the Virtual VMU Device Support section)
Serial VMU	Off, On (A1), On (A2), On (B1), On (B2), On (C1), On (C2), On (D1), On (D2)	If serial SD card detected, use it to store per-game virtual VMUs in the specified Port and Socket.
Serial VMU Multi-Slot	Off, On	If Serial VMU is enabled, also enable up to five per-game slots, or leave off to default to one virtual VMU per game.
Boot Mode	Full Boot, License Only, Animation Only, Fast Boot	Controls how the game is launched. "Full Boot" displays the complete boot sequence, "License Only" shows only the SEGA license screen, "Animation Only" plays only the Dreamcast boot animation, and "Fast Boot" skips all startup screens and launches the game immediately. Some titles may not function correctly in modes other than "Full Boot". DreamConn S users are generally advised to use "Full Boot" to ensure VMU synchronization completes before the game starts, which is required for certain games' automatic load features.
Save/Load	N/A	Opens the Save/Load Manager.
Apply	N/A	Applies settings for current session only.

Button Mapping

Grid/LineDesc Mode

Button	Function
D-Pad	Navigate game list
A	Launch selected game
B	Run CodeBreaker (if present)
X	Show full-size boxart (hold)
Y	Exit to BIOS menu
Start	Open Settings
L/R Triggers	Jump to previous/next letter (LineDesc only)

Note: In LineDesc mode, Up/Down navigate by half a page at a time, while Left/Right move one item at a time.

Scroll Mode

Button	Function
D-Pad Up/Down	Navigate by 1 item
D-Pad Left/Right	Navigate by 5 items
L/R Triggers	Navigate by 5 items
A	Launch selected game
B	Run CodeBreaker
X	Open Settings
Y	Exit to BIOS menu

Folders Mode

Button	Function
D-Pad Up/Down	Navigate by 1 item
D-Pad Left/Right	Navigate by 5 items
L/R Triggers	Navigate by 5 items
A	Launch game / Enter folder
B	Go back to parent folder
X	Run CodeBreaker
Y	Exit to BIOS menu
Start	Open Settings

Popup Menus (All Modes)

When a popup menu is displayed (Settings, Multi-Disc, Exit to BIOS, etc.):

Button	Function
D-Pad Up/Down	Navigate options
D-Pad Left/Right	Change setting value (Settings menu only)
A	Confirm / Select
B	Cancel / Close

Keyboard Support

Thanks to Xerxes3rd, full keyboard support has been added to openMenu. See mapping below.

Keyboard Key	Dreamcast Button
Arrow Keys	D-Pad (Up/Down/Left/Right)
Z or Space	A button
X or Escape	B button
A	X button
S	Y button
Enter	Start
Q or Page Up	Left Trigger
W or Page Down	Right Trigger
Shift + A-Z/0-9	Jump to next item starting with that character

Theming

Windows users interested in additional custom themes should see GDMenu & OpenMenu HD Theme Manager.

Theme Format

A separate openMenu theme format was designed for the new "Folders" Style mode.

To add a new theme, navigate to the tools\openMenu\menu_data\theme folder (Windows and Linux only) and create a folder named FOLDERS_X, where X is a number between zero and nine. Inside that folder, create a new file named THEME.INI.

See example and explanation of parameters below.

[THEME]
name=FoldersDefault
text_color=255,255,255
highlight_color=207,62,17
cursor_color=75,75,75
multidisc_color=207,62,17
menu_title_color=0,0,0
menu_text_color=255,255,255
menu_highlight_color=207,62,17
menu_bkg_color=0,0,0
menu_bkg_border_color=255,255,255
list_x=13
list_y=68
list_count=18
list_marquee_threshold=49
artwork_x=416
artwork_y=215
artwork_size=210
item_details_x=521
item_details_y=430
item_details_text_color=0,0,0
clock_x=623
clock_y=36
clock_text_color=255,255,255

General

name: Theme display name shown in settings menu (e.g., FoldersDefault)

Color Styling

text_color: Color for normal (non-selected) game names in the list

Example: 255,255,255 (white)
highlight_color: Color for the currently selected game name

Example: 207,62,17 (orange-red)
cursor_color: Background color for the selection cursor rectangle

Example: 75,75,75 (dark gray)
multidisc_color: Color for the multi-disc indicator icon/text

Example: 207,62,17 (orange-red)
menu_title_color: Color for popup titles (Settings, Credits, Multi-Disc, etc.)

Example: 0,0,0 (black)
menu_text_color: Color for text items in popup menus

Example: 255,255,255 (white)
menu_highlight_color: Color for highlighted/selected menu items

Example: 207,62,17 (orange-red)
menu_bkg_color: Background fill color for popup boxes

Example: 0,0,0 (black)
menu_bkg_border_color: Border outline color for popup boxes

Example: 255,255,255 (white)
item_details_text_color: Color for the item details text (region, date, etc.) below artwork

Example: 0,0,0 (black)

Game List Positioning and Sizing

list_x: Horizontal position of game list (left edge)

Example: 13 (12 pixels from left screen edge)
list_y: Vertical position of game list (top of first item)

Example: 68 (68 pixels from top screen edge)
list_count: Number of game entries visible per page

Example: 18 (18 items displayed at once)
list_marquee_threshold: Maximum characters before name scrolls horizontally

Example: 49 (names longer than 49 characters will marquee scroll)

Artwork Positioning and Sizing

artwork_x: Horizontal position of box art/artwork (left edge)

Example: 416 (416 pixels from left screen edge)
artwork_y: Vertical position of box art/artwork (top edge)

Example: 215 (215 pixels from top screen edge)
artwork_size: Width and height of artwork square in pixels

Example: 210 (210x210 pixel square)

Item Details Positioning

item_details_x: Horizontal center point for item details text below artwork

Example: 521 (text centered around 521 pixels from left)
item_details_y: Vertical position of item details text

Example: 430 (430 pixels from top screen edge)

Optional Clock Positioning and Color Styling

clock_x: Horizontal position of the clock's right edge (right-justified)

Example: 623 (clock text ends at 623 pixels from left)
clock_y: Vertical position of clock text

Example: 36 (36 pixels from top screen edge)
clock_text_color: RGB color for clock text

Example: 255,255,255 (white text)

Note: All position values are absolute pixel coordinates for 640x480 resolution. If a positioning key is set to 0 or omitted, Folders mode uses built-in fallback defaults. The cursor width is calculated automatically based on list_marquee_threshold.

After making desired changes to THEME.INI, use a preferred image editor to create two PNGs: one with a resolution of 512x512px named BG_L.PNG, the other with a resolution of 128x512 pixels named BG_R.PNG. Templates for these can be found in the tools\openMenu\menu_data\theme\FOLDERS folder, and the included templates for use with The GIMP may prove useful to some users.

Split a 640x480px background image across these two PNGs, noting that the bottom row of 32 pixels will be ignored.

Next, open each PNG in PVR Tool.

For BG_L.PNG, navigate to Tools → Set Global Index and use the value 1025. Next, navigate to File → Save As, using 565 for Format, no palette for Palette, only Twiddle for Options, and BG_L.PVR as the destination file name.

For BG_R.PNG, navigate to Tools → Set Global Index and use the value 1026. Next, Navigate to File → Save As, using 565 for Format, no palette for Palette, and BG_R.PVR as the destination file name.

To confirm newly generated PVRs are in the correct format, navigate to Tools → Properties and compare the texture settings for BG_L.PVR and BG_R.PVR match the default theme's textures in the tools\openMenu\menu_data\theme\FOLDERS folder.

After that, open GD MENU Card Manager with GDEMU SD card inserted, then click Save Changes. The new theme will be accessible from the Settings menu while Style is set to Folders.

Legal and Licensing

openMenu

This project includes a modified version of openMenu, which is:

Licensed under the Modified BSD License (3-Clause BSD License)

The original openMenu project was created by Hayden Kowalchuk (mrneo240), with subsequent forks and contributions by megavolt85 and sbstnc.

Modifications made by Derek Pascarella (ateam) in 2026:

See the Changes Since openMenu v1.3.0 and Changelog sections.

For the full openMenu license text, see /openMenu/LICENSE.md.

GD MENU Card Manager

This project includes a modified version of GD MENU Card Manager by Sonik:

Original repository: https://github.com/sonik-br/GDMENUCardManager

Licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0)