SS1 Tool

Unofficial setup, diagnostics and support tool for the SuperStation One
One Windows exe, no install. Connects to your SS1 over the network and runs in your web browser.

⬇ Download SS1Tool.exe  ·  Release notes  ·  💬 Taki Udon Discord

Warning

Community project. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Taki Udon or Retro Remake. Back up your SD card before flashing it or editing configuration files.

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What is SS1 Tool?

SS1 Tool helps SuperStation One owners set up their system correctly, avoid the problems that come up most often, and get help quickly when something does go wrong.

It's built around three jobs:

• Setup: get a new or freshly flashed SS1 configured the right way. The ★ Wizard walks a new owner through everything, from flashing the SD card to WiFi, scripts and Update All.
• Diagnostics: check the SD card, NVMe drive and configuration for known problems.
• Support: create one debug report you can post in the Taki Udon Discord, so the admins can see exactly what's on your system instead of asking question after question.

Problems it helps prevent

Problem	How SS1 Tool helps
Linux kernel updates breaking cores or front ends (see below)	Installs Update All with update_linux = false and the MiSTer-devel distribution, shows whether those settings are in place, and shows the current Linux update advisory
Broken or mistyped MiSTer.ini	Edit it from your PC with an automatic backup before every change, plus named and timestamped backups you can restore in one click
No picture, black and white, wrong colours or lag on HDMI, a CRT, component, S-Video or composite	Video explains every video setting, sets the SS1 up for how it's connected (including which switches to flip), fixes common symptoms, and lets you try any change safely: unless you press Keep, the SuperStation puts the old settings back by itself, even when the picture is gone
"Unknown option" messages about hdmi_cec, hdmi_off, video_off_logo or lookahead on a fresh SD card	The SuperStation's settings files already contain these newer settings while the MiSTer program on a fresh card is older. Update All (MiSTer-devel distribution, Linux updates can stay off) updates MiSTer and the cores and the messages go away; nothing needs removing. Both wizards say so, and HDMI-CEC can then be turned on in Video
SD card problems: corrupted cards, the faulty fix_sd_overlap tool, Windows asking to scan the card, failing or fake-capacity cards	Removes the faulty overlap tool, checks the partition table and exFAT health, tests whether Windows will complain, runs deep read/write tests, adds a safe shutdown, and flashes the official SS1 SD Card Installer
A controller or button that doesn't work	The controller tester shows every button and stick live on a mock controller, for USB and Bluetooth controllers and both SNAC front ports (analog sticks included)
Hard-to-explain problems	One click creates a debug report with versions, configs, storage health and logs, ready to post in the Taki Udon Discord. Passwords, keys, WiFi names and MAC addresses are redacted.

What it isn't

SS1 Tool is not a replacement for MiSTer Companion or other general MiSTer management apps. It doesn't try to manage your game library or cores; its artwork and memory card tools are there for Console Mode and the SuperStation's own front port. It focuses on the SuperStation One's setup, diagnostics and support needs, and works alongside whatever other tools you already use. The remote control and file manager are there to help with setup and troubleshooting.

Linux kernel updates and the stable lane

A Linux kernel update delivered through Update All broke some hybrid cores, such as Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Quake and Duke Nukem 3D, as well as front ends including Console Mode. Many owners had to reflash their SD card to recover. That problem has since been fixed.

Kernel updates can still bring breaking changes in the future, though. SS1 Tool keeps your SS1 in a more stable lane: with update_linux = false, Update All still updates your cores and the MiSTer menu, but leaves the Linux kernel alone. You don't have to worry about a breaking kernel change forcing you to reflash your SD card again.

Linux update advisory

SS1 Tool also shows whether Linux updates are currently considered safe, need caution, or are not recommended. This advisory is checked automatically: every hour a GitHub Action in this repo looks for a new Console Mode release, a new MiSTer Linux image and new MiSTer Main changes, and when one drops it checks what it breaks for Console Mode (the libraries, tools and files Console Mode's programs use, the WiFi/Bluetooth adapters its drivers support, a new kernel series, and the MiSTer support newer cores need that Console Mode's own MiSTer program doesn't have yet). The alert lists the breaking changes it found. Problems that only show up when testing on the SS1 are added by hand and can only raise the verdict. Everything is in update_flags/, with the full report in cm_report.md. The app reads it from GitHub each time you open it, so you always see the latest status without updating the tool. It appears in Setup → Update All and in the System status panel:

Status	Color	What it means
✓ Reported safe	Green	No known problems with the current Linux update. Keeping update_linux = false is still the most stable choice.
⚠ Use caution	Yellow	The update works, but has known issues worth reading about first; the note is shown. If your SS1 has Linux updates turned on, the tool points this out.
✗ NOT recommended	Red	A known problem exists; the reason is shown. If your SS1 still has Linux updates turned on, the tool tells you to click Install Update All + apply settings.
No advisory	Grey	Nothing has been published right now, or GitHub couldn't be reached.

The same colors are used everywhere the advisory appears: Connect → System status, Setup → Update All and the Wizard. The update_linux setting follows them too: green when it's false, and when Linux updates are on, green, yellow or red to match the advisory.

Cores in Console Mode. Console Mode runs its own MiSTer program, so Update All's MiSTer update never replaces it, but Update All's cores are made for the newest MiSTer. Under the Linux advisory SS1 Tool shows a second one: which cores need newer MiSTer support than Console Mode's program has, so they may not work fully under it (for example N64 64DD or Saturn RAM cartridges), system by system. It's also in System status (when Console Mode is installed) and in the Wizard, and SS1 Tool notifies you when it changes.

The advisory is only information. SS1 Tool never changes your settings by itself.

Advisory file format (for maintainers)

• update_flags/linux_update.ini contains one line: Linux_update = safe, Linux_update = warning or Linux_update = unsafe (not case-sensitive; warn and caution also mean warning). Any other value shows as "No advisory".
• update_flags/linux_update_readme.ini contains the alert text (the breaking changes found), shown to users under the status.
• Both are written by .github/scripts/cm_safety.py (run by .github/workflows/cm-safety.yml), together with cores_update.ini / cores_update_readme.ini (cores that need newer MiSTer support than Console Mode has) and cm_report.md.
• update_flags/known_problems.ini is the one file kept by hand: problems found on the SS1, per MiSTer Linux release ([linux 260912]), for every release ([linux]) or for cores ([cores]), each with level = warning|unsafe and - lines. It can only raise a verdict.

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Contents

• What is SS1 Tool?
• Linux kernel updates and the stable lane
• Linux update advisory
• Screenshots
• Features
• Getting started
• Requirements
• Using the scripts without the app
• Where things are stored
• Privacy and security
• Reporting a problem
• Building from source
• Project layout
• Credits

Screenshots

In menu order.

Wizard	Dashboard
Connect	Connect: Find my SuperStation
Setup	Setup: Reflash without losing anything
Setup: RetroAchievements account	Setup: Flash SD card
Setup: MiSTer settings	Network
Video	Video: trying a change
Video: setup wizard	Video: something looks wrong?
Network: WiFi setup	Network: Cifs
Network: Cifs share settings	Network: share a folder from this PC
Files	Files: Saves
Files: Saves backup in progress	Files: SD card backup
Files: Screenshots	Devices
Devices: Bluetooth	Devices: Bluetooth restore in progress
Devices: Controllers	Remote
Diag	Diag: BIOS and game folders
Diag: Controller tester	Diag: Controller tester, Show as a leverless controller
Diag: Controller tester, SNAC front ports
About	Wizard: Why isn't my card listed?
About: Updates	Update offer at startup

Features

Pages with several parts show them as tabs under the page title: the active tab is solid red, and only its cards are on screen, so there's no long scroll to find a tool. The tab row stays at the top while you scroll, each page remembers the tab you used last, and links from one page to a part of another open the right tab.

Connect

• Connect by IP address (default login root / 1)
• Find my SuperStation: searches your home network for it, so you don't need to know its IP. It looks for devices with SSH, reads their names, and lists the ones named like a MiSTer or SuperStation first, with a Connect button. It never tries to sign in to anything it finds (routers and NAS boxes often lock out addresses after failed logins); only clicking Connect signs in. Works with any address range
• Saved devices with one-click Connect, Rename and Delete
• Status panel: kernel, /MiSTer.version, Console Mode, Samba, update_linux, scraper login, installed scripts and free space
• A pop-up tells you when the SS1 is switched off, restarts or drops off the network, with a Reconnect button

Wizard (first-time setup)

Open ★ Wizard (bottom left of the menu, always visible). It walks a new owner through everything, one step at a time, and remembers where you left off:

1. Pick the SD card from a list (only SD/USB card readers are shown)
2. Choose the Console Mode or Regular image from the latest official release
3. Download, install and verify it (a pop-up confirms before anything is erased)
4. Put the card in the SuperStation and let its installer finish
5. Finish setup over the network (Ethernet) or with the SD card back in this PC
6. WiFi (optional), scripts (SS1 + community), Update All stable lane, Samba, overlap tool check, and ScreenScraper / TheGamesDB (optional)

Dashboard

• Live health of the SS1's Linux side, refreshed every 3 seconds: CPU use and load with the number of cores and threads and a bar for each thread, memory, storage space on the SD card and USB/NVMe drives, network traffic with a download/upload graph, uptime, the current core, running processes (busiest first), and temperature: the dock's NVMe drive (read through the dock every 20 seconds) and any other sensor Linux has
• Kernel log viewer (last 20 to 200 messages) for tracking down controllers, WiFi adapters or drives that keep disconnecting
• Disk activity: read and write speed of the SD card and each USB/NVMe drive, live, so you can see when a drive is busy (a copy, a scan, a game loading)
• Board buses (I2C): the SuperStation's I2C buses and the devices on them, listed only (nothing is read or written)

Setup

One-click fixes and installs, in tabs: Scripts and cores, Update All, PSX SNAC settings, Accounts (Console Mode scraper and RetroAchievements), Samba and cleanup, Sync, MiSTer settings and Flash SD card.

Each item shows its current status on the SS1 (installed, up to date, enabled, running, settings applied).

• Install the SS1 scripts: sd_integrity.sh, shutdown.sh and ss1_debug_report.sh
• Install or update community scripts straight from their authors: Reflex Adapt Manager (MiSTer Addons) and PSX BIOS Patcher (IncognitoMan)
• Enable Samba at boot, so the SD card shows up in Windows as \\IP\sdcard
• Install the latest Update All and set downloader.ini to the MiSTer-devel distribution with update_linux = false, so cores and the menu keep updating while the Linux kernel stays put
• Shows the current Linux update advisory from this repo
• Remove the faulty fix_sd_overlap.sh / exfat_fix_overlap tool, which misreads the correct SS1 partition layout as overlapping (SuperStation-Documentation #14)
• Save your own ScreenScraper login and TheGamesDB API key for Console Mode, with the installed values shown under each field. Console Mode needs all four ScreenScraper keys: your screenscraper.fr username and password, and a developer ID and password (ask for one on the screenscraper.fr forum). Check login asks ScreenScraper whether they work and how many of today's lookups are used; the Wizard asks for all four too
• Install scripts and cores: the SS1 scripts, the community scripts and two MiSTer cores, each installed or updated in _Utility with its own bubble (installed, update available), button and Check for updates (which asks GitHub straight away). SS1 Tool never installs or updates them by itself:
  • Memory card core: the SS1 Memory Card Tool, which Files › Memory cards uses (its bubble and buttons are there too)
  • Controller tester core: the SS1 Controller Tester, which the SNAC controller tester uses (its bubble and buttons are there too)
• PSX SNAC settings: shows and changes the PlayStation core's SNAC options without loading the PSX core: Pad1 and Pad2 (SNAC on the front port, or a USB controller type), SNAC MemCard (real cards in the front ports or card files) and Multitap (SNAC doesn't work while it's on), with presets (real controller and card in port 1, both ports SNAC, all USB). For real controllers in both front ports, SNAC has to be on for port 1 and port 2. Every PSX core on the SS1 (PSX, PSX2XCPU, the RetroAchievements PSX) and Console Mode use one settings file, config/PSX.CFG: SS1 Tool changes only those options, keeps every other setting as it is, and saves a copy in config/ss1tool_backup first. If the PSX core is running, reload it afterwards
• RetroAchievements account: your retroachievements.org login for the RetroAchievements build of MiSTer (by odelot), saved in /media/fat/retroachievements.cfg where that build reads it
  • Shows whether the RetroAchievements build is installed (MiSTer_RA and the [RA_*] main=MiSTer_RA block in MiSTer.ini), which account is saved, and warns if the file still has the build's example login (odelot)
  • Test login checks the username and password with RetroAchievements from the PC, the same way the build logs in, and shows your points
  • Save checks the login first, so a typo is never saved. If RetroAchievements can't be reached, it saves anyway and says the login wasn't checked. Leave the password blank to keep the saved one
  • Only the username= and password= lines are changed; every other setting and comment in the file stays as it is. Remove login clears them
• Sync: keeps your backups, the memory card library, saved SuperStations and USB port labels the same in every copy of SS1 Tool that connects to the SuperStation, on Windows and on Android. The SuperStation holds the shared copy in an SS1Tool_sync folder, so nothing leaves your home network and no account is needed
  • Sync now, and Auto sync on startup (once each time SS1 Tool starts and connects)
  • Store synced files on: the NVMe (the default), a USB drive or the SD card, each with its free space. Migrate moves the sync folder to the drive you pick: it's copied and checked before the old one is removed. Every copy of SS1 Tool uses the drive the folder is on, so your other devices follow by themselves
  • Nothing is overwritten: when both sides have a file with different contents, both are kept, and this device's copy gets "(from )" in its name. For a memory card's card.json, the newer one wins
  • A backup you delete is removed from the shared copy and noted there. Your other devices list it under Deleted on another device instead of sending it back, and remove it only when you tick it and press Remove
  • Saved SuperStations and port labels: the copy that changed them last wins
  • Not synced: SD card backups (too big), screenshots, artwork and passwords (SS1 Tool doesn't store any)

Flash SD Card

• Choose the Console Mode or Regular image from the latest official SuperStation One SD Card Installer release, or use an image file you already have; it's written to the card and read back to verify
• Only card readers are listed: SD, USB and MMC readers, plus built-in laptop readers that Windows reports differently (as removable, or by their card-reader name). The disk Windows runs from is never shown, and nothing bigger than 2.1 TB is offered
• Why isn't my card listed? shows every disk Windows reports, how it's connected, and why each one is or isn't offered, for a quick answer or a support screenshot. The Wizard has the same button
• You must type the disk number to confirm before anything is erased

Reflash without losing anything

Reflashing erases the SD card. This card, at the top of Flash SD card, keeps everything else in three steps:

1. Make a restore point while the SuperStation is connected: everything on the SD card except the games folder is copied to this PC. It starts by measuring the card, which can take a minute or two on a full card; a moving bar and "Getting ready - measuring the SD card" show it's working until copying starts
2. Flash the SD card, then let the SuperStation finish installing
3. Restore: choose a restore point and what to bring back. Saves and save states, core settings and controller mappings, Bluetooth pairings, WiFi, MiSTer settings, the network share (Cifs, including mounting at startup), the RetroAchievements login, Console Mode settings and scraper logins (never the Console Mode program itself), screenshots and Samba are ticked. Update All settings (downloader.ini) and the startup script are left off unless you tick them, because the new card may have newer versions

Only settings and data are restored, never system files. Before anything is replaced, the SuperStation's current copies are saved on this PC (before-restore_<date>), so a restore can be undone. Bluetooth restarts afterwards, the SS1 Tool scripts are reinstalled, and Restart the SuperStation now finishes the job. Any SD card backup can be restored this way, from here or with Restore... in Files → SD card backup

MiSTer Settings

• Edit MiSTer.ini, the video profiles (MiSTer_RGHV.ini, MiSTer_RGsB.ini, MiSTer_SVID.ini, MiSTer_YPbP.ini and any other MiSTer_*.ini), yc.txt, downloader.ini, Console Mode's config.ini and every ini in ConsoleMode/themeconfig, including section_groups
• Backups saved on your PC in a backups folder next to the exe: each backup gets its own folder named after what you type plus the date and time, with category folders inside and the original file names kept
• Back up the selected file or all ini files at once (including the video profiles and yc.txt); Restore all or Restore file for any backup, plus Show in Explorer and Delete
• An automatic backup is taken before every change the tool makes

Video

Everything in Video is based on the SuperStation wiki, the SuperStation documentation and MiSTer's own documentation and source. For some setups those sources disagree; the page marks those spots sources differ, and they'll be updated as issues are reported on GitHub. Please report what works and what doesn't on your setup.

• Taki's video settings, by themselves. The SuperStation has its own video chip for S-Video and composite (a Sony encoder that needs vga_mode=subcarrier), and Taki ships MiSTer.ini plus four video profiles (RGHV, RGsB, SVID, YPbP) set for it. When SS1 Tool connects to a Console Mode SuperStation whose files don't match, it edits just those video lines (vga_mode, composite_sync, vga_sog, video_info, logo) to Taki's settings, adds a missing profile, and renames MiSTer_example.ini to MiSTer_example.ini.txt (MiSTer counts it as a profile and only offers the first three it finds, so it hid one of Taki's). Everything else in each file stays as it was. Copies come first, on the SuperStation (ss1tool_backups/video-ini-<date>) and in Backups on your PC, and a notice says what changed. It happens once per card: after that, your own changes stay. Details: docs/ss1-video.md
• Trying is safe. Every change can be tried: SS1 Tool writes it, restarts MiSTer's menu so it's used straight away, and starts a 35-second countdown on the SuperStation itself. Press Keep if it looks right. If you don't, because the picture is gone, the network dropped or SS1 Tool was closed, the SuperStation puts the old file back and restarts the display by itself. Undo last change steps back through the last ten changes per file, and every change is also backed up on your PC first
• Current settings: every video setting in the file in use, explained in plain words, with what MiSTer does when it isn't set, settings a core-specific section overrides, and a risk label: Safe, Can blank some screens, HDMI only, CRT / analog only, Never on a TV-style CRT, Can stop HDMI sound. ◀ ▶ step through the values and Try applies one
• Setup wizard: HDMI to a TV or monitor, a capture card or scaler, a Direct Video adapter or scaler, a CRT over SCART RGB, PVM/BVM with sync on green, RGB with separate sync, component, S-Video, composite, a VGA PC monitor, or HDMI and a CRT together. Pick NTSC or PAL, the resolution and refresh, and the S-Video/composite encoder, then see every change, the positions of the four switches on the side of the SS1, notes for Console Mode's CRT mode and SCART cables, and where the sources disagree. Choosing PAL warns that every core must be set to PAL as well, or the picture is black and white
• Something looks wrong? No picture over HDMI, blanking when a game starts, black and white, ghosting or banding, green or pink component colours, a rolling picture, edges cut off, shimmering pixels, washed-out or crushed blacks, lag, no HDMI sound, swapped SCART sound, "unknown option" messages on a fresh card: each with the likely cause and fixes to try
• Profiles: MiSTer uses MiSTer.ini plus only the first three MiSTer_*.ini files it finds. The SS1 ships four, so one is never offered by MiSTer; the page shows which, and which profile is in use, and can switch profiles (with the same automatic undo)
• HDMI-CEC (TV remote and power): turn CEC on, let the TV remote work the menu, switch the TV to the SuperStation at power-on, put the TV to sleep and wake it, the CEC clock, the HDMI off timer and the menu's black screen and logo. HDMI-CEC needs MiSTer 20260603 or newer (Console Mode's MiSTer has it too) and a TV with CEC; it's off unless turned on. Games in cores built before May 2026 can't use it while they run

Network

How the SuperStation connects to your network, in tabs: Ethernet, WiFi and Network share (Cifs).

Ethernet

• Shows the SuperStation's wired connection: whether a cable is connected, the link speed and duplex, IP address, subnet mask, gateway, DNS servers, whether the address comes from your router (DHCP) or is set manually, and the MAC address
• Marks the connection used for the internet and the one SS1 Tool is connected through
• Counts data, errors and link drops since the SuperStation started, and flags a slow or half-duplex link. Errors and drops usually mean a damaged cable or a bad router port
• With no cable connected, it says how the SuperStation is online instead (for example through WiFi) and why a cable helps: it's faster and more reliable for playing games from a network share and for big copies
• Built-in ports and USB Ethernet adapters are both shown. Any address range works, including setups that don't use 192.168.x.x
• Port and router speed (ethtool): the fastest speed the SuperStation's port supports and the fastest the router or switch offers, so a slow link can be traced to the cable, the router or the port

WiFi

• Creates the SuperStation One's WiFi settings file, linux/wpa_supplicant.conf, in the same format as MiSTer's _wpa_supplicant.conf template
• Scans for networks with this PC's WiFi adapter, showing signal, security and band (2.4/5/6 GHz), or type the name for a hidden network
• Password and country entry; the password is never stored by SS1 Tool
• Option A, SD card in this PC: writes the file straight to the SS1's SD card in your card reader
• Option B, over the network: sends the file to an SS1 temporarily connected by Ethernet, then restarts it onto WiFi, showing the new WiFi IP
• Keeps a .bak copy of any existing WiFi file
• Connection quality: the network the SuperStation is on, its signal (dBm, with a Good / Fair / Weak rating), band, channel and link speed, as the SuperStation itself sees it
• Nearby networks: what the SuperStation's WiFi adapter can hear, strongest first, with signal, band and channel, to pick a less crowded channel or check whether the SS1 is too far from the router

Network share (Cifs)

Play games straight from a shared folder on a NAS or PC, using MiSTer's own cifs_mount.sh and cifs_umount.sh scripts from MiSTer-devel/Scripts_MiSTer.

• Status: the installed script versions (compared with the newest on GitHub), CIFS support in the SuperStation's Linux, where the settings are kept, whether the share is mounted at startup, and what's mounted where
• Install scripts / Update scripts downloads the newest cifs_mount.sh and cifs_umount.sh to /media/fat/Scripts. Settings that were typed into an old cifs_mount.sh are moved to cifs_mount.ini first, so updating never loses them
• Share settings: server, share name, a folder inside the share, user name and password (or guest access), domain, where to mount the share, extra mount options with an SMB version picker, mount at startup and wait for the server. They're saved to /media/fat/Scripts/cifs_mount.ini in the format the scripts read
• Where to mount: /media/fat/cifs (recommended, MiSTer checks it before /media/fat/games), another folder name, folders matching the share's (for example games|Scripts), or every folder on the share (*)
• Test connection checks each step with your unsaved settings and explains what's wrong in plain words: the server name can't be found, the server doesn't answer, file sharing isn't reachable, the user name or password is refused, or the share doesn't exist. If the default SMB version fails it tries 3.0, 2.1, 2.0 and 1.0 and tells you which one works. It then lists what's on the share and whether it has a games folder
• Mount now, Unmount, Unmount all CIFS run the scripts with their output shown live in the progress card. For a new setup you don't need to install anything first: if the scripts are missing, or older than 2.2.0 (the first version that reads cifs_mount.ini as plain settings and mounts at startup through user-startup.sh), Mount now installs the newest ones before mounting
• Mount at startup uses the same managed entry in linux/user-startup.sh that cifs_mount.sh itself writes, so the app and the script always agree. The last startup mount log (/tmp/cifs_mount.log) is shown
• Games on the share: each system folder found on the share, and which copy MiSTer actually uses. MiSTer checks /media/fat/<system>, then USB and NVMe drives, then /media/fat/cifs, then /media/fat/games, so a system folder on the NVMe drive is flagged when it hides the share's copy
• The password is written to cifs_mount.ini on the SD card in plain text, because that's how the scripts read it. SS1 Tool doesn't keep it; each save keeps a copy of the previous cifs_mount.ini in backups\cifs\ next to SS1Tool.exe

No NAS? Share a folder from this PC (Windows)

For players without a NAS or an NVMe drive: keep your games on your PC, so a failed or reflashed SD card never costs you your collection or a day of copying.

• Share this folder sets everything up after one Windows permission prompt:
  • creates the folder (default C:\SS1_Games) and, if you like, games\<system> folders for NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, GBC, GBA, Genesis, Sega CD, 32X, Master System, Saturn, PC Engine, PC Engine CD, Neo Geo, PlayStation, Jaguar and WonderSwan
  • creates a Windows account just for the SuperStation with a password that never expires, hidden from the Windows sign-in screen. Choose the account name (default ss1user) and password yourself, or leave the password empty for a random 20-character one. Passwords need at least 8 characters and no commas, spaces or backslashes, because MiSTer's cifs_mount.sh can't pass those on
  • SS1 Tool only ever changes or removes accounts it created itself: it refuses Windows' built-in accounts, the account you're signed in with, and any other existing account. Changing the account name later removes the old SS1 Tool account
  • gives that account access to that folder only, and shares the folder (default share name ROMS) for that account only
  • makes sure Windows file sharing (the Server service) is running and starts with Windows
  • allows file sharing through the firewall from your local network, on private networks only. If Windows has your network set to Public, it offers to set it to Private, because Windows blocks file sharing on Public networks
• Then it finds this PC's address on the SuperStation's network and fills in the Cifs settings: server, share, ss1user and the password, mounted at /media/fat/cifs and at every startup. With Set up the SuperStation and mount the share now ticked, it mounts the share straight away
• Status shows the share, folder, account, firewall rule, file sharing service and network type, and warns if this PC's address changed since the SuperStation was set up. Share this folder again fixes that and anything else that's missing
• Remove share from this PC unmounts the share on the SuperStation, then removes the share, the ss1user account and the firewall rule. Your game files stay where they are
• Keep the PC switched on and awake while you play

Files

In tabs: File manager, Saves, Backup to NVMe, SD card backup, MiSTer & Linux backups, Screenshots, Artwork and Memory cards. Each tab loads the first time you open it.

File manager

• Two-pane file manager with a drive picker on each side
• Copy and move between the SD card and the NVMe/USB drive; the copy runs on the SS1 itself, so nothing goes through your PC
• Upload, download (folders as zip), rename, delete and create folders; system folders are protected

Saves

• Back up and restore game saves and save states for every supported system, kept on this PC in backups\saves\<name>_<date-time>\ next to SS1Tool.exe
• Supported systems:
  • Sega: Genesis / Mega Drive, Master System, Game Gear, SG-1000, Sega CD / Mega CD, 32X, Saturn
  • Nintendo: NES / Famicom Disk System, SNES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Super Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Virtual Boy, Pokemon mini
  • NEC: PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine CD / TurboGrafx-CD
  • Atari: Jaguar
  • SNK: Neo Geo (MVS / AES), Neo Geo CD, Neo Geo Pocket / Color
  • Sony: PlayStation
  • Bandai: WonderSwan / Color
• Finds saves (saves/<core>) and save states (savestates/<core>) on the SD card and on any USB or NVMe drive, and lists them by system with the number of files, size and when each system was last saved
• Files shows every save and save state of a system, with a download button for each
• Tick the systems to back up, give the backup a name if you like, and choose whether to include save states
• Restore a whole backup or only the systems you tick. Saves with the same name are replaced and every other save is left alone. The current saves for those systems are backed up on this PC first
• Backup and restore run with a progress bar, the current step, files and megabytes copied, elapsed time and a log
• Exit the game to the menu before backing up or restoring: a running game writes its save when it exits
• Nightly saves backup: the SuperStation copies saves and save states to an NVMe/USB drive every night at the hour you choose (SS1_backup/saves/<weekday> on the drive, one copy per day, the last 7 days kept). It runs on the SuperStation with its built-in cron, keeps working after a restart and needs no PC; it runs while the SuperStation is switched on. Turning it off removes everything SS1 Tool added
• The saves list refreshes by itself when a game writes a save

SD Backup

• Backs up everything on the SD card except the games folder to this PC: settings, saves, cores, Scripts, Console Mode, linux and so on. Mounted network shares (Cifs) are skipped too, so a backup never copies your NAS
• Saved in backups\sdcard\<name>_<date-time>\ next to SS1Tool.exe (with every other backup; SD card backups made before 1.28.20 in backup\sdcard are moved there by themselves), with the same folders and file names as on the card, plus a _backup_info.txt summary. Links, and files with names Windows doesn't allow (for example with : or ?), can't be stored on a PC: they're skipped and listed in _backup_info.txt instead of stopping the backup
• Progress bar, cancel, and a list of backups with Restore..., Open folder and Delete. Restore uses the same choices as Reflash without losing anything
• System areas: every SD backup also saves the card's partition table, its first sector (MBR) and MiSTer's bootloader partition (type a2) in _system\, with a README on how to restore them, so a card can be rebuilt exactly
• Back up to the NVMe/USB drive: the SuperStation copies the SD card (except the games folder) to SS1_backup/sdcard on a drive in the dock with rsync. No PC needed while it runs, and later backups copy only what changed. The system areas go to SS1_backup/system

Screenshots

• Take a screenshot of whatever is running on the SuperStation from your PC, with an optional name and an option for the scaled picture as shown on the TV. It's saved on the SS1 and copied to backups\screenshots\<core>\ next to SS1Tool.exe
• Two cards, On this PC and On the SD card, each with a scrolling list and a built-in viewer
• On this PC: show in folder, open full size, delete. On the SD card: copy one or all to this PC, open full size, delete from the SD card
• Works while a game or core is running; the MiSTer menu and Console Mode's own screens can't be captured
• New screenshots taken on the SuperStation (with the controller or keyboard) appear in the list by themselves

MiSTer & Linux backups

• A copy of every version of the parts an update replaces, so you can go back if an update breaks something: MiSTer (the main program), the menu core (menu.rbf), Linux (zImage_dtb and linux.img), and Console Mode's own program files (MiSTer_ConsoleMode, menu_ConsoleMode.rbf, ConsoleMode_arm)
• Checked each time SS1 Tool connects (and with Check now). A version it hasn't saved before is copied to backups\mister-linux\ on this PC and checked; the same version is never saved twice. A copy that didn't finish is thrown away and made again next time
• Versions are shown the way you know them: MiSTer's build date, Linux's version, Console Mode's version
• A few small Linux settings files (network, host name, SSH settings and keys) are saved alongside Linux, and can be put back one at a time
• Put back saves the version in use first (so it can be undone), copies the saved one over, checks it, swaps it in and restarts the SuperStation
• Nothing is ever deleted unless you tick it and press Delete ticked
• Synced to your other copies of SS1 Tool. On Android it can be turned off for that phone only
• Console Mode updates are kept. Console Mode puts its previous version back if it restarts a few times before it has confirmed an update works. Before SS1 Tool restarts, shuts down or reloads the menu, and each time it connects, it checks for an update that's still waiting: when the new Console Mode is running, SS1 Tool confirms it the same way Console Mode does (and notes it in Console Mode's own update.log), so the update stays. When Console Mode isn't running, nothing is confirmed and you're asked first. Console Mode's own backups are left where they are

Artwork (Console Mode)

• An external artwork scraper for Console Mode, run on this PC instead of on the SuperStation. Find my games reads the systems Console Mode knows (from its own section files on the SS1) and the games in their folders on the SD card and on USB/NVMe drives. BIOS files are skipped
• Download artwork for the systems you tick from libretro (free, no account), or TheGamesDB / ScreenScraper with the accounts saved in Setup › Console Mode scraper accounts, the same sources and system lists Console Mode uses. Box art, backgrounds or both, optionally only for games without art. ScreenScraper is checked before the first game, the way Console Mode does it: a missing key is named, and a refused developer ID, a refused login, a used-up day and maintenance each get their own message. Three failed searches in a row stop the run
• Translated titles find the original: the same subtitle under another main title ("Demon Child Zenki" / "Kishin Douji Zenki - Battle Raiden"), most of the telling words ("Mysterious Dungeon 2 - Shiren" / "Fushigi no Dungeon 2 - Fuurai no Shiren"), or one letter spelt differently ("Nankoku" / "Nangoku"). Ports ("Super Mario Bros. (SNES Port)") get the original game's art from the NES lists
• Art is saved exactly the way Console Mode does it: media/<game>.png and media/<game>-BG.png next to the games (a game in its own folder uses the folder's name), and for pictures bigger than 512x512 an optimized copy in media/optimized/ (fitted inside 512x512, JPEG quality 90, like Console Mode's Optimize Artwork)
• Everything is built in scrapes\ next to SS1Tool.exe with the same folders as on the SuperStation, so the art can be put back after a reflash without downloading it again. The downloaded originals are kept in scrapes\_originals
• Games are recognised by what's in them, not only by their file names: cartridges by their checksum (the same way No-Intro lists them, with copier headers skipped), PlayStation and Saturn discs by their disc code (.cue/.bin and .chd). The official name is looked up in libretro's own game lists, so a renamed file still gets the right art. Fan versions (Restoration, Fastrom, translations, hacks) get the art of the game they're based on, and names written differently (another region's subtitle, "Langrisser, Der") are matched too. Results shows how each game was found
• Results lists every game by system with its art. For patched, translated or modded games that weren't found, type a simpler name (for example the original game's), search, and pick the cover; or upload your own picture as box art or background. The art is saved under your game's own name, copied to the SuperStation straight away, and your game files are never renamed
• Install copies only new or changed pictures to the SuperStation, then reloads Console Mode so the new art shows (or press Reload Console Mode)
• Clean up finds art for games that are no longer there, and can remove all backgrounds (Console Mode turns background downloads back on at every start). Only pictures in media folders are ever deleted, after you see the list
• Stop ends a download straight away, including the pictures already being downloaded
• Windows only

Memory cards

• Back up the PlayStation memory card in the SuperStation's front port 1 (SNAC) to this PC. SS1 Tool starts the SS1 Memory Card Tool core, which reads all 1024 sectors (retrying any that come back broken) while a live map of the card fills in on the TV and on the page
• A library on this PC: every card has its own folder in memcards\ next to SS1Tool.exe, with one raw 128 KB .mcd file per version (PC emulators open them too). Nothing is ever overwritten: each backup or change is a new version. A card that's backed up again is recognised by its saves
• Each card shows its saves with their icon, title, game code, region and blocks. Copy or move ticked saves to another card in the library, remove them, download one save (.mcs) or a whole card (.mcd), make a new blank card, rename or delete
• Copy ticked saves to the card in front port 1: SS1 Tool backs the card up first (step 1 of 2, nothing is written yet), adds the saves to that copy, and the core writes only the sectors that change and reads each one back (step 2 of 2). If the card already has that save, you're asked whether to overwrite it. Put a whole card version on the card in front port 1 works the same way
• Check the card against any card in the library, sector by sector
• Asks before starting, says what closes on the SuperStation, and goes back to Console Mode (or MiSTer's menu, if Console Mode isn't installed) a few seconds after a job that worked. If the core itself fails, it stays on the TV so you can see why. Stop closes the core at any time
• The core is installed from Setup › Install scripts and cores (or the button on this page); SS1 Tool never installs it by itself
• On a dock, set the SNAC Bypass switch to Disabled. PC only

Devices

In tabs: USB devices, Bluetooth and Controllers.

USB Devices

• Separate SuperStation and Dock cards: the console's own sockets and built-in parts (such as the WiFi/Bluetooth card), and the dock's sockets, NVMe slot and the TV remote receiver. Shows whether the dock is connected, plus a card for the USB host controllers
• For each device: name and maker, its type (controller, keyboard, mouse, storage, IR remote receiver, WiFi/Bluetooth adapter, USB serial adapter and so on), hardware ID (vendor:product), USB class, speed, driver, and its port number, which always refers to the same physical socket
• How it shows up to the MiSTer: controller, keyboard or mouse, with its number of buttons, keys and axes, D-pad and rumble support
• Bluetooth controllers are listed too, and virtual devices (such as SS1 Tool's Remote keyboard and controller) are shown separately so they aren't mistaken for real hardware
• Name your sockets (e.g. Back left, Front, Dock 1): the name sticks to that physical socket, and named sockets show as empty when nothing is plugged in
• Recognizes the dock's built-in NVMe slot, CD/DVD drive and TV remote receiver (pico_ir_keyboard by TinyUSB, which shows up as a keyboard and mouse), and notes that the SNAC ports (front, and the dock port labeled SNAC) aren't USB
• USB drives show their size and where they're mounted; recent USB connection errors from the kernel log are listed, tagged Dock or SuperStation

Bluetooth

• Lists every paired Bluetooth device (controllers first) with connected, paired and trusted status, its ID, and for controllers which button mapping MiSTer uses
• Disconnect, Trust / Untrust (trusted controllers reconnect on their own) and Remove pairing per device, or Remove all pairings
• Back up all pairings to backups\bluetooth\<name>_<date-time>\ on this PC and restore them, for example after reflashing the SD card. A backup is always saved first before anything is removed or replaced
• Export one pairing or all of them to a zip, and Import a zip exported by SS1 Tool
• Start pairing (sends F11 to the MiSTer menu) and Restart Bluetooth
• Progress for backup, restore, export, import and removing pairings: a progress bar, the current step (for example Step 4 of 6: Stopping Bluetooth), files copied, elapsed time and a log. It stays on screen while the operation runs, and the other Bluetooth buttons are locked until it finishes

Controllers

• For each connected controller (USB or Bluetooth): whether it uses a custom mapping (set with Define joystick buttons in the MiSTer menu, including which cores have their own) or MiSTer's automatic mapping from its controller database, with Reset to automatic
• Lists the mapping files on the SD card (/media/fat/config/inputs) and your own controller profiles (linux/gamecontrollerdb/gamecontrollerdb_user.txt): which controller, which core, what kind
• Back up mappings and profiles to backups\controller-maps\<name>_<date-time>\ on this PC, restore any backup, or delete them all from the SD card. A backup is always saved first before anything is replaced or removed

Remote

• On-screen controller: D-pad, A/B/X/Y, Select, Start and OSD, with hold-to-press
• Remote keyboard: on-screen keys and live key capture
• Reload the menu, reboot, safe shutdown, open an SSH terminal or the Samba share
• Reboot flushes storage first, then restarts the SuperStation the same way MiSTer's own Reboot does (the FPGA core is reset too), so it comes back up instead of sitting on a black screen
• Safe shutdown shows the same Shutting down and SAFE TO POWER OFF screens on the TV whichever front end is running:
  • Console Mode: the screens are drawn over the Console Mode UI, which is paused so it can't draw over them
  • MiSTer mode: SS1 Tool switches the TV to MiSTer's Linux screen first (going back to the menu core if a game is running, then pressing F9) and checks the switch worked before the screens are drawn. It checks this through the SS1 Tool virtual keyboard: MiSTer releases keyboards only while its Linux screen is showing
  • If the TV can't show them (for example fb_terminal=0 in MiSTer.ini), the shutdown still runs and SS1 Tool tells you to wait 15 seconds before switching off

Diag

In tabs: SD diagnostics, Power, BIOS and game folders, Debug report, USB controller tester and SNAC controller tester.

Power

• Power watch: a power adapter that can't keep up resets the SuperStation instantly under load, with no crash, no error and no log. The power watch is a small script on the SuperStation (opt in, Install power watch) that notices heavy work that started and never finished with no normal restart in between: Update All, MiSTer's downloader, Console Mode's updater, backups to the NVMe drive and SD card backups to a PC, file system checks
• It checks at start-up, then looks every 10 seconds at the lowest priority, and sleeps while a game or core runs. Switching off while nothing heavy is running is never counted
• SS1 Tool reads the events each time it connects and keeps its own record on this PC (backups\power\events.json), so nothing is lost if the card is reflashed. After 3, it warns from the tray and with a banner in the app, and explains what helps
• Remove power watch removes the script, its start-up line and its files

SD Diagnostics

• Check file system / Repair file system (NVMe and USB drives): unmounts the drive, runs the SuperStation's own checker for its file system (fsck.exfat, fsck.vfat, e2fsck or ntfsfix) and mounts it again exactly as it was. Check changes nothing; Repair asks first. The SS1's exFAT tools (exfatprogs 1.0.4) can only fix simple exFAT problems; SS1 Tool says so and points to chkdsk on a PC when they can't. A network share session (a PC with the SS1's share open) is closed for the check, and Windows reconnects by itself. If anything else is using the drive (a game, a core or Console Mode reading it), it isn't touched and SS1 Tool lists what's using it: go back to the main menu and try again. The SD card can't be repaired while the SuperStation runs from it, so SS1 Tool tells you to run chkdsk X: /f on a PC instead
• Repair the SD card offline (Console Mode): the SD card can't be repaired while the SuperStation runs from it, so SS1 Tool puts a copy of the SuperStation's own MiSTer Linux on a USB or NVMe drive (exFAT, 1 GB free; about 400 MB in ss1tool/rescue, nothing else on the drive changes) and a few lines in the SD card's linux/u-boot.txt that do nothing until you ask. Restart and repair starts that copy after a warm restart: it repairs the SD card with fsck.exfat while nothing is using it and starts the SuperStation again, into Console Mode. The TV stays dark for that minute; SS1 Tool shows the result when it connects again. Every other start-up stays exactly as it is. No NVMe drive: it tells you to plug in a USB drive; when the repair drive is missing but another drive is plugged in, it offers that one instead. Turn off offline repair takes the lines and the copy away. The scripts are sd_offline_repair.sh and sd_offline_repair_boot.sh in /media/fat/Scripts/.ss1tool/sdrepair/.
• Drive guard (on by default; Diag > SD diagnostics): MiSTer numbers USB drives in the order they come up, so a USB stick that comes up before the dock's NVMe drive used to take /media/usb0 and move the games drive to usb1, and every full path kept for it (Console Mode's lists, MiSTer's recent files and favourites, MGLs, Zaparoo cards) then pointed at the wrong drive. Drive guard keeps the games drive at /media/usb0 (swapping with whatever took it, unless that drive is in use) and keeps the repair drive out of the drive list, read-only at /media/repair, so Update All's downloader and other tools don't put games on it. It runs as MiSTer mounts each drive and again at every start-up (which also puts it back after a MiSTer Linux update). The script is ss1_drives.sh in /media/fat/Scripts/.ss1tool/drives/; Turn off removes it.
• NVMe Gen 3 / Gen 4: PCIe Gen 3 NVMe drives are safe in the SS1 dock; Gen 4 (and newer) drives cause sudden reboots, boot and file system problems. SS1 Tool reads the drive's own model name and rated maximum power (through the dock's JMicron bridge, with a read-only Identify command, the same one smartmontools uses) and checks the model against its drive list. It warns when you connect with a Gen 4 drive, shows each drive's model, power and generation in System status, and includes the check in the Quick check of a USB/NVMe drive, the NVMe Gen 3 / Gen 4 button and the debug report. Drives rated above 7 W get a high power warning whatever their generation
  • A drive that isn't in the list shows PCIe gen unknown with Look it up (a web search for the model) and Report this drive, which opens a GitHub form with the model, firmware and power filled in. Reported drives are added to drive_list.txt; SS1 Tool downloads the newest list twice a day, so new drives are recognised without an update (the built-in copy is used offline)
• Quick check: partition table and overlap (GPT drives, such as an NVMe formatted on Windows, are checked through their GPT header), exFAT boot region checksums, kernel I/O errors. USB resets only count as errors when they hit a storage device (NVMe dock, USB drive, card reader); a reset of WiFi, Bluetooth or a controller during start-up is normal and shown as information. Real USB power or cable trouble (over-current, failed enumeration) is shown as a warning
• "Will Windows complain?": checks whether the exFAT dirty flag clears, which is what makes Windows offer to scan the card
• Deep scans: read every file, full surface read, and a write/verify test that detects failing or fake-capacity cards
• NVMe health: reads the drive's own health log through the dock (temperature, percentage of its rated life used, spare blocks, media errors, unsafe shutdowns, power-on hours, data read and written), read-only. Temperature, wear and health also show in System status
• Read speed test: times reading from the drive or SD card for about 3 seconds with hdparm (nothing is written) and explains the result: the SuperStation's USB is USB 2.0, so about 30-40 MB/s is the most any drive reaches

BIOS and game folders

Uses the same databases as Update All: ajgowans' BIOS Database (the exact path, size and checksum of each BIOS file) and the MiSTer distribution (the official games/<system> folder names). SS1 Tool only checks; Update All's BIOS Database option installs missing BIOS files.

• Patched BIOS files are recognised: PSX BIOS files patched for GameID (jdfr228's patches, applied by the PSX BIOS Patcher script, for memory cards that support GameID) show as a blue Patched (GameID) instead of a different-version warning, with which patch and BIOS model they are
• For every system you have games folders for: the folder MiSTer actually uses (USB and NVMe drives come before the SD card, then the network share) and its BIOS status: Ready, Different version (may still work), BIOS missing, or BIOS in the wrong folder
• Wrong folder catches a common problem: a BIOS on the SD card is ignored when the same system also has a games folder on the NVMe drive, because MiSTer uses that one. The check says where the BIOS is and where it needs to be
• Systems that can't start without a BIOS (PlayStation, Saturn, Sega CD, PC Engine CD, Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, Jaguar, N64, 3DO, CD-i) are flagged when it's missing; for the rest a missing BIOS is optional
• Also flags systems with games in two places, where MiSTer uses only one of them. Empty duplicate folders aren't flagged, since they hide nothing
• Problems are listed first; systems that need no BIOS fold into a Show more link. Files opens a system's BIOS list instantly, without checking again

Debug Report

• One click collects versions, configs, Console Mode and themeconfig files, game library layout, storage health, USB devices and logs into a single text file for Taki and the mods
• Starts with an automatic FINDINGS summary of known problems, including a MiSTer program too old for the settings in MiSTer.ini, video profiles MiSTer can't see, no fixed HDMI resolution, and 31 kHz VGA output that would harm a TV-style CRT
• A VIDEO section lists the profiles in MiSTer's order, the profile in use, the video settings in each file, the HDMI-CEC settings and the MiSTer program's version
• Passwords, keys, tokens, WiFi names and MAC addresses are redacted
• A Save As window lets you store it anywhere

Controller tester

Shows what every controller on the SuperStation is pressing, live, without loading a core or a test ROM. SS1 Tool only watches: it reads the button and stick state Linux keeps for each controller, so the controllers keep working in MiSTer and Console Mode while you test.

• USB controllers: wired controllers and wireless ones through a USB dongle, on the SuperStation or its dock, plus Bluetooth controllers paired with the SuperStation. Plugging one in or switching it on shows it within a couple of seconds
• SNAC controllers (front ports 1 and 2): everything for the front ports is on one card:
  • SNAC on both ports: switches for SNAC on port 1, SNAC on port 2 and real memory cards in the PSX core, saved without loading the PSX core (the same settings as Setup › PSX SNAC settings)
  • Start controller test loads the SS1 Controller Tester core, which reads both front ports; nothing is read until it's running, and while it runs nothing you press reaches Console Mode or MiSTer's menu. Stop (or leaving the page) brings the menu back. The TV shows the test for both ports too
  • Show picks port 1 or port 2. Analog controllers (DualShock, or a wireless receiver acting as one) are switched to analog mode by the core, so the sticks and L3/R3 show; it asks again every second while a pad stays digital, for receivers whose controller pairs late
  • The controller is drawn as a DualShock, with an ANALOG light where the PS button would be: red while the controller is in analog mode, off in digital mode (sticks not sent). A PlayStation port has no PS or Home button; a controller's own Home or star button never reaches it
  • Pills show the controller type and ID, whether the sticks are on, and whether there's a memory card in that port
  • The core bubble, Update core and Check for updates are next to Start, and a How to use list walks through it: SNAC Bypass switch on Disabled, core installed, start, pick the port, stop
• Each controller is drawn on a mock controller: green = it has that input, red = it doesn't have it, yellow = pressed or moved now. The USB card only draws the inputs the controller actually has. Sticks move with the real stick, analog triggers fill as you press them, and inputs the mock doesn't show are listed below it with the raw axis values
• Controllers are identified with the controller database MiSTer uses (SDL's GameControllerDB in linux/gamecontrollerdb, including your own gamecontrollerdb_user.txt), so the buttons land where they physically are. Controllers that aren't in it use the standard Linux button names, and the card says so
• Show as picks the mock controller: Automatic (picked from the controller's name, its maker's USB ID, then the buttons it has), modern pads (Generic with every input, Xbox-style, PlayStation DualShock, Switch Pro-style), retro pads (NES, SNES, PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16, Genesis / Mega Drive 3- and 6-button, Neo Geo CD, Jaguar, Saturn, PlayStation digital, N64, Dreamcast, GameCube) and fight pads and sticks (6-button and 8-button fight pads, leverless / all-button controllers like Haute42 and Hit Box, 8-button and 6-button arcade sticks). The choice is remembered
• The tester only runs while it's on screen

About

• Links to the Taki Udon Discord and the official SuperStation One documentation and wiki
• Seasonal mode: pick Yer a wizard (a hall full of floating candles that drift, flicker and fade in and out, so the app keeps showing through), Oi to the world (falling snowflakes), Wow (a see-through night sky with twinkling stars, a meteor shower every few minutes and, more rarely, a soft aurora that fades in for half a minute to a minute) or Off. Tick Always on, or Seasonal to show it only in its months: candles in October and November, snow from November to March, the night sky from March to August. It stays hidden if animations are turned off in Windows.

Updates

• Update status: this version, the newest release on GitHub and when it was last checked. Up to date shows green; an update shows yellow, both here and as a pill in the header that opens this card
• What's new: the release notes of the newer version, shown before you update
• Update and restart: downloads SS1Tool.exe from the f3bandit/ss1_tool releases, checks it against the SHA-256 GitHub lists for the file, swaps it in next to the running copy and restarts. The browser window switches to the new version by itself, and a message confirms the update. If the new copy doesn't start, the old one is put back
• Automatic updates (About → Updates):
  • Install updates automatically: the new version downloads in the background, then a bar at the top counts down 15 seconds before restarting. Not now puts it off; install it from About when you're ready
  • Tell me when there's an update (default): when SS1 Tool starts and there's a newer version, a bar at the top offers it: Update now, What's new (opens the release notes) or Not now. Not now hides the bar until SS1 Tool next starts; the header pill stays
  • Don't check for updates: no update checks at all
• SS1 Tool checks when it starts and every 6 hours. An update never starts while a backup, restore, copy between drives, Bluetooth operation, network share operation or SD card download or flash is running
• SS1 Tool updates itself only if it can write to its own folder. If it's somewhere protected like Program Files, it says so; download the new version from the release page instead, or move SS1 Tool to a folder you own

Windows app

• SS1 Tool runs as a normal Windows program: no console window
• It opens in its own window (using Microsoft Edge's app mode, built into Windows 10 and 11), with the SS1 icon on its taskbar button. About → Window can switch it to your default browser instead
• Closing the window keeps SS1 Tool running, with its icon in the notification area by the clock, so long jobs like backups can finish and alerts still reach you. Windows 11 hides new icons behind the ^ arrow; SS1 Tool asks Windows once to keep its icon visible (if you hide it later, Windows keeps your choice)
• Click the icon to bring up the SS1 Tool window, or open one if none is open. Right-click it for:
  • Open SS1 Tool
  • Start with Windows: a checkmark you can turn on or off. It starts SS1 Tool quietly with Windows, with just its icon by the clock and no window
  • Exit: the way to close SS1 Tool completely. If something is still running, it asks first
• Linux update alerts: SS1 Tool checks the Linux update advisory every 30 minutes, also while its window is closed, and shows a Windows notification when it changes to "use caution" or "not recommended" (and when it's safe again). Click the notification to open Setup
• Only one copy and one window: starting SS1 Tool again, clicking its icon by the clock, or using its taskbar button's menu brings the open window to the front (restoring it if it's minimized) instead of opening another one. A new window opens only when none is open
• The exe carries proper Windows details: its icon at every size, the product name, publisher and version that Explorer and Task Manager show, and an application manifest
• If SS1 Tool can't start, it says why in a Windows message box

Getting started

1. Download SS1Tool.exe from the latest release.
2. Run it. Windows SmartScreen will warn because the exe is unsigned: click More info → Run anyway.
3. A console window opens along with the tool in your web browser.
4. New SuperStation or fresh SD card? Click ★ Wizard at the bottom left and follow the steps. It covers everything below too.
5. Otherwise, enter your SS1's IP address and click Connect. You can find the IP at the bottom of the MiSTer main menu or in Console Mode's network settings.
6. Click Save as device so next time it's one click.

Closing the window keeps SS1 Tool running by the clock. To close it completely, right-click its icon by the clock and choose Exit.

Requirements

• Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
• The SuperStation One on the same network as your PC
• The SSH terminal buttons need Windows' built-in OpenSSH client (Settings → Apps → Optional features → OpenSSH Client)
• Flashing an SD card needs administrator rights; the tool offers to restart itself as administrator

Using the scripts without the app

The SS1 scripts also work on their own. Copy them to /media/fat/Scripts/ and run them from the MiSTer Scripts menu with a controller, or over SSH:

ssh -t root@<SS1-IP> "bash /media/fat/Scripts/sd_integrity.sh"

Script	What it does
sd_integrity.sh	Controller-driven menu of storage checks for the SD card or NVMe. Results are logged to /media/fat/sd_integrity.log.
shutdown.sh	Flushes all writes, marks the drives clean where possible, shows SAFE TO POWER OFF and halts. It doesn't stop Bluetooth, which avoids the RememberPowered problem from Scripts_MiSTer #36.
ss1_debug_report.sh	Writes /media/fat/SS1_debug_report_<date>.txt for support requests.

Running them from Console Mode: Console Mode hides the script terminal while a script runs. When the scripts detect that, they draw their messages straight onto the screen instead, using a small helper that SS1 Tool installs in Scripts/.ss1tool/ss1fb:

• shutdown.sh shows Shutting down, then SAFE TO POWER OFF with each drive's state.
• ss1_debug_report.sh shows its progress, then the report's file name and findings for 20 seconds.
• sd_integrity.sh runs the quick check and the "Will Windows complain?" check, and shows the results for 30 seconds. Use the MiSTer Scripts menu or SS1 Tool for the full menu.

sd_integrity.sh also has a non-interactive mode:

bash /media/fat/Scripts/sd_integrity.sh --run quick|windows|partition|boot|kernel [/media/fat|/media/usb0]

Where things are stored

What	Where
Settings and saved devices	%APPDATA%\SS1Tool\config.json (and sync_last.json, what was there at the last sync, next to it)
SD card backups	backups\sdcard\<name>_<date-time>\ next to SS1Tool.exe
Screenshots	backups\screenshots\<core>\ next to SS1Tool.exe
Previous cifs_mount.ini files (contain the share password)	backups\cifs\ next to SS1Tool.exe
Save backups	backups\saves\<name>_<date-time>\ next to SS1Tool.exe
Artwork for Console Mode	scrapes\ next to SS1Tool.exe (originals in scrapes\_originals; what each game was recognised as in scrapes\_ident.json, libretro's game lists in scrapes\_lists)
MiSTer & Linux backups	backups\mister-linux\<part>\<version>\ next to SS1Tool.exe, with history.log
Power watch record	backups\power\events.json next to SS1Tool.exe
Memory card library	memcards\<card name>\<date_time>.mcd next to SS1Tool.exe
Bluetooth pairing backups	backups\bluetooth\<name>_<date-time>\ next to SS1Tool.exe
Controller mapping backups	backups\controller-maps\<name>_<date-time>\ next to SS1Tool.exe
ini backups	backups\ next to SS1Tool.exe, e.g. backups\before_video_changes_2026-10-03_15-42-08\MiSTer\MiSTer.ini. Categories: MiSTer (MiSTer.ini, the MiSTer_*.ini video profiles and yc.txt), Downloader, ConsoleMode, ConsoleMode\themeconfig, ConsoleMode\themeconfig\section_groups
Downloaded SD installer images	%LOCALAPPDATA%\SS1Tool\images\
Debug reports	Wherever you choose in the Save As window
On the SS1	Scripts in /media/fat/Scripts/, the Console Mode screen helper in /media/fat/Scripts/.ss1tool/; the keyboard helper runs from /tmp (RAM) and is gone after a reboot; the copies Video's Undo uses (up to ten per file) in /media/fat/config/ss1tool/video_undo/; the memory card core and the controller tester core in /media/fat/_Utility/, their job and report files in /media/fat/games/SS1_MemCard/ and /media/fat/games/SS1_Controller_Tester/; copies of PSX.CFG from before each PSX SNAC settings change in /media/fat/config/ss1tool_backup/; Sync's shared copy in SS1Tool_sync/ on the drive picked in Setup › Sync (the NVMe unless you choose another); the power watch in /media/fat/Scripts/.ss1tool/power/ (started from linux/user-startup.sh); the artwork game reader ss1ident in /media/fat/Scripts/.ss1tool/

Privacy and security

• The app only listens on 127.0.0.1 (your own PC), and every request needs a random session token.
• Find my SuperStation only connects to port 22 on your local network to read each device's SSH greeting and name; it never tries to sign in.
• No telemetry, no accounts, no cloud services. The only internet access is to GitHub, to read the Linux update advisory, check for and download SS1 Tool updates, download Update All, the SD installer and the CIFS scripts, and read the BIOS and MiSTer distribution databases for the BIOS check and libretro's game lists for artwork, to TheGamesDB, to test an API key you enter, and to retroachievements.org, to check a RetroAchievements login you enter.
• Saved devices store the name, IP and user only, never the password.
• Share a folder from this PC creates a local Windows account (default ss1user) that can only open that one folder. Its password is written only to the SS1's cifs_mount.ini; SS1 Tool doesn't keep it. Remove share from this PC deletes the account.
• The CIFS share password is written only to your SS1, in /media/fat/Scripts/cifs_mount.ini, because MiSTer's cifs_mount.sh needs it there. Copies of earlier cifs_mount.ini files are kept on your PC in backups\cifs\.
• Scraper logins are written only to your SS1, in /media/fat/ConsoleMode/.
• The RetroAchievements login is written only to your SS1, in /media/fat/retroachievements.cfg, in plain text because that's how the RetroAchievements build reads it. Test login and Save send it to retroachievements.org to check it; the login token RetroAchievements returns is not kept.
• The SS1 is reached over SSH with host-key checking off, because the SS1 creates new host keys every time it's reflashed. Only use the tool on networks you trust.

Reporting a problem

1. Open Diag, go to Debug report and click Create debug report.
2. Save the file.
3. Problem with your SS1: post the file in the Taki Udon Discord along with a short description of what's wrong. Problem with SS1 Tool itself: attach the file to a new issue.

Please say which version you're using; it's shown in the bottom right corner of the app.

Building from source

Needs Go 1.22 or newer. From the project folder, run the build script:

.\build.ps1        # on Windows

./build.sh          # on Linux or macOS (cross-compiles SS1Tool.exe)

The script does three things, in this order:

1. Builds the two helpers that run on the SS1 (32-bit ARM Linux): bin/ss1kbd_arm and bin/ss1fb_arm
2. Runs go run ./tools/winres, which generates rsrc_windows_amd64.syso from appVersion in main.go: the icon (16 to 256 px), the version information Windows shows in Explorer and Task Manager (product name, publisher, version), and the application manifest. Because it's generated at every build, the version and icon can never go stale between releases. go generate runs the same step
3. Builds SS1Tool.exe as a normal Windows program with -ldflags "-H windowsgui", so there's no console window

When you release a new version, change appVersion in main.go and run the build script; nothing else needs updating.

For development on Linux or macOS, go build . produces a version without the Windows-only features (tray icon, app window, flashing, terminal windows, Save As dialogs) that you can run against a real SS1.

Project layout

Path	Contents
main.go	Local web server, session token, config
sshclient.go	SSH connection, command and upload helpers
ra.go	RetroAchievements account: read, check and save the login in retroachievements.cfg
actions.go	Status, setup, Samba, Update All, scraper, ini editor, diagnostics, debug report, file manager
video.go	Video: settings, profiles, try with automatic undo on the SuperStation, undo history
features2.go	Remote keyboard and controller, saved devices, drive transfers, ini backups
pcshare.go, pcshare_windows.go	Sharing a folder from this Windows PC: account, share, firewall and Cifs setup
cifs.go	CIFS network share: script install and update, settings, connection test, mount and unmount
saves.go	Saves and save states: scan, backup and restore
discover.go	Find my SuperStation: scans the local network for SSH devices
bios.go	BIOS and game folder check, using Update All's databases
artwork.go, art_tables.go	Artwork for Console Mode: find games, download, size, install, clean up
memcard.go, mcformat.go	Memory cards: driving the memory card core, the library, and reading and editing card images (saves, icons, titles)
snacport2.go	SNAC controller tester: runs the controller tester core and reads both front ports from it
cores.go	The MiSTer cores SS1 Tool installs (memory card core, controller tester core): newest build on GitHub, install, up to date or not
psxcfg.go	PSX SNAC settings: reads and changes the SNAC options in the PSX core's settings file
sysbackup.go	MiSTer & Linux backups: finds new versions, copies and checks them, puts them back
cmwatch.go	Keeps Console Mode updates: confirms a waiting update the way Console Mode does before a restart and on connect
power.go, scripts/ss1_power.sh	Power watch: the script on the SuperStation and SS1 Tool's record of power lost during heavy work
artident.go, tools/ss1ident/	Artwork: recognises games by their checksum or disc code (the ss1ident helper runs on the SuperStation and reads .chd with libchdr) and matches them to libretro's names
sync.go	Sync: the shared copy on the SuperStation, which drive it's on (Migrate), and keeping backups, memory cards and settings the same on every device
restore.go	Reflash and restore: restores settings and data from an SD card backup
appwindow.go	Keeps SS1 Tool to one window
app_windows.go	Windows app shell: tray icon, one running copy, app window, message boxes
tools/winres	Generates the Windows icon, version information and manifest from appVersion
build.ps1, build.sh	Build scripts
update.go	Update check, download, checksum, swap and restart
bluetooth.go, bt_jobs.go	Bluetooth manager and its progress tracking
jobs.go	Progress tracking for background operations
platform_windows.go	Explorer, terminal, Save As dialog, disk listing and SD flashing
kbdhelper/	Helper program for the SS1: virtual keyboard and controller, controller tester, and reading or choosing the active video profile
fbhelper/	On-screen message program the scripts use when started from Console Mode
scripts/	The SS1 scripts embedded in the app
web/index.html	The user interface
icon/	App icon

Credits

Developed by f3bandit.

Special thanks to Taki Udon and the team, and all the mods on the Taki Discord.

💬 Join the Taki Udon Discord  ·  📖 SuperStation One Documentation

SuperStation One, Console Mode and MiSTer belong to their respective owners. This project uses x/crypto/ssh and downloads Update All and the official SS1 SD Card Installer at runtime.

The artwork game reader ss1ident is built with libchdr (BSD 3-clause) and the libraries it includes (LZMA SDK, public domain; miniz and zstd, MIT and BSD); their licenses are in SS1Tool-source/tools/ss1ident/libchdr/. Game names come from the libretro-database game lists, and box art from libretro's thumbnails.

License

Copyright (C) 2026 f3bandit (F3 Digital Systems)

SS1 Tool and the SS1 storage scripts are free software: you can redistribute them and/or modify them under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 3 as published by the Free Software Foundation. See LICENSE.

They are distributed in the hope that they will be useful, but without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. See the GNU General Public License for details.

In short: you can use, study, share and change SS1 Tool. If you share a changed version, it has to be under GPL-3.0 too, with its source code.