In addition of my previous long mail, the main thought: that you can download the zip, extract the content, DLL/EXE/combined.rom (and maybe even the sdcard.img file) to any directory where you want, and it should work without any additional installation/configuration/etc, but also giving the possibility for more complex stuff/needs which then of course needs more complex solutions, indeed (including "messing" with the preferences directory, etc).

Well, sorry to be shown myself stupid, but I am still a bit lost to understand your intent here. I've downloaded that Xep128.rar should be the "config directory" according your terms, but it does not contains anything which is needed by Xep128. If you have the intent to distribute/use your sdcard.img file, it's better to say, that extract xep128 ZIP distribution to any directory user wants (it contains the exe, dll, rom, ....), and also your sdcard.img file. and that's all. Since Xep128 by default tries to use file name "sdcard.img" as SD card image, with searching it through several 'default" directories *including* the directory where EXE is, it will work without any configuration step, or other magic you mentioned. For this, you don't even need to know anything about "fancy directory names" or anything, also no need for Xep128.rar you provided. To put it another way: to use a custom sdcard.img, it's just enough to put it with this name in the same directory where exe is, period. No other steps needed.

But it's possible that only I can't understand what you would like to do here ...

Sorry, I've corrected the file.... I renamed the config file to config.bk to test the explanation. Then I forgot to reverse it...

My configuration is set to show the use of all programs related to EnterMice, so it is necessary to load the SPEMU128 Rom, 1024Kb of Ram for SymbOS and mouse mode 4.

Aha, I see. Another idea is to use command line switches for the exe, and you can create a .bat file for your needs. Then again, you don't need to know too much about the preference directory, and you can use command line switches as well to set amount of RAM, ROM images, etc. Then you can use the BAT file which would contain start of xep128.exe with your desired switches (remember, in Xep128, the config file content and the command line switches has about 1:1 mapping, ie the same parser inside Xep128 handles both, so you can use config file instead of switches, or vice versa). Some examples:

What you had in the config file:

rom@00 = combined.rom
rom@20 = @SPEMU128.ROM

Basically, it would be something like this with switches:

xep128.exe -rom@00 combined.rom -rom@20 @SPEMU128.ROM

However, please note, that with @SPEMU128.ROM you select the "hated" preferences directory, so you may want to to forget it that "@" sign, and allow Xep128 to search for it, as @ would restrict to use only from the prefereces directory. Also, don't forget, that rom@00 = combined.rom is the default, so you can even forget that. That is, it's enough:

xep128.exe -rom@20 SPEMU128.ROM

But for sure, feel free to add more options, like:

xep128.exe -rom@20 SPEMU128.ROM -mousemode 4 -audio 1

So you can write this command line into a batch file, so you don't need to enter the whole command with parameters again and again. With this, you need only a one line long batch file, instead of long description how to get to know the preferences directory, write config file etc etc.

Xep is complex, isn't it?

Kind of However my main goal with Xep128 to allow the 'easy" usage (no config file, extra dirs) and complex setups as well, that's the reason there are multiple solutions for the same problem. However for a given problem, the more simple solution always looks better Also, I wanted to do it modular, ie I didn't want to write command line parser and config file parser with very different syntax, but basically there is a single parser core can be used with command line switches and config files as well And similar example (ie: XEP commands are monitor commands as well, etc). This looks complex, but from the other point it's also more simple, as you don't need to learn new options/syntax at multiple usage areas too much.

Complex to make it easy, yes. I was meaning that...

I only hope new users of XEP don't be overwhelmed by all that options at hand on the first execution...

Hmmm, well, I think, if you emulate something for a certain features, you can't avoid to be able to configure the way it emulates those, you cannot avoid it. Maybe the difference to be able to find a good balance of simple case / default settings and advanced modes. Somehow I felt it complicated as how ep128emu does this, to have initial configuration step etc, I wanted to be sure that Xep128 is able to work without any installation/pre-configuration step, if a user want to try it only, or don't want something "extra". That's another point how (un)successful I was with this thought, though. If we have a *good* SD card image with almost all EP software, and suggesting that file to download, maybe it's a good idea, that not too much extra stuff is needed, *usually* at least. I don't think ep128emu has less options btw. Also, I can write 100000000 options available, not so much problem, if 99.99% users only needs some

This may be an obvious question but, how an EP128emu snapshot is loaded in Xep128?

Is that issue what I have read... I understood it as done, sorry.

Important..... nah.   

Only that I would like to use more your emulator. There are "easy things" that we do with Ep128emu that we can't still do with XEP128. I only want your emulator be BIG.

One of that "easy things" I want is to create a snapshot that I could send to this web to show some aspect of a program, etc

I understand the incompatibilities, it is wonderful to try to converge the two emulators, but Ep128emu is stalled and yours not. Sooner or later your emulator will be more actual. I think you must look for your own snapshot while maintaining some short of  legacy snapshot mode for backwards compatibility.