How to Write a Retro Gaming Image to an SD Card, SSD or USB Drive

Most Raspberry Pi, Batocera and handheld builds come as a single .img file, an exact copy of a working card. To use it, you “write” (or “flash”) that image onto your own card or drive. It takes a few clicks and a bit of patience.

Important: writing an image erases everything on the target drive. Always double-check you have picked the right drive, never your computer’s main disk.

Before you start

• Extract the download first. Builds often come split into .rar parts. Put all the parts in one folder and extract the first one with WinRAR or 7-Zip, so you end up with one .img file.
• Use a card or drive one size up from the build. A 256GB build needs a 512GB card. Here is why, and what size to get.
• Use a decent card. SanDisk cards and Samsung or Crucial SSDs are reliable. Cheap and fake cards are the most common reason a build will not boot.

Writing to an SD card (Windows)

1. Put the card in your PC’s slot or a USB card reader.
2. Format it with SD Card Formatter (quick format is fine).
3. Open Win32 Disk Imager.
4. Pick the card’s drive letter in the Device box. Check it twice.
5. Click the folder icon and choose your .img file.
6. Click Write and wait. Big builds can take an hour or more on a card.

Writing to an SSD or hard drive

1. Connect the drive inside your PC, or with a USB-to-SATA cable or case.
2. Open Win32 Disk Imager, pick the drive’s letter, choose the .img and click Write.
3. Fit the drive in your machine, or keep it on USB for a Pi 5 or Steam Deck, and boot.

An SSD writes much faster than a card and is tougher, so it is the best choice for 512GB and bigger builds.

Writing to a USB stick for a PC

Same steps as above. To boot from it, restart the PC and tap F12 (or F11, Esc or Del, depending on the make) as it powers on to open the boot menu, then pick the USB drive.

On a Mac

Use Apple Pi-Baker. It writes to cards, SSDs and USB drives.

It is written, but it will not boot

1. Wait five minutes. First boot often sits on a black or logo screen while the build expands and sets itself up.
2. Check the power supply. Use the official Pi supply (5V/5A for a Pi 5, 5V/3A for a Pi 4). Phone chargers cause boot loops.
3. Right build for the right device. A Pi 4 image will not boot a Pi 5, and the other way round.
4. Try another card. A failing or fake card is the usual culprit. Re-write it, or try a known-good card.
5. Re-download. A corrupted download writes a corrupted card. If the build came with an SFV file, check the parts with QuickSFV before extracting.

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Still stuck?

Press the Need help? button in the bottom-right corner of any page to ask NEWBIE, our 8-Bit Buddy. It has step-by-step help for downloading, writing and booting, and it can walk you through building your first setup from scratch. You can also leave a comment on the build you are using and the community will help.