A ROM image is a file of data from a ROM chip, often containing firmware data from arcade cards or video games. It is used for testing and hardware emulation, but copyright holders are against distribution. It is generally acceptable to own ROM images if you previously purchased the software.
A read-only memory (ROM) image is a file consisting of data from a ROM chip. It usually contains firmware data from an arcade card or video game. Used in embedded systems, ROM images can also be used for testing before permanent writing to a ROM chip. The actual ROM chip hardware has been replaced in most cases by hard drives, flash memory chips, tapes, and optical drive-based media, such as compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) and memory-only. digital versatile disc (DVD-ROM) reading. The term ROM image is most commonly used to describe any optical or chip-based software image used during the hardware emulation process.
In hardware emulation, the term ROM image is used incorrectly to describe any type of software image. Often, the images used for emulation are not exact copies of the original cartridge, disk, card, or tape image as they are optimized for use with emulators. Emulators use software to replicate the hardware operations of older computer systems, video game consoles and arcade cards, and the associated image must be adapted or collated from different ROM chip data packets to work properly in the emulation software. This process of transferring ROM chip data to a ROM image is called dumping.
One benefit of offloading this data onto a ROM image is the continued preservation of outdated and historically important computer and video game systems and associated software. As original hardware and media age, the risk of permanent data loss continues to increase. Copyright holders are often against dumping ROM images due to the ability to distribute the image freely and easily over the Internet or digital media.
The generally accepted rule is that it is acceptable to own ROM images for software if you previously purchased it and have a master copy of the data. Distributing ROM images does not see any further proceeds passing to the intellectual property (IP) owner, but people often prefer to use a ROM image rather than using an original disc or cartridge and risk permanently damaging their data. By using the ROM image only as a backup, many users think they are not violating copyright law, but the legality of this practice remains completely undefined.
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