What is a .rom file extension?
Files with the .rom file extension are primarily associated with Read Only Memory Image (or firmware) for hardware devices.? This file extension is also associated with image files for games designed by Nintendo.
What is the .nes file extension used for?
ROM Image File
Read Only Memory contains data which contains files known as firmware and is used to upgrade computer hardware. It is a native file for BIOS updates and packed with an executable utility. Regular computer files have restricted access to the computer hardware but files with the .rom file extension are specifically designed for the hardware and are given complete access. Some of the common firmwares are used for Optical Drives, Video Cards and Motherboard BIOS.
The .rom file extension format packs instructions for the hardware to be updated and is placed on a CD, floppy disk or a USB flash drive for it to update the targeted hardware. Most of the image files with the .rom file extension are packed with an executable utility which can run on the Operating system. This utility will unpack all the files and place them on the Master boot record of the hard disk and runs only once when the system is started. This is usually done when the rom of the BIOS or Optical drive has to be upgraded.
Nintendo ROM Image
Nintendo released the 8-bit console and the cartridges designed for it were also programmed in 8-bit. Some amateur programmers used reverse engineering on the cartridges and created ROM dumping devices. They would place the cartridges on these dumping devices and create an image file of the data present on the cartridge. The information was stored as a rom image file which carried the .rom file extension. These files were later run in software called an emulator or a clone program which used to run the rom image on a PC.
Nintendo changed their console architecture once they came to know about the ROM file creations. They also released official versions of Emulator and ROM images. This release became extremely popular as the software released by Nintendo was as good as the console itself. You can still find the rom images of old games online.
What are the different kinds of software used to open .rom file extensions?
The .rom file extension format can be opened using any of the firmware updater software provided by the hardware manufacturer which is specific for every device. The rom files associated with Nintendo can be opened using the emulator programs listed below –
For Microsoft Windows:
- VirtuaNES
- Jnes
- Nestopia
- UltraHLE
- Nemu64
- SupraHLE
- NesterJ
- FakeNES
For Mac
- Mupen64
- Nestopia
- RockNES
- iNES
You can also use a reliable file extension repair software to open files with the .rom file extension. This software can also solve file type errors and open files with many different file extensions.