After reading many tutorials I finally found why (in my case anyway) why mame-x freezes. It gets to the first screen, shows Mamex .... down the bottom of the screen and that is it.
This is because your ROMS in the roms directory are not named correctly.
Do a search on www.mame.dk for the game and see what it should be called.
Example. I had defender[1].zip in the roms directory. It should be defender.zip for Mamex to see it and run.
Here is my UNTOUCHED original ini file.
### mame.ini ###

### Frontend Related ###
clones 1

### Windows path and directory options ###
rompath D:ROMS
samplepath D:SAMPLES
inipath D:;T:;D:;T:.;ini
cfg_directory T:cfg
nvram_directory T:nvram
hiscore_directory T:hi
history_file history.dat
mameinfo_file mameinfo.dat
#memcard_directory E:GamesEmulatorsMamememcard
#input_directory E:GamesEmulatorsMameinp
#state_directory E:GamesEmulatorsMamesta
#artwork_directory E:GamesEmulatorsMameartwork
#snapshot_directory E:GamesEmulatorsMamesnap
#diff_directory diff
#cheat_file cheat.dat
#ctrlr_directory ctrlr

### Windows video options ###
autoframeskip 1
frameskip 0
triplebuffer 0
hwstretch 1
resolution 580x435
vector_width 580
vector_height 435
refresh 0
scanlines 0
switchres 0
switchbpp 0
maximize 0
keepaspect 1
matchrefresh 0
syncrefresh 0
throttle 1
full_screen_brightness 0.000000
frames_to_run 0
effect none
screen_aspect 4:3
sleep 1

### Input device options ###
joystick 1
steadykey 0
keyboard_leds 0
a2d_deadzone 0.300000
# ctrlr <NULL> (not set)

### Mame CORE video options ###
bpp 0
norotate 0
ror 0
rol 0
flipx 0
flipy 0
debug_resolution auto
gamma 1.000000
brightness 1.000000

### Mame CORE vector game options ###
antialias 1
translucency 1
beam 1.000000
flicker 0.000000
intensity 1.500000

### Mame CORE sound options ###
samplerate 44100
samples 0
resamplefilter 0
sound 1
volume 0

### Mame CORE misc options ###
artwork 0
use_backdrops 0
use_overlays 0
use_bezels 0
artwork_crop 0
artwork_resolution 0
cheat 0
debug 0
# playback <NULL> (not set)
# record <NULL> (not set)
log 0

### Configuration options ###
readconfig 0
verbose 0

Thanks man, I messed up my INI file. I'm going to try this cause I'm having probs with my MAME-X trying to run games. IT frezes on the main screen, or it frezzes on the searching for roms. I will reply again if I get this figured out. Thanks again for the ini file.

For all who use mame-x on xbox: do NOT touch the mame.ini file. You shouldn't, and don't have to.

--falz

Actually I edited my Mame ini to take off "Keep aspect ratio" this helps with games like Batte Toads. However it is good to have it on for vertical shoooters like 1943.

Another thing I noticed was that the default resolution does not fit the screen too good. The screen is way off. So I changed it to:

559x431

Now the only prob is that the screen is not centered properly. Seems to be moved a little to the left side. Is there any way to move the screen to the right like in Xport's emulators?

i do not have any roms yet, but will mame-x launch anyway or will it just display "searching for roms..." until i add some roms?
thanks-TMT

Hmm, strange question! I don't actually know what'll happen if you launch MAME without any roms, but I know it's useless without roms so it's not really worth trying.

pelago

if i remember right you have to change samples from 0 to 1 in the mame ini to allow the samples to work. i think i was told to change it to 1 anyway. i had not tried the emu without changing the samples part of the ini but i was told on superfros forum before it went down that the samples would not work if i did not edit that part of the ini file. anyway thats what i did and the samples work great. if anyone can't get their samples working then try this.
cheers.