RomVault is designed as a Windows application, but it will run on many Linux distros using mono. The instructions below outline the basic steps to initially setup RomVault on Linux using the Ubuntu distro as an example.

• Install the mono-complete package appropriate for your version of your Linux distro.

The RomVault application is designed to write configuration files and its Cache file to the same directory as the executable. Its important to launch RomVault using mono from the same directory as the RomVault executable. You may find it helpful to create a launcher shortcut to do this.

1. Open a text editor
2. Paste the following into your text file:
   
   

   [Desktop Entry]
   Type=Application
   Terminal=false
   Hidden=false
   Name=ROMVault
   Path=/home/gordonj/Desktop/ROMVault
   Exec=mono /home/gordonj/Desktop/ROMVault/ROMVault3.exe
   Icon=/home/gordonj/Desktop/ROMVault/romvault.ico

3. Modify the Path, Exec, and Icon lines as needed
4. Save the file with the name ROMVault.desktop and save it to your desktop
5. Right click the file and select Properties
6. Select the Permissions tab
7. Enable Allow executing file as program
8. Close the Properties window
9. Right click the file and select Allow Launching

You can now Launch RomVault by double clicking your newly created shortcut.

Alternately, you can launch RomVault via the command line with mono from the RomVault executable directory:

1. Open the Terminal application
2. Navigate to your RomVault executable directory
3. Launch with mono ./ROMVault3.exe

There are many combinations of Linux distros, Mono versions, and system setups that could cause certain display issues like missing text or images. If there is text missing from certain areas of the application, particularly DatVault, then the most likely root cause font compatibility.

If you have missing text after upgrading to the latest stable version of mono, then you can try to globally remap specific fonts that RomVault uses:

1. From console run the commands fc-match Arial then fc-match “Microsoft Sans Serif” to check if those fonts are installed.
2. If the fonts are not installed, then choose suitable fonts you would like to use. For this example we will use “Liberation Sans” for both.
3. Modify the file /etc/fonts/local.conf with the following:
   
   

   <!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "urn:fontconfig:fonts.dtd">
   <fontconfig>
   <alias>
       <family>Microsoft Sans Serif</family>
       <prefer>
           <family>Liberation Sans</family>
       </prefer>
   </alias>
   <alias>
       <family>Arial</family>
       <prefer>
           <family>Liberation Sans</family>
       </prefer>
   </alias>
   </fontconfig>

4. Launch RomVault with GTK_DATA_PREFIX= mono ROMVault36.exe which will force light mode