If you’re a retro gamer looking to experience the classics on your iPad or iPhone, there are a few ways to do it. One way is to use File Transfer Drop Zones (FTDZ), which let you transfer files between your computer and your iOS device without having to worry about security or data loss. Another option is to use Console Emulators, which allow you to play classic console games on your iPad or iPhone. Finally, if you’re using XBMC as your media center, you can set up a file transfer drop zone so that all of your videos and music are stored in one place. Here’s how to set up File Transfer Drop Zones on three different devices:

  1. On the computer, open File Transfer Drop Zone and create a new zone. Name the zone " retro “.
  2. On the iOS device, open File Transfer Drop Zone and create a new zone. Name the zone " retro “.
  3. On the Android device, open File Transfer Drop Zone and create a new zone. Name the zone " retro “. Now that you’ve created your zones, it’s time to transfer files! To start transferring files, click on the blue arrow in the top left corner of File Transfer Drop Zone and select “File” from the menu that pops up. Then select the file you want to transfer: either an image or a text file. When you select a file, an orange bar will appear in front of it so that you can choose how many times you want totransfer it at once (you can also choose how long each transfer will take). If everything goes according to plan and no errors occur, Files will be transferred in batches of five at once! If there are any problems during or after transfers (for example if there’s too much data being transferred at once), please let us know by emailing support@xbmc-ios.com and we’ll try our best to help out!

Once a week we round up some of the reader questions we’ve answered and share them with everyone; this week we’re taking a look at setting up file transfer drop zones, installing XBMC on the iPad, and setting up a console emulator.

How Can I Setup Simple Drag and Drop File Zones On My Computer?

Dear Drag and Drop,

I have widescreen monitor and in the space allocated to for the widget sidebar, I’d like to have set up some of that space to serve as a file drop zone of sorts. Essentially, Id’ like to be able to drag files to a widget or the like and have those files go to designated folders on my computer and home network. Is this possible? I’m running Windows 7.

Sincerely,

Drag and Drop Hoping

We’ve previously reviewed an app called Drop Zone that does what you’re asking. You could easily make one (or several) drop zones and place them in the sidebar space without any problems. You can even specify the type of drop zones and whether or not they will automatically move or copy the files. That said, we’re very interested to see if your fellow readers have used similar apps! If you’re a reader that uses an app that fits Drag and Drop’s needs, sound off in the comments.

How Do I Install XBMC On the iPad?

Dear XBMC Cravin’,

I have XBMC on my computer and I saw that it’s available for the iPad. The only problem is I can find it anywhere in the App Store? What gives? How could such a popular application not show up? All I find are Wi-Fi remotes for controlling an XBMC installation. It’s frustrating!

Sincerely,

XBMC Cravin’

You’re not losing your mind, XBMC for iOS is not in the App Store. The application was rejected for inclusion and is only available via the XBMC iOS repository. This means you’ll need to jailbreak your iPad to gain access to XBMC for iOS—which is totally worth the effort by the way, we have XBMC installed on our iPads and love it. You’ll need to flex a little Google-Fu muscle to dig up a jailbreak guide for your specific iOS device and iOS version, but once you’re jailbroken we have a full step-by-step guide here.

How Do I Load Game ROMs?

Dear Wanna Game,

I have a Windows 7 computer, I have some classic game ROM files, and I have… not a whole lot of gaming going on. I’m unclear on the steps necessary to get from having the ROMs to playing the ROMs. Help? :(

Sincerely,

Wanna Game Old School

For the sake of clarity, a game ROM is simply a digtal copy of the contents of a game cartridge. If you have a ROM for The Legend of Super Smacky Ball IV, then the ROM file is just whatever was on the ROM chip in the game cartridge. You still need something to function as the console itself. This is where game emulators come in, they emulate the hardware of the console you wish to use. To that end, we recommend checking out our guide to console emulators here. It covers several retro consoles and handheld game systems and, at minimum, will give you a better understanding of how the whole emulation process works.

Have a pressing tech question? Email us at ask@howtogeek.com and we’ll do our best to answer it!