13. Troubleshooting

Common messages, their meaning, and what to do.

13.1 Conversion Errors

Message (as shown in the log)	Meaning	Action
Failed to convert '<file>': ERROR: couldn't find bin file [<path>]	chdman cannot find a track file referenced by the cue (missing, wrong name, or on a different drive). The app logs a directory listing to help.	Verify the .bin files are next to the cue with matching names. Non-ASCII names/BOMs, wrong names and zero-padding mismatches are normally handled automatically; re-scan the folder. If the bracketed path looks like two paths joined together, see the note below.
Failed to convert '<file>': file size (N bytes) is not divisible by any standard sector size (2048/2324/2336/2352/2368/2448). The file may be corrupt or truncated.	The image size doesn’t match any CD/DVD sector geometry. Raw CD dumps mislabelled as .iso/.img are detected by content and no longer reach this check, so this now means a genuinely damaged file.	Re-download or re-rip the image; verify with the original disc.
<file> is named as an archive but contains a raw CD disc image; converting it as a CD. / ... named as a compressed ISZ image but ...	Informational. The extension disagreed with the content, and the content won.	Nothing to do — the conversion proceeds correctly.
<file>: no writable location on the same volume for a generated cue; converting the image as-is.	A raw CD image needs a generated cue, and chdman can only reach the image from a cue on the same volume — but no writable temp location exists there.	Free space on the image’s own drive, or move the image to a drive where a temp folder can be created.
The output folder is inside the source folder, so CHDs will be written alongside the originals.	Informational. Converting in place is supported.	Nothing to do. An existing CHD of the same name is only replaced after a successful conversion.
Files named after this disc already exist here; extracting into "<name>" so they are kept. / <name>.iso already exists here; extracting into "<name>" so the existing file is kept.	Informational. Extracted output takes the CHD’s base name, so it would have replaced files of the same name — most likely when extracting into the folder the CHDs already live in. The disc was written to a subfolder instead.	Nothing to do. The existing files are untouched and the new ones are in the named subfolder; a .cue/.gdi set there is still valid, because its track references are relative.
this is part 1 of an N-part split image ... A part is missing or truncated	The .001/.i00 parts do not join to a whole number of sectors.	Re-download the complete set; all parts must be in the same folder.
the image is split across N segments and <name>.i01 is not in the same folder	A segmented ISZ is missing a piece.	Put every .isz/.i01/.i02… segment together.
segment <name>.i01 belongs to a different ISZ image (volume serial number does not match)	Segments from two different rips were mixed.	Collect the segments of one image together.
the ISZ image is encrypted (AES-256) and this tool cannot decrypt it.	The ISZ was saved with a password.	Open it in UltraISO with the password and save it as an ISO first.
this is segment N of a split image, not the first one.	A .i01/.part02 piece was offered as an input instead of the .isz.	Convert the .isz first segment; the rest are found beside it.
the ISZ decompressed to N bytes but its header declares M / the restored image does not match the checksum the ISZ header declares / the ECM file's checksum does not match the data it decoded to	The compressed file is truncated or damaged. The partial output is deleted rather than converted, because a short image would convert and look fine.	Re-download the file.
the decoded/decompressed/extracted image is not a whole number of 2352-byte CD sectors or 2048-byte data sectors...	The image recovered from the ECM/ISZ/archive fits none of the sector layouts chdman can read (2048, 2324, 2336, 2352, 2368, 2448 bytes per sector).	The compressed source is truncated or damaged; re-download it.
the .mdf data file was not found next to the .mds descriptor	The descriptor’s data file could not be located unambiguously. A .mdf renamed with a decoration (Game (USA).mdf beside Game.mds), one folder down, or a split .i00 first volume is now found automatically; this message only appears when several equally plausible candidates exist (e.g. Game (Disc 1).mdf and Game (Disc 2).mdf beside Game.mds).	Keep exactly one data file per descriptor — rename the one that belongs to the .mds, or move the others elsewhere.
WARNING: <file> and <other> both convert to <name>.chd	Two inputs map to the same output name.	Informational, reported at batch start. The first result is no longer destroyed by the second, but only one of them will survive as <name>.chd — rename an input if you need both.

On “couldn’t find bin file” with a doubled path. chdman joins a cue’s FILE entry to the cue’s own directory unconditionally, so an absolute FILE path produces something like C:\temp\x\D:\game.iso. Generated cues therefore always use a relative path and are written on the image’s own volume. Seeing a doubled path means a hand-written cue contains an absolute FILE line — make it relative to the cue. | Failed to convert '<file>': Unit size must be specified if no output parent CHD is supplied | A .raw input was converted without a unit size. | Should not occur in current versions (.raw inputs get -us 2352 automatically); if it does, use a .cue descriptor instead. | | Failed to convert '<file>': Compressing, 0.0% complete... | (Old versions) a chdman progress line was shown instead of the real error. | Update the app; the real error line is now selected from the end of chdman’s output. | | Failed to convert '<file>': Error creating CHD file (...): Unknown error | chdman could not create the output file (drive issues, permissions, full disk). | Check the output drive is writable, has free space, and the path isn’t overlong. | | TIMEOUT: Conversion of '<file>' exceeded N minute(s). Marking as failed. | The per-file time limit fired. | Increase the limit (max 4 hours) or convert fewer/larger files at once. | | Failed to convert '<file>': chdman terminated abnormally (exit code -1073741795; 0xC000001D, STATUS_ILLEGAL_INSTRUCTION ...) | Windows killed chdman before it could print anything. Most often the bundled build uses CPU instructions this computer lacks (older CPUs without SSE4.2/AVX); antivirus quarantine damage produces the same class of crash. The built-in CHDSharp encoder normally takes over automatically — this message is shown only when it could not produce a usable CHD either. | If you want the faster chdman path back, replace chdman.exe/chdman_arm64.exe with a build that matches your CPU (e.g. an official MAME tools release) and add an antivirus exclusion for it; otherwise the built-in encoder handles conversions. | | chdman.exe terminated abnormally during the startup check (...) and a warning | Same crash as above, detected before the batch starts. Because the built-in CHDSharp encoder is always available, the batch continues and each file is encoded in-process. | No action needed for conversion. To restore the faster chdman path, use a CPU-compatible build as in the previous row. | | The output folder is not writable: <path> | Detected before the batch starts: writing there needs administrator rights (e.g. inside Program Files). | Choose an output folder you can write to (Documents, a data drive); nothing was converted yet. | | chdman.exe cannot be opened - it is held with incompatible access by another process. | Rare: something holds chdman with sharing that blocks even read access. A second app instance or a normal antivirus scan no longer triggers this. | Close other instances of the app and any antivirus scan in progress, then retry. | | <name> is a folder, not a disc image file - skipping. | Something that looks like an image name (Game.BIN.ISO) is actually a directory. Folders are skipped instead of being handed to chdman (“Is a directory”). | Point the app at the files inside it, or rename the folder so it does not end in an image extension. | | PBPSharp: Extraction failed - ... TruncatedPsar (code 9) / <name> does not contain a complete PlayStation disc image (the PBP is truncated or incomplete) — skipping. Re-download the file. | The PBP’s PlayStation data area ends before any track index — the signature of a truncated download. User-data condition: logged without a bug report. | Re-download the .pbp. | | PBPSharp: Extraction failed - ... DecompressionError (code 8) | A PSAR block failed to inflate as raw deflate and as a zlib-wrapped stream — the PBP’s compressed data is damaged. | Re-download the .pbp. | | <name> is named .pbp but contains <a ZIP archive / a CISO image / ...>; extracting/decompressing it instead. | The .pbp extension disagreed with the content. Instead of reporting “InvalidHeader”, the file is routed by what its bytes actually are. | Nothing to do — the conversion proceeds from the real content. | | this file is already a CHD. Copy it to the output folder rather than converting it. | An input (often an image renamed to .iso/.bin) already contains a CHD. Skipping is intentional so outputs cannot be reprocessed; the notice is excluded from bug reports. | Nothing to do. Copy the existing CHD to the output folder yourself if it belongs in the converted set. | | A .pbp extracts but the log shows no game title / disc ID | The PARAM.SFO inside the PBP is missing or corrupt. Extraction no longer requires the SFO — only the metadata is empty. | Informational; the disc converts anyway. | | Retrying with createdvd (unrecognized track type)... | A CD attempt failed; the app retries as DVD. | Usually succeeds automatically. If it fails again, force CD/DVD manually. | | chdman exited with code N but produced a valid output file... | Non-zero exit but a valid output; treated as success. | Informational — nothing to do. | | Conversion of '<file>' failed because a drive or device is no longer available... | chdman reported a Win32 “device does not exist” error: the source or output drive was unplugged or a network share dropped while converting. | Reconnect the drive, or copy the source file to a local drive and convert again. |

13.2 Archive Errors

Message	Meaning	Action
... multi-part RAR with a missing volume ...	A multi-part RAR (.partNN.rar, old-style .rar + .rNN, or a set renamed .001/.002) is missing one or more volumes, or the first volume is not beside the part that was offered.	Download all volumes of the set into the same folder. The app extracts the set from its first volume automatically; later parts are not converted separately.
<name>.mds cannot be converted: the image's track data is encrypted (password-protected or TAGES)...	The Daemon Tools MDS v2 descriptor was decrypted, but the track data itself is encrypted.	Re-save the image without a password in Daemon Tools/Alcohol, or convert it to ISO first.
<name>.mds cannot be converted: the track data is encrypted and no password was supplied...	The MDS v2/MDX image’s track data needs a password, and the app cannot prompt for one.	Re-save the image without a password, or convert it with a tool that accepts the password. Images encrypted without a user password (TAGES-style) decode automatically.
MDS v2 / MDX images	Daemon Tools MDS v2 descriptors are decrypted and decompressed transparently; compressed and encrypted track data and single-file .mdx containers (of any size) are decoded automatically.	Nothing to do — conversion proceeds like any other image.
A CHDStudio_Temp folder appeared at a drive root	The system temp path was not usable for chdman (non-ASCII or near MAX_PATH) or its volume lacked the space, so the app staged work on that drive. The folder is removed once it is empty, after the batch and at the next startup.	Nothing to do; the folder is cleaned automatically. Free space on the system drive or an ASCII-safe %TEMP% keeps the fallback from being used at all.
Skipping <name>.partNN.rar - part N of a multi-part RAR set; <name>.part01.rar extracts the whole set.	Informational. The folder scan found every volume of a multi-part RAR; only the first is kept because it decodes the whole set.	Nothing to do.
... Archive is encrypted ...	The archive is password-protected.	Password-protected archives are not supported; extract manually first.
... compression method that is not supported ...	The ZIP uses Deflate64/LZMA/PPMd, which the extractor can’t read.	Re-zip with standard Deflate, or extract manually first.
... archive file may be corrupted or incomplete ...	The archive failed CRC/structure checks.	Re-download the archive.
No supported primary files found in archive.	The archive contains no convertible image/descriptor (and no bare .bin).	Check the archive contents.
... archive file appears to be incomplete ... / ... could not validate referenced files ...	Archive entries reference data files that aren’t in the archive (split-bin sets, CRC-skipped entries).	Get the complete archive set; the app skips the entry with a warning instead of failing hard.

13.3 CHD Extraction & Verification

Message	Meaning	Action
Failed to open '<file>.chd': Not a valid CHD file	The file isn’t a CHD (bad magic).	The file is corrupt or misnamed; re-acquire it.
Failed to open '<file>.chd': Invalid or corrupt data	CHD structure is broken.	Re-acquire the file; verify it with chdman verify.
Failed to open '<file>.chd': Cannot open file	The file is locked/unreadable.	Close any program holding the file (emulator, antivirus scan) and retry.
Built-in reader could not extract '<file>': ... Trying chdman...	Informational: CHDSharp could not decode a hunk (corrupt/A/V CHD or reader limitation), so the app is retrying with chdman. Only a failure of that fallback is reported as a bug.	Nothing to do if a Extracted ... using chdman fallback line follows; otherwise re-acquire the file or verify it with chdman verify.
Partial extraction: N file(s) remain in temp directory: <dir>	A multi-track extraction failed partway; the temp dir is kept for inspection.	Check the listed _extract_temp_* folder, delete leftovers, and retry with a valid CHD.
Failed to move file <path>: The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process	The move was blocked by a lock.	Current versions retry for ~45 s; if it still fails, close file-holding programs and retry.

13.4 Environment & Startup

Message	Meaning	Action
chdman.exe was not found, so conversions will run on the built-in CHDSharp encoder.	Windows only: chdman is missing or was moved. Conversion still works on the built-in encoder.	Optional: keep chdman.exe/chdman_arm64.exe in the app folder to use the bundled native encoder. This notice never appears on Linux/macOS, where the built-in encoder is the normal path.
chdman.exe is not compatible with this OS. (Win32 error 193)	The exe cannot run on this Windows, or files from the win-arm64 release were copied into a win-x64 install (or vice versa).	Keep the two releases separate; use a chdman build for your Windows version.
Startup log Process Architecture: / OS Architecture: / chdman executable: / CHDSharp encoder: built-in (always available) lines	Informational: which build is running, what the machine is, which chdman binary was resolved, and that the in-process CHDSharp encoder is always present. On ARM64 machines the native chdman build is preferred even when the app itself runs emulated as x64.	Include these when reporting a crash — they make the report instantly classifiable.
Status bar CHDMAN indicator red (Windows) / gray (Linux/macOS)	Red: chdman is missing on Windows, so conversions run on the built-in CHDSharp encoder. Gray: chdman is optional on Linux/macOS and is never used for encoding. The CHDSharp indicator is always green because the encoder is built in.	No action needed — an encoder is always available.
Selected temp root "X:\" is not writable, falling back to system temp	The preferred temp drive can’t be written (e.g. E:\ is a card reader / locked).	Informational; the app uses the system temp instead. Free space on C: matters then.
Another instance of CHDStudio is already running.	Single-instance mutex.	The first instance is still running; close it first.
Update check skipped: GitHub API rate limit exceeded.	GitHub API 403/429 (shared IP).	Wait and restart; no action needed.
Failed to record usage statistics: HTTP 429	Stats endpoint rate-limited.	Expected; silently ignored (Debug log only).

13.5 Data & Safety Questions

Are my originals deleted automatically? Only when “Delete originals after a successful conversion” is enabled, and only after the CHD was produced successfully. Cue-set deletions also remove referenced .bin/.sub files; CCD deletions remove .img/.sub/.cdt.

What happens to temp files on crash? Leftover CHDStudio_Temp_* folders are deleted at next startup.

Where are the logs? %LocalAppData%\CHDStudio\logs (daily files, 7 days retained). Click the AppData button in the title bar.

Does the app phone home? It sends: anonymous usage stats (application name + version, once per launch), bug reports for warning-level events (see Bug Reporting System), and GitHub update checks. No personal data is collected (the bug report includes the Windows user name as userInfo).

Why do some bugs keep showing the same message? Corrupt input files (bad CHDs, incomplete archives) are user-data conditions — the app now excludes those messages from bug reports; the in-app log remains the source of truth for them.