noobie here pls help with MAME

[gared08]

i just downloaded the MAME zip folder. i don't know how to start. can pls someone help me with the installation and how to start a game? thank you so much

[Beyond]

i just downloaded the MAME zip folder. i don't know how to start. can pls someone help me with the installation and how to start a game? thank you so much

Eh, I'm not too good with computers so I don't know if this helps, but anyway...
I didn't install my mame, a friend gave me a disk and I simply copied it onto my computer.
Any arcade game roms you download have to go in your Mame Folder's/ Roms Folder. (Just in their zipfiles you don't have to unzip them)
Then double click the Mame32.exe icon,
Then when it appears, you go to File, Audit all games, Mame will check the folder and the games should appear in a list, d-click a game,follow instructions, when the game start ups, you can set the controls by bringing up a menu by pressing TAB, then input this game.

*edit*

Found this in my mame help:
To Install Mame32 Manually

mk:@MSITStore:C:GAMESMamemame32.chm::/images/mame321.gif Download the latest Mame32 distribution [not the source] self-extracting archive available at Mame32QA (http://www.classicgaming.com/mame32qa/down.htm).

mk:@MSITStore:C:GAMESMamemame32.chm::/images/mame321.gif Double-click the self-extracting archive .exe, and point the directory install location to the root of the c:\ drive, or just type in the box "c:\" [no quotes]. This will create a c:\mame32 directory with the program and all its support files within it, looking like the figure at the bottom of this page.

mk:@MSITStore:C:GAMESMamemame32.chm::/images/mame321.gif Mame32 requires ROMs to run. Download the freely available public domain ROMs [Robby Roto and Gridlee] from Mame.net (http://www.mame.net/downmisc.html). Place these files still zipped, into the \mame32\ROMs folder. Do not unzip them.

mk:@MSITStore:C:GAMESMamemame32.chm::/images/mame321.gif Some early games require sampled sounds [Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, etc.] due to their sound hardware, these are available at Mame.net (http://www.mame.net/downsamples.html). If a game requires samples it will show on the game's property tab [alt-enter]. Place the sample files as zip files into the \mame32\samples folder. Do not unzip them.

mk:@MSITStore:C:GAMESMamemame32.chm::/images/mame321.gif Double-click the Mame32 icon to launch the program. Mame32 will go through its initial diagnostics and search for available games in the c:\mame32\ROMs directory, and then display the GUI.

mk:@MSITStore:C:GAMESMamemame32.chm::/images/mame321.gif These are the bare-boned instructions for getting started with Mame32. To enhance the look and feel of Mame32 with icons, screenshots, flyers, cabinets, and background art, proceed to : Art and Support Files (mk:@MSITStore:C:GAMESMamemame32.chm::/html/mame32_art.htm). To being playing a game, proceed to the gameplay section (mk:@MSITStore:C:GAMESMamemame32.chm::/html/mame32_playing.htm).