need help with MAME update packs

[davids1024]

I am new to MAME so apologies for newbee questions...
in the 0.161I downloaded the complete 0.161 MAME ROM pack and installed it, I want to use MAMEUIFX 0.169 so I have also downloaded all the MAME upgrade packs, up to 0.169.
My question is when I install the update packs, should the newer .zip files in the update packs replace or add to the existing .zip files? I ask because I notice some of the zip files that are in the .161 have more files then the updated .zips.

As an example, the 0.161 naomi.zip file has 23 files in it, the 0.167 to 0.168 update only has 1 file, if I replace it all the 0.161 files get deleted.
That could explain why when I started when auditing, I had 10,997 games working, now only 10388. Is there a special way that the zip files with the same name get added together and not replaced.
Thanks in advance

[Zorlon]

Use clrmamepro to update the set, you need to the dat for the new version of MAME and the update pack, what clrmamepro does is take what is need from the update pack and add the new files from those to the existing rom zips

Please note that it is not just roms you need but you will also need chd files for a lot of the newer games, that will take the space used well over 350GB the roms on there own will take well over 40GB

chd files are not rom chip dumps but other media such as CD-Rom GD-Rom DVD-Rom or even HDD dumps from arcade cabs

additionally there are other support files such as samples and various types of art files, though these are not needed for emulation, samples enable sound for a few games, mostly older games same for some of the artwork as it was not produced via the normal VDU, but a fixed image