Visual Boy Advance does not load battery/save file

Question

I have a 128kb sav file that I want to use for Pokémon Fire Red. This sav file was not created by another emulator.

The filename of the sav matches that of the ROM - the sav file originated from the ROM file I have.

The ROM file is in the same directory as VBA, yet when I run it in VBA, no "Loaded battery" text shows up, and when I get past the game's main menu, the game acts as if I've never played even though there is a save file in the directory.

Importing through File → Import → Battery file results in no change.

Save type in Options → Emulator → Save type is Automatic/Flash 128k.

Answer 1

From my experience VBA looks for sav file named exactly like the game in the current folder. So try renaming the sav exactly like the game without the extension.

Example:

Folder\
    Firered.GBA
    Firered.sav

Then just run it.

Answer 2

I got a reply. The file was corrupted.

Answer 3

For me the solution was to generate a .sgm file which can be loaded via File > Load. Just use these in the future as your main backups. Happy gaming.