CD Burning/Backup Question

[MusicallyInspired]

Here's a question I've always wondered about. Way back my brother and I would play multiplayer games via router network. A while ago we tried playing a multiplayer game that he bought. I tried burning the disc so that I could play with him (you need the disc to play). The problem with today's games is you can copy the disc but the game still won't recognize it. Just why is this? It works for older games. If it's a complete perfect copy of the disc why doesn't the game recognize it?

Just a general wondering I was having.....not that I'm into pirating games or anything.  :twisted:

[Tom]

I'm curious, too.  My wife and I did that with Quake and found the CD-R copy didn't work properly.  Macrovision copy protection or something?

[Ghost_Rider]

Games like Warcraft III are the same way.  Funny thing is, you can extract all of the files (or so I think), copy them to a hard drive and them move them over - or just try burning directly from the source CD to the CD-R (as long as you have two CD drives of course).

Some CDs have files which cannot be copied/extracted.  When burning a copy of the Warcraft III CD, the copy was smaller in size overall by a few megabytes.  Somehow there are files which are copy-protected, and they do not carry over when attempting to burn a copy.

Most games up until around 2000 seemed to be copyable - but after that many seem to have security devices which somehow prevent certain hidden files from being copied.

[MusicallyInspired]

Interesting..

I also heard a while ago a theory that on some copy-protected CDs there is a hidden fake file with a 'complete' version of Windows on it but it's not really there, but the CD says it is. So if you attempt to copy it to a CD or image file the result CD image would be larger than any disc could handle...but reallt it isn't.

And about copying all the contents of a CD to a HD and then burning it, I don't like that route. You're more likely to get a more perfect copy by simply copying the entire CD straight to an image file or other CD-R. Things like file system structure and mode type differences (ie support for long file names or not) and also CD Audio tracks are all jumbled around and some games might recognize this and say it's not the right CD.

[andrew603]

From what I understand, the most inner layer of a CD (the 2 milimeter center ring) contains a bar code; sort of unique ID that CD Burners do not burn... but the drives can read it.  so it does know an imposter CD when it sees one...

EDIT:  also, most games now do use a form of copy protection software that is kin to that SONY DRM debacle not long ago... they have been doing it for a few years now...

PC Gamer had an article about a few of the copy protection methods used in modern games not too long ago... I only remember the name of one product, "Starforce" do a web search on it and you will find some interesting things.

[apeman]

Modern games use all sorts of advanced copy protections - most of them work by including deliberately bad sectors in the CD, or messing up the table of contents, which will result in your average copying program not being able to make a 1:1 copy. Others are downright nasty - StarForce in particular installs a hidden driver on your machine which can lead to all sorts of stability issues.
If you want to make a copy, try using CloneCD or (my personal favourite) Alcohol 120%.

Hope this helps....

[Alistair]

Blizzard's Diablo II and LOD expansion did that for me. I just download cracks which replace the game.exe file which somehow makes it recognise the copied CD as the true original.

Really, we don't have it bad at all right now- just wait until digital rights management (DRM) becomes a way of life.

Regards,
- Alistair

[MusicallyInspired]

So would there possibly be a way to use a mounting program of some sort (ie Daemon Tools) to simulate the 'characteristics' of these protected CDs that simply burning them onto a disc can't do?

[apeman]

Absolutely. You mention Daemon Tools; I don't use it myself but from what I hear it does what you mention. But making an actual physical copy is a much higher art form. :p
Also, some of these copy protections check for imaging programs like DT and refuse to run the game if they find any!

[MusicallyInspired]

I've recently got a hold of Syberia 2. I haven't seen it anywhere in stores where I live (and I looked everywhere, was lucky enough to find the first one by accident! I intend to buy it as soon as I see it, though). I tried running the game with DT before I burned it and it wouldn't work for me. I had to download a crack. I might be missing some option or other or Syberia 2 is one of the games that don't like image mounting tools.

[apeman]

Syberia II uses Safedisc 3 which is non-trivial but DT should handle it. Have you tried playing the game with the actual CD?

[MusicallyInspired]

When I say "got a hold of" I mean "unofficially got a hold of". I don't have an original copy.....yet.

[apeman]

ahem....

[MusicallyInspired]

I just don't like waiting . I'm not an outright piracy supporter.

[apeman]

Well whatever you say, don't expect us to help you run a pirated version of a game.... and a good game at that, IMHO.

[MusicallyInspired]

Ok then don't help me. No worries. But I'd like to point out that I didn't start this thread to figure out how I could pirate games more easily. I'm not into pirating. The game's not available here in stores and I can't buy online. I have no other choice. When I see the game I'll be happy (no, overjoyed) to support the producers and creators of such a great game and any other great games I see. Until then, I want these games. It's not really fair to label me a pirate when they aren't even available to buy. I've already bought the first game which is how I discovered how great the series was in the first place.

But anyway, I don't want this thread nose-diving into an argument over what's actually piracy and if it's ok or not. That is, if there's any life left to this thread at all. I'd still like to know how to get certain games working that we only have a single copy of. I don't want to have to go and buy another copy for full price just so my brother and I can play multiplayer.