I've been reading many of the threads here on & off lately, and I see all these different problems/methods on how to copy today's protected CDs. It is sad to think that not too long ago, some of us were able to just pop in an ORIGINAL, pop in a blank CD-R & click once or twice and.... *TADA* Out came a working 1:1 copy of a game you just bought.

Now you have to use 2 or 3 different programs, download or create files to work with, AND sometimes still emulate. I don't think it's worth all the trouble. I have stopped buying games in the past 6 weeks or so. I don't want to spend all that money & not be able to make myself a copy the way I used to. Do you think someone will ever be brilliant enough to pull off another miracle & take us back to the 'good ol' days' of NON-emulation, ONE-step CD copying? *SNIFFLE*

Although it's a hassle to have to use special steps to copy CDs it isn't that hard.

I don't think that's what he was saying. We know it's not hard but most people DON"T want to use emulation. I know I don't, I'd rather not waste money on cdr's that will be of no use once they blacklist the emulation method. I still have no problems backing up games with new protections (except the obvious) it just takes a bit longer in some cases.

i've pretty much stopped making backups of the games i buy now.
i just take better care of the originals, so i don't really need to back em up anymore, but i still get mad when i get a scratch on an original disc.
not that i can't make a working backup, i just don't like having to use 3 or 4 different programs to make one backup disc.
maybe in the next couple of months, or maybe in the near future we will be able to make backups of any protected disc out there with just one program installed.
the way technology is always advancing with new hardware like better and faster CD-R/RW, or DVD-R/RW drives, or even better software, it may be possible to copy anything out there.
we'll have to see what the future hold i guess.
till then just take better care of your original discs, thats what i'm doing for now.
i know what ya mean though Copy Lord, it does seem like the days of NON-emulation, ONE-step CD copying are gone. (for now only i think)

Think 120GB HD, VirtualDrive, and lots of images...

new copy protections make it more fun....

aslong it can be done

That's probably why I don't mind having to use special measures to copy CDs. It's always a good challenge having to copy a new protection.

(first post! *grins*)

naaaaah, all this hassle aint fun, its pissing off, especially when it doesnt work.

i dunno how to copy securom 4.8 of the latest safedisc 2.9

all i have is a lite-on 2410B. Im thinking of getting a new writer, any suggestions for something that will do both?

any help on making 1:1 copies for CnC generals and IGI2 would also be appreciated. I'm completely stucked.

cheers.

johndon

Your Lite-on 24102B can do both those games but maybe not with ccd. See here.

Well, my opinion... We have seen much change through time. Lets take for example 2 very popular copy protections here in the US. Safedisc moves forward but so do our writers. From no sheep, to one sheep, to two sheep, and now some as we can call 3 sheep writers. Closer and closer we are reaching near perfect capability to read and write every weak sector of an orignal disc. In time, safedisc can be rendered useless by taking advantage of weak sectors. They will need to add other additional protection agents as they have already begun blacklisting. I completely think we should do something about this as it seems illegal. Who are they to determine what software I can or can not own. I use clonecd primarily for easy perfect music copies which has nothing to even do with games, and now i am blacklisted... F**k them. Secorom... ahh there is a pain, but lets imagine a program like clonecd, where we have profiles, and upon clicking securom profile, it automatically builds a BWA by executing a secondary exe prog like twinpeaks and makes a nice image file and writes it afterwards. All with one click. Sure the option isnt incorporated now, prob for legal reasons, but its possible. From a programming point of view its very possible and I can truley say that since I do program. The glory days may be on a set back but if the hardware exists and is supported by the software, then its all 1 click and a happy working copy. So do i think the glory days of copying are over... NO, not at all. They may be spoiled by laws because of people who do make illegal copies and the rest of us have to suffer, but in time I think that the companies will lose out. Mostly this is fo rmy beliefs that the few who engineer our copy software charge very little or make it free. Whereas a protection company spends lots of money in far greater quantity on something that will be beaten only in anything from a day to a week to a month. I believe there is no need for emulation, just hope and expanding peoples knowlegde so that more of us can help those already making this part of our life more enjoyable.

hey, thanks for the link philamber.

So, do any of those games do blacklisting of certain programs?

maybe this is the reason im getting problems with copying them.

and with the CnC generals (safedisc), do i just use clone cd to do it? i know that the litey can copy 2.51, but can it do 2.8 and higher? is there a difference from 2.8 and 2.51?

im still not sure if project IGI 2 is securom or safedisc tho, any confirmation would be a help. and if it is securom, can my litey copy it easily, or are there gonna be long steps?

thanks

btw, about these games companies dictating to us about what programs we are allowed to use, what can we do about it??

johndon

i dunno about you guys but i enjoy makeing a mockery of the latest protections....

there so god dam easy to beat i can do it with my eyes shut

and this is with no emulation hehe

are they that easy???

hey the more people that come into play of possiable stealing of music movies games the harder its going to get pluse with alot of console games and dvd burns hitting the store shelf at under $200 dollars its just going to get worse but they will never win.

God, it's all fun but it must piss-off all the real people who just want to back stuff up - legally.

One-button backups can be done, not just on our consumer gear

How can a SecuROM 4.8x protected CD be able to wear a CD logo? It can't! If these dudes go much further they'll have to bundle a reader with the game...shit, that just might happen

Does nobody here enjoy watching the millions of pounds spent on Safedisk become wasted in a £50 LiteON 52246S?

I think it's always good to have a challenge.

@Futureproof

glad i have a bigtower..that will fit the extra reader...lol

stop spending so much money on piss-arse advertising that looks like crap and doesn't give a real idea anyway. Therefore overheads will drop, costs will drop, prices should drop while still giving profit margins, less people will pirate, more money available and so on. Word of mouth is still the best advertising.

Did someone say CEO?

I would agree with that.