Hi, am absolutley new to backing up CD.
Having already paid EA for a replacement, I dont fancy enriching them any more at the exhorbitant charges for a replacement CD.
I've tried burning my CD 1 with Alchol 120 version 1.9.2 build 1705. I've followed the instructions to do this from the gamecopy world website using the copy wizard and leaving everything at default apart form datatype which I have selected as safedisk 2/3. Unfortunatley each time it gives tons of Disc Read errors. I havent taken this any further and have always cancelled the process.
Below are the instruction I followed and screen dump of Alcohol 120



Here are the instructions to make a working backup of most Protected CDs using Alcohol 120% in combination with a CD-Reader/CD-Writer which can both can handle RAW DAO:

* First identify which CD/DVD protection is being used on your Game CD/DVD (see Identifying a CD/DVD Protection).
* Startup Alcohol 120%.
* From the [Main] Menu click "Copy Wizard".
* Select the CD/DVD Device from which the Game CD is being read.
* Select the CD/DVD protection from the Datatype pull-down button at the bottom of the window.
This will auto-configure Alcohol 120% for the optimum backup settings.
* When ready Click the [Next >] button.
* Select "Image Location" where the Game CD Image should be stored.
* When ready Click the [Next >] button.
* Select the "CD/DVD Recorder" to which the CD Image will be written to.
All settings are again auto-configured for the optimum backup settings.
* When ready Click the [Start] button.
* Play the game!

The disc read errors are normal for a game protected with SafeDisk. It will get past them eventually, just give it at least 10 minutes or so.

Is it normal for them to be tons of them. I am using a NEC3500 DVD writer and samsung SM 308B. Will the copy play as normal because last time I made one which installs the game but wont play from it (used Clone CD)

If I remember correctly, there is around 500 read errors. I have made backups of my Command and Conquer using BlindWrite that will play from the disc. Alcohol should work just fine though also.

The errors should start at about sector 800 and end at about sector 10000.

Thanks for all your help folks. The copy plays almost all the time in my NEC3500 but when used in laptop it gives the error "please eject and re-insert CD-ROM, select OK and restart application. Any idea why its doing this?

I assume that your laptop only has a writer and doesn't have any application installed that will hide the atip of the burnt cd.

You'll need an atip hiding utility on your laptop in order to play the backup unless you have an ordinary cd/dvd rom.

Examples are alcohol's Ignore media type, CloneCD's Hide cdr media and Daemon Tools' safedisx emulation.

I did install Alcohol but still no joy.

Any one???
Have installed Alcohol 120 on the laptop but still no joy
Keeps giving error message

Yes but have you enabled Ignore media type in its emulation options?

Try emulating with Daemon Tools instead of Alcohol. Sometimes my backups dont emulate well with Alcohol but work with Daemon.