Perhaps I should have posted this in the newbie forum, but it relates to copy protection. Can someone explain to me what using emulation to make backup game copies work means and why emulation is inherently evil? I've done searches on the forums, but can't seem to find a good explanation. Is the "hide CDR media" option in the unlocked CloneCD version one type of emulation? Are there others? Come on, help an old doctor learn something new!

>Is the "hide CDR media" option in the unlocked CloneCD version
>one type of emulation?

In its overt form - no. However it does do other things and is required for CloneCD emu backups. People have forgotten that you can still do an SD2.x emu copy if you so desire.

Emulation refers to the copy protection. Either through inadequate hardware or software, the copy protection is sometimes not copied over to the CD-recordable as it should be, that is a 1:1 copy.

In it's simplest form, copy protection was, apart from disc structure, a simple no-CD check. No CD? No play! In the age when a 4x burner was a thousand dollars, it was, for those who knew how, easy enough to image the disc to the hard-drive, mount it in a Virtual CD drive and play the game. Not so 'easy' to burn the image and put the valuable original away.

The most recognisable developer of emu is Venom386 of Daemon Tools fame. It was all explained in some depth on the old .com website but has not yet been put up on the .cc site, so I'll keep typing Most people buy a Pioneer or Panasonic or whatever brand name unit appeals to them at the time. Often these are the worst readers and burners for defeating copy protection.

Given the fact that inadequate readers/writers abound in that not only are they defeated during a casual read but also defeated by some some other techniques of copy protection.

When a reader or writer is not up to the task of reading or burning, then emulation of that particular protection is required. It simply fools the guard module and you can play from a poorly read image or poorly burnt CD (it works for both images and CD-recordables). Daemon Tools currently emulates the Big Three

SafeDisc - weak sectors that are difficult to read and regular bit patterns that create large digital sum values for the EFM lookup table.

LaserLock - has 'regular' occurrences of what appear to be gross sector errors (also used by Ring PROTECH). In the course of play the game engine goes nowhere near these errors, so no problems, the guard module simply checks for the presence of them.

SecuROM - initially reliad on some readers not being able to read subchannels ot being non-compliant with the MMC, not understanding the read subs command. Latterly they have played with sector densities which is emulated bu Alcohol and D-Tools (RPMS). Blindwrite does a very similar thing.

Is emu for the weak? No. There is futile discussion about this. No one looks at it from a marketing/user point of view. Here "I" am, a numpty, and all I want to do is backup a CD. I don't give a rat's arse how, I just want to avoid a no-CD check at best and do something like a 1:1. The authors want to help and sell a product. I think VSO gives away more keys than they sell. MartinX of Alcohol doesn't really care aboyt the money (his employees do!) he just enjoys it - they all do. Thank g0d they do it in different ways - ain't choice grand? Don't want emu? There are other ways but pitfalls as well.

"I" try a few products, I like some better than others. CloneCD wrote all emu data onto the CD - big deal; another works without emu. It'll work everywhere as long as the Tray function is working - big deal. Blindwrite does the same thing as does Alcohol. Big deal. Horses for courses. Wanna backup that'll travel? This is a little different and where emu really comes in to play. Fact is, that if the disc topology is so far from the colored book standards, then only some form of emu is gonna help - either on the disc or via a daemon like RPMS or the BW autoplay filter.

The important thing is to understand what you're getting. Does a tray filter/daemon have to be running? How do I get my emu copy to run at Grandad's place in the summer? What are the limitations of this method? Am I comfortable wielding this app? What's the support like?

If I have to send off CloneCD emu copies with the tray filter on a floppy with the kids - FINE. If I can wangle a "1:1" - FINE.

I hope that helps. Check out some of the stuff in the Copy protection Forum Tutes & Guides, too.

See ya Doc

Thanks FutureProof. I didn't expect such personal attention. So if I understood at least part of what you said, emulation is software trickery to get a non perfect backup CD to still play. Because of magic, the best CD readers and software sometimes still aren't able to make an exact duplicate (1:1 copy) of a copy protected disc. Programs such as Daemon Tools provide the missing data to fool the protection scheme into running the backup. I assume these programs must be running in the background when you try to launch the game CD or do you have to actually use Daemon Tools to launch the game? Is this more or less correct, or do I need another lesson? P.S. If my main desire is to be able to mount CD images, what program would you suggest switching to? CloneCD has worked great in the past, but my newest SafeDisc 2.9 and SeruRom 4.8 CDs are a no go. P.S.S. So emulation is a necessary evil?

>So if I understood at least part of what you said, emulation is
>software trickery to get a non perfect backup CD to still play.

Yes

>Because of magic, the best CD readers and software sometimes
>still aren't able to make an exact duplicate (1:1 copy) of a copy
>protected disc.

Not magic - copy protection. 1:1 disappeared some time ago. First, with the SafeDisc weak sectors replaced by different but recognisable weak sectors.

>Programs such as Daemon Tools provide the missing data to
>fool the protection scheme into running the backup.

Mmm, yes; they intercept and emulate.

>I assume these programs must be running in the background
> when you try to launch the game CD or do you have to actually
>use Daemon Tools to launch the game?

They run as daemons or tray filters launch the game as normal but with emu running if required

>If my main desire is to be able to mount CD images, what
>program would you suggest switching to?

Whatever can read the image in RAW Mode. CloneCD, Blindwrite, DiscDump/Fireburner, Alcohol 120%, DuscJuggler, burnatonce

>CloneCD has worked great in the past, but my newest SafeDisc
> 2.9 and SeruRom 4.8 CDs are a no go.

CloneCD has an emu option for SD2 on the burn; Hide CD-R media must be running and you'll need to completely uninstall the Virtual CloneCD Drive. You can use twinpeak with SecuROM 4.8x

>P.S.S. So emulation is a necessary evil?

It's not evil and is only necessary given specific combinations of h/w and s/w

Hi,

How do i go about adding weak/bad sectors to an CD

Thanks
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Why have you dug this old thread rather than starting a new one? Also if your wanting to add bad/weak sectors to a home made cd... its not worth the time/effort.

\\\\VH////

True, any home made protections can be copied easily.