Ok, my original guide no longer works for SafeDisc 4.000, so here is the updated version.

How A Mini-Image Works

Ok, basically SafeDisc checks the start of a disc for "bad sectors". If they are there then the game is thought to be authentic and the game will start. When you read a full image you are reading the "bad sectors" at the start as well as all the other data. The problem is that all the install data etc that takes up over 99% of the space, this data is not needed to start the game, only to install it. It isn’t convenient for most people to have loads of 700mb images on there hard drive just so they can play a game without the disc in the drive.

What a mini-image does is keep only the data at the start that is used too authenticate the original disc. This is made up of the "bad sectors and the "table or contents", the "table of contents" is just a list of all the files on the disc and how big they are, (this is why they still show up as the correct size
on a mini-image even when they are empty) The mini image discards all the other data as shown in the diagram below:


A mini-image is normally 1-5mb, which is a much more practical size.


How To Make A Mini-Image

1. Launch Alcohol 120% 1.9.2.1705 (or higher version) with the original SafeDisc game's play disc in the drive you want to read from.


2. Start the "Image Making Wizard".


3. Select the drive that the disc is in from the "CD/DVD Device:" option. Then set the read speed to "1x (150KB/Sec)". Then make sure all the other options are UNchecked, except for "Skip reading errors", this should be checked. Then click "Next".


4. You can then select the location that the mini-image will be created, I have selected the desktop, and have left the mini-image the same name as the volume label, but with "Mini_Image" on the end. Then click "Next".


5. It will start reading wait a few seconds.


6. After a few read errors have come up (2 or 3 is ideal) have come up click "Cancel". It will then ask if you are sure, click "Yes".


7. It will then ask you if you want to delete the uncompleted image files, click "No"


8. Then click "Finish"


9. You will now be back on the Alcohol 120% main window, close down Alcohol.


10. Now check the image file is there where you set it to be saved.



How To Mount A Mini-Image

11. Right click the Daemon Tools 3.47 (or higher version) icon in the tray.


12. Go to "Virtual CD/DVD-ROM"> "Set number of devices..." and set it to 1.


13. Then go to "Virtual CD/DVD-ROM"> "Device 0: [letter] No media"> "Mount image".


14. Then browse for the mini-image you made and open the .mds file


15. It should then AutoRun the disc, simply by showing the contents of the disc. There will be no icons for the files, and none of them contain any data, however they will still be there original file size.


16. You can now launch the game from the start menu shortcut! (You cant start it from the disc like before as the AutoPlay data will have been removed)



This method has been tested from SafeDisc 2.9 to 4.000, make sure you make the mini-image from the original disc or it may not work. You do not need to have any emulation (ATIP hider etc.) enabled for the mini-image to work.

Ben