After installing the game you only need to install the v1.41 update patch.
The v1.41 is a full patch and includes all fixes etc from the previous patches.

My self created Mini Image has never been made fully public before as it is so easy to create one from your own BF2 Discs. Also the Bleh Mini Image, available at GameCopyWorld, works fine. However you can now download my Mini Image from the links below.

The following I wrote for my fellow Clan Members:

My self created Mini Image works in all versions of Daemon Tools and only the later versions of Alcohol 120%.
For Battlefield 2 Mini Images I recommend using Daemon Tools.

I have my Mini Image permanently mounted using Daemon Tools v4.06HE. I have never used my original Discs to play BF2.

You can download my BF2 Mini Image from here. Extract the contents of the rar file to a seperate folder in your BF2 game directory. (It can be extracted to wherever you choose, I just put it in my Game Directory so I dont lose it.)

Install Daemon Tools. You can download v4.06HE from here.
If you have never used Daemon Tools before then I recommend using version 3.47 available for download here. (v3.47 does not install SPTD drivers, the later versions of Daemon Tools will install SPTD. The reason I say this is some people have experienced problems with the SPTD drivers! That is why I recommend installing v3.47.)

Once Daemon Tools is installed you will have a Daemon Tools (Lightning Strike) icon in your taskbar.
Right Click the icon, go to 'Options' and tick 'Automount'. (You dont need anything else ticked!)
You dont need anything ticked in the 'Emulation' tab either!

Again right click the Daemon Tools icon in the Taskbar and go to 'Virtual CD/DVD Rom', then to 'Device 0' then to 'Mount Image'. Browse to where you extracted my Mini Image and choose the 'BF2 CD 1_Mini.mds' and click 'OK'.
Once you choose OK a Window will open showing you what appears to be all the files on the disc. The files are not really there! A Mini Image only copies the Protection from the original discs! You can Close this window.

Now again Right Click the Daemon Tools icon in the taskbar and choose 'Exit'.
If you keep the Mini Image permanently mounted you will never have to open Daemon Tools again or change any settings.

You can now start Battlefield 2 using your normal BF2 Desktop or Startmenu shortcuts.
The Mini Image will also work for Special Forces.
You will never need to use your original Discs to play online!

NOTE: This method will not work for warezed or pirated versions of the game!
An original legally purchased CD Key is still required to play BF2 online!
This is only a method to help preserve your original discs. We do NOT support Piracy in anyway!!

Grumpy

Thanks for all this Grumpy. Frustration was it was working online, and installation is OK on my other PC (I have 2 keys). Can't figure out what went wrong! I'll let you know!

Works great, thanks again.

;)

Hm i have an odd problem. I rly dunno what happend to my bf2 , a few month ago i played bf2 without any problems on normal ranked server ( i have a original cd key from my friend) . I used to play with mounting the mini image on deamon tools. But then suddenly my bf2 stopped starting when i double clicked the bf2 exe .It began to load for a few seconds but then, nothing. No error msg ,no "black screen" , nothing. I decided to reinstall bf2 but that didnt helped either. At least the fresh reinstall of bf2 gave me an xp error msgs. The funny thing is, bf2 starts when i use a no cd crack, but theres no point for me playing bf2 sp with the crack -.-. I hope anyone here can help me, and sorry to bother u with my broken english.

greetings
helli

@Hellifant: First of all, start using your own original CD-key...!

I bought the key for 15bucks from him so stfu ! It is my own now.

Sorry then! (Note that we are really serious about the anti-warez rules.) You shouldn't have used that language, though...

help
 

hey does someone knows about a crack or cd key that you haved used about bf2 so you can play online???:confused: :confused:

You can use the cdkey written on your original box :)

I'm really sorry to bring up a thread over a year old. But...

I think I got banned from BF2 a couple days ago, and I can't find any information about it.
I too was trying to find a way around using the CD every time. I gave up with making an image from the disk because it never worked. Then I found a no CD exe somewhere on the internet.

In my infinite knowledge, I ran the game and got caught. Said my CD key was invalid. This is a legitimate copy of the game, FYI. I figured it caught the crack, banned the key, pissed me off.

I go buy another copy today. Install it with its new key, and it STILL says my key is invalid. Does this ban go out to the profile as well? I figure it saw the profile which was banned from the other key and it bans my new one too. I tried making a new profile and running Special Forces(which hasn't been run yet at the time). INVALID.

If I buy another copy, thus putting this game at $90 dollars, run it fresh with a new key and new profile, should it run? Or is my PC/IP entirely banned forever? I'm starting to think they banned my lappy entirely from the get go.

I'd greatly appreciate some guidance. If this isn't ever going to work for me.. giving up now before I drop some more money.

Never use cracks when you are playing online. Mini-images or images are fine, but not the cracks. The anticheat programs we'll always look for the file integrity.

You could've contacted EA support before going to buy another copy. So for the better contact EA support. Expect to be a pain, but as long a syou have the proof of purchase, no one would accuse you for anything. Just say that your little brother messed with your laptop and you weren't home when that happened.

Any online game that uses punkbuster will boot ya and you can not play online with a crack.Call of duty BF and BF2 .Hope you get Black listed once you do you will need to change computers ,Punkbuster takes in record of your IP and Computer hardware so even if you switch out NIC's it sees your hardware Serial numbers and will not let ya play.I had to swap Video cards Nic and processer on my friends to get him back online.

That was a useless trolling post.

Only time it would have said cd-key invalid is if its been used by others, in your attempts to play without the cd you may have picked up a keylogger in a file and someone has gotten it.

Proof of purchase like said is a good as it proves its yours etc.

So uh, do you guys think my account got flagged, or my PC got banned entirely?

If it's just the account, I can try it one more time with a fresh copy and brand new online account.

If it's the hardware, I think I'm just out of luck. I'd REALLY like to get this game working. A lot of my friends play it and love it... I'd like to get in on that.

I emailed EA for BF2 and just get a generic auto-response saying I need to reapply the key through the registry. I realize I could be in one of those freak cases, but it seems way to coincidental in these circumstances.

What can I do? Think calling EA would do anything?

You may have to get a hold of Punkbuster and have see if your hardware got banned. They may not release your Hardware ID.

Call the support. Emailing EA won't solve anything, as they seem to release this kind of automatic responses. Make sure you have the proof of purchase nearby(both of them). Try to remain calm(it's like talking to a brick wall and the use of sledgehammer it's not recommended). Expect to lose between 15min and a hour at the freaking phone.

fyi post
 

I got the game to work... and I couldn't be more upset and happy at the same time.

The first battlefield game I had was the Deluxe edition. The second was that mega pack with all four of the things together. First got banned. Second did not although I thought it did. All I needed to do was start the game from the 'run as an administrator' command. Works like a charm.

So for future reference, recommend people do that for troubleshooting. It works.