Metal Gear Solid 2 DVD to CD backup Guide
 

here is a summary how to backup the Metal Gear Solid 2 DVD to CDs.

what you need:
--------------
* Metal Gear Solid 2 DVD
* GimpsRus MGS2 NoDVD Crack
* WinRAR 3.x
* Regedit.exe (in your C:\Windows dir)
* 14 GB free disk space
* some cds for backing up the game


let´s repack this game:
----------------------
* insert CD and click "Install" on the Autostart Application
* make a full install with 7.6 GB (!)
* drink something and wait till setup has finished
* when finished extract the GimpsRus NoDVD Crack to your MGS2\bin directory
* open WinRAR
* click "Add" Button
* Browse -> goto your MGS2 dir
* Filename -> MGS2 -> Open
* Archive format -> RAR
* Compression method -> Store (you can also choose "Best" and you won´t need
as much cds as the "Store" method, BUT it will take more than 12 hours
on a AMD T-Bird 1.4 GHz to compress)
* Split to Volumes -> 650M
* Create SFX Archive must be enabled
* switch to File-Category
* click "Append"
* browse to you MGS2 dir
* select "cdrom.img" and "bin" -> OK
* change back to "General" Category
* press OK to start Compressing

* when compression is completed it is time to save the registry entries
* run the Regedit.exe (C:\Windows\RegEdit.exe)
* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SOFTWARE -> KONAMI -> MetalGearSolid2 Substance -> 1.00.00
* you see this entry is empty
* we must fill this place
* right click on 1.00.00 -> new -> DWORD
* a new DWORD will be created and you have to give him a name
* double click on it -> enter "1"
* right click on the DWORD -> rename -> "Full Install"
* now do a right click on KONAMI and select "Export"
* name: "MGS2_reg" -> save to Desktop

* but there is another registry entry for you waiting to be exported ;)
* this key is very important cause it points to your DVD-ROM drive
* HKEY_CURRENT_USER -> SOFTWARE -> KONAMI -> MGS2S
* right click on MGS2S and export
* name: "MGS2_reg2" -> save to Desktop
* now it´s time to burn the 650 MB splitted-files to CDs
* burn MGS2.exe & the MGS2_reg to the first CD and the rest to other CDs

* if you want to install the game from backup CDs run the MGS2.exe from CD1
* after all files are installed do a double click on the MGS2_reg to import it
* right click on MGS2_reg2 and select edit
* here you have to change your installpath like this:
"InstallDir"="D:\\MetalGearSolid2 Substance"
"SrcDrive"="D:\\MetalGearSolid2 Substance"
* InstallDir & SrcDrive must include the path where MGS2 is installed on your HD
* save changes in this file and close it
* new double click on the MGS2_reg2 to import it into your Registry

* run MGS2SConfig.exe (from bin dir) to configure the Game and select Play to play :p

you can download this guide including all registry fixes on my website.

greetings
/cdkiller

Nicely spelled out, I've been wondering what lengths one has to go thru to do DVD to CD.

Possibly a sticky as an example for future DVD games?

Hi@all

thanx for you big work, cdkiller !
I've also tried to make a copy of MGS2 to CD

here is my way:

I've made a image with the help of alcohol 120% (it works with clone cd , too)
Now i have an 7,48GB Image (mdf and mds file)
With the help auf WINRAR 3.11 I compress this file and cut this file in 4 or 5 archives a 700 MB (depend on compression) and write this files to cd !

You can play this Image with virtual drives (clone CD or Alcohol)
and it really works !!! It is a very simple solution !!!

@Radeon:

This should not work. You need the registry settings, I guess.

@ cdkiller

I was wondering...
is the game really 7.6GB big, I mean are all the files game relevant or is it just using dummy files to blow up the volume? In that case, couldn't it be possible to make a nocd that takes out the checks for these dummies? Well, so far I've never seen a pc game installing this much data before.

KiwiCom

The reason why its so big is because of all the speech and the movies. Konami could have done a better job with compressing the speech, but chose not to. The movies could not have been compressed though, because its all done in-game. Its basically a straight port of the Xbox version of Substance.

Thanks for the info BountyWarrior.

I was just thinking about this as there's this german game "Anstoss 4" that was released on DVD, using several gb on the disc, but when you installed it, it was just a few hundred mbs.

@Monty Burns:
Why RADEON's way should not work ?
He has made a backup of the DVD and mount it in a virtual drive.
He can also install the game from there.

Or i'm wrong ???

it won´t work when the registry settings aren´t included !
cause there is the install and cd-path stored.
i tried it without the registry settings and i can´t configure the games hardware settings...
and future updates won´t work without registry keys.
(like installshield updater are always looking to the gamepath in
your registry)

btw, i´ve compressed the gamedate so it fits on 6 cds ;)

Hi@all

I really confirm, my way, i explained, workes 100 % , because
I don't install the game !

I don't need any registry entry, because I compress the image of
alcohol !
If u want to install the game, u have to copy all rar.archives to harddisk, unpack, start alcohol to put the image in your virtual drive !

and again: IT WORKS !!!!!!!

I need 4 or 5 Cds (depend on compression)

Cya
Radeon

P.S. @cdkiller - Do you have already a working crack for DTM or can I use the crack from deviance ???

Allright, seems I was a little bit tired or too drunk (:D) yesterday or just confused, anyway I got Radeons post wrong somehow..., sorry.

Can someone tell me where i can download the GimpsRus NOdvd crack? Or plz send it to me via email vincewd**********com.

Hiron, HERE is the gimps crack.

The use of the Search Button could have led you here !

Edit: BountyWarrior, this time it was you :D

@ Radeon

with your method you need some more free disc space cause you have to install the Game (7.6 GB) and mount the image (7.6 GB) from your HD.
so you need more than 15 GB free discspace !

@cdkiller

Hi,

I don't need to install the game, because I use alcohol to make an image (7,48 GB) and then i compress this image with winrar !

I have two possibilities:

first: you have enough free diskpace
second: winrar delete the files automatically !

P.S. now some words in german:

Es ist zwar gut und schön meinen Weg oder auch den Weg von CD-Killer zu gehen ! Aber es ist meines Erachtens nicht sehr sinnvoll (jedenfalls bei diesem Game) Zum einen dauert das komprimieren auch auf schnellen Rechnern sehr lange und das Entpacken dauert auch seine Zeit ! Ich hoffe die DVD Brenner sind bald so günstig dass man sich jegliche zeitintensive Bearbeitung von Games und Movies ersparen kann !


@cdkiller

Do u have any working exe of DTM RACE Driver ?

@ cdkiller,

seems that you got a bad link on your website, because the metal gear solid download-link leeds to a dead end ;(

your method works fine for some games.
but you´ll get problems with newer games protected by
Safedisc 2.90. it have alcohol detection and won´t start.
so i´ve written this guide wich covers gamepacking.
here you can play without cd, cause the game is already cracked.

i´ve fixed the link on my homepage.
a working DTM Race Driver exe (fixed one, backup cd) is available
here

Alcohol-DVD-Image
 

@Radeon

My attempt to make an 1:1 copy by using Alcohol 120% failed. Alc. starts reading the DVD, but after about 50 % an error occured!

Why? How can I solve this problem?

No Chance by using GameJack 3 too. Same problem.

:confused: :confused: :confused:

@weaksector

I need more parameters

f.e.
OS
Hardware (Drive/Hard Disc etc)
NTFS or Fat32 (because of 4GB Limit ????)

Radeon

It certainly sounds like a FAT16/32 filesize error. Was this 4Gig ? I thought it was only 2.

maybe there is a 4GB Limit!
because the full installation takes 7,48 GB and at 50% you have 4GB !

So long

@Radeon

parameters:

OS: WinXP
HD: NTFS

do you need additional informations?

Is the NTFS the problem?

Why there is a 4 GB Limit?

Which OS etc. do 'you' have? Because it works on your machine! :confused:

The problem is FAT16/32, where files can be no bigger than 2G/4Gig's respectively. This has to do with the way FAT16/32 works, but NTFS does not have that problem. Do you have any partitions formatted with FAT16/32 or are all your partitions NTFS ?

I have 4 partitions in total and each one is formatted as NTFS.

:(

Isn't this a better way?
 

Hi, cdkiller and others...

Can I just have a clarification please since I'm in the middle of doing an MGS2 backup and have just found your guide. This is what I'm planning to do, have you tried this and did you find it failed to work hence your guide? (Although, without trying I can't see why it wouldn't work).

To Do back-up:

Have made an iso image of the DVD disc (using DVD-decrypter, but other programs would do).
Now compressed this image and stored on 2 dvd-r's (could use cd-rs).

To install: (requires 15GB hdd space)

Uncompress image from dvd-r's to harddisk. Mount image (iso) using Daemon Tools (or Alcohol). Install game from this image.
Patch installed game with NoDVD crack, and delete mounted image (to save 7.5GB disk space).

To play:
As usual. Disk image wouldn't be required because of the NoDVD crack.

(Surely this is a better method?, since the game is being installed with the normal method rather than copying files and making registry entries).

Any thoughts?

Should be no prob, but I cannot test it!

@adam.mt

You wrote:

-----------------------
To Do back-up:

Have made an iso image of the DVD disc
(using DVD-decrypter, but other programs
would do).

-----------------------

Isn't there any problem with a 4 GB-Limit?? (Filesize)

What Filesystem do you have ??

Weaksector, if you only have NTFS partitions then it cannot be a FAT16/32 filesize problem :D However, it can be a problem with Alcohol itself, that might not be capable of handling those big files. Are you using the latest version ? Has anybody succesfully made such a big image with Alcohol120% ? You don't need a game dvd to try, I've got some free dvd's of a PC mag and if I'm really bored I might try to make an Alcohol image of one of them :D

follow my guide and you don´t have any problems
caused by big files (> 4 GB) on a FAT32 System.

Guys I need some help here .From wherever i download the grumgs2.rar crack for metal gear solid 2 it says it is corrupted when i open it!!!!
Help!

That was it .Thanks friend

Hi @ all..

Isn´t there a no-cd crack for this game. At the moment i only have installed the game. Please help.:)

Does anybody get directsound errors in the game?

yes, i get sound errors with my 8RDA+ onboard sound... waiting for a patch or something.

Hi folks!

can someone help me?

I have fallow all points off cdkillers guide but i cant change the settings in MGS2!

HELP

Jevi

i also had this problem at the beginning.
you need to import the registry settings you´ve edited.
so the game knows where it´s installed and it can be configured.

i have import this sesttings:

----------------------------------------------------------------------

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\KONAMI\MGS2S]
"InstallDir"="D:\Spiele\Konami\MetalGearSolid2 "
"SrcDrive"="D:\Spiele\Konami\MetalGearSolid2"

----------------------------------------------------------------------

but i cant change my settings and when i press play it dosent start!
the game starts only when i start mgs2.exe or mgs2_sse.exe.

i dount know what i have do wrong .

Jevi

but there is still another registry entry needed:

* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SOFTWARE -> KONAMI -> MetalGearSolid2 Substance -> 1.00.00
* you see this entry is empty
* we must fill this place
* right click on 1.00.00 -> new -> DWORD
* a new DWORD will be created and you have to give him a name
* double click on it -> enter "1"
* right click on the DWORD -> rename -> "Full Install"

i have do that too but it dosent work!

Jevi