Original Games Installer Backup Modification Info
 

I think this might be helpfull for some people

ALLWAYS BACKUP THE ORIGINAL FILE 1ST

The following has worked for me about 85% of a time, But you will need to Test the disc 1st by creating an ISO Image file 1st. Then install from that, & if successfull burn to disc.

This is how you do it
If you have a game that has the Executable on the CD or DVD, if you want to you can still install the game as if it were an original & not need the CD or DVD by doing the following: Copy your ORIGINAL CD or DVD game to your Hard Drive & Replace the Original Executable with the No CD/DVD Crack you have. (Backup your original Exe 1st) Now Burn all the files back to CD or DVD using the same Label When you install the game you can play straight away without needing the disc & you will not have to Copy a No CD/DVD Crack to your installed location.

If MSI Installer (Advanced User)
If the game has an MSI Installer setup then the above also applies but with the following: You must Modify the .MSI file with an MSI Editor or anything else that has this capability. You will need to Change the Size of the Original Executable to that of the No CD/DVD Crack Size.

:) :rolleyes: :)

The only problem with doing it that way is the Updates!!
If a game has updates available then there is really no point in doing the exe swapping as you will only then need to swap them back over, after you install, to update the game as 99.9% of the time the update will look for the original exe! ;)
Your method has been mentioned many times before. :)

Updating & Backups
 

I understand that, but I have only ever had to do what you speak of twice that I no of & as long as you have the original executable you have nothing to loose after all how long does it usally take before a Patch is out anyway.

Also in most cases I can still put in an Update Patch when the No Cd Crack is still in the Game Dir...

:)

Errr, a week, a day, a weekday! :D
Sometimes it can be days, weeks, months, or even after a year!
If the update does not update the exe then you will have no problems but a lot of the newer games the exe will get updated as sometimes they update the protection.
Either way people will still be stumped after a new update. If you were to burn the game with the cracked exe in place then you need to swap it back to perform the update, then you will need to find a new cracked exe to match the version of the update.
Even if you do copy the CD and include a foldere for the cracked exe then you will still need to find a new cracked exe for the new update.
So I guess it comes down to personal choice.
I convert all my CD games to a single DVD, I also try and include all the relevant updates onto my DVD but there always seems to be a new update released that is not included on my DVD!
So to get around this I have 2 other DVD's. One for 'all' the cracked exe's, and one for 'all' the updates that are ever released for my games. That way regardless of what happens I always have the cracks and updates safely stored. ;)

Updates
 

Grumpy wrote
Yes I do similar, but in some cases I go further like in that I will recreate the Setup installer using Installshield & 90% of the time I can still use the Updates for any games (Strictly for my Use only) & also have the Game be installed as the latest version without needing to apply the Updates, as in a lot of cases to, is that the Info that tells the game what the Game version is located in the Registry & its all I need when recompiling the New Setup Installer. (of course I have the Original) in case they change things but unlikely.

Also when updating the game's to a new version regardless of wether installed from the original or Modified Setup you will still have to get a new NO CD Crack etc... In which for me I would just re - create a new setup installer.

:) :rolleyes: :) ;)

I dont mean to be rude, but whats the point of this thread?

The information is out in the forum already.


One important thing you missed out on is this, to backup your game onto cdrw/dvdrw first so if it doesnt work at least you can wipe it off the disc.


Not all MSI installers are easy to change, some look at checksums, some even check the protection on the disc, like for example Gothic 2, Dragonshard etc

Agree!
But I do like to keep some people amused! ;)

As an alternative to this, this is what I do:
- Install the game.
- Apply the latest official update.
- Compress the original executable and related DLL's with ZIP.
- Apply the appropriate no-CD/no-DVD patch (if the game is still copy protected, after the official update).
- Export the registry settings into a .REG file.
- Compress with RAR.
- Keep the RAR and the ZIP on a large backup hard disk or burn onto DVD-/+R/RW.
If a new update arrives, unpack the RAR, replace the original files from the ZIP and start again from applying the update.

Joe Forster/STA wrote:
That sounds like a good option & proberly the way to go with some games. But for me creating the Setup installers is easy to do & it automatically creates your shortcuts & registry settings as needed with out any manual input.

DABhand wrote
No not being rude, just everyone has there own opinion & see's things differently.
Ok I did not that but its possible that this topic could be of some use.

:) :rolleyes: :D