I'm new at this...

wobbles_0 · #1 21-01-2002, 20:26

What are the basics for copying games? I have gotten errors and not been successful yet. I have AOEII The Conquerors and want to burn a copy. Thanks.

crispy · #2 22-01-2002, 05:21

Ho hum....

You'll only get help if you give us a little bit more info.

Post your burner make and model, and we'll see what we can do.

packer · #3 22-01-2002, 13:37

and get clonyXl .....

themis_t · #4 22-01-2002, 14:42

i think you should start read as many posts as you can from this forum!8)

Einstein · #5 22-01-2002, 16:47

Hi,
I know u r new to this but like the others say, we need more info.
It's like taking your car to a garage & just saying I have problems.
They will rip ya car apart only to find out (after a month) it is a fuse or something.
Everything you need you should be able to get, or source the information, from this site.
If you are using Nero or Easy Cd Creator, FORGET IT.
You will not copy this game with any of these, or most other original games for that matter.
You need CloneCD & ClonyXL.
Use the link to CD Mediaworld above to obtain these.
ClonyXL will give you the protection used on the cd & the settings required in CloneCD.
And search the forum for posts relating to the game you are trying to copy. I think I have posted a few posts for this game myself.
Again, like the others have said, if you post wot writer you have, wot software you have tried & the errors you are getting, you will get more precise answers, or at least a point in the right direction.
Good luck.
Regards,

Einstein

wobbles_0 · #6 22-01-2002, 20:19

Okay, you guys win. Sorry for the lack of info. I'm running '98 with an HP CD-Writer+8200 with Easy CD Creator (okay I know that's bad) and I get a 'Track Writer Error-CD Read Failed'.
By the time you read this, I will have gotten CloneCD and ClonyXL. Anything else you can think of?
Thanks.

crispy · #7 23-01-2002, 07:12

Okay, as long as your writer is working properly, the good news is that your writer can write almost all protections EXCEPT safedisc2 (sd2).

I'm pretty sure that AOEII is safedisc2 sadly.

Your read error you report may be because easyCD may not be able t read the disc errors on a sd2 disc.

This is my advice to you...

1. Completely remove EasyCD from your pc.
2. Install CloneCd and ClonyXL.
3. Analyse the cd with ClonyXL which will pass the right settings to CloneCD.
4. If it finds sd2, then your writer will give you a good image file, but CANNOT write it back to cdr properly.
5. If it finds anything else then you'll get a good backup.
6.And finally.... if it is sd2 protected, my advice to you is make your image file on your HD, then download Daemon Tools (www.daemonshome.cjb.net) and mount this image with it. You'll be able to run from this image as if it was an original cd in a real cdrom.

Hope this helps.

Einstein · #8 23-01-2002, 14:27

Hi Crispy.
Your right. That writer don't burn SD2. I had the exact same writer & had no luck with Max Payne & the like unitl I got the PlexWriter 241040A. This sorted everything out.
The HP 8200 is only 4x4x24 (Mine was anyway). Not burnproof either.
AOEII uses SafeDisc 1 protection so should be ok to copy with that drive.
Regards,

Einstein.

wobbles_0 · #9 23-01-2002, 20:32

I started to make a copy and was at it for 10 minutes. It appeared nothing was happening so I stopped it and checked the folder size and it was at 6 MB. Does it normally take this long? I'll set it up again before I go to bed tonight and see if it works by tomorrow.
Well, I read another post and found that copying at a slower speed would make it faster. I copied at 4X and it finished in about 75 minutes. Does this seem reasonable? Recommendations?
Thanks for all the help. You guys/gals make it easy for us newbies.

crispy · #10 24-01-2002, 02:18

A safedisc1 or 2 cd contains read errors on the first sectors of the disc.
They are meant to be "unreadable", or with some readers just difficult ro read.
It is theoretically feasible that a cdrom will read more accurately at a lower speed, as you've found here.
At the end of the day, some readers are better than others. To speed things up with sd1 and 2, you should have fast error skip set in CloneCD, or use daemon tools's "fast dump" feature.
Info available on their website.

Einstein · #11 24-01-2002, 16:24

Those speeds r ok.
It can take 25 mins or more to get past the first 6 or 7 percent.
Your burner is a slow one.
If u want quicker results, get a faster burner. Preferably a burn-proof one.

Regards,

Einstein.

wobbles_0 · #12 24-01-2002, 20:23

what does it mean to have a 'burn-proof CD-ROM'?

crispy · #13 25-01-2002, 02:29

Burn-proof, Just-link, etc are all names coined by manufacturers to describe their own proprietary "buffer under-run" prevention mechanisms.
"Buffer under-run" happens when the cd burner doesn't get data fast enough from your HD (or other cdrom if copying on-the-fly) and results in a corrupted cdr.
In essence, the burner with this feature alters its write speed (plus doing other stuff) to ensure the data stream is never lost.

themis_t · #14 25-01-2002, 14:48

Quote:

crispy (25-01-2002 10:29):
Burn-proof, Just-link, etc are all names coined by manufacturers to describe their own proprietary "buffer under-run" prevention mechanisms.
"Buffer under-run" happens when the cd burner doesn't get data fast enough from your HD (or other cdrom if copying on-the-fly) and results in a corrupted cdr.
In essence, the burner with this feature alters its write speed (plus doing other stuff) to ensure the data stream is never lost.

preety good explanation!!!!!!!!!!

gh0sth@cker · #15 29-01-2002, 16:39

Just went and checked for you - had to dig it out of a dark corner of my room. AOEII is only using Safedisk 1 protection. Which means it's fairly easy to clone.
Tick Fast Error Skip in Clone CD and play happily.