1st_read.bin = 0K -Help!

[confusedOne]

i have extracted the iso's from the gdrom and my 1st_read.bin is always 0k . i have extracted the same game several times and the same thing happens every time. i have tried to merge the 2 iso's with the copy /b track03.iso+track28.iso data.iso.
and then i have run isofix data.iso 45000.
i can open the fixed iso with isobuster and it shows the 1st_read.bin as being around 4 megs. when i try to extract it, it gives me a bunch of errors. i noticed in isobuster that it has a high lba number compared to the rest of the files. like 1st_read.bin will be somehing like 549860 and the other files will be something like 45020. what am i doing wrong. please help.
i am using a pc to dc serial cable that i bought from lik-sang. i have tried both terraterm pro and hyper terminal in windows. i setup a partition with bare win95 and just the programs for dremcast.
thanks for any help
confusedOne