CD Emulator?

[Methanoid]

Doing some CD2DVD conversions and my latest projects are a Dune disk (all Dune games - Dune, Dune 2, Dune 2000, Emperor: Battle for Dune and Frank Herbert's Dune) and a C&C disk.

Since C&C Renegade is proving rather difficult I am looking for a util that works under XP similar to the old CD emulator FAKECD (which doesnt work I am told). This used to allow you to give a path to files and fake that as the CD. Yes, I could use DaemonTools but it would be nice if the disk didn't have to assume some software was pre-installed on the system.

Anyone know a modern equivalent of FakeCD???

[Joe Forster/STA]

Hi Methanoid,

Preserving oldies? Very good! Until you find a proper DOS-based CD emulator that works for Windows XP, as well, you might wanna try running your old DOS games under DOSBox, a small PC emulator, available at http://dosbox.sourceforge.net . After all, it is not only CD emulation that causes major problems when trying to run DOS games under _any_ Windows, it's rather memory/disk/video/audio/keyboard/game controller access! Good luck anyway,

Joe

[Methanoid]

I guess I didn't make my purpose clear. The games are not particularly old (although the Dune games and C&C are but seem to run fine in compatibility mode set as W95 apps) but I want to be able to mount images from a DOS prompt without having to pre-install Daemon Tools or Alcohol 120%. The old FakeCD would have done the job.

All I will be doing is mounting an ISO of a game like C&C Renegade and then installing from that as some titles won't install except from the correct CD.

Hope that clarifies!

[Joe Forster/STA]

Hi Methanoid,

How about SHSUCD, a replacement for MSCDEX, that can also emulate a CD from an image? See http://www.geocities.com/jadoxa/shsucdx/index.html for a download. Dunno how well it would work under Windows XP, though... Good luck,

Joe

[Methanoid]

Thanks. Tried it and it doesnt like XP unless U run an old version (work that out!!!???). Anyway it refers me to an alternative called Filedisk which SHOULD do exactly what I want (although you do have to "install" it by copying a SYS file into Windows/System32/Drivers which I would rather not have to do).

I'm sure EVENTUALLY I'll find the exact tool.

I've had to email the Filedisk author as the tool does not work for me for some reason!??!?!

[l0sts0ul]

"This used to allow you to give a path to files and fake that as the CD"

I think you are thinking of the subst command.

[Joe Forster/STA]

Hey l0sts0ul,

If there's only a _bit_ of copy protection on the original CD (volume label, big file, manually edited sectors outside the file area), then simply copying the files from the CD into a directory on the hard disk and then - what SUBST does: - asking the OS to give that directory a drive letter of its own, is not enough as the game will not find its original CD.

FakeCD does not emulate _any_ of these old, simply copy protection methods. However, it does tell the operating system (DOS) that that emulated drive is a CD-ROM drive. SUBST, on the other, hasn't been designed to do so.

Joe

[Methanoid]

Thanks Joe, you're correct and saved me from appearing ungrateful for suggestions.

I got Filedisk working but the only downside is that it needs to be "installed" first into the Win\system32\drivers dir which I'd rather avoid for a proper CD2DVD solution.

Now if I can find something else then we have in effect the "Generic CD2DVD" solution in one go.....