Assassins Creed [FULL Backup] (DVD9 to 2x DVD5)

[FREEMAN100]

[DVD 1 INSTRUCTIONS] SIZE = 3.89GIG

[1] COPY THE CONTENTS OF THE DVD9 TO A NEW FOLDER CALLED AC_DVD

[2] MOVE THE FOLLOWING FILES & PLACE SOMEWERE SAFE

Data4.CAB
Data5.CAB

[3] MAKE A NEW ISO FROM THE AC_DVD FOLDER USING THAT AS ITS VOLUME NAME

=================================<=====>========== =======================

[DVD 2 INSTRUCTIONS] SIZE = 2.63GIG

[1] NOW DELETE THE FOLLOWING FILES FROM THE AC_DVD FOLDER

Data2.CAB
Data3.CAB

[2] NOW PLACE THE FOLLOWING FILES BACK INTO THE AC_DVD FOLDER

Data4.CAB
Data5.CAB

[3] EDIT THE AUTORUN.INF TO LOOK LIKE WHAT IS BELOW

[autorun]
open=0
icon=autorun.ico

[4] MAKE A NEW ISO FROM THE AC_DVD FOLDER USING THAT AS ITS VOLUME NAME


=================================<=====>========== =======================

[EXTRA NOTES]

The game Can't be made to fit a single Dvd5 even removing all the Intro/Warning BIK's & extra languages still leaves the size of 5.75GIG

Shouts out to the big red tomato

[hazap]

it works, tested...dvd1-dvd2-dvd1.

tnx to freeman100

[ravd]

Originally Posted by mktiger

i have problem, my version (polish) has only 2 cab files
data1.cab has 1 458 kB data2.cab has 5 223 794 kB
how can i make data2.cab to 2 cab files??
contents of directory: http://uploaded.to/?id=tqgb8r

Download ISCab14.0.0.162 from mondragon's signature (direct link: iscab14.0.0.162_update.rar )

Extract to same folder with cab files, overwrite layout.bin and run dvd9to2xdvd5.bat. Now you have data2.cab which is 4gb and data3.cab with rest of the files.

[mktiger]

it's workin tnx very much ravd
layout.bin is very strange after that, it contain names of files from vegas and assasin too
no errors when install - seqence - dvd1-dvd2-dvd1
label no matters
i tried this 2 days ago with oryginal layout.bin - it's my mistake

[mondragon]

Originally Posted by 2x+1

i saw this: http://www.cd-2-dvd.com/modules.php?...iew&poemid=735
it posted by Prophet07

did anybody try this?
how is install seqence? does it finish on DVD2?

Prophet07 on cd-2-dvd = FREEMAN100 here

[Wavenero]

Does anyone know how to modify any of the files to make the installer ask for disc 2 and not the disc 3 it asks for??? I don't even have 3 discs. :S

Is there anyway of opening the installshield exe in the install sheild software to make the changes??

Thnx for your help. =)
Wavenero

[mondragon]

rebuild ishield cab into 4gb size and installer asks for disc2 not 3

[Wavenero]

Originally Posted by mondragon

rebuild ishield cab into 4gb size and installer asks for disc2 not 3

How do you mean by that?? sorry. do you mean to make the 3 data.cab files to one cab file using iscab and makecab??

thanks for all the help
Wavenero

[ravd]

Just use iscab 14, makecab is for microsoft cabs. Do what i have written earlier

Originally Posted by ravd

Download ISCab14.0.0.162 from mondragon's signature (direct link: Attachment 557 )

Extract to same folder with cab files, overwrite layout.bin and run dvd9to2xdvd5.bat. Now you have data2.cab which is 4gb and data3.cab with rest of the files.

[Wavenero]

Thnx guys. That worked a treat. ^_^

All the best
Wavenero

[marcelito]

Originally Posted by FREEMAN100

[DVD 1 INSTRUCTIONS] SIZE = 3.89GIG

Thank you brother. 100% perfect.

[Kilopixel]

Using this method the installer asks for Disk 2 instead of 3, and there are no unnecessary duplicate files on the DVD's. You'll need about 6 gigs of free space.

1. Copy the content of the DVD9 to a new folder. This will be Disk 1. Call the folder whatever you want, I named it AC_DVD1.

2. Download iscab14 (here for example), and extract the files to the new folder. Overwrite layout.bin. Then run dvd9to2xdvd5.bat. Wait for it to finish, it takes a while.

3. Once it's done, delete the stuff you just extracted, except layout.bin. Delete the following files:

• dvd9to2xdvd5.bat
• dvd9to2xdvd5.txt
• ISCAB.exe
• ISTools.dll
• make_list.bat
• MediaBuild40.dll

Also delete:

• data4.cab
• data5.cab

4. Next, make a second folder. This will be Disk 2. Call it whatever you want, I named it AC_DVD2.

5. Then move data3.cab and the System folder from the first folder (AC_DVD1) to the second folder (AC_DVD2).

6. After that copy the Support folder from the first folder to the second folder.

7. In the Support folder in the first folder (AC_DVD1), delete the DirectX, License and Register folders.

8. In the Support folder in the second folder (AC_DVD2), delete the Manual and ReadMe folders.

9. Then copy autorun.ico and autorun.inffrom the first folder to the second folder. Open the copied autorun.inf in the second folder with notepad, and alter it to this:

[autorun]
open=0
icon=autorun.ico

10. Finally, add your own Crack folder to the first folder (AC_DVD1). Since the install sequence will end on Disk 1, this is the best folder to put your cracks and patches in.

The first folder's contents should look like this:


The contents of the second folder:


You can then burn the contents of the folders to DVD's, I use Nero for that. The volume labels don't matter, you can name the discs whatever you want. I named 'em AC_DVD1 and AC_DVD2.

Good luck and happy gaming.

[neobuddy89]

Originally Posted by Kilopixel

Though freeman's method works, this one is better.

Works Awesome! Thanks man!

[cacaoso]

Originally Posted by inlinestunter19

I extracted the following files from cabs with iscab:

File2="DataPC_Acre.forge"
File5="DataPC_Common.forge"
File6="DataPC_Damascus.forge"
File9="DataPC_Jerusalem.forge"
File10="DataPC_Kingdom.forge"
File13="DataPC_Masyaf.forge"

Then I copressed them with freearc and made a sfx archive with high compression, named Assassins_Creed_arc.exe

Then I replaced the following files with dummy files:
[sound_es]
File1="DataPC_StreamedSoundsspa.forge"

[sound_fr]
File1="DataPC_StreamedSoundsfre.forge"

[sound_it]
File1="DataPC_StreamedSoundsita.forge"

[data]
File2="DataPC_Acre.forge"
File5="DataPC_Common.forge"
File6="DataPC_Damascus.forge"
File9="DataPC_Jerusalem.forge"
File10="DataPC_Kingdom.forge"
File13="DataPC_Masyaf.forge"

[sound_de]
File1="DataPC_StreamedSoundsger.forge"

and the game should be around 4,10 GB

but there is a small thing...
after the setup installer finishes his job u need to run
Assassins_Creed_arc.exe and extract those files to game folder...
So if anyone can help me to put the archive to extract itself ... when the setup runs... like in this conversion
http://fileforums.com/showthread.php?t=88182&page=2

First I'd like to thank inlinestunter19 for the above idea. Took me some time to figure out how to do it for myself. I have attached a semi-auto procedure of the steps needed to do the above (which I have figured out how to do, I may be using a lot of wrong techniques for all I know so pls feel free to correct me of any errors)

Steps:
1) Extract dvd9 to a temp folder (eg. C:\ASSASSINS_CREED)

2) Extract attached RAR file to this folder (overwrite the layout.bin file)

3) Run "1-extract.bat" file to extract these files out:
DataPC_Acre.forge
DataPC_Common.forge
DataPC_Damascus.forge
DataPC_Jerusalem.forge
DataPC_Kingdom.forge
DataPC_Masyaf.forge
DataPC_StreamedSoundsfre.forge
DataPC_StreamedSoundsger.forge
DataPC_StreamedSoundsita.forge
DataPC_StreamedSoundsspa.forge

4) Now use FreeArc (I assume you know what and how to use it) to compress only these files:
DataPC_Acre.forge
DataPC_Common.forge
DataPC_Damascus.forge
DataPC_Jerusalem.forge
DataPC_Kingdom.forge
DataPC_Masyaf.forge
(Basically leave all the non-english "sounds" forge files out)
Using "Maximum (192mb decompression): -mx -ld=192m" setting, I made mine a self-extracting EXE just for convenience, you basically get a 1.93GB file (eg. ASSASSINS_CREED.exe)

5) Once this is completed, extract the "3-Extract_to_root_folder_(fakes).rar" to the root (C:\ASSASSINS_CREED) folder and overwrite all the 10 DataPC files. The fake files are just empty text files which you can create yourself and rename them to the same names as the 10 DataPC files.

6) Now to put the fake forge files into the data?.cab files and clean up after ourselves. Run "4-repack_cabs_and_cleanup.bat". This will suck everything back into the data?.cab files and overwrite the big forge files with the zero-length ones.
Pls note: You orginally have
Data1.cab (2.19MB)
Data2.cab (1.82GB)
Data3.cab (1.92GB)
Data4.cab (2.00GB)
Data5.cab (496MB)
After this you will end up with just:
Data1.cab (2.19MB)
Data2.cab (1.99GB)

I also modified the setup.ini file (out of paranoia) not sure if its absolutely necessary, but usually advisable.

[Startup]
EnableLangDlg=N
...
CheckMD5=N
[Languages]
Default=0x0009
count=1
key0=0x0009

Done.
(addition) Btw, you can also safely get rid of the directx folder and its contents OPTIONALLY if you need to space to put something alongside your dvd5 (total 4.07GB) as the game never executes or copies it (just has it in the disc for you to use if you need it.) Other files and folders for non-english files & manuals only take up a total of 3MB so no big saving there. I just left them where they are.

(edit) Oh yeah one more thing, place the FreeArc compressed file ("ASSASSINS_CREED.exe" in my eg.) Some where on your dvd5 so you will remember to uncompress it to your Program Files folder later. I could not make the file execute by itself after the installation was done though. The only file it runs after the installation is the "RegistrationReminder.exe" (which is copied to your Program Files folder FIRST then executed) - so if you rename your "ASSASSINS_CREED.exe" to "RegistrationReminder.exe" and replace it in your dvd5, the game will copy the WHOLE 1.99GB file onto your Program Files folder first then.....display some info msg about FreeArc blah blah and NOT give you an option to extract the files So that idea seems to FAIL-FAIL-FAIL. I think the main idea is to reduce the required space during installation (this method would increase that by 2GB but in the end it doesn't even prompt you with "Where would you like to extract this hughjazz file which took 10mins to copy into your hdd in the first place?"

I'm pretty sure the above is NOT the way to do it. Usually I see some INNO setup file impostering a "vcredist.exe" file or something which then prompts for the path where to install the ARC file to. Can someone point me to the best guide to set these setup files up so I can at least *appear* less noob

Or is there a way to edit the installation procedure to include your ARC file extraction. Assuming its a game that just installs itself and does not run another exe file after that?

Interested to learn how to convert like a pro. Just out of interest btw, not making it a career! Feel like digging up all my precious collector's editions and dvd5ing them before letting my bro touch them (which usually come back scratched or not at all!)
So any tips are most welcome!
-----------
Now my turn to ask questions! (since when I started I had no idea what I was doing!?)

Q1) I had to use the Editlayout to change the layout.bin file for the repacking to take (otherwise I keep getting the "Media too small to fit data2.cab in disk1...etc error msg). Now the current layout.bin in the attachment I set it to 4GB (the max setting) seeing how the data2.cab file came up to be 1.99GB, does that mean I could have just used the 2GB setting? or is it a universal practice to just set it to the highest setting just in case?

Q2) By my observation the repacking *seems* to be restricted to creating one data1.cab file and only another data2.cab file? The data1.cab file's size didn't change and the whole lot of files had to be absorbed by the data2.cab? Is this the only technique? or are there better ways of splitting them into data3,data4,data5.cabs etc?

Q3) I also used iscab_14.0.0.162 (seems to be a popular version used by mondragon in several of his conversions, so I figured, "can't go wrong there") Now there is iscab_15.0.0.498 version out there, can I just use the latest version out there? Or do I need follow what the games use to pack their original files?

Okay other than Q1 to Q3, I am pretty sure I did everything else correctly. So I guess its safe for ppl to use my attachment.

Thanks again inlinestunter19! One backup DVD-R saved for the environment!
p.s. I think using plastic is more harmful than paper, right?

[adi007]

Kilopixel method works for me. Thanks.