Backing up some CD-Roms with SafeDisc

[Ryanrs]

Hi, I have a few Computer-based-training cd-roms that i want to make back up copies of. My reasons for the backups are :- 1. because the CDs are fairly valuable and i would prefer to keep there usage down to a minimum to reduce wear and possible damage. 2. because i like to take the CD's with me to work to study on my break times etc and i don't want to risk damaging the originals! and finally 3. because i have lost the receipts! and god forbid i kill or loose the originals well thats a few hundred quid down the drain!!

Anyway, I come across a website with loads of utilities for cracking protections, burning, ripping ISOs etc and i have tried them all but none have worked and tbh im not 100% sure what im doing!!

ClonyXXL tells me that the CD-roms have SafeDisc v2 on them. I have tried making 1:1 iso copies using CloneCD 5.3 with CloneCDProfiler but i have no joy. The copied cd will play and the program will install, but then upon trying to run the program i get the error telling me to insert the correct CD. -The program is dependant on the CD being in the drive to run.

I do wonder if ClonyXXL is wrong about the protection type as ProtectionIDv6.4.0 and SafeDiscAnalyser say Safedisk v4.81.000.

Could someone possibly give me a how-to, or guidance on what i need to do to successfully create a working copy? If there is no possible way to do it then could i mount an iso of the cd to a fake CD drive and run it from there? At least this way i can keep from having to use my original CDs.

Thanks for your help
Ryan

[TippeX]

Clonyxxl is very very very out of date
most backups can be made using alcohol 120% or daemon tools pro..both have trials so you can test them before buying, their sites also have forums etc for support

www.alcohol-soft.com
www.daemon-tools.cc

Also reading the faq's on sites is probably a good idea

clonecd etc are very out of date..best advice : uninstall

[Ryanrs]

Ok thanks for the help there TippeX. I have downloaded Alcohol 120% trial and am currently ripping one of the CDs for copy. I was not sure what read/write speed to use so i just selected quite a slow speed as i hear it reduces the chances of errors?

Anyhow, i am looking at it now whilst its ripping and the information box is flooded with ' Read data examination error at: <number>' Obv with <number> being replaced with a value...

I had similar errors when ripping with Nero and CloneCD. Will this cause me problems with the backup copy? Settings wise, i literally used the Wizard and selected 'Safedisc 1/2/3/4' from the data type drop down menu.

Do i let it run? or abort?

[TippeX]

Read errors are normal for safedisc..typically its in the range of 16 -> 10000
the key to it working is finding the right profile and speed which can differ depending on your cd/dvd/bd drive so you have to do a bit of experimenting.. So let it run..also nero is useless for backing up protected disks.. Also, dont use iso format for protected discs, it will usually fail

[Cowsheep]

Post exact Safedisc Version (scan it with latest Pid), maybe i have loader for it.

[TippeX]

I can do better than that :-P but its sunny, its hot and its probably best Ryanrs learns how to backup :-)

[Ryanrs]

Yo! Well, that last attempt failed also unfortunately I also tried mounting the image file to a fake cd-drive but the program sussed that too! Im on wasted CD-R no 7 now :/ lol.

What Pid do you recommend cowsheep? ill get downloadin!! p.s. how does this 'loader' work?

Glad its how where you are TippeX, Its pissing down here in SE UK !!

Edit:... im guessing PID means 'Protection ID scanner' ? to which i found and downloaded. I run a file scan on the cd and heres the report :-

ProtectionID Protection Report (txt format)

19:33:12 | *DISC* D:\ [VFR01_03] | Disc Protection: SafeDisc Signature v 4 (or higher)
19:33:33 | D:\SetUp.exe | Setup Factory Module v6.0.1.4 | Visual Patch Installer
19:33:41 | D:\system\VFR-Menu.exe | Safedisc v4.81.000

[TippeX]

Can you scan the folder you installed the software (what is it btw?) too and post the results? ... dont try burning, just try mounting in dt/alcohol.. If it detects the virtual drive there are programs to cloak it to avoid detection

[Ryanrs]

Scanning the installed folder also revels SafeDisc v4.81. The discs are part of a aeroplane pilot training course, they are computer based tuition for a series of exams that have to be taken to get a ppl license. There noting special tbh, just a macromedia flash style tutorial program on each one, but the sodding things are ridiculously expensive! and therefore i don't like them leaving the house! hence why i want copies!

Mounting it to the alcohol virtual drive gives me the same error as trying to run the program with a copied cd in the drive..

'Cannot locate the CD-Rom
Please eject and re-insert the CD-ROM, select OK and restart the application'

The virtual drive will run tho when the 'Correct' cd is in my cd-rom drive, so i guess it searches for all drives for the authentic copy.

Also...

I have just found that a few discs have SD v3 on them. These copy but when loading the installed program it appears to crash at the opening logo screen (where it detects the cd) -no error message tho.

13:13:17 | D:\DrvMgt.dll | Safedisc driver managment dll (drvmgt.dll)
13:13:25 | D:\SetUp.exe | Setup Factory Module v6.0.1.4 | Visual Patch Installer
13:13:26 | D:\system\PQ-Menu.exe | Safedisc v3.15.010

[TippeX]

Crash usually means image is bad (wrong key calculated leading to a crash typically in ~df394b.tmp) or sometimes a silent exit.. Try remaking image mds/mdf format (safedisc profile too maybe) with a low dpm speed...its very much trial and error.. Also (at the risk of sounding silly) you need to make the image from the original disks too.. If it all fails then myself or cowsheep will see what else can be done (we would need the exe and dll files from the install folder put into a rar/zip file and uploaded somewhere) ..best of luck

[Ryanrs]

Well, i dont know if this makes any difference but basically (with the cdrom with SD 3.15) i did the copy cd wizard, safedisc 2/3/4 in the datatype, had 'ignore media type' and 'RMPS -Recordable Media physical signature emulation' checked in the emulation section. I selected a very very slow read and write speed and i do always copy from the original disc. The copied cd will work to install the program, just like the SD v4.81 cd-rom copies do, but when trying to launch the program, it crashes at the splash screen. It does not crash tho if i insert the original cd-rom. The SD v4.81 discs dont crash but do flash up the 'remove and re-Insert cd-rom' error window.

Any ideas for this? I really do guess this company don't want anybody copying there stuff!!

I could send you the files to examine, there is only 1 dll file on the disc and that being 'DrvMgt.dll' which i believe is to do with SD? There is no Dll's in the install folder, just the launch program. All the program files are DXR adobe flash protected files. this is the same for all the CD-roms SD 3 and 4. So would you want just copies of the program EXE? or do you need the DrvMgt.dll off the CDs too?

What is your preferred method of file postage?

Thanks for all the help btw!

[TippeX]

Its best to do the drvmgt.dll from each cd as the sd versions change, maybe make folders like disc1, disc2 etc and put the respective files in each fokder then rar/zip them all...
And then upload to rapidshare, megaupload etc..whatever is easiest for you

[Cowsheep]

Besides the dlls, we also need the protected exes like VFR-Menu.exe or PQ-Menu.exe.

[Ryanrs]

Yep ok, ill do as TippeX says and make some separate folders of each CD each containing the DLL and EXE. I notice the CDs also have a few files with names like '00000000.016' to which i understand are to do with SD? Would you require these too?

[TippeX]

The *.016 and *.256 files aren't needed, they are just renamed bmp files which safedisc (depending on settings) uses for the splash screen :-)