Need to make a copy of a PC game

[Tullphan]

I got a couple of pc games on DVD & CD that i'd like to make a copy of for backup.
I've tried Magic DVD copier, but that wouldn't work...perhaps because it's a game?
Any other suggestions?
Thanks.

 

[bruceb]

Only one comes to mind:

CloneCD ... from Slysoft

http://www.slysoft.com/en/clonecd.html

They offer a 21 day full function trial.

 

[Modelworks]

Your probably not going to be able to copy it.
If you do, it will not play like the original would.

They use some fairly mean copy protection on games now.
Securom, Safedisc are the most common.

 

[bruceb]

CloneCD does have a Protected PC Game
copy feature built in. Worth a try as the
trial period is no cost. And it installs and
removes easily from all computers.

 

[CU]

I have always wondered how do these copy protection things work on CDs and DVDs. Why can't a program just read a bit from the original disk then write a bit to a disk? How do they stop the reader/burner from doing a bit by bit copy?

 

[bwatson283]

I wonder the same thing.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: CU
I have always wondered how do these copy protection things work on CDs and DVDs. Why can't a program just read a bit from the original disk then write a bit to a disk? How do they stop the reader/burner from doing a bit by bit copy?

They do it by breaking rules of the cd/dvd rom specification.
Only slightly, buts its enough to throw off the copy process.
Its also the reason that when the methods were first started people frequently had problems with certain games that wouldn't work in their drive.

Placing things like wrong information in the table of contents, error correction information that is wrong only on certain sectors.

You can defeat the protection, but in order to do that you have to know exactly what they altered on the disc, otherwise you destroy the data your trying to copy.

The install software knows what to access on the disc and leaves the protected areas alone. Copy software doesn't know so it tries to copy the entire disc. If it uses the error correction information on the disc then it corrupts the data.
It cannot make up its own error correction information as thats hard coded to the disc.

 

[CU]

Could a copy program not just ignore all errors and try to copy every sector on the disk as is? Also if the disk has errors that only the program knows about then how can you browser the disk in windows.

 

[Elstupido]

Andvd and clonedvd from slysoft. As said before, free limited trial, and after that, well worth the purchase.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: CU
Could a copy program not just ignore all errors and try to copy every sector on the disk as is? Also if the disk has errors that only the program knows about then how can you browser the disk in windows.

There are programs like the ones mentioned that attempt to do that.
You can browse the disc because when you browse a disc your only looking at the table of contents the disc tells you is there, not the actual files.

 

[bruceb]

CloneCD does make it copies on a bit by bit basis. That is how it is so effective.