VOGONS


First post, by EdmondDantes

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Okay, so...

I'm running games in MS-DOS (*not* Dosbox)

I like to rip the CD-ROMS to Iso and mount those using SHSUCD so that my real CDROM drive doesn't sustain wear and tear.

However:

Some games use audio tracks on the CD for their music (Shadow Warrior and Mechwarrior 2 are two significant examples). For these games, yeah I can play them without the CD using my method, but... then they don't have music.

My question:

Is there a way to play without the CD but still have the audio tracks?

Keep in mind I'm asking about a method that would work on either native DOS (not Dosbox) or else Windows 98. Anything past that is useless to me.

Thanks in advance.

Reply 1 of 13, by JayCeeBee64

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You have to create a BIN/CUE image if you want to play games with CD audio:

http://www.cdrfaq.org/faq02.html#S2-28

http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Cuesheet (some of the info applies to both DOS and Windows 98 as well)

http://forums.afterdawn.com/threads/bin-cue-i … read1st.258815/

I don't know of any utility that can mount a BIN/CUE image in DOS, So you'll have to use Daemon Tools or Alcohol in Windows 98.

Here's a link to an old VOGONS topic for additional reference and info.

Ooohh, the pain......

Reply 2 of 13, by konc

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JayCeeBee64 wrote:

I don't know of any utility that can mount a BIN/CUE image in DOS...

Me neither, that'd be something a lot of us would use.

Reply 3 of 13, by idspispopd

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Seconding Daemon Tools in Windows. See also this thread: Windows 98SE + Virtual CD Software + CD Audio
3.46 is the latest version which oldversion.com claims has Win9x support: http://www.oldversion.com/windows/daemon-tools-3-46
Judging from the thread I mentioned 3.47 should also work.

Reply 4 of 13, by leileilol

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I can second 3.47 working in Win98SE. There's a Windows Installer 2.0 prerequisite required BTW (InstMsia.exe)

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Reply 5 of 13, by EdmondDantes

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I actually already use DaemonTools, but I didn't know it could mount Bin and Cue files.

Now if only I had a program that could create bin/cue files and 1:1 backups. I've been using an old version of Nero Express but apparently it can't do that. I actually tried to back up one game with audio tracks as an NRG file, with the audio tracks as WAV, but then they sounded really scratchy for some reason. I don't know if it was because of the file format I picked or what.

.... I have the feeling that asking this is getting into "we don't talk about that territory," so let me just say: I'm not a pirate, I just don't wanna have to replace my CD ROM drive anytime soon.

Reply 6 of 13, by leileilol

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I personally use CloneCD on all my discs.

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Reply 7 of 13, by Joey_sw

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For various CD-ROM formats the CloneCD works well.
I remember getting the audio tracks from mounted images that created by the CloneCD.

You might have to check/un-check the Analog Audio Option in Daemon Tools to make Win9x able to play the audio tracks.
Sometimes games are programmed to only use the 1st cd-rom drives that recognized, so for certain games, you may want to change the real & virutal CD-drive letter too.

-fffuuu

Reply 8 of 13, by JayCeeBee64

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EdmondDantes wrote:

Now if only I had a program that could create bin/cue files and 1:1 backups.

I agree with both leileilol and Joey_sw, CloneCD will do the job, no questions asked. Alcohol 120% is a good alternative as well.

Ooohh, the pain......

Reply 9 of 13, by Jorpho

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I use imgburn. Freeware and straightforward.

konc wrote:
JayCeeBee64 wrote:

I don't know of any utility that can mount a BIN/CUE image in DOS...

Me neither, that'd be something a lot of us would use.

That's SHSUCDHD, isn't it? That won't let you play the audio tracks, though – that would be quite impossible.

(Maybe someday someone will release a CD-ROM "emulator" that will act like a CD-ROM drive but actually read images stored on an SD card – much like the floppy drive emulators that actually use floppy disk images stored on an SD card. Not too much point to it, though.)

Reply 10 of 13, by leileilol

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Jorpho wrote:

I use imgburn. Freeware and straightforward.

I used to for my discs but that often had locked my drive towards the end of some discs (that were good discs - which i've imaged successfully in CloneCD)

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Reply 11 of 13, by EdmondDantes

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I seem to have one disc that won't copy--every program I use stops after five seconds, some with claims of bad sectors. IsoBuster verified that it has some. Since the game in question works fine, I'm suspecting this is the "bad sectors on purpose" copy protection and I'm wondering how to create an Iso of it. Any ideas?

Reply 12 of 13, by Jorpho

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In some cases you just have to set the drive to retry repeatedly, or to ignore the detection of bad sectors; in either case, it can take a while. But more importantly, the copy protection method in question might not be satisfied with the resulting ISO, as it may rely on the hardware dectetion of bad sectors; in such a case you will still need a no-cd crack of some sort. One of the original purposes of Daemon Tools was to provide sufficiently accurate emulation of the hardware as to fool such copy protection, but it may require the disc to be copied in a particular way.

In other words, you should probably Google around for the specific game and/or copy protection method used.

Reply 13 of 13, by leileilol

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Usually takes me 20 minutes to CloneCD a (mostly EA) safedisc.

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