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Use hdd installed games from CD any tips?

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First post, by theelf

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First sorry my english, I always use a trick for redirecting save files in DOS games for games running from CD-ROMs that try to write savegames

For example I was playing Igor: Objective Uikokahonia but the game is 10mb, not much in modern times, but a lot for my 286 machine, then I want to convert to CD

I check the exe and dat files, and found it tries to save files using a hardcoded filename like:

JUEGOSAL.0U  (4A 55 45 47 4F 53 41 4C 2E 30 55)

I patched the executable and replaced that filename with:

F:\IGORS.0U (46 3A 5C 49 47 4F 52 53 2E 30 55)

Then I used the DOS command:

SUBST F: C:\GAMES\IGOR

I create a bat with the game and burn with the game

@ECHO OFF
SUBST F: C:\GAMES\IGOR
IGOR.EXE
SUBST F: /D

This work, but deppend to have the luck to find the game save to a fixed names, strings, etc

Any ideas guy for a better/easy way to convert HDD games to CD? something not to fix?

thanks a lot

Reply 1 of 4, by chinny22

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My copy of Doom2 had an option to run off CD, would have been a late 90's early 2000's re-release.
I'm going off memory but it basically had the game "installed" on the CD and by running a separate exe, eg "doomcd" it would place the savegames on c:\ maybe a config file as well for sound?
Might be worth a look for some idea's?

Personally even back then I was trying to go the other way, remove the requirement for CD's

Reply 2 of 4, by leileilol

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chinny22 wrote on 2025-07-14, 04:57:

My copy of Doom2 had an option to run off CD, would have been a late 90's early 2000's re-release.

It's always had that. Ultimate Doom too! I don't know of anyone ever playing it that way personally though. Used a special parameter.

id would do this again as minimal install options for Quake2 and Quake3 (but not Quake)

And then there's most of Bullfrog's CD DOS games being exclusively CD-run with only configs/saves shoved onto C: whether you like it or not. No installation steps, even if they're small enough to be the kind of games you would install.

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Reply 3 of 4, by dr_st

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leileilol wrote on 2025-07-14, 20:47:
chinny22 wrote on 2025-07-14, 04:57:

My copy of Doom2 had an option to run off CD, would have been a late 90's early 2000's re-release.

It's always had that. Ultimate Doom too! I don't know of anyone ever playing it that way personally though. Used a special parameter.

-cdrom
This parameter makes the engine use C:\DOOMDATA as the directory where configuration data (such as default.cfg and any saved games or screen shots) is stored, so that the game can be run directly from a CD-ROM. If the directory does not exist on the system, Doom creates it. The disk activity indicator also changes to a picture of a CD, rather than a diskette, when the parameter is applied.
This parameter was introduced in version 1.666. Prior to version 1.2, Doom stored its configuration data in C:\DOOMDATA, similar to the newer versions with the -cdrom parameter.
In other Doom engine games the directory name is different. Heretic uses C:\HERETIC.CD, Hexen uses C:\HEXNDATA, and Strife uses C:\STRIFE.CD.

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Reply 4 of 4, by theelf

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Games that have a native option is not the topic, is the opposite, is games that dont have one and need to convert to work on cdrom or other read only media

some games like Igor Objetivo Uikokahonia, a adventure spanish game, the floopy version works fine in 286 but cdrom one need 386

but floppy version take 11mb! a lot, but cdrom are very cheap, no problem and game works fine after hex editing

I hex games sin more than 20 years ago, but i think maybe is a better way

like a tsr that do sym links like in linux etc

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