I have been able to install but unable to launch Age of Wonders 2 or Civ 3 and everything that I can test in my system tests okay. Could this be a SafeDisc2 problem? I have Windows 98se, Athlon XP1500+, 512 MB RAM, all my drivers are DirectX compatible, and I use a Benq 656A CD-ROM drive with firmware 56ja. I don't want to copy SafeDisc2 games, just play them! Can someone give me some advice? Thanks.
Use Daemon Tools (free software) and mount the image(s). Use ClonyXXL to scan the images to determine the specific cd protection and launch the game(s) from the virtual stealth drives you create. Daemon Script "might" come in handy as well. After you install Daemon Tools, [bold] leave the Daemon Tools icon in system tray (startup) and enable whatever cd protection ClonyXXL tells you. Shoey __X_X_X_X_X_[small]Certified Computer Technician http://www.afterdawn.com/general/legal.cfm Mobo: MSI KT4VL-6712 CPU: AthlonXP Barton 2500+ Ram: 512 SD-DDR (PC-2700) nVidia GeForce4 MX440-8x Maxtor ATA\133 80 gig hd DVD-ROM: LiteOn LTD 165H CDRW: Memorex52MAXX 2452[/small]
Thanks, Shoey, I'll try that. But does this mean that I'll have to do something like this every time I want to play a SafeDisc2 game? I'd really like to know what I need to change in my system so that I can install and play games normally -- would swapping my CD-ROM drive be the answer? It's a terrible copy-protection scheme that makes legitimate owners of games have to go through all this.
Shoey, I wasn't able to do what you suggested. I used DaemonTools to mount a CloneCD image of the Civ3 CD onto a stealth drive, enabled all forms of copy protection emulation, reinstalled from that image, and was still not able to launch the game. By the way, I never figured out how to use ClonyXXL -- it's in German and has no help files. Also, I keep getting a message that binkw32.dll is not properly installed, and I can't figure out why. It's clearly in my Windows and my Windows/System folders.
Open ClonyXXL>Options\Tools>and enable English (British flag). Now scan the image of Civ3 and see what cd protection it is. It's possible the game "might" be on the blacklist= nothing you can do about that. Once you determine the specific cd protection, try burning to a cdr(w) m8. Many people using internet downloads of all different sorts of file types struggle to get working backups. If you're serious about backing up pc game protection (Safedisc& SecuROM) then you'll need the proper hardware& software to do so. There is a list posted in the sticky threads (2 sheep burners) and a good reader for Safedisc 2.9.x (pre-gap) would help. Shoey __X_X_X_X_X_[small]Certified Computer Technician http://www.afterdawn.com/general/legal.cfm Mobo: MSI KT4VL-6712 CPU: AthlonXP Barton 2500+ Ram: 512 SD-DDR (PC-2700) nVidia GeForce4 MX440-8x Maxtor ATA\133 80 gig hd DVD-ROM: LiteOn LTD 165H CDRW: Memorex52MAXX 2452[/small]
Well, it's SafeDisc2 v.2.8. But I have no idea what a cdr(w) m8 is. And I am not that interested right now in learning how to copy a protected CD. I'm only interested in being able to play from them without using exotic utilities. So when you say I need a good reader, does that mean I need to replace my CD-ROM drive in order to play the game? Is it possible that some drives cannot play SafeDisc2 games? Is it possible that the CD itself is faulty?
Sorry for the misuse of the quote function -- I'm new here. Everything in the second section is new and is not a quote. My apologies.
1. When classifying a burner as "good" generally it refers to a "2-sheep" burner. This means that it can correctly perform EFM. (a 1-sheeper refers to a burner that can almost correctly perform EFM) 2. Typically burners are well capable of playing SD2 games however usually play issues that arise are because of incorrectly done backups. 3. binkw32.dll is just a BIK codec. You should be able to correctly watch the videos if you install the RAD Video Player (which will then install the BIK and SMK codecs for you). I think the website is http://www.radgametools.com 4. Further info: - Backing Up SD2: http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/23699 and http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/36444 - More on 2-sheepers: http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/45121
CD-R(W)= Recordable media. Well m8= "mate". It's Australian talk like that Steve "Crazy" Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter. If you can't play a backup using any virtual sleath drives such as Daemon Tools or Alcohol 120, then you would need the "proper" hardware to make a backup to recoradable media (cd-r or a cd-rw). In Daemon Tools (options), enable all and try again. Safedisc cd protection generally lies within the first 1-10,500 sectors of the "original" cd or image. The file binkw32.dll could "possibly" be cd protected. Do you encounter this error during the install process or trying to launch the mounted image from a created virtual stealth drive? Shoey
Possible however I wouldnt imagine that the bink32dll would not be protection since it should be the same bink32dll that is freely available with the RADTools program. But then again, anything is possible.
Well perhaps I'm not being clear enough. I'm not trying to burn a backup, nor am I trying to play from a backup. I'm trying to play from the original Civilization 3 CD. I apparently can install the game, but when I launch it I get the splash screen and then nothing happens, including no error messages. I don't want advice on burning or using stealth drives -- I just want to know if there's anything I should do to my system so that I can play this game from the original CD using my CD-ROM drive. Thanks.
I think I have an answer to that. It seems as though Civ 3 is set up to run at a higher refresh rate (above 60). There is a fix for this documented. Firstly, you need to download the latest update for Civ 3 (about 10mb). Then, once you have installed the patch, open the Civilization3.Ini file and add the line "Refresh=60". This forces the refresh rate to 60hz for monitors (like my girlfriends) that can't handle a refresh rate of higher than 60 (at the resolution it is running which is the same as the windows res). I on the other hand am trying to work out how to back up her copy of it as I'm paranoid about scratching the damn thing (it was her birthday present!! )
I have no problems launching C&C Generals (Safedisc 2.8.x) from my virtual stealth drive. I can run the game with Daemon Tools or Alcohol 120% virtual stealth drive. As I said before, it's "possible" that Civilization 3 and Age Of Wonders 2 are "blacklisted". Shoey
Shoey, you're still not answering my question. Why can others play Civ 3 normally just by popping the original CD into their CD-ROM drives, but not me? And I guarantee that they're not using stealth drives or emulation utilities. And it's not about the refresh rate, though thanks to the poster who suggested that. I tried every refresh rate available to me, and the game doesn't launch. The Civilization3.ini file never even gets created.
Could be several factors and I'm sorry I misunderstood your original post. Latest DirectX installed? Antivirus disabled? Run scan disc for any hard disc erors? Update latest video graphic card drivers? ASPI conflict? "This device working properly"(CD-ROM) in Device Manager?.....Try manually installing Civ 3? Shoey
My DirectX is 8.1, not the newest, but more than meets the requirements of Civ3, and tests okay. Video drivers are up to date. CD-ROM is working properly, according to Windows system control panel. How do I check for "ASPI conflicts"? And how do I install "manually" other than running the setup.exe program from the CD? Thanks
[bold]---- Notes about refresh rates ---[/bold] The refresh rate problem is not to do with how quickly the game can print the screen, it is to do with how quickly the monitor scans (refreshes). A low refresh rate (like 60hz) means that the screen is printing from top to bottom 60 times every second. If you look at the screen in your periferal (sp!!) vision, you can often see it flickering. The way to fix this is to specify a higher refresh rate (advanced properties of the display control panel in Windozes). Civ 3 changes the screen mode when it starts and while I don't know what resolution it uses, I know it sets the refresh rate at higher than 60. In the original version you can't change this. [bold]--- General Civ 3 note!!! ---[/bold] There is a patch (and I suggest that anyone who is playing Civ 3 gets it) that fixes the refresh rate issue. However it may also fix whatever other problems you are having. Also, the Civilization3.ini file can sometimes be in the c:\program files\ directory somewhere (no idea why). [bold]--- Backing up Civ 3 --- [/bold] I've downloaded ClonyXXL and it gives me 9 skulls and tells me the disk has SafeDisk2 protection. I then run Alcohol and specify SafeDisk2 for the Datetype under the Image Making Wizard. Is there anything else I need to do as it doesn't work. The rip says there are disk read errors almost constantly and it when I mount it and try to play the game, it still says insert disk.
Fixed the problem. It helps to have the installation pointing to the virtual drive, not the one I installed it from. I did a reg hack and found the entry that specified the CD drive, changed it to the virtual drive and now it works. Thanks for the tip on using ClonyXXL.
