Backing up software CDs

[Jipcy]

Basically, here's my problem:

I have some old copied CDs of various PC games. As in, I copied my friend's real Caesar III CD, so I just have the copied CD.

I have several games like this, including Total Annihilation and a few others.

I want to create image files of these CDs, then burn all the image files to a single DVD. Then I can throw away my original copied discs.

Given this information, what CD image file type and software would be best for me to use? Ideally, the image file type would not be proprietary.

I'm familiar with using Nero to create NRG images, although these are proprietary. CloneCD is supposed to create very good images, but is also somewhat proprietary, and their software costs money. ISO images have pretty high compatibility, and are an open standard, but are they able to capture all the data on a CD? What is the best software for creating ISO images of CDs? Finally, is there any CD image format that compresses the data in any way?

Point me to any old threads here if I overlooked any, or any websites.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

[DEFIANT]

I use alcohol 120% to make 1:1 copies. Then either use Nero, which your familiar with or any software that lets you back "files". Add the images to your DVD to be copied and burn them. I have several "copied" games backed in this fashion.

When installing a game, I drag the image to the desktop, mount it on alcohol's virtual drive and install the game. Never failed me yet.

I'd supply pics but I'm about three seconds from going to sleep. Perhaps to morrow when I get off work, if you need the help.

[Jipcy]

I'd supply pics but I'm about three seconds from going to sleep. Perhaps to morrow when I get off work, if you need the help.

Pics aren't necessay.

Alcohol produces ISO files by default or some other image format?

[PHoNyMiKe]

I love the old .iso format, maybe isobuster can make them? but I am a sucker for .bin + .cue, hell nero can burn them. last time I made one of them was with CDRwin, but I wouldn't be surprised if alcohol can do it. I believe any image format will work, it just depends what you'll be using when you never burn these worthless games in the future. any cd copy protection will be lost when copying, therefore you'll need a cd crack or whatever.

[Que]

Pretty much any program supports almost any image file. Daemon tools will mount any nrg, ccd, iso, bin/cue, daa etc. Proprietary might be bad in some respects though. ccd images are probably of the most faithful reproductions of the disc, because they capture sub channel data in the .sub file, the .img file is just as raw as a .bin, and you can even create your own cue file that will let pretty much anything use the .img file as a bin/cue. Of course a simple .iso will suffice in most cases, unless you have some sort of complex copy protection scheme you want to backup as well.

[sweener2001]

any cd copy protection will be lost when copying, therefore you'll need a cd crack or whatever.

when did that change? cloneCD and alcohol seem perfectly capable of making true 1:1 copies. just not of starforce and tages, i believe.

[AntoineWG]

Whatever happened to Blindread? That program could copy damn near anything but PSX games and keep the copy protection intact. Last time I checked, it was trying to be more like CloneCD and severely crippled itself in the process.

[Que]

Whatever happened to Blindread? That program could copy damn near anything but PSX games and keep the copy protection intact. Last time I checked, it was trying to be more like CloneCD and severely crippled itself in the process.

It died, along with copying Psx cds and 1x burners. Welcome to 199x.

[funkyass]

any cd copy protection will be lost when copying, therefore you'll need a cd crack or whatever.

when did that change? cloneCD and alcohol seem perfectly capable of making true 1:1 copies. just not of starforce and tages, i believe.

you need capable readers. most modern copy protection schemes go beyond random bad sectors to more invasive checking.

Some will even stop working with authentic discs if you look at your computer wrong.

[Bent]

Alcohol 120% is the best program I have used, and most games will work with any image format, although I usually use Alcohol's native format. Proprietary doesn't really apply with CD images, since most programs support most formats. ISO will have the most support though, and if most of your games are old it should work fine. Most of the part of defeating copy protection comes from the burning of the game anyway, not the reading.

[adventure_of_link]

ISOBuster makes bin/cue images

and last I read bin/cue is better than iso

[Que]

ISOBuster makes bin/cue images

and last I read bin/cue is better than iso

iso==binwithoutcue==imgwithoutccd

All the same pretty much, it's just raw data.

[AntoineWG]

For a single track disc, you can delete the cue sheet, rename the .bin file to .iso and end up with exactly the same file. The only difference between bin/cue and iso is the cue sheet that tells the CD burning program how the disc is layed out, which is irrelevant on most CD's.

[Snark]

Softwares cds generally don't use fancy protections unlike games cds so something like Nero (or even windows explorer,but that's pushing it) might work but you never know.

Use Alcohol120% to make your cd image, it's pretty much the most advanced 1:1 backup tool. After that just mount it in your virtual drive. Burning the image, while less trouble, might not guarantee a working copy because cd/dvd writters generally can't reproduce some copy protection.

Anyway, Alcohol120 is the best.

[PHoNyMiKe]

when did that change? cloneCD and alcohol seem perfectly capable of making true 1:1 copies. just not of starforce and tages, i believe.

wtf. why do idiots question me?

if they seem perfectly capable of making true 1:1 copies, it's obvious that there's doubt in its abilities to copy starforce and/or sages. at least that's what you believe. excellent conversational piece!

most if not all games were designed to play off their original cd. if you try to get around this , then you must accept the possibility that you cannot create a 1:1 disk. have you ever burned a cd-r and had it run in a playstation? have you ever burned a ps2, or xbox game to dvd+r and had it run on the console without a mod chip? of course not. there is no 1:1 burning software, your hardware is not capable of it. however based on the opinions of members of the zsnes board froums, we believe this is as close as you'll get:

1: alcohol 120%
2: CDRwin
3. iso buster
4. nero

p.s. not many copy protections are foiled when you 'disk copy' in nero. if you want to pirate software or whatever, please use a crack program created specifically for your shitty time wasting game. please download your pirated shit from trustworthy sources, who will provide this 'crack program' along with your shitty game.

[Firon]

They -can- make 1:1 copies of the data, but there's other often factors that can't be reproduced with normal burners/media.

[Jipcy]

Is anybody using the Alcohol 52% Free Version? Is it really free and/or have no registration nagging? How's it compare to 120%?

(As I said before, I really just need to make some images of some old copied CDs and burn them to a DVD).

[Truth Unknown]

I'm currently using A52FE right now. Basically it's a nag free, Disc Image Creator and Virtual CD (up to 6 drives) Application.