Impossible Creatures (SafeDisc 2.8) success

Burning Software
#1

Impossible Creatures (PC version - SafeDisc 2.8) successfully backed-up using:

CloneCD 4.2.0.2 (Dec 4, 2002 release).
Using CloneCD’s built-in “Protected Game CD” profile.
Lite-on CD-RW 32x12x40 (LTR-32123S - XSOX firmware) to copy the original CD to a hard driveimage.
Lite-on CD-RW 32x12x40 to write the CD-R from the hard drive image.
Lite-on CD-RW 32x12x40 to install and run the back-up CD-R.

I did the following as well, but don’t know if they are necessary:
I used 4x speed to read, and 4x speed to write.
I am also using the CloneCD “Hide CDR Media” option.
Imation 650MB/74min 4x CD-R media (4 year old media!).
My Windows region setting is “Canada” (enables Amplify Weak Sectors capability on CloneCD, but I do not know if it actually uses AWS during the copy process).

When I scan my CD-R back-up using Clony XXL 2011, Clony reports that my CD-R backup uses SafeDisc 2.8.

The above methods worked FLAWLESSLY.

HOWEVER: When I try to install/run the CD-R on a DVD/CD
drive on another PC, with no Hide CDR Media in tray, the
CD-R backup fails to run. It installs fine, but cannot run.
It causes an illegal operation right after the piranha splash screen and crashes to desktop - this was the same spot the
game would crash when using CloneCD 4.1
to back-up:

I tried backing-up previously with ClonyXXL 2010 and CloneCD 4.1, but that failed. By the way, what’s the best way to identify the exact protection being used? Clony XXL only says SafeDisc 2.8, but I know some people have more detailed info, like SafeDisc 2.8.0.1.0.1.x…

#2

I have the same Liteon 32123S XSOF…I have tried it many ways with CCD 4.2.0.2 to back up 007 Nightfire with no luck :a I have the setting to “Canada” & read & write at 4X to the HDD & not on the fly. I do NOT do AWS as it is not needed with this burner & it can create coasters. I have tried Discjuggler with no luck either :frowning: :frowning: It appears that your setup can do it but mine can not even though we have the same burner. You win!!! Mine :Z

#3

I seem to remember that the default setting for the protected game profile is to emulate the weak sectors. This would explain why it worked with Hide CD-R for you but not anyone else.

Try burning the image again but change the weak sector option to ignore.

If you are lucky this will produce a working backup, if not then you can burn the image you create with BurnatOnce which is a free burning program to create a working backup

#4

@ liquidmetal… I have not tried Alcohol as I am trying to get away with just using CCD & Blindwrite (Discjuggler once that ended in coasterville) to backup all my games. Looks like I may have to get Alcohol also. A question though… the PC that I play the games on does not have any of the back up apps on them like CCD, Blindwrite, etc… I am trying to leave that PC a purely gaming PC. Up until now I have been able to do 1:1 or darn close to it. Will I have to have Alcohol or any other app on the PC to play the game? Could this be causing the problem?

@Orinoco… I have used MANY different settings in CCD, emulate, ignore, game setting, custom settings down to 4X with no luck. The game setting seems to have a bunch of items ticked that is not needed for SafeDisc & a Liteon 32123S.

Thanks for the help :bow:

#5

OK so you and I [and many others] share the same problems with SD 2.8 and CCD 4.2.0.2 so see if this is of any help to you.

Remember that you should set the Weak Sectors to Ignore and remove the tick from the ‘Allow AWS’ box in the writer profile.

Hope that helps you

#6

Have tried that combination of settings with no luck sigh. You do have my interest though in Burnatonce as it seems to have limited success with some users and their 32123S. Can I use an image already made by CCD & just burn with BAO or do I have to read the original with BAO & then do the write? This is not a problem though as I have my original 007 NighFire sitting right here on my desk.
Thanks!!!

@Mattcham… I also have ClonyXXL 2.0.1.1 & when I scan my 007 NighFire it just shows SafeDisc v2 with 5 skulls. How did you get it to report SafeDisc 2.8?

#7

Originally posted by jpnski
You do have my interest though in Burnatonce as it seems to have limited success with some users and their 32123S. Can I use an image already made by CCD & just burn with BAO or do I have to read the original with BAO & then do the write? This is not a problem though as I have my original 007 NighFire sitting right here on my desk.

If you make the image with CloneCD and create a cue sheet you can then burn it with FireBurner, Nero [DAO/96] or BAO.

#8

I am almost there!!! I finally broke down and put CCD on my gaming PC. I used the same read image & wrote with emulation. Did the hide cd in the tray & it runs. :smiley:
Now I am still working on making a backup that does NOT need any app running or emulation with my 32123S. I am going to delete all my different images of the game from my HDD & create one with “cue sheet” ticked so it can be used with other apps. I have never used a cue sheet before. All the images I have dealt with before had 3 files… .ccd, .sub & .img. If I in the future want to make another emulate backup using CCD like I just did but the image has a “cue sheet” What do I do, just move the “cuesheet” file out from the other 3 files??? Like I said, I have never used a cue sheet before.

Thanks for the other thread, but believe me, I have read that thread many, many times.

@Mattcham… I also have ClonyXXL 2.0.1.1a & when I scan my 007 NighFire it just shows SafeDisc v2 with 5 skulls. How did you get it to report SafeDisc 2.8?

#9

It is not a bad thing to create a cue sheet for every image. Doing so just creates a .cue file that sets out the makeup of the other files in a standard way. Applications like FireBurner have no concept of what a CloneCD image is, but the information in the cue sheet allows them work burn it.

Once it is created, and you are going to do an ‘emulate’ burn, you need do nothing with the cue sheet simply ignore it. Set the write profile to emulate weak sectors and burn as normal. If you want to burn with the other apps, open the cue sheet and burn.

#10

I did a “cue” & “cue sheet” search & nothing much came up. Thanks for the info!!! I guess I will change my reading habit today with CCD and will always tick make cue sheet when I am going to work with a “tough” copy protection that I may have to use another app along with CCD.
Thanks for all the help Philamber, Futureproof, Orinoco & everyone for some great threads to follow as now I am one more CCD user that can also backup SafeDisc2.8x :stuck_out_tongue:
Now I have my next project to jump into with both feet… backing up my son’s NOLF2 which has Serumom 4.8x… here I goooo… :bigsmile:

#11

Originally posted by jpnski

@Mattcham… I also have ClonyXXL 2.0.1.1a & when I scan my 007 NighFire it just shows SafeDisc v2 with 5 skulls. How did you get it to report SafeDisc 2.8?

Using my Lite-on and Clony XXL 2.0.1.1, when I insert the CD while Clony is already running, the CD is scanned automatically (I have auto-insert notification ON), and Clony XXL shows SD 2.8 with 9 skulls.

I think the Clony CD Scan is more accurate when you let the program run its autostart routine.

#12

I want to try not to use another back up app like alcohol as I already have: Nero, CCD, fireburner, blindwrite, bao, twinpeaks, discdump & discjuggler

#13

Succesfully burnt with lite-on 48125w. Read with clone cd at default protected game cd except for I set read at 4x…then burnt with fireburner(made cue sheet). No-hide cdr media, plays fine in creative dvd. I have found good success with this combination: MOHAA Spearhead, AOM and now IC. Bring it on!!!

#14

Hey guys, do some searching and you’ll find that discdump and fireburner combined will ease you of your headaches. None of the settings you guys are talking about are true 1:1 backups. Sorry, keep trying.

#15

Originally posted by dannops
No-hide cdr media, plays fine in creative dvd.

hide cd-r media would not be required when playing from the dvd anyway, it would still require it if you played from a burner

#16

Originally posted by jpnski
I want to try not to use another back up app like alcohol as I already have: Nero, CCD, fireburner, blindwrite, bao, twinpeaks, discdump & discjuggler

You are in for banging your head against a wall then. I have a Lite-on LTR-48246s Firmware SS0A and spent 3 nights trying MOST burning apps available trying to get a working copy of Spearhead SD2.8 protection. I made multiple images from these apps…CloneCD, DDump, Burnatonce. All the images worked when mounted on a “virtual drive” so it seems most if not all the tools for us out there can make a proper working image regardless of the writer or reader used as far as SafeDisc goes. Where they differ is in the way in which they handle burning. Especially with SD2.8! I tried all the proper settings(no AWS, DAO16,DAO96, etc) that have worked perfectly with GTA3, Mohaa, and other SD games but this resulted in most cases with disks that needed Hide cdr media enabled (Clonecd, Burnatonce, Nero, DiskJuggler) for both my Writer and DVDrom, or an unreadable CD from Fireburner(program just doesn’t work right for me in XP???). The last thing I did was decide to get the latest ALCOHOL demo to see how it fared.
With Raw DAO and leaving bypass EFM errors UNTICKED I burned 3 working copies…one of each of the 3 images I dumped. No errors, no need to hide CDR media when played from my DVDRom, no emulation needed of any type…SUCCESS.

#17

Originally posted by mattcham
[B]Impossible Creatures (PC version - SafeDisc 2.8) successfully backed-up using:

CloneCD 4.2.0.2 (Dec 4, 2002 release).
Using CloneCD’s built-in “Protected Game CD” profile.
Lite-on CD-RW 32x12x40 (LTR-32123S - XSOX firmware) to copy the original CD to a hard driveimage.
Lite-on CD-RW 32x12x40 to write the CD-R from the hard drive image.
Lite-on CD-RW 32x12x40 to install and run the back-up CD-R.

I did the following as well, but don’t know if they are necessary:
I used 4x speed to read, and 4x speed to write.
I am also using the CloneCD “Hide CDR Media” option.
Imation 650MB/74min 4x CD-R media (4 year old media!).
My Windows region setting is “Canada” (enables Amplify Weak Sectors capability on CloneCD, but I do not know if it actually uses AWS during the copy process).

When I scan my CD-R back-up using Clony XXL 2011, Clony reports that my CD-R backup uses SafeDisc 2.8.

The above methods worked FLAWLESSLY.

HOWEVER: When I try to install/run the CD-R on a DVD/CD
drive on another PC, with no Hide CDR Media in tray, the
CD-R backup fails to run. It installs fine, but cannot run.
It causes an illegal operation right after the piranha splash screen and crashes to desktop - this was the same spot the
game would crash when using CloneCD 4.1
to back-up: [/B]

Hmmmm…it would seem then that your “above methods” DID NOT work flawlessly!!! You don’t have a “true” working copy. CloneCD in most cases is a waste of time in copying SD2.8.
Alcohol has a high burning success rate with Lite-ons and SD2.8. Burn in RAW DAO and UNTICK bypass EFM errors. You’ll find you won’t need Hide cdr media or any emulation either.

#18

Indeed yes you will have to enable “Hide CDR Media” with the CloneCD Tray in order to play from any cd writer due to the fact that SD2.8 uses an ATIP check as well. Only CDR’s and CDRW’s have an ATIP. commercial or “pressed” CD’s do not. Since all cdwriters can read the ATIP, this protection knows when the cd is in a writer and blocks execution of the game. CD/DVD rom drives can’t read it, thus no need for any hiding of the ATIP(cdr media).

I’m especially glad that you were successful in your copying.:smiley:
I’ve been doing this for almost 3 years now(creating working backups of copy protected games) and am more than happy to share the knowledge I have aquired through experience.

Always use a rewritable CD when testing. Best way to learn without the frustration of coasters.
I just notice you were looking for a tool for analysing the SafeDisc versions…I use SafeDiscAnalyser ver.3.4. This reports Mohaa Spearhead as SD version 2.80.010 as an example. The app is only 13k in size.

#19

Originally posted by Orinoco
[B]I seem to remember that the default setting for the protected game profile is to emulate the weak sectors. This would explain why it worked with Hide CD-R for you but not anyone else.

Try burning the image again but change the weak sector option to ignore.

If you are lucky this will produce a working backup, if not then you can burn the image you create with BurnatOnce which is a free burning program to create a working backup [/B]

Unfortunately neither CloneCD or Burnatonce will burn a SafeDisc 2.8 protected image properly at present. You’ll have to wait for newer versions and try again then. For now Alcohol and Fireburner seem to be the cat’s @ss for burning the image successfully (though Fireburner was buggy at best for me).

#20

Hey, check out
>>>> SafeDisc 2.8, LiteOn 32123S, CCD & Fireburner = 100% Success!!!<<<<
I find acouple of things mentioned lately in this thread kind of odd. Sure alcohol is good but it sure is not the second coming of Christ. I beat SD2.8 with just CCD/Fireburner. No emulation or anything.
With a read/burn with SD 2.51 …hide CD is needed…in the cdrom?..hmm… odd.
Beating my head on a wall…nope, just had to link up CCD/FB for the read/burn. Sure I had to fight with FB for awhile but once I figured out you have to buy the damn thing, all went well.
Only alcohol can do a burn…nope…Fireburner had the big stick that did the trick…LOL.
CCD & Sd2.8 a waste of time…nope…does a nice read with a cue sheet.
Not a 1:1 copy… well I need no, crack, patch, emulation, virtual drive(never even screwed with those things), hide cdr or anything…just stick it in the cdrom, install it & play…if that is not 1:1…well then, thats the closest I’m ever getting to heaven.

Therefore, we all use different apps, settings, etc…but we all end up at the same ending point. A good back up of our game. I would call that a good day…a very good day. Right O, P & FP :stuck_out_tongue: