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Thread: how to make ISO game image play without needing DVD

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    RIP Peterb ik9000's Avatar
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    how to make ISO game image play without needing DVD

    So, I have an old game - namely LOTR BFME2. It insists on having the disc inserted to play. I have a laptop with no DVD drive. I have made an ISO image and run it (using MagicDisk). It seems to install, but won't play citing "insert correct disk into drive and retry".

    Can anyone help me with how to get this thing to run on the laptop. Is there a way to get the thing to either clone the disc properly, or patch the game to not need the disc?

    All I can find online is a dodgy copy relying on Daemon Tools, but I have a legit copy and license, and would rather not be installing a cracked hookie copy. Really frustrating to be not be able to play something I own. And before anyone asks, you can't buy digital copies - or physical copies anymore. EA licence ran out and they had to shut down the online servers and support. Still a community however if you know where to look.

    (Feel free to PM me if you'd rather not post advice in the thread.)

    Cheers.

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    Re: how to make ISO game image play without needing DVD

    PM, as the solution could be associated with the Jolly Roger if you didn't own the title. And probably even if you did

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    Re: how to make ISO game image play without needing DVD

    Download the free version of Alcohol - it does a pretty good job of doing a 100% copy, and also has it's own emulator. The only better non-gray area option is the paid version. If it's EA, it's likely Stardock - not fun even with a good cd/dvd. Depending on your local laws, no-cd patches are normally not illegal *IF* you own the retail material. As virtuo said, if interested, send a PM, as I don't want to be posting what could be dodgy information. It's legal here in the States - but then again, so is making backups of CD's and DVD's, with no sin tax on recording media... go from there.

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    Re: how to make ISO game image play without needing DVD

    Quote Originally Posted by GuidoLS View Post
    Download the free version of Alcohol - it does a pretty good job of doing a 100% copy, and also has it's own emulator. The only better non-gray area option is the paid version. If it's EA, it's likely Stardock - not fun even with a good cd/dvd. Depending on your local laws, no-cd patches are normally not illegal *IF* you own the retail material. As virtuo said, if interested, send a PM, as I don't want to be posting what could be dodgy information. It's legal here in the States - but then again, so is making backups of CD's and DVD's, with no sin tax on recording media... go from there.
    The free version of alcohol now actually forces you to install adware, tried it about 2/3 months ago myself. I'm now back to running good old CloneCD. The older Alcohol 52% installers are probably floating around online anyway, theres various websites devoted to older versions of software, but at least last I saw the newer ones force install some hardware monitoring software and its listed in the selection screen as a requirement of the software, which it blatantly isn't.

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    Re: how to make ISO game image play without needing DVD

    Making an ISO image of a disc you own is fine, whatever software you legitimately use.

    However, discussions concerning methods of circumventing encryption or other DRM methods are not permitted on HEXUS.

    I appreciate that the contributors to this thread have been here for a long time, are well respected, and well aware of the HEXUS stance, but as a warning to anyone posting links to such software or methods (especially if they join to do just that!) will find their stay here to be very short!

    This an issue over which we have zero tolerance.
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    Been helped or just 'Like' a post? Use the Thanks button!
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    Re: how to make ISO game image play without needing DVD

    One (perfectly legal) tip is that some developers (although for LOTR you are probably out of luck) will release "final" updates to their older titles, which completely remove any DRM schemes. Usually because people had issues with the protection, or the developers want an obsolete game to be enjoyed well in to the future. Usually worth taking the time to read through the release notes of the last available patch on the developer's site.

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    Re: how to make ISO game image play without needing DVD

    Thanks all.

    I may have a solution, though the tweak seems to be for the standard edition rather than the collectors edition I own. Will see if it works and report back.

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    Re: how to make ISO game image play without needing DVD

    Quote Originally Posted by virtuo View Post
    One (perfectly legal) tip is that some developers (although for LOTR you are probably out of luck) will release "final" updates to their older titles, which completely remove any DRM schemes. Usually because people had issues with the protection, or the developers want an obsolete game to be enjoyed well in to the future. Usually worth taking the time to read through the release notes of the last available patch on the developer's site.
    Alas this never happened. There was meant to be an official 1.07 patch but it never arrived. The community released 1.07 and then 1.08 but sfaik these still didn't deal with removing the need for the disc. It's all due to the BS licence given to EA to use the LOTR trademarks only for a defined period. When that expired they had to cease everything - servers, sales, patches, manufacture, support the lot. Bit of a BS decision IMO since the licensor would have received on-going royalties for future sales. Bit dumb considering none of the recent LOTR games have been RTS based so the old game doesn't compete with the newer storyline click-and-kill style games (similar style to diablo etc)

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    Re: how to make ISO game image play without needing DVD

    Have you tried using Power Iso to make a virtual drive and then mounting the iso on it?
    The game should think the disc is still inserted.

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    Re: how to make ISO game image play without needing DVD

    The short version of what's going on is that CD/DVD-based copy protection systems rely on physical characteristics of discs which extend beyond the simple data files (therefore are not contained within an ISO file).

    Some alternative file formats used by some other CD/DVD image apps may or may not encode the required extra info - it's very much a per-copy-protection-scheme issue.

    The *point* of these schemes is to stop you doing what you're doing.

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