BY GURU: DAVE SMITH
Many CDs are copy protected to prevent duplication. Here's how
to work around it.
Q:Have you made a backup copy of a game or program and your computer
said the copy was successfully completed. So why doesn't the reproduced disc
work?
A: You've been foiled by copy protection. Game makers and software
companies don't want people freely distributing their software. They spent lots
of time and money creating a
quality product. If we agree that a game is high quality,
then we should compensate the company for its work.
To ensure that we pay up, software companies have devised copy
protection. As a result, we can't make working backups of the software we've
purchased.
Some people are working hard to break copy protection so that
we consumers can make lawful backups. One place we can find evidence of such
hard work is at GameCopyWorld.
My copy -- I mean, backup -- of the copy protected program with
a technology called SafeDisc. At GameCopyWorld, I learned how SafeDisc works
and what I can do to circumvent it.
To create a backup of "The Sims," or of any other
game protected with SafeDisc, use CD burning software with RAW write or DOA
(disk at once) capability. Your CD burner must
also be RAW write or DOA capable (most modern, high-end burners
are).
In RAW mode, the laser beam makes a strict, bit-for-bit copy
of the protected CD. Even bad sectors, which are often used for copy
protection, are duplicated. As a result, you can use the backup copy of a
copy-protected CD.
Two programs that help you make these exact copies are Blind
Read/Blind Write and CloneCD.
Remember that it's illegal to duplicate copyrighted software for any purpose other than creating a personal backup.