CD Cloning

                                                     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.