DT4 - kinda useless now?

[Frisky]

As you keep postponding it, it gets more useless with time.
Now, we have SR7 Stop and SD4 Hide, 2 tools which allow us to work with those 2 protections using DT V3.47 or Alcohol 120% with not problems at all. If you would have released DT V4 on time, it would have been revolutionary, but now, it just looks like you combined everything into one software, which is more convinient, but not something to really expect to.
So my point/question is: How does DT V4 will differentiate from those combinations that I mentioned before besides combining it?

[Goenk]

Hi Frisky

DT4 will also work for 64bit Win XP, at least this is a good reason for the new version.

[Methadon]

It is a matter of taste if you want to use one anti-blacklisting tool for each kind of copy protection, one for SecuROM, one for SafeDisc, one for Starforce etc. I would prefer to use one tool (DT v4) for all those protections.

So my opinion is that it is not useless.

[al1uk]

Also, you won't have to play Starforce games by disabling your drives, unplugging them, and using software that can potentially mess up your pc. With daemon tools, combined with others like daemon script, playing games from images is gonna be a breeze.

[Methadon]

Also, you won't have to play Starforce games by disabling your drives, unplugging them, and using software that can potentially mess up your pc. With daemon tools, combined with others like daemon script, playing games from images is gonna be a breeze.

And even easier is it gonna be with the vIDE technology that comes with DT Pro.

[Dark Arbitor]

I'm interested in how the vIDE technology works, but I guess that's part of what the devs need to keep secret to avoid being blacklisted I'm also wondering exactly what the difference between DT4 and DT4Pro will be in terms of StarForce emulation since they will both support it, but via different methods. Although again I suppose that's part of the secret. Oh well, I should just enjoy the fact that I can finally play an SF-protected game without having to disconnect my IDE drives every time. Yeesh, what a pain.

Arb

[Methadon]

I'm also wondering exactly what the difference between DT4 and DT4Pro will be in terms of StarForce emulation since they will both support it, but via different methods.

It is going to be easier and less complicated to emulate StarForce with DT Pro and probably a more prolonged method.

[Nikos]

I'm interested in how the vIDE technology works, but I guess that's part of what the devs need to keep secret to avoid being blacklisted

Nothing secret about this part, actually. The current virtual drive is using a SCSI miniport driver, and registers itself as an SCSI drive. The SCSI interface is clean and well documented, that's why virtual drives have always used SCSI. ATAPI is similar to SCSI (almost identical), but virtual drives have to also provide an ATA driver (call it IDE if you wish) for the "virtual controller" (drives need a controller to connect to). The ATA controller is more compilacated than SCSI.

I'm also wondering exactly what the difference between DT4 and DT4Pro will be in terms of StarForce emulation since they will both support it, but via different methods. Although again I suppose that's part of the secret.

Again, nothing secret here. SF games won't run from SCSI drives (even real ones, not just virtual ones). Since the virtual drive in DTPro will register itself as an ATAPI one, there will be no blacklisting problems, because SF games only run from ATAPI drives. That's all there is to it (except the gazillion of other issues I didn't mention... )

[al1uk]

SF games won't run from SCSI drives (even real ones, not just virtual ones).

Actually, they will, but only if no IDE drives are detected.
Thats how SFNightmare and SFCure work.:wink:

[stile]

Actually, they will, but only if no IDE drives are detected.
Thats how SFNightmare and SFCure work.:wink:

That's correct, SF games do run on SCSI drives.

[Methadon]

That's correct, SF games do run on SCSI drives.

I supose that Nikos meant that the newer versions can't be successfully emulated without any anti-blacklisting tools.

[Dllfile]

I supose that Nikos meant that the newer versions can't be successfully emulated without any anti-blacklisting tools.

Yep, I believe anything 3.7+ cannot be emulated atm, and anything 3.6 or below can.

I finally made a working image of X3 - Reunion, StarForce 3.5.10.6, had to use a mix of several methods to get it working on Daemon-Tools, but no luck making a MiniDisc. So I am stuck with a full DVD Image atm 0o.

Seems this one maybe CRC Checking some files as making a MiniDisc just does not seem to work at all. Tried as well by making a Minidisc of just the MDF and using the good copy of the MDS, but no luck even then.

Anyone know any other methods to make a Minidisc that will report correct file sizes and CRC ? Not sure what it is actually checking on the MDF as of yet, only thing I can figure is it is actualyl verifying the certain files :'(

[Dark Arbitor]

Interesting. Thanks for the update, Nikos. Although I'm still wondering exactly what DT4 does different from DT4Pro, but it's probably a little too technical for me anyway. I am a propellerhead to a certain degree, but I've never gotten too far into hardware-level things. If DT4Pro works as described, I will gladly purchase it once it is made available. Keep up the good work, devs!

Arb

[Novecento]

I don't think that there will ever be a mini image that will respond to CRC checks correctly cause that data that is being checked isn't there.. so all checks for checksums will always fail due to the files not being /really/ present.

[Dllfile]

hmm, probably right, know of a tool that can be used to hex, tried hexworkshop but said not enough room for the operation (but there is plenty of room and ram) the mdf full of zeros - 0 - then? I just want to see if it is actually checking files or calculating the size of the cd, and filling it with 0's to the same size by replacing the current contents would see if that is what it is doing at least.