X3 Reunion - Using a mounted image

[mdimasso]

Well, I installed the game from an Alcohol 120% image, mounted it in the last version of DT and worked without problems. It passes StarForce protection and I can play perfectly. I don't have a DVD in this PC, I made the image in another computer. Maybe that's the problem, having a DVD in your machine?

My specs are:

AMD64 3200+
GeForce FX 5200 256MB
1024DDR 400MHZ
Motherboard ASUS X-series (don't want to look for the right number)

It works smoothly most of the times except in heavy asteroid populated area. I use the LessRoids mods now and it works great.

[yacek]

I have LG Combo DVD\CD-RW. And I have a "CRC Data Error" when i'm trying copy image from DVD to my hard disc, but only when im using my DVD\CD-RW.

My spec:
ASUS K8N4-E DELUX
AMD64 3000
GEIL 1024 400MHz
SAPPHIRE X800 GTO2

[ivan_vinn]

Myyyyy Wayyyyy !!!!!

i've just disabled from hardware list of windowsXP my IDE/Parallel Controller and it works .... grate game !!!!:wink:

when you have finished just enable your controller again

my system:

-XP Professional
-DT 4.03HE
-1xBurner ide
-1xReader ide
-2x160 S-ATA
-Athlon64 x2 3800+

[Sarutobi]

Problems

I actually get passed StarForce Protection and choose "Start X3" but all i get is a black screen for a couple seconds and then an error message. Does anyone else get that? How do you fix this?

[Blazkowicz]

@Sarutobi

And what is the error message?

[Sarutobi]

The error message "The program is not responding" comes up also asking if i want to send the error data to windows and so on.

[darcphnx]

Hey all... I don't think it's as much of a unplugging IDE problem. I went as far as making a copy onto disk and unmounting it. I then use the physical disk to try and play the game and SF checks my computer. It'll get to about 25% and then freeze my entire system! I then tried the unplug method while mounting on Alcohol - and got the exact same result. Even using the sfcure package from gamecopyworld did this for me. Also using tools to disable ch2 on my system isn't possible, I have three HDDs all connected to IDE and one DVD-RW drive. This comp has been giving me consistant problems power-wise as well so I'm planning on changing out everything except for my RAM and HDDs/DVD-RW. Is there something else I can try to get this to work?

System:

MSI mobo
Radeon 9600xt AGP
1.5 gig Cosair XMS RAM
20GB Samsung HDD Master IDE1
80GB Western Digital HDD Slave IDE1
250GB Western Digital HDD Master IDE2
DVD+/-RW x4 Slave IDE2

Other problems: I currently have my 80GB unpluged due to having to put a diffrent PSU in that would not support everything in my computer. Maybe I can try to slave the 250GB onto IDE1 and just leave both my DVD-RW + 80GB unplugged... If I do this however, I'm prolly going to image all the games I play so I don't have to f**k around with it...

[naomy.developer]

I've been searching alot lately for a way to run X3 with a mounted image, and although there are many guides out there, i couldn't seem to get them to work, after one post buried somewhere in the fourm and a few trials i finally got it to work. Now DT4 is supposed to support it without somthing so drastic but heres my hopefully simply explained version.

Programs needed:
SF Cure - it comes in a SFcure01.zip and contains 3 batch files, !start.bat, !Stop.bat and !Install.bat. Along with outher files...

Starforce Nightmare - It comes in a sfn.rar and contains 3 readme's and a SFNightmare.exe.

Alcohol 120% 1.9.5 (Build 3105) - Image Making software, located Here!

Daemon Tools 3.47 - I dont need to tell you about these i hope

I dont have all the links of the top of my head so if anyone has the links i missed please post it. After you have these programs move on to the imaging process.


Creating the Image file
After you have that you need to make the image.

1. Install and Start Alcohol 120%
2. Select "Image Making wizard" from the graphic menu on the left.
3. Insert the DVD and select the drive the DVD is in as the "CD/DVD Device"
4. Read Speed can be left at whatever is the fastest! If the image doesn't work you could try lowering it, but for now go full speed.
5. If your using a FAT32 drive seperate the image at 4gb, if your NTFS you can use Never seperate (Dont know what you have? Then right click on your drive in my computer and select properties. it will be under file system)
6. Tick the "Data position Measurment" box and set the precision to "HIGH"
7. Click "Next"
8. Name the image. and set the image type to "mds" (I didn't get an alternative anyway...)
9. Click Start
10. It will then ask you for the Data Position Measurment (DPM) Measuring Speed. Choose "1x" (you can try faster I just cant guarentee it'll work!)
11. Alcohol will then make your nice 4.36 gig Image.


Mounting the Image:
The fun Bit and bit i had trouble with...

Mounting the Image Step by step.
Firstly If you use Alcohol regularly, remove any alcohol virtual drives you might have.

1. Install daemon Tools
2. Shutdown your computer
3. Remove the power cord from any Physical DVD or CD drives you have.
4. Start up the computer again.
(Not sure if this will make a difference but i disabled my cd drives in my Bios by changing it from Auto to none! cant guide you through this as all Bios's are different but you should be able to disable them and leave them off, Windows should pick them up as a PNP device and have them available when you power them back up again)
5. Start "daemon.exe" if it doesn't autostart
6. Right Click on the D-Tools icon in the Task bar and select "Emulation -> RMPS"
7. Right Click on the D-Tools icon in the Task bar and select "Virtual Cd/Dvd Rom -> Set Number of Devices... -> 1 Drive"
8. Right Click on the D-Tools icon in the Task bar and select "Virtual Cd/Dvd Rom -> Device 0 -> Mount Image"
9. Browse to the location of the image and select open to mount it.
10. Right Click on the D-Tools icon in the Task bar and select "exit"
11. When prompted to leave emulation options enabled click "yes"


Getting Around Starforce:
1. Extract SfCure01.zip to a folder on your HD
2. Browse to the folder and run "!Setup.bat"
3. Then Run "!Start.bat"
4. Extract Sfn.rar to a folder on your HD
5. Browse to the folder and run SFnightmare.exe
6. Select "Disable Node" and wait until "processing..." on the Title bar changes back to "Starforce Nightmare"
7. Select "Disable CD" and again wait until "processing..." changes back to "Starforce nightmare" on the titlebar
8. Finally Click "Disable Node" Again and close SFnightmare.exe when "Processing..." canges back to "Starforce Nightmare".
9. Run the game and it should detect the CD as the original.

This was done with Windows XP Sp2

Hope this helps!

Hi this was working for X3 ver. 1.00, but after patch to 1.04.03 is not this steps working.

[naomy.developer]

Only Once Can Launch - Next Try Of Launch No Original Cd

hI all,

i have problem that aftwer first intsalling the game, and make the sfcure and sfn i can one time launch game.

If is game runned, i exit from game and try again launch they, and error "include original cd ... etc..."

What happend, know somebody ?

nforce4 ultra

[Amphibious Prairiedog]

Got my X3:Reunion working this way...

After trying for three days with the various methods I've found on the net, I finally got X3 working this way.

Step 1 - I copied over my X3.mds with the one available on the net, leaving my ripped X3.mdf file there as well.

Step 2 - I used 'SD4sucks' to hide my virtual DVD drive as 'Virtual CD hide' didn't seem to work for me.

Step 3 - I mounted the image and it worked!


No unplugging or complex sfnightmare NIGHTMARES! Joy!

Also, if you have a VIA chipset onboard you may fing this useful...http://fileforums.com/showthread.php?t=76593

I used this method but I'm not sure if it helped or not.


Good luck. I Hope this helps someone.

[AnalCobra]

What is 'SD4Sucks'? I only know 'SD4Hide' but that shouldn't work with SF, it's designed for SD4. Please post your hardware specs.

[Amphibious Prairiedog]

SD4 sucks

Sure, 'SD4sucks' is meant for safedisc4 etc, but essentially it's supposed to do the same job as 'hide virtual cd'. Whenever I tried to use 'hide virtual cd' it would not even respond to say it had hidden any drives. Whereas SD4sucks would. Dunno why it works for me but it just does.

It's available here....

http://www.softpedia.com/get/CD-DVD-...D4-Sucks.shtml

[Amphibious Prairiedog]

My Puter

M/B : Asus A8V
CPU : Athlon64 3200+ @ 2ghz
HDD : 80gig SATA / 40gig IDE
DVD : Lite-On 16x DVD-RW-+
GFX : Nvidia 6600GT

Used WCPRedit as instructed (via chipset)
Used SD4sucks (cause virtual-cd hide would'nt respond)
Mounted X3 image with Daemon Tools v4 virtual DVD.
(X3 image is on my SATA hardrive)

Started X3....SF checks for about 10 secs then I'm away!!!

Much joynessness...ness....

[AnalCobra]

Used WCPRedit as instructed (via chipset)
Used SD4sucks (cause virtual-cd hide would'nt respond)
Mounted X3 image with Daemon Tools v4 virtual DVD.
(X3 image is on my SATA hardrive)

Started X3....SF checks for about 10 secs then I'm away!!!

Much joynessness...ness....

Ok, so you have a via chipset. Did you try it without sd4sucks, with only using the WCPRedit?
There is already another thread about WCPRedit.

[reece118]

I actually get passed StarForce Protection and choose "Start X3" but all i get is a black screen for a couple seconds and then an error message. Does anyone else get that? How do you fix this?

I get that aswell, any help would be appreciated..

I just unplugged my drive mounted the image and started the game but whenever i start he game i get the x3 splash screen for a couple of seconds and then it trys to go to the actual game but crashes and i get the usual x3 has encountered a problem and needs to close send an error report etc. etc.

As i said, any help would be appreciated, thanks