Newbie - where to start

[rds_correia]

Hi there .
I'm a newbie when it comes to games/data cd backup.
So please be gentle .
I just downloaded and installed DT 4.0 as well as Alcohol 120% 1.9.5.3105(Trial).
I was told that this should be the best combo around along with A-Ray scanner 2.0.2.3..
I was trying to find my way here in the forums but this looks like an advanced forum...
I already read the "DAEMON Tools Help" section but I still have many doubts on how to successfuly backup "The Sims 2".
Could any of you folks be so kind to show me where to start?
Like a link with a guide for newbies?
Or if there ain't one could someone clarify some doubts?
For instance,
1-I know that I must read the game CD image with Alcohol 120% prior to anything else.
But which setting should I use?
2-Before burning the extracted image, should I mount it with DT 4.0 and extract it again from DT virtual drive?
Is that how copy protection is by-passed?
Any help will be most welcome.
TIA
Cheers

PS:
Reader - LG DRD 8160B v1.17
Burner - LG HL-DT-ST GSA-4120B v1.01

[NetSoerfer]

Use Aray Scanner or our game database to find out the copy protection of the game you're trying to backup. Insert the disc, start Alcohol, click Image Making Wizard.

If you're trying to backup a CD, select the profile appropriate for the copy protection. If you're trying to backup a DVD, deselect DPM for any copy protection except SecuROM (DPM Normal) and StarForce (DPM High). Set DPM extraction speed to something low (like 2x or 4x).

It's hard to burn good CD/DVD-Rs with modern copy protections. Use the images with Daemon Tools if you can.

If it doesn't work from an image, check the following:

• If you're trying to create an image with DPM, make sure you don't have StarForce drivers installed because they mess with the DPM process. If you have them installed, uninstall them.
• For SecuROM 5+, StarForce 3+ and SafeDisc 4.6+, you need to hide your optical IDE drives.
• If it still doesn't work, try to change DPM extraction speed (16x worked fine for me with StarForce 3.6).

If you do want to write your images to CD/DVD, just use Alcohol's Image Burning Wizard. You don't need Daemon Tools for that at all.

If you need more information related to Alcohol 120%, refer to the help file or their Support Forum.

[rds_correia]

So, that means that I don't need DT 4.0 for CD/DVD copying, right?
You only need DT 4.0 if Alcohol 120% (or the ripping&burning software of your choice) can't duplicate the disk, right?
If that's the case then I guess I had already understood everything.
It's just that I thought that DT could help breaking the protection for burning 1:1 copies.
Thanks for clarifying this .
Cheers

[NetSoerfer]

Just one more thing: Daemon Tools, Alcohol, BlindWrite don't break copy protections, they just copy them along with the rest of the disc so the protection is on the copied disc as well.

But yeah, you got it right.