Suggestion: Adding a COW FS Layer

[menotbug_bugmenot]

I'd really like to have a C)hange O)n W)rite feature added to Daemon tools (or something like it).

I've got all these old (legally owned games - mainly DOS), but the stupid thing is that they all have to be installed on the HD and then they check the CD, bla, bla, bla. What I thought was a great idea was to remove the CD protection. Do a full install and then burn the contents to a new CD - then run them right off the CD. However, most of these games all do some hokey writing of some sort of temp data - so it tries to write that to that CD (which obviously doesn't work).

These is where a COW filesystem would kick in. You'd have the standard game ISO, and then layered on top of that you'd have a "blank" ISO mask residing on the HD. When information is written, the data is written to the "blank" ISO Mask at the same position as it would be on the game/read-only ISO/CD. Then when Windows/Game tries to preform a read, it checks the ISO mask for any data, and returns that. Otherwise it reads from the game/read-only ISO/CD.

With linux there's a user-mode linux. It contains the implementation for a COW filesystem. Here's a link:

http://user-mode-linux.sourceforge.n...001/node5.html

I guess in theory if such a mod were added, it would allow you to burn any installed game onto the CD/DVD and run it off there. The only lingering problem would be that now-a-days most of the game information is stored in the registry. I guess you'd need to dump that information as a .reg file and include it on the CD/DVD - and installing/uninstalling would merely be a matter of adding/removing reg info.

Anyway, it's a thought - perhaps, it's not appropriate for Daemon Tools, but Daemon Tools is the closest project I've found that has implemented a file based device driver.

Keep-up the good work!

[Mystique]

Useless Feature.

1.) Old Games like C&C 1 DOS version will place savegames on the Root Directory of the Game, so it cant because its on CD.
2.) To much work with dumping Reg Files etc.
3.) Not good for the CD/DVD Drive because it reads the CD all the time you play the game.
4.) Some games need modifing game files when you start and play it, wont work because its on CD.

You need more points why its useless ?

5.) Modifing the Game (doesnt matter how old it is) to remove Protection like Check Disk etc. isnt allowed. This is like a No CD Crack etc. and isnt allowed here and everywhere else.

[Underheaven]

example

Can anyone provide an example of a game this would work with?

p.s. Mystique, I like that there is a "suggestions forum" here. When is the last time you can remember looking through the suggestions forum and found a feature request that was implemented in DAEMON Tools? Not often, so even if the ideas aren't excellent I would try to avoid bashing them.

[Mystique]

I didnt bashing him.
Its only what i know about this.

[AmphetaMarinE]

Useless Feature.

1.) Old Games like C&C 1 DOS version will place savegames on the Root Directory of the Game, so it cant because its on CD.
2.) To much work with dumping Reg Files etc.
3.) Not good for the CD/DVD Drive because it reads the CD all the time you play the game.
4.) Some games need modifing game files when you start and play it, wont work because its on CD.

You need more points why its useless ?

5.) Modifing the Game (doesnt matter how old it is) to remove Protection like Check Disk etc. isnt allowed. This is like a No CD Crack etc. and isnt allowed here and everywhere else.

I believe he would be running images off a hard drive, burning images to cd would be pointless on those old games, as one could simply make standard copies of games that old....
In light of this... a COW fs would probably work.... being that the images are residing on a Hard Drive, and not on a read only medium...
/my $0.02