DT Lite won't mount mini-image

[gwa000]

Daemon Tools Lite: 4.47.1.0333

trying to get Age of Empires to run using a mini-image but to no avail. i can get it to mount and run using a full image created using Alcohol 52% (free version).

i've read numerous articles in numerous forums on how to make an mini-image using alcohol. the two main methods are 1) cancel after getting a few read errors in alcohol but save the image 2) create a full image, save the MDS file, and use this in place of the one created using method 1.

i've even waited canceling the copy until all of the read errors have passed.

when i try these various methods and add the image to DT, the icon has a red circle with a line through it. right-clicking on it has "Mount" grayed out.

the game use SafeDisc 1.5 but the issue is not getting the game to run but the mini-image mounted with DT.

any idea why the mini-image can not be mounted since all the articles i've read make it sound so "easy" to create a mini-image?

my fallback would be to use the full image but now i see this has more of a challenge.

thanks!

[Terramex]

Maybe something has changed in the MDS standard so that interrupting doesn't work anymore - haven't tested myself though.
It can also be that the "interruption-method" only works for Safedisc 2 & newer, or maybe you have to cancel in Alcohol after the bad blocks.
If you want, you can temporarily install DT Pro Advanced and use its Image Converter to create a (compressed) MDX Mini Image.
I've just tested with Grand Prix 3 (Safedisc 1.50.020, last bad sector: 10164) and the Mini mounts fine when i "cut" it at sector 10165.
For 'End sector' you can leave the '0' which will automatically set the last sector of the disc.

[gwa000]

Maybe something has changed in the MDS standard so that interrupting doesn't work anymore - haven't tested myself though.
It can also be that the "interruption-method" only works for Safedisc 2 & newer, or maybe you have to cancel in Alcohol after the bad blocks.
If you want, you can temporarily install DT Pro Advanced and use its Image Converter to create a (compressed) MDX Mini Image.
I've just tested with Grand Prix 3 (Safedisc 1.50.020, last bad sector: 10164) and the Mini mounts fine when i "cut" it at sector 10165.
For 'End sector' you can leave the '0' which will automatically set the last sector of the disc.

terramax,

thanks for the response/suggestions.

when i get a chance i'll try using the DT Pro Advanced (for its Image Converter) with a full Alcohol backup and create a MDX file. i'm assuming in your Grand Prix 3 test you used a full backup rather than using the cancellation method.

and if i get really ambitious and can find some time maybe i'll see if i can locate an older version of Alcohol 52% to try the cancellation method to see if maybe that has something to do with it.

fwiw, i did try cancelling after all of the bad blocks but that did not work either.

i did come across a Mini-Image Ripper tool which pares down the size of a full Alcohol backup and that works. but i like your method better of using the full backup and converting to an MDX format and mounting that.

i'll let you know how i make out (which might not be for a few days).

thanks again!

[gwa000]

If you want, you can temporarily install DT Pro Advanced and use its Image Converter to create a (compressed) MDX Mini Image.

terramax,

finally got around to testing your suggestion of converting the MDS file to MDX using DT Pro Advanced. i was pretty optimistic since you had already tested it on another game that had the same safedisc version.

anyway, it worked like a charm. thanks for the suggestion.

have you ever tried this technique for a game that just uses a CD check? i'm guessing that if it is just a simple check that is looking for the correct volume label then it should work. if it is more sophisticated that it is checking for data in a particular sector then it may be more involved trying to figure out which sectors to not zero out.