Running the game.

[z444]

Operating System: win98
Burning Software: ?
Anti-virus Software: norton 2004
DAEMON Tools Version: 3.47

hello experts:

here's where I'm stuck: I installed the daemontools, and mounted the image of the game (Madden 2004). Using this mounted file, the game installed into my hard drive. (The game was in two .iso files, and it asked me to change between them during the installation; to do so, I unmounted one and mounted the other. This seemed to work fine, and it claims to have installed sucessfully.)

HOWEVER, when I try to run the game, the intro screen comes up, then it says "please insert the correct CD-ROM, and restart application." This is where I feel the urge to bang my head against the monitor. Please help.

thanx,

Tzali W.

[Copytrooper]

Re-create the images from your original in appropriate image format, ISOs lack important copy protection data, thus won't work.

[z444]

ISO's won't ever work? I'm confused; I thought they were a valid CD image format?

[NetSoerfer]

They are, but copy protected CDs need special information (e.g. subchannel data or defect sectors) copied as those are the copy protection.

ISO as well as .cue/.bin images aren't able to store this kind of information.

[z444]

so let me get this straight: any .ISO file from a copy-protected CD is useless? Is this consistent with the error message I got (insert CD?)

[NetSoerfer]

Basically, yes.

If you make an ISO image, you read the data from the disc and store it in one file. What you don't save is other, "additional" information that's on the disc. For example artificially inserted defect sectors on the original disc (some copy protections rely on a pattern of those defect sectors), or subchannel data, weak sectors and similar, sometimes more advanced mechanisms. This information is not copied by a normal CD burning program, and that's what the manufacturers of copy protections count on - that you're unable to completely duplicate a disc anymore.

Alcohol 120% and similar programs read this information as well as the data and store it in the image (or an additional file as in Alcohol's .mds and .mdf files).

So, yes, an ISO from a copy-protected CD is useless. Throw it away.

What's the big deal? Get Alcohol, and make a new image from your original CD. If you still have problems, come back here and ask, or ask in the Alcohol forum.