Playing 2142 without DVD Drive?

Post by **Cheesy** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 7:14 pm

So, I got BF2142 for Christmas, and now I'm trying to install it. But I have a little problem: my comp doesn't have a DVD drive. My laptop does, and I can install 2142 onto my desktop across the network, but I can't actually play without the DVD in my comp. I was thinking of making a disc image and mounting it on the desktop, but won't that give me copy protection issues?

Meh. Any ideas?

Winter_Lion · Post by **Winter_Lion** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 7:51 pm

I use Nero or Alcohol to start a copy of my DVD. Then allow it to copy for 30 secs and cancel the copy. When Nero or Alcohol ask me if I want to save what little I have copied, I say yes and name the file exactly the same as if it were the original DVD.

I then use Alcohol to mount said image(usually only around 12 megs in size) onto my virtual drive(usually drive E or F).

That does it.

The copy protection and verifying presence of cd is all taken care of in those 12 megs and my original DVD is put away safe. Cutting the copy process off early like that saves you hard drive space and works as though it was all there in one of your cd drives.

Winter

MadRat · Post by **MadRat** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 8:07 pm

why not use a virtual drive microsoft made one free

or you could find thousands of em as freeware.

beats the disc protection every time.

Winter_Lion · Post by **Winter_Lion** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 8:47 pm

MadRat wrote:why not use a virtual drive microsoft made one free

or you could find thousands of em as freeware.

beats the disc protection every time.

cuz I paid for nero and alkie. Besides they rule in that dept compared with Microsoft. cuz Microsoft is overly sensitive about pirating software.

Winter

Post by **Ash2Dust** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 11:40 pm

Up to date thread on the issue.
http://www.fileforums.com/showthread.php?t=78659

Post by **sushi** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 4:25 am

Alkohol works fine for me too.

EDIT: Lol just reread my post. Sounds like a great quote for the afterlife.

StarLord · Post by **StarLord** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 2:02 pm

You can find a mini-image that you can mount on deamon tool on a lot of website. You will have no probleme with copy protection.

I personaly left my bf2 CDs at the place where I study, so when I'm home I'm using the mini-image.

Post by **Cheesy** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 4:25 pm

Right now there are no mini-images available for BF2142

I ended up burning a copy of the DVD (3GB) on my laptop and then moving it over to my desktop. Then I mounted the imagine with Daemon-Tools and installed the game, which worked fine. But now, when I try to play, I get an error saying I don't have the DVD in the drive

According to that thread Ash posted, it's a copy-protection thing that detects the virtual drive, and the only way to get rid of the problem is to disable my optical drives whenever I'm playing.

But I'm hoping theres a better solution

StarLord · Post by **StarLord** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 5:23 pm

Well, you can try with an anti-blacklisting tool :

http://ww2.cdmediaworld.com/cgi-bin/dl. ... 11-skl!zip

Open it while you have your image loaded on deamon tool, then click on hide, and you should be able to play. Dont close it when you play, and after you finished playing, make sure to click on the restore buton.

styphon · Post by **styphon** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 6:49 pm

Depends on what tool is being blacklisted. Normally you can circumvent it though.

MadRat · Post by **MadRat** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 8:29 pm

Winter_Lion wrote:
MadRat wrote:why not use a virtual drive microsoft made one free

or you could find thousands of em as freeware.

beats the disc protection every time.
cuz I paid for nero and alkie. Besides they rule in that dept compared with Microsoft. cuz Microsoft is overly sensitive about pirating software.

Winter

didnt realise i was answering your post winter lion thought it was cheesy that was asking for help

Winter_Lion · Post by **Winter_Lion** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 9:13 pm

Cheesy wrote:Right now there are no mini-images available for BF2142

I ended up burning a copy of the DVD (3GB) on my laptop and then moving it over to my desktop. Then I mounted the imagine with Daemon-Tools and installed the game, which worked fine. But now, when I try to play, I get an error saying I don't have the DVD in the drive

According to that thread Ash posted, it's a copy-protection thing that detects the virtual drive, and the only way to get rid of the problem is to disable my optical drives whenever I'm playing.

But I'm hoping theres a better solution

All you had to do was cancel your copy half a min after starting the dvd copy process. You would have had a mini-image around 10 megs max and instead of taking up all that room, you could just drop it into your EA folder or in a corner of your desktop.

The image I am using for BF2 is only 2.09megs and it does all the things having a original cd or dvd in the optical drive does except wear out your discs or take up room on your hard drive.

Alkie or Gamaen would mount it and apply whatever emulation the dvd protection scheme requires..

As you might already have figured out. G is my virtural drive and that mini image is mounted to it. I just leave it mounted as I have no use of a virtural drive cept for BF42, 2 and 2142.

I havnt made a mini for 2142 yet but I think it's time. I will update you asap on what I find out on that project............lol.

This is more a post for the rest of the guys, Cheesy. I know you already have it well in hand.

Toodles........Winter

Post by **Cheesy** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 4:09 am

Yep, I'm sure that works for BF2, but 2142 seems to have more elaborate copy protection that prevents the virtual drive from working

Winter_Lion · Post by **Winter_Lion** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:03 am

Cheesy wrote:Right now there are no mini-images available for BF2142 Sad

That shouldn't slow ya down none. I never used a premade mini off the web yet. It's too easy to make your own.

I made one for BF2142 after i Posted here last and it took 15 mins from starting the copy to playing online with my local clan here.

The game started and ran nice on just that small image and my virt. drive.

Try it out if you get time. It's very straightforward and no handicaps like temp. disabling your optical drives while playiing and similar.

btw: bf21 has the same copy prot. as bf2 and bf42 did. Just updated to the current version is all. DVD's can be clumsy to work with because of their format but I had no problems at all.

This time I just used Alchohol to rip the image and left Nero out of the process. Easier and less work.

Winter

Post by **Ash2Dust** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 2:05 pm

There can be other issues stopping people from making a mini as I find it strange fileforums with its huge collective hasnt posted a fix 48 hours after release. I havent used alki in awhile so they still use protection profiles and other settings?

Last post:

Well, I use the image in my main desktop without unplugging the drive and it work.

However for weird reasons, on my laptop I have to shut down the cd/dvd reader/writer, even with the same image and daemon settings. I didn't want to shut the only drive I had, so I disabled the drive letter of the physical drive in the Device Manager in the admins tool. I found out that It work for me and it save me some reboot .