Learn How to create No-CD Cracks.

[Mizraim]

Does anyone know how to create your own No-CD/DVD cracks? Please share your knowledge. I am looking particularly for Neverwinter Nights 2 v1.03. I have searched the web with no luck. If anyone knows how or can lead me in the right direction, I am sure there are several who would like to learn how to do this.

[Ruffnekk]

That's not easy to do you know... First you would need a Windows debugger like SoftIce. This is a program that runs in the background and with it you can pause any other process and debug it's assembly code, view the registers, stacks, etc. If you can determine which address in the assembly code calls the function to check for the CD, you can modify the code to skip that part for example. In practice it's not so simple most of the times. Debugging can take hours or days if you're dealing with good security. I'll see if I can post some more stuff on this and hopefully some links later.

[cranioscopical]

I'm just one of many, many members here, and DonationCoder is a valuable resource for me. That said, may I offer a personal comment about this thread?
It seems to me that this kind of (theoretical) discussion could reflect badly on DonationCoder. So, with respect, I ask if DonationCoder is an appropriate forum for this topic and hope that you will not take offense when I suggest that the conversation would be better conducted elsewhere.

[mouser]

Yeah I think this is not a direction we want to be going here on DonationCoder.  While there are surley cases where you bought a game and want to be able to play it in peace, this is just not the kind of think i think we want to be associated with there i think..

[TucknDar]

I agree with cranioscopical.

Not making a judgement here, as I know how annoying it can be having to insert the CD when playing games. As far as I know making No-CD cracks even for personal use is illegal, and thus shouldn't be discussed here.

[Mizraim]

I sincerely apologize. If it's possible, can this thread be removed then?

[f0dder]

Definitely not a topic for DonationCoder.

And it's basically something you should forget about - these days it's a very very very complicated task to remove game copy protections. For nuisance removal for your legally bought games, google

[NigelH]

If you really want to run with no CD, then I suggest you spend a few dollars on a Virtual CD product.
Read about it...
http://compsimgames.about.com/cs/gamingtips/a/virtualcd.htm

Having said that, Farstone are having a 50% discount on all their products until 31st Dec
http://www.farstone.com/

[f0dder]

Virtual-CD programs generally won't do the trick, though, since game copy protection specifically check for those... and then we're back to the age-old cat vs. mouse problem.

I dunno if this topic should be discussed any more, though, since most people's use for no-cd patches is to pirate games, not to avoid scratches or inconvenience.

[NigelH]

Mostly true for the latest games when the protection mechanism changes - at which point the Virtual CD developers release updates when they provide support for that game. Yeah, it's cat and mouse sometimes, but there are useful benefits.
Of course, some games do not ever get supported.

Go read the supported game lists at the Game Jackal forums or Farstone's VirtualDrive support.

Game Jackal currently has 40% off as well
http://www.gamejackal.com/home.asp

[Ruffnekk]

I agree as well. I guess I didn't give it much thought earlier... this is not the kind of topic that fits DonationCoder.com. My apologies!

[Deozaan]

I dunno if this topic should be discussed any more, though, since most people's use for no-cd patches is to pirate games, not to avoid scratches or inconvenience.

I have 1TB of HDD space so I always try making a disc image of every game I own (and some programs), but when the image doesn't work I look for a no-cd/dvd.

I agree that such information isn't really appropriate for this site, and most no-disc patches are probably used for pirating, but I can attest to the fact that some people (like myself) do everything we can to avoid having 50 discs somewhere nearby to swap in and out.

My desk is already messy enough as it is. I don't want all those jewel cases lying around and I'm too anal (in this respect) to throw away the case and pamphlet, etc., and put them all in an organizer they will get lost in or stolen.

[f0dder]

I dunno if this topic should be discussed any more, though, since most people's use for no-cd patches is to pirate games, not to avoid scratches or inconvenience.

I have 1TB of HDD space so I always try making a disc image of every game I own (and some programs), but when the image doesn't work I look for a no-cd/dvd.

Same here, and I have two younger brothers that, although they are now 15+, I don't want to mess around with my originals.

[mwb1100]

For people who want to work with CD images, Alcohol Software has a free edition of Alcohol 52% which lets you create images and mount them on virtual CD/DVD drives:

http://www.free-downloads.net/programs/Alcohol_52__Free_Edition

Note it installs a toolbar, which I believe can be subsequently uninstalled.

[NigelH]

Slightly older free version of Paragon's cd emulator here (version 3)
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/downloads/2170291/paragon-cd-rom-emulator
Additional info here
http://vnunet.digitalriver.com/dr/v2/ec_Main.Entry17C?SID=64118&SP=10023&CID=161126&PID=248404&PN=1&V1=248404&CUR=826&DSP=&PGRP=0&ABCODE=&CACHE_ID=0

[f0dder]

There's also www.daemon-tools.cc , newer versions come with toolbar stuff (but iirc you can opt not to install it). I still use 3.47 - newer versions seem primarily about 64bit support and playing the cat-and-mouse game of avoiding game protection blacklisting 

[app103]

I have used Paragon for a long time to avoid having to put data cd's in the drive on my P1. (stupid ancient drive doesn't like reading data cd's any more)

I create the images on another pc and swap a hard drive to copy them over to the P1.

This has worked well for most normal stuff, but I am not a gamer and I don't have anything with copy protection.

The only disk I have ever had a problem with using with Paragon is a clipart gallery/database that the software it uses still looks to the first listed cd drive for the full size images...but it does that in a normal pc too, if you put the real disk in the second cd drive.

[AdIyhc]

I use Alcohol 52% Free to play my games and it works very well. It's better than those virtual cd emulators with a gamelist because non english games works too.

[mouser]

wasn't this thread supposed to go to sleep?  let's let it get some rest..