Can't Copy Disk

Troops:

I like to back up purchased programs. In backing up one program I found I apparently cannot make an exact copy of a disk. I compare the files and folders found on the copy against the original and indeed they compare. And yet in running the program it will not recognize the copy. There must be additional uncopied material on the source disk. My question is this: How does one make an exact image of a disk? I am currently using RecordNow as my recording program.

David

 

Hello David,

Not familiar with Record Now but it should have basically the same options as Roxio or Nero.

I'm assuming you're using the copy disc to disc option.

Points that come to mind:

Can you copy the contents to the HD? If so, can you copy from the HD to a CD/DVD then?

If you copy any other type of Disc such as data files - pictures, same results?

Copy Protection may be at work here.

Regards - Charles

 

Or, it could be the disk has some form of copy protection that prevents it from working. I don't know about computer programs but I know some gaming systems (Playstation comes to mind) would copy protect a disk by adding spots of bad data here and there on the disk. CD burning programs would see that bad data as just that and ignore it and throw it away. When the process was done you'd have a disk that looked exactly the same as the original when viewing the files on it, but the burned disk wouldn't wouldn't work in the game console because it was programmed to look for that "bad" data before running the game. If the bad sectors were present, the game would run. If not, it would fail to run.

The answer back then was to use a program like Clone CD to burn it. It was wrote so it would copy everything, including the bad sectors of any disk. Something like that anyway. However, it's not available anymore because of legal issues. There's a lot of programs out there that claim to be able to make an exact duplicate of any disk. Don't believe it. They just don't exist anymore. If you find one that does, you'd better grab it now because it won't be long and they'll be shut down too.

 

What a Masterpiece - I still have the very last version of Clone CD before it was sold. That is a good find Tony. The old version without a key runs at 2x while the uncrippled (registered) version runs at full speed. I have had some problems with dual layer DVD burners running clone CD for CD's, but if it works with a particular drive - it will perform with precision - will copy the copy protection too.

 

Tony:

Thank you for steering me to the Clone site. I downloaded the program, installed and ran it. It took 14.5 minutes to make an image file. When I tried to write to a CD I ran into the foloowing problem. After writing 98% I received the following message
Writing to CD failed, Medium Error, Write Error (3:0x06:0x00)
Any suggestions as to what might be wrong here? I tried 2 CDs with the same result.

Just for trial I also tried a DVD and got the following interesting messages
Image doesn't fit on destination disc
Space available 0 Mbytes (99:58:0 Min:Sec: Fra)
Space required 723 Mbytes (71:41:64 Min:Sec: Fra)

Do you think I ran out of CD space? The CDs I tried were Phillips CDs. Do you think CDs of a different manufacturer might behave differently? To fail at 98% seems as though I ran out available CD space.

I of course still have the image file so I can try any suggestion you might make.

David

 

It should say how many MBs are available right on the disk. The cd would be no larger than 700 MBs. Not enough space available.

I'm not sure about the DVDs. When I used CloneCD years ago DVD burners weren't even on the drawing board yet. My guess is that it doesn't support writing to DVDs.

 

No, it doesn't support writing to DVDs. I'm now a little confused on the methodology employed here - if one wants to make an exact copy of an existing CD - why not make a disc to disc copy? And, towards that end - what is the size of the source CD? I guess i don't understand why you are making an image and then trying to burn the image when its so simple to make a disc to disc copy.



edit: Are you also trying to burn the image you made with Sonic's RecordNow? I believe that software is using a variation of the original Adaptec engine which is also the direct ancestor of Windows native burning engine. I believe the family tree of RecordNow went from Adaptec to Roxio to Sonic.

 

Well, we'll have to wait for David to reply but I can think of one reason. If you only have one burner, an image file would be required.

 

Troops:
Maybe I did not state the problem clearly enough. I have MS Flight Simulator.
(Neat program too. If you think flying is easy try crashing a few times in this one) I want to make a back up copy of the 4 discs comprising the program. I did make a copy of all 4 discs using RecordNow. This disk copying program is came with a purchased a Sony DVD RW player.

OK. To run the program you MUST have the 4th disk inserted. When using the 4th purchased disk the program runs just fine. If instead I use the
copy of the 4th disk the program asks to have the 4th disk inserted. It does not recognize the copied 4th disk. Yes, I have tried to make another copy and that also did not work i.e. I got the same results. I then tried copying all the folders and files from the purchased disk to the hard drive and make a CD using those. The results were the same. If you look, side by side, at what is on the original disk and a copied disk, file by file, they compare. Yes, I have also tried making all hidden files available.

Apparently there is some form of disk copy protection on the disk. I cannot see it with the tools I have at my disposal. That is why I asked for a method to make an image of this disk. Tony suggested using a CLONE program and this I did. It successfully made an image but this image is 723 mb. A CD can contain only 700 mb. When using the CLONE program to make a CD I get the error message that there is a "medium failure ". This is after recording 98% of the stored image file.

It is interesting to also note that when I used this incompleted disk to run the Flight Simulator program... using the disk that ran out of space... I do not get the error message I had seen before. Now it just hang there ... aparrently waiting for more to read off the disk. So it looks as though, if I could get a CD that had about 3% more space, I might be able to have a workable copy of the 4th disk.

Have I made the problem and situation clear?

David

 

Troops:
Maybe I did not state the problem clearly enough. I have MS Flight Simulator.
(Neat program too. If you think flying is easy try crashing a few times in this one) I want to make a back up copy of the 4 discs comprising the program. I did make a copy of all 4 discs using RecordNow. This disk copying program came with a purchased a Sony DVD RW player.

OK. To run the program you MUST have the 4th disk inserted. When using the 4th purchased disk the program runs just fine. If instead I use the
copy of the 4th disk the program asks to have the 4th disk inserted. It does not recognize the copied 4th disk. Yes, I have tried to make another copy and that also did not work i.e. I got the same results. I then tried copying all the folders and files from the purchased disk to the hard drive and make a CD using those. The results were the same. If you look, side by side, at what is on the original disk and a copied disk, file by file, they compare. Yes, I have also tried making all hidden files available.

Apparently there is some form of disk copy protection on the disk. I cannot see it with the tools I have at my disposal. That is why I asked for a method to make an image of this disk. Tony suggested using a CLONE program and this I did. It successfully made an image but this image is 723 mb. A CD can contain only 700 mb. When using the CLONE program to make a CD I get the error message that there is a "medium failure ". This is after recording 98% of the stored image file.

It is interesting to also note that when I used this incompleted disk to run the Flight Simulator program... using the disk that ran out of space... I do not get the error message I had seen before. Now it just hang there ... aparrently waiting for more to read off the disk. So it looks as though, if I could get a CD that had about 3% more space, I might be able to have a workable copy of the 4th disk.

Have I made the problem and situation clear?

David

 

Zander:

Call me dumb - I'm so used to two opticals, I don't even think single drive boxes. Haven't built a single drive box in more than 5 years either. You make a good point but I'm not sure that one can't make a disc to disc copy using CloneCD with just one drive either. Just how does that Camel handle this? I don't know. Obviously the program would have to make a temporary image and then write that back to the clean medium but is that a one step or a two step process? I'll leave this to someone else for a definitive answer because I don't have Clone CD installed on any of my machines right now. In the meantime, you are oh so right.

 

David:

I think if you look around you can find 740MB and 800MB cds.

If its any consolation, I once tried to copy a DVD that wouldn't fit on a dual layer DVD. I gave up after ruining several (very expensive at the time) blank DVDs.

 

Rockster
From what I remember, when you made a cd using an image file you could select where you wanted to store the image and also it seems to me you could choose to either keep or delete the image file when done. If I'm remembering correctly, I guess that would technically be a two step process. Need to first write the image to the hard disk, then burn it.

 

Dr. Zander:

While I haven't tried it, 'cause I don't got 2 opticals, I think the CLONE program will make a disk to disk copy and take care of the disk protection business at the same time.

David

 

Yes, you're right. Whether you burn it by copying it directly from one cd drive to another or if you burn it using an image file, the results will be the same.

 

The Rockster:

I'm on my way to the store right after taking the frau to a brunch. Thanks for the CD info. Stay tuned and if I can purchase a 740 mb CD and use it to record I'll let you know how it all works out.

David

 

I could not locate any 740 or 800 mb disks in Staples or Computer City. Anybody knows who handles them?

I tried another Cloning program 321Soft Clone. It took about 2 hrs to RIP the CD and about 3 minutes to make the "clone ". It fit on a 700mb CD.
It didn't work worth a ****. So I do not recommend this program.

David

 

This may provide some guidance but check compatability of your drive and read the caution here re: record speed. I think you will find other options/sources if you look around. Good Luck.