Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

I want to (legally!) copy my BF 2142 DVD

P

pprior

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Aug 1, 2007
1,448
9
Anyone able to do this yet? Toast titanium seems to fail. I have retail box and receipt to match, copying off of original DVD. I want to run off copy disk, not the original. Not transferring game or serial to anyone outside my own home so this is within my fair use.

It will copy enough to install, but when game starts it asks for original disk.

Also, same problem with the C&C 3 (also EA) game.
 
Best way to do it is to put your disc away in a safe place as to never use it, and get a No-CD patch.

I believe as long as you own the original disc that is actually legal.
 
pprior said:
Not transferring game or serial to anyone outside my own home
Click to expand...

Strange qualification to people in your home. You mean kids, siblings, parents, etc.? Usually you're allowed to make backups for yourself, but if you want to give a backup or original to someone else, you must give/sell them _all_ copies (or destroy any, even installed, copies that you don't transfer). To highlight this, you probably noticed that apple sells single and family-pack versions of Tiger.

But it sucks that even if you're just making the backup for yourself, they're putting up roadblocks: it reminds me of the early 80s and the Apple ][ cracking scene.
 
Contact the game manufacturer. You are permitted under copyright law to make a backup copy. However, the EULA may restrict or even eliminate your right to do that--read through the license agreement.

For example, Adobe CS2.3's license clearly states that you may make a "reasonable" number of backup copies. You may not, however, as others here have correctly said, transfer those copies to anyone else.

Bob
 
DaftUnion said:
Hate to break it to you, but copying for anyone besides yourself is NOT legal.
Click to expand...

This -is- for myself. I'm not shipping a copy elsewhere.

When I bought this game and C&C3 at the apple store I specifically asked the salesperson whether I could play multiplayer on my LAN without having to buy multiple copies. I was told yes. I have done the same thing with Age of Empires and I spoke with the folks directly at their company and they were fine with it, so long as it's just within my own household.

All i want to know is if anyone knows a way to do it. I do NOT want to use my real disks - the kids scratch them up quickly and then they won't work after awhile.
 
I understand your predicament. Many games actually do require multiple copies when running multi-player games on your own LAN. The CD or DVD for the game is often needed for each computer. This is an unfortunate situation created by piracy protections, however most EULAs allow for copying to run MP on your own LAN.

As mentioned earlier you might want to try a no CD/DVD patch. It would also help if you could clarify why Toast Titanium is not up to the task as I have never run into problems making working backup copies of Games with Toast, but then again I never tried to backup C&C3.
 
pprior said:
When I bought this game and C&C3 at the apple store I specifically asked the salesperson whether I could play multiplayer on my LAN without having to buy multiple copies. I was told yes.
Click to expand...

I hate to break it to you, but the sticker at the top of each game box clearly states that each multiplayer client requires a separate disc. Now while the law does not consider having your kids play two copied versions of the disc at the same time as using a "backup copy," I believe it is fair use. For the results you want to achieve, your best bet would be a No-CD patch found on many gaming sites. Simply install normally, then replace the .exe file inside the BF2142 .app package. I'm not sure if you can simultaneously use two different soldiers on the same account with BF2142 since EA tracks everything to their master server. I would suppose it would come up with an "already logged in" error if you tried to do that.
 
It says to access ONLINE features you must register and only one user may register the game. I'm not trying to go online, just play on our local LAN with 1 other computer.

Toast gives an error after the disk is copied - the copied disk will install but is not recognized by the program when it starts to run.

I would be THRILLED to get a no-DVD patch for these games but I can only find it for the PC versions. Since this is a port - is it possible somehow to use the PC version of the no-DVD patch?
 
End User License Agreement

"EA grants you a non-transferable non-exclusive license to ... install and use one copy* of the software ...Tools & Materials... Your right to use Tools & Materials is limited to the license grant above, and you may not otherwise copy the Tools & Materials."

*(copy in this context means the original disk you bought, not an additional copy)
 
FYI.

This procedure can be used to make a back-up copy of your software. Although you should read the EULA for BF 2142 before doing so to make sure you can make a back-up copy.

Most software allows you to do this. A lot of my audio CDs In have allow me to make 5 back-up copies just like most software.
 
kwood said:
FYI.

This procedure can be used to make a back-up copy of your software. Although you should read the EULA for BF 2142 before doing so to make sure you can make a back-up copy.

Most software allows you to do this. A lot of my audio CDs In have allow me to make 5 back-up copies just like most software.
Click to expand...

That doesn't work. DVD copies but game won't run with it in, just hangs.
 
Only works on macs

Heres an idea just copy the installed files on your computer and save as a backup on what ever you want since on mac os x the apps are self contained do this when you first install so you won't have loose files to track down

Edit: sorry thats not what you wanted but if you get a no-cd "patch" than you will never have to touch the original even to reinstall
 
disc image?

Have you tired using disc image to create an image and then burn a copy?
Go to Disk Utitlity, then select the disc and create image...
Should make an exact copy of the dvd...
 
merman637 said:
Have you tired using disc image to create an image and then burn a copy?
Go to Disk Utitlity, then select the disc and create image...
Should make an exact copy of the dvd...
Click to expand...

The disc has a SafeDisc copy protection so it will not give you an exact copy. You may just end up with a useless dvd so you should reconsider before wasting resource.
 
Regardless of how you slice this.

A. After reading the materials/docs your not allowed
B. It's only illegal if you get caught (lol bad reasoning and no you can't quote me on that LOL)
C. This particular disc (as someone mentioned) does have SafeDisc which will NOT allow by any means a copy to be made.
D. And most importantly, you will NEED a No CD Patch, which I'm unsure if there is one for Mac version.

GameCopyWorld.com (this will probably get deleted) has a list of patches mainly no-cd patches you can find and use.

Personally if I was this worried about not wanting to use the original for fear of kids scratching it, I would buy 2 copies and keep one in the plastic.
 
kkat69 said:
Regardless of how you slice this.

A. After reading the materials/docs your not allowed
B. It's only illegal if you get caught (lol bad reasoning and no you can't quote me on that LOL)
C. This particular disc (as someone mentioned) does have SafeDisc which will NOT allow by any means a copy to be made.
D. And most importantly, you will NEED a No CD Patch, which I'm unsure if there is one for Mac version.

GameCopyWorld.com (this will probably get deleted) has a list of patches mainly no-cd patches you can find and use.

Personally if I was this worried about not wanting to use the original for fear of kids scratching it, I would buy 2 copies and keep one in the plastic.
Click to expand...

The Mac version is the PC binary in a wrapper... some adventurous guy could probably dual-boot and get the no-CD patch for the Windows version working, but that will break downloaded patches for the game itself, yadda, yadda, yadda...
 
Well I've come to the conclusion that I was given bad advice at the Apple store. I spoke with EA games and they confirmed that it is not within my EULA to install on two computers for multiplayer play within my own home and they will not allow me to copy the DVD.

I will be buying a second copy of both 2142 and C&C3 to be able to do this with my son as I intended.

However I will NOT be buying any further EA games products. both of these products have been a disappointment in several ways, and the above is last straw for me.

Age of Empires III was fully supported for this type of play and seems to me a very reasonable way to go- nobody should have to buy a separate license for every computer in the home, it's just not reasonable. Macsoft has earned my business, EA games will no longer get my money.

I'm reluctant to even buy the copies, but my son loves C&C and now loves 2142 and I told him we'd be able to play together. I don't hack or crack games illegally and so need to show him the right choice and behavior.

I appreciate the advice and discussion in this thread. Personally I would encourage anyone else NOT to buy these games, but that's up to the individual and their opinion of fair use.
 
Oh - I still would appreciate any advice available on how to either copy the disk or to use a no-DVD patch if one is available. I have purchased the copies needed, but I still prefer not to use my original disks if possible.

No way ANYONE can tell me that making a backup copy for my own use while the original is stored in the box and not used by anyone else is not within my rights!
 
I do not promote illegal copying but if you are so concerned with scratched disk by kids, here is how to have your peace of mind. To play without the CD/DVD, you need a no CD/DVD patched exe file of the game application file. An earlier post here has quoted the site to locate the PC patch. Another has rightly said that these new Intel-only games use the Cider wrapper to enclose the PC binary game files for playing in Mac OSX.

If you right click on the OSX game application, you can Show Package Contents of the "file". When you look into the Resources folder, you will see some more nested folders similar to the Windows directory structure, like C:/program files/... etc. The complete version of the game in Windows binaries is in one of the folders. Store / duplicate / move the original binary of the exe game file to elsewhere and drop in the patched PC binary game file in place of the original. That's all I can say.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back