Can I back up a game??

[Jonathan]

Probably a dumb question, but my daughter is very rough on her Sims 2 disc and for what I paid, I was wondering if I can make a back up. I tried dvd shrink, but it would not work. Also tried Clone DVD and could not open video TS file.

I'd be very grateful for any advise on this one. Thanks Very Much!!

[MOVIEGEEK]

What system is it for(PC,PS2,XBOX)?
If XBOX good luck,they are hard to backup...so I've heard.

[Poppa_Meth]

Is it a CD or a DVD, and most games can't be backed up with movie software. Shrink looks for DVD formatted files that aren't there on a data disc. I'd use Alcohol 120% for game needs. But there are often copy protections on games now that prevent getting a good back. Sometimes you can get around it, sometimes you can't. Depends on what protection is used.

Just looked it up and the Sims 2 uses Safedisc 3, a custom code, and a serial number for its protection. Its not an easy one to crack. SD3 is only possible to backup if you replace the program files with a fixed version of it that has SD3 removed. Not sure where to find one or how to do it. I haven't messed with this stuff in a long time.

This is if you are refering to the PC version.

[mats.hogberg]

You can backup them, but you can't play from the backups (yet) without serious problems. Keep an eye at www.gamecopyworld.com for future improvements...

/Mats

[Jonathan]

Thanks for the input. It is for PC, and is a dvd game. Looks like I could try Alcohol, but maybe I better wait. Drat!! Thanks anyway for the help.

[mats.hogberg]

I've been at it most of this weekend, also trying to create a backup for my daughters Sims 2, but believe me, there's no problem backing it up - but there seems to be no way to back it up in a way that makes it appear as an original, and there's no fully working "no-cd" ("no-dvd") out yet.
I suggest you make a copy of all files on the DVD, and wait for a no-cd/dvd to emerge, which I'm sure will happen sooner or later.

/Mats

[Baldrick]

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