Problem with program needing original cd in drive

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Filipiak
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Joined: 6. Apr 2008, 15:21

Problem with program needing original cd in drive

Post by Filipiak »

Hi all, I have set up virtual box on an ubuntu host machine and I am running xp as the guest,

I have managed to get all the software for my work to runn perfect on it except one. It is called Artcut 2005 and it is for my vinyl cutter. All my software is originals so there is no issue with them having being cracked.

Artcut requires the second cd to be in the drive when loaded as a copy protection thing. The cd isnt damaged, It works in windows xp and in vista without any problems. It is an original so the problem isnt that,

I made an Iso of the cd and tried to mount that but the program still errors.
I then burnt the iso to cd and the cd I created worked under xp (original install) but not in virtualbox.

Im guessing its something to do with the way ubuntu handles the rom drives.

Has anyone else had problems with a simular issue like with a game that needs the original in the drive.

I really hope someone can help as I would much rather do everything in linux as aposed to having to switch my boot to xp everytime i want to do work.

thankyou in advance
Pat.

Oh and also it doesnt work under WINE
Sasquatch
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Post by Sasquatch »

Have you tried mounting the CD directly instead of an ISO?
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Filipiak
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Post by Filipiak »

of course, it didnt work thats what led me to try an iso.
Sasquatch
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Post by Sasquatch »

Then it's a stupid program :P. Have you considered something like DeamonTools? You might be able to use it like that with the ISO.
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Filipiak
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Joined: 6. Apr 2008, 15:21

Post by Filipiak »

Yes it is a stupid program but it makes me money so I kind of need it. I have also tried dameon tools and that didnt work. I even copied all the reg entrys from my xp system and added them but no go...

:(
Sasquatch
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Post by Sasquatch »

Can you ask the supplier for support on this issue? And don't get wimped off with an answer like 'run it on the hardware, not in a VM', because that is bull. It has to work the same in a VM as on a normal install. All programs I use, including some simple games, run fine in my VM.
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over_clox
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Post by over_clox »

My advice is to try using Alcohol 120% (I'm using XP as host, not a big Linux guy, dunno if A120% is available for Linux) or another program capable of making and mounting Media Descriptor Format (MDF/MDS Images). VBox is not directly compatible with this format image, but it can be mounted in the host system with Alcohol 120%, then that virtual drive can be mapped to VBox to load it. Note that this format makes 2 files per image, both are required and must keep the same name.

There are many different forms of copy protection, and a simple ISO does not copy hidden tracks that are used for some of these copy protection schemes. A popular general method these days is for the manufacturer to intentionally create bad sectors on hidden tracks of the disc. If these select sectors test bad, then the disc is original; if they test good then it is a copy. Some older drives even have problems with this type of protection. An MDF image copies the _entire_ disc (assuming the drive ripping it supports this), hidden tracks, defects, and all, and can take up 800MB for a CD due to this. This truly is a raw dump of the disc that can reproduce the disc exactly. Also note that Alcohol 120% has various copy protection emulation options for mounted images with various types of protection schemes too.

I'm not sure exactly what copy protection your disc has, and you may need to download a copy protection detection utility to find out. If it _is_ using a bad sector protection scheme, you'll have to make sure alcohol is configured to Skip Read Errors and Read Sub-Channel Data.
Filipiak
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Post by Filipiak »

thanks for that, i will give it a shot, the only thing that i find odd is that I burnt the iso I made to a cd and the application loaded using the backup disk (in vista that is) so the iso I made should be 100%, in therory.

I will however give your way a shot, but im still convinced it has something to do with the way ubuntu controlls the rom drives.

cheers
Pat
over_clox
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Post by over_clox »

Sorry, but the boot record and the autorun program are two totally separate things. The autorun.inf file just tells Windows what program file on the CD to execute when inserted. The boot record is an otherwise hidden area of the disc that instructs the computer how to proceed booting after the BIOS finishes its boot tests. It's not even accessible through the file system and will likely never be seen by 99% of users, save the few that know how to use a hex editor with raw drive support or a dedicated disk editor/viewer.

A normal ISO does save the boot sector of the disc, but since Microsoft changed the way it works in Vista, a standard ISO file just won't do the trick now. The original cracked Vista RTM leaks were in MDF/MDS format because of this.
Sasquatch
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Post by Sasquatch »

over_clox wrote:Sorry, but the boot record and the autorun program are two totally separate things. The autorun.inf file just tells Windows what program file on the CD to execute when inserted. The boot record is an otherwise hidden area of the disc that instructs the computer how to proceed booting after the BIOS finishes its boot tests. It's not even accessible through the file system and will likely never be seen by 99% of users, save the few that know how to use a hex editor with raw drive support or a dedicated disk editor/viewer.

A normal ISO does save the boot sector of the disc, but since Microsoft changed the way it works in Vista, a standard ISO file just won't do the trick now. The original cracked Vista RTM leaks were in MDF/MDS format because of this.
You forget one thing, that is to read this topic. If you read it properly, you would know that with the copy, he can start the program without any error as for on the VM in Linux, he can't.

Perhaps it has indeed something to do with how Linux handles the cd. It's possible that it tries to correct or ignores the errors on the disc on purpose. But then again, why didn't the ISO work you created on Windows (right?).
Read the Forum Posting Guide before opening a topic.
VirtualBox FAQ: Check this before asking questions.
Online User Manual: A must read if you want to know what we're talking about.
Howto: Install Linux Guest Additions
Howto: Use Shared Folders on Linux Guest
See the Tutorials and FAQ section at the top of the Forum for more guides.
Try searching the forums first with Google and add the site filter for this forum.
E.g. install guest additions site:forums.virtualbox.org

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stefan.becker
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Post by stefan.becker »

Have you activated passthrough?
over_clox
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Post by over_clox »

Don't quote me on this, but I think the Vista install disc is in UDF format, which might be the problem. If I have to, I'll restore my copy from backup to check.
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