Emuforums.com - View Single Post - Guide to making and using Perfect CD Images

HybridTension · February 9th, 2006

(I decided to make a good guide to doing this, because it's the perfect way to use Images with the Emulator)

Ok, This is how I've found to make a perfect CD image to use AND running it:
Download VSO Software's Blindwrite Suite (I use 4.5), and install it(This tutorial will assume you downloaded the 4.5 version of the suite).

(www.blindwrite.com)

When you start it up, you'll (most likely, 4.5 uses it) get a launcher with two icons. Pick the Icon with the Arrow going from the CD to the Harddrive.

Now, if it's not already selected, pick "Dump the Image of a CDROM" from the main BlindRead screen, and press Next.

Select your CDROM Drive with the PSX CD in it for the source, check the "Extract Subcodes (If your reader allows it)" box (just for security, a Subcode file for a 600MB CD is around 14MB, no harm, no foul), and change the "Main Image File Name" to whatever you want the CD Image's filename to be.

LEAVE THE EXTENSION ALONE! The BWT/BWI/BWS format is excellent.

Press Next. Leave the Extraction Method at Nibble, and press "Read". Wait for a while, and you'll have a great image.

OK, There's a route we can't use, and this is the Mooby CD Image plug-in. Though it is pretty good, it doesn't have the greatest support for all BlindWrite images, and many wouldn't start past a black screen. Instead, we'll use a regular ASPI plugin, and use DAEMON Tools (www.daemon-tools.cc) (The newer DAEMON Tools release [4] lacks the ASPI layer, so get ver. 3).

Start up the app, and a little Thunderbolt icon should show up on the tray. Right-click it, select Virtual CD/DVD-ROM, Set Number of Devices, and click on how many devices you want. Now, Go back to Virtual CD/DVD-ROM, go to your new pseudo-drive's option, and click "Mount Image". Select your image, set up your ASPI plugin for the fake drive with the PSX CD-Image, and enjoy.

Note: If the disc is pretty badly scratched up, BlindRead won't create a perfect disc, but nonetheless, may make the game playable where otherwise not in a regular console. It brought my copy of "The Unholy War" back to life, I have faith in it.

I got the following to work perfectly (CDDA sound & everything) with this method:

Battle Tanx: Global Assault (NTSC, Unplayable with Mooby's Plugin)
Bloody Roar 2 (NTSC, Unplayable with Mooby's plugin)
Future Cop: LAPD (NTSC, Lacks gameplay sound, but still playable in ePSXe 1.6, unplayable with Mooby's plugin)
Gameshark PSX Disk (NTSC, I know about the PEC plugin, I just like this disk)
Monster Rancher (NTSC)
Mortal Kombat Trilogy (NTSC, Version 1.1)
Resident Evil: Director's Cut (NTSC, AKA Resident Evil 1.1)
Vigilante 8 (NTSC, Unplayable with Mooby's plugin)

And yes, I actually own those games. :-)

Feel free to comment, or yell at me if I didn't see another thread exactly like this.

Last edited by HybridTension; February 15th, 2006 at 19:46..

February 9th, 2006	#1 (permalink)
HybridTension Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New York, USA Posts: 41	Guide to making and using Perfect CD Images (I decided to make a good guide to doing this, because it's the perfect way to use Images with the Emulator) Ok, This is how I've found to make a perfect CD image to use AND running it: Download VSO Software's Blindwrite Suite (I use 4.5), and install it(This tutorial will assume you downloaded the 4.5 version of the suite). (www.blindwrite.com) When you start it up, you'll (most likely, 4.5 uses it) get a launcher with two icons. Pick the Icon with the Arrow going from the CD to the Harddrive. Now, if it's not already selected, pick "Dump the Image of a CDROM" from the main BlindRead screen, and press Next. Select your CDROM Drive with the PSX CD in it for the source, check the "Extract Subcodes (If your reader allows it)" box (just for security, a Subcode file for a 600MB CD is around 14MB, no harm, no foul), and change the "Main Image File Name" to whatever you want the CD Image's filename to be. LEAVE THE EXTENSION ALONE! The BWT/BWI/BWS format is excellent. Press Next. Leave the Extraction Method at Nibble, and press "Read". Wait for a while, and you'll have a great image. OK, There's a route we can't use, and this is the Mooby CD Image plug-in. Though it is pretty good, it doesn't have the greatest support for all BlindWrite images, and many wouldn't start past a black screen. Instead, we'll use a regular ASPI plugin, and use DAEMON Tools (www.daemon-tools.cc) (The newer DAEMON Tools release [4] lacks the ASPI layer, so get ver. 3). Start up the app, and a little Thunderbolt icon should show up on the tray. Right-click it, select Virtual CD/DVD-ROM, Set Number of Devices, and click on how many devices you want. Now, Go back to Virtual CD/DVD-ROM, go to your new pseudo-drive's option, and click "Mount Image". Select your image, set up your ASPI plugin for the fake drive with the PSX CD-Image, and enjoy. Note: If the disc is pretty badly scratched up, BlindRead won't create a perfect disc, but nonetheless, may make the game playable where otherwise not in a regular console. It brought my copy of "The Unholy War" back to life, I have faith in it. I got the following to work perfectly (CDDA sound & everything) with this method: Battle Tanx: Global Assault (NTSC, Unplayable with Mooby's Plugin) Bloody Roar 2 (NTSC, Unplayable with Mooby's plugin) Future Cop: LAPD (NTSC, Lacks gameplay sound, but still playable in ePSXe 1.6, unplayable with Mooby's plugin) Gameshark PSX Disk (NTSC, I know about the PEC plugin, I just like this disk) Monster Rancher (NTSC) Mortal Kombat Trilogy (NTSC, Version 1.1) Resident Evil: Director's Cut (NTSC, AKA Resident Evil 1.1) Vigilante 8 (NTSC, Unplayable with Mooby's plugin) And yes, I actually own those games. :-) Feel free to comment, or yell at me if I didn't see another thread exactly like this. Last edited by HybridTension; February 15th, 2006 at 19:46..