backups

[Joes2Silly]

What are backups and how do you make them

[Super Mulletman]

That's what you try to do when you hit a traffic jam.

[Joes2Silly]

I mean like backup game disks

[Super Mulletman]

Ah, yes. You see, when people really like games, but hate paying for them, or are discontent with playing them only on their console, they create "backup" copies, or ROMs. These roms can be run on a computer emulator of that system, and if you're really clever, you can erase a game disc/cartridge and insert the rom of another game, or even multiple games, and play them normally (except on some newer systems, which have secyrity measures you need to bypass). Roms can be your only copies (illegaly), or backup copies (unlawfully). That covers most of it. Anything else you want to know?

[Foxx373]

Backups of what? That really is too general of a question. Usually a "backup" is a copy of the information on any form of media, like Casettes, CDs, Console Carts ect... How to make them is a WHOLE other story. Because of bootlegs and pirate copys of copyrighted material, there is usually some kind of copy protection, either hardware or software based to keep you from making a copy.

Some examples:

Nintendo has special chips in some consoles that wont allow you to play copied games

Most Arcade games have their data encrypted to the point that if the main board ever lost its internal battery power, the game would not be playable.

Sony has a custom track of data on their games that no computer on earth can read or write to. This track keeps people from copying and playing games.

DVDs are encrypted.

VHS, DVDs, and some computers have Macrovision. It relies on how the video signal is transmitted from one device to another. Macrovision uses line of video normally not displayed on a TV because of the aspect ratio to adjust the brightness in and out. That way if you hook a DVD player to a VCR to copy it, the VCR tries to auto-level the brightness, fails, and the image fades in and out...

Cell Phones data is encrypted.

PS2 Memory cards are encrypted

Xbox doesnt let you play games not digitally "signed" by microsoft

Gamecube has a completely custom Disc Layout that NO PC can read (no posts about this please, I allready know where its going to go)

If you defeat any kind of copy protection, you could be breaking the law. Even if you OWN the thing you are backing up.

As you can see, I know a bit about copy protection. Dont post about the theroy that PCs can read GC discs. I dont want to get into that here. Also, dont ask me how to defeat copy protection, if I knew, I cant tell you. Even if its legal in your state/country, its probabbly not in mine.

[Super Mulletman]

Yeah, a good rule of thumb is it's probably illegal.

[Joes2Silly]

I was going to add a modcip to my old playstation and it said something about being able to play backups

[Foxx373]

Damn Mulletman, you beat me to it. While i was posting you got ahead of me.

As for backing up stuff you own... as for ROMS, its not legal. Read a NES manual. It roughly says "You have licence to own and play this game. Make any kind of backup or Archievel copy, and you void that licence".

Meaning, u can play it. Copy it, and you no longer have that licence. Thus, you dont have leagl concent to even OWN that original copy.

If i remember correctly, reading thru the PS2 leagl info, they said something like "This system belongs to Sony. You are renting licence to own and operate it. Open the system, and you no longer have that licence, and you have to send it back to them with no refund..."

Thats right, you paid to RENT the system from them.

[Super Mulletman]

I think making backup copies is okay in China and Japan though.

[Foxx373]

I dont care about the legal problems with modding my consoles. I mod them up the arse and back again! I like to develop crap for my consoles, i dont care for the games.

Its one of those "killed by a slingshot" senarios. Is a slingshot a weapon, or a toy? use it to shoot rocks at animals, its a weapon. Use it to shoot paintballs at a target, its a toy. Thats how i see it... or thats how i explain'd it to the judge anyways.

[Foxx373]

China has NO copyright laws. Thats why it has SO many bootlegs and backups.

[gamer2]

actualy it is legal to make a back up copy of PC games in case the disc gets damaged beyond repair

[Joes2Silly]

so... how do you make a backup for a playstation CD

[peppers]

I was going to add a modcip to my old playstation and it said something about being able to play backups

for a playstation one its ez get a gameshark tape down the button inside the disk case so it will keep spinning when its open put in the gamesark start game without codes when it stops spinning swap the disk with a copy you made hit x game starts

some games have extra copy protecton that would require a patch to get it to play but not meny

[Foxx373]

I dont know about that. There are a lot of games that use some form of copy protection. Weak protection, but its still protection. Breaking the protection to copy it, even if the game developer allows it, its still breaking DMCA law...

I guess do it if you can, just dont brag about it. I know a two people (brothers) that bragged about having 900 Playstaion games all as backups... they got one hell of a time from the ISDA (or is it IDSA.. i dunno). And the f-ed up thing was, they OWN'd those 900 games! All of them were copied from their own discs.