Noob question how to play my games on M11x without the cd?

I have a number of pc games already plus flight simulator 2004 and X-Plane that I would like to play on the M11x. You seem to be able to play games without having to connect an external cd drive but how do you do that? I would also prefer to buy boxed games rather than downloading from Steam and the same question refers.

Any help greatly appreciated.

 

Why would you want to buy a boxed PC game when most if not all PC games these days require a key?

 

You can just create a ISO and use tool like DAEMON.

 

If you really need it, buy the external DVD drive but really with Steam you don't need those boxes. If you insist though, you can create a home network with your desktop PC and share the DVD ROM there

 

The key comes in the box, lol.

Yea you could make an ISO from the CD using DAEMON on a computer that has a CD drive, then mount the ISO on the M11x. Good luck.

 

I use IMGBurn to create the ISO on my Desktop PC via its Optical drive, and Daemon to mount the image on the M11x for installation (both programes freeware/donationware). Some games still need you to find a No_Disk patch.

I was going to buy Mass Effect 2 through Steam but it was £29.99 and found a retail disk copy for only £19.99 so bought that thinking I could enable it in Steam with code but couldn't (some games you can). Fortunately I found a No_Disc patch.

 

Like others have said, you have many choices.

1.a Buy an external disc reader, and use this to play games.
1.b Buy a cheap external disc reader, and buy game jackal, which creates profiles of games, allowing you to run the game without CDs/DVDs.
2. Use steam to download games (which as shown, can be more expensive).
3. Create ISOs of the Game discs using Alcohol 52% or similar program to emulate and therefore install the game, combined with a no CD/DVD patch.

 

As I said I am new to all of this so don't know what an ISO is?

I already own a number of games that I don't want to buy again as a download from steam, particularly the flight simulators. Even entering the key some games still need the original cd in the drive to run. There must be a way around this? I'll do a google search for game jackal etc and hope that helps.

I obviously also don't want to have to carry an external drive around which kind of defeats the point of portable gaming.

Thanks again

 

An ISO is basically an 'image' of the CD/DVD, which, when run in certain programs, allows you to use that file like you would a CD/DVD, but without physically having the CD/DVD. As such, these files are the same size as the CD/DVD you are cloning.

Game Jackal allows you to play games that you have installed on your computer without having to put the CD/DVD in. it creates a 'Profile' of the game on your computer, which acts like a shortcut, and means that you do not need the CD/DVD for the game to load it up. I suggested a Cheap CD/DVD external drive as you would only be using it to install the game and not to actually run it, so you could leave it behind.

A No CD/DVD patch is exactly that. It replaces certain files in a game's install location that allow it to run without requiring the disc to play it.

 

Thank you for that information and also pointing me in the right direction.

Looking at Steam, downloadable games would seem to be the way forward but I think some of their titles are just too expensive compared to boxed versions.

 

You could also try Direct2Drive, which is a legal game downloading service. I haven't actually used it myself, but I know those who have and it's quite efficient, and, can be cheaper than Steam.

 

gamecopyworld often has patched executables that will let you bypass the disc check when starting the game.

Mods, I don't think that sight is illegal but if it is I apologize.

 

"§ 117. Limitations on exclusive rights: Computer programs (a) Making of Additional Copy or Adaptation by Owner of Copy. — Notwithstanding the provisions of section 106, it is not an infringement for the owner of a copy of a computer program to make or authorize the making of another copy or adaptation of that computer program provided: (1) that such a new copy or adaptation is created as an essential step in the utilization of the computer program in conjunction with a machine and that it is used in no other manner, or (2) that such new copy or adaptation is for archival purposes only and that all archival copies are destroyed in the event that continued possession of the computer program should cease to be rightful."

there you go, not illegal. just make sure u BOUGHT the game.

That's US law, by the way.

 

This.

I use it for all my nocd patches. I've got around 25 games on CD/DVD and every single one has been patched to run without the disc on my M11X. It is awesome and they seem to run much smoother and load faster. Actually makes me happy they didn't put a disc drive in it.

 

Same applies in the EU.

 

I am currently using a no cd crack for my copy of Halo with no problem at all.

 

Only Steam games. The only non-Valve non-Steam game that lets you register the key to add it to Steam is Prey.

Yes, there are many Steam-only games where the retail box is really just a Steam client GCF file on disc and a Steam registration key, but they should have a logo (Modern Warfare 2 stupidly didn't but it was in the small print).

 

I use mini-images and have made a few of my own (following guides). GameCopyWorld is a great resource. I also own Game Jackal but I have never used it despite having owned it for over a year. I imagine that I'm going to start very shortly with my Alienware M11x (have a HUGE collection; prefer physical copies for tangible value)!

I firmly believe that the only reason Ubisoft got away with their "Continuous Internet connection required to play" single-player games (Assasin's Creed II, latest Silent Hunter, etc) is because of the lack of portable gaming-capable systems. I hope the M11x changes all that. What we need is some kind of hardware dongle with the ability to backup and transfer (sell). Let us backup the discs freely to protect from damage/loss/theft. Create a new platform if you think copy protection is lacking vs. consoles. You already have CD keys. Heck, the dongle could be an RFID reader and you could carry around cards with your game's RFID keys. You can't just dupe and share CD keys that way and you are free to image, backup, install, and play however you want. They already charge way too much for replacing lost CD keys.

I like Steam. At least you get something for losing your right to resell. Not so with other services that try to limit installations and block access after a year. I recently bought Mass Effect Pinnacle Station DLC from EA Store and used their EA Downloader and read the terms... they ain't Steam, that's for sure! Direct2Drive isn't any better. If you use them BACK IT UP! My brother recently used Microsoft's Games For Windows Live Marketplace to buy himself and our nephew Batman Arkham Asylum. He logged in and purchased it for himself, paused the download (he wasn't ready to install), logged off and back in with our nephew's account, made a new purchase, paused the download, switched back to his profile and tried to install. It would download and fail to install or not give him the key over and over. All in all, he wasted about 4 times as much bandwidth trying to get it to work (eventually did). It wouldn't have been an issue if they had a "gift" option!

I wonder what kind of fiasco GFWLM will have for GTA IV DLC (Episodes from Liberty City). I mean, you can buy the pack at retail and run without owning GTA IV but it will not combine your radio stations like the console versions (understandably; only newly licensed tracks). The thing is, it will not provide the full track listing even if you own Grand Theft Auto IV and have it installed. If you buy the downloadable content through Steam, you'll have the same issue. Supposedly, the only way to properly get the DLC is through GFWLM. So, will I be able to combine a GFWLM DLC purchase with GTA IV purchased through Steam or will it only work with retail or GFWLM-purchased copies?

That's the reason why they try to say that you are a licensed user and not an "owner of a copy." Software makers do not believe that this applies to them. They usually do not want their EULAs to be court-tested because they do not want to stop using them. If you are not the owner then you are bound by the terms of the license agreement. I have seen EULA-speak misrepresented as copyright law: In the "Don't copy that floppy!" video, the person describes copyright law as allowing only ONE archival or backup copy. NOT TRUE. Microsoft typically says that your installation is one!

 

Whats the benefits of " Adding " a game to steam?

 

You cant add most games to Steam. Only a small number of games you buy physical copies of can be added and intergrated. Just linking installed physical game links to Steam on your computer does not count and is not the same thing at all.

The reason Steam is so awesome is that you can download and install any games associated with Steam from the internet without needing a physical copy/disc (of course a decent internet connection is key). There is also the fact that since it is a digital install of a game, you do not a disc in a cd drive to run a game. It's all self contained.

Steam also automatically patches your games to the latest updates without you having to do a thing.

 

I have bought a large amount of games from D2D, they all work fantastic.

I also bought Gamejackal which has worked extremely well for most games, I <3 Slysoft, also bought AnyDVD HD

 

Well i have been adding short cuts of games into steam. Is that the same thing. Like is it multiplayer or something that makes it so special because I'm clueless. Also I don't need a disk to play the games because some serious ( Tinkering ) went on to get that possible.

 

your shortcuts are just shortcut. If you lose the digital copy of the game in your comp and lose your CD/CDkey you can kiss the game good bye. Steam game have it registered to your steam account so it would always be there (just download if you don't have it on your computer).

However, quite a number of steam game still uses their independent game server which may be.. rather.. screwed sometimes.

@RAQemUP
You forgot to point out no extra need of keeping CDkeys around and the awesome discounts they offer heh.

 

Still, he wants to know why the option is there for adding non-Steam games to Steam, shortcuts though they may be. AFAIK, the only benefits relate to friend's knowing what games you own or are currently playing and accessing your Steam community stuff in-game (Shift + Tab). It proabably helps, when requesting a match with a friend when, for example one bought via Steam and the other purchased at retail.

 

Direct 2 drive works good. You can download the full game and play it. I dont use CD anymore.

 

Can you use Direct to Drive games in steam? And take full advantage of what steam can do and have the game be other then a shortcut persay? Can you re-download purchased games if you purchase another computer and crossover your steam account onto that new computer? I'm a console game player so playing on a computer is something I don't do often as you can tell. Thanks.

 

I think this has prolly been asked but if you download from steam when you play the game do you have to have a net conection?

 

I think I just found another advantage to adding non-Steam shortcuts to Steam:
In-game low-battery notification as an overlay on the game screen.

For most games you only have to be online for the initial setup only (not multiplayer-only games, of course). You can then set Steam to "offline mode." Even after rebooting, when you launch the program it will ask if you want to start in Offline Mode or normally. Just answer the prompt for starting it in Offline Mode and it will launch with your list of games available. Despite that, I think you can only set Offline Mode while still online, but then you can load it as many times as you want until the next time you are actually online and switch back to Online Mode.

 

A few non-valve games are fully registerable for use with steam even if bought on disc:

Which retail CD Keys are accepted on Steam?

All retail Valve games and a number of third-party games can be registered to your Steam account. All of the following games can be registered through Steam:

* Valve CD Keys in this format: ####-#####-####
* Valve CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* AI War CD Keys in various formats
* Aliens vs. Predator (2010 Release) CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Alpha Prime CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Audiosurf CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is not accepted on Steam
* Cricket Revolution CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Dark Messiah CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Dark Messiah CD Keys may also have been printed incorrectly, please see the Dark Messiah article
* Dawn of War Soulstorm CD Keys in this format: 1AB2-3FGH-456I-K8LM-OP9Q
* Dawn of War II CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Defense Grid CD Keys in this format (Direct2Drive only): 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Empire: Total War CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-DDEFGH3-IJK4L-MNOPQ-RST56
* F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Football Manager 2009 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2CD3FGH456I7JK8LMNOP9Q
* Football Manager 2010 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2CD3FGH456I7JK8LMNOP9Q
* GTI Racing CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* GTR Evolution CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Just Cause 2 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
o Note lease input all O's and 0's as Q's for Just Cause 2
* Killing Floor CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* King Arthur - The Role-playing Wargame CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* The Last Remnant CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Lost Planet: Extreme Condition CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Lost Planet: Colonies Edition CD Keys are not accepted on Steam
* Metro 2033 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* MLB Front Office Manager CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Mount & Blade CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* NBA 2K9 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Napoleon: Total War CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Order of War CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Prey CD Keys in this format: AAB1BB2C345CDD6E E7
* RACE - the WTCC Game CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* RACE 07 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Ragdoll Kung Fu CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Railworks CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Red Orchestra CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Rogue Warrior CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* SiN Episodes: Emergence CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Saint's Row 2 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Serious Sam HD CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Shattered Horizon CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* The Ship CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Silent Hill Homecoming CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Space Trader CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Speedball 2 - Tournament in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Star Trek: D-A-C CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* STCC - The Game CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Supreme Commander 2 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Unreal Tournament 3 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2-3FGH-456I-K8LM
* Velvet Assassin CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Worldwide Soccer Manager 2009 CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q
* Zeno Clash CD Keys in this format: 1AB2C-D3FGH-456I7-JK8LM-NOP9Q

Opposing Force CD-keys cannot be registered through Steam. Opposing Force was included in a retail Half-Life package. The Half-Life CD-key included in the package will unlock all of the games in that package, including Opposing Force.

 

Not true. This was the issue for the first version of steam which came out. Now, you don't have to choose "go offline" anymore. So if you start your laptop without an online connection you can still play the game, which is cool.


I myself only use steam pc games nowadays, because it takes less time for me to download a game then go and buy the game

 

Steam will only allow you to download games purchased through Steam or retail games that are really just Steam keys. For example, I bought a Kingston 4GB USB flash drive that had the 2009 Star Trek movie and the Star Trek D-A-C game loaded on it. The package had a Steam logo on the back. The key inside was a Steam key. I opened Steam and chose to register a new product, entered the key, and it began downloading the game. I canceled the partial download because I knew it would be faster to copy the bulk of the content from the USB drive.* I ran the USB drive's installer and then Steam started downloading again, automatically updating the game.

*also, I was currently download Street Fighter IV, which I had previously purchased on Steam last year and was now loading on my M11X for the first time.

Another example, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (not sure about the newer edition). You buy it at retail and it comes on a DVD but you must install and register with Steam to play it. The disc is nothing more than a faster way to download the bulk of the content. The game is still associated with your Steam account and you can't sell it. Any buyer would simply have a disc and a key that comes up as already being registered.

Of course, the best example is Half-Life 2 and it's following two episodes. HL2 was the first Steam game and it launched the Steam service. There was bad blood between Vivendi, the distributor and retail publisher, and Valve the developer and creator of Steam (through which they self-published digitally). HL2 was highly-anticipated, and was the perfect way to force Steam to the public. Vivendi felt, rightly, that Steam undermined their core business and yet they were forced to include it with every retail copy as the only way to play the game. They soon parted ways and EA picked up retail sales. When it came time for Episode 2, the only way to buy it at retail was to re-purchase HL2 and EP1 (the so-called "Orange Box")! The only way to buy it individually was to break out your credit card and purchase through Steam. There was enough extra stuff that you would be missing out if you purchased it all over Steam that way, but they also had a "Black Box" deal that was just the new content. The "Black Box" was originally intended for retail also but, by making it online-exclusive, Valve was able to use it to lure more into using pure digital distribution, even if that was effectively what they were doing by buying it retail in the first place (getting users past that "habit" was their primary goal to generate future purchases). At least anyone getting duplicate copies had the option to "gift" them to friends through Steam, though the Terms of Service did not allow you to sell them.

All of Valve's titles that pre-date Steam had keys that will also register with Steam. Other than a single exception, Human Head Games' "Prey," these are the only games that can be installed and played without Steam but also registered and added as downloadable Steam titles. Prey is the only newer game I know of that also does this but there is an explanation. Human Head (dev) and 2K (pub) originally had a different, competing digital distribution service for selling online copies of the game. Overnight, they just disappeared off the face of the Earth. The company just shuttered its doors and servers with no warning to the devs, pubs, or their customers. This left the customers who paid for it online feeling betrayed, to say the least THEY were the ones willing to take a risk and support a new sales model with more profits for the creators (much lower distribution costs) and yet THEY were the ones burned by this. Needless to say, HH and 2K were frantic to take care of these customers. Steam was the only viable competitor, so they hammered out a deal with Valve ASAP.

I believe what happened was that there was no way Valve could distinguish a retail key from one sold by the prior digital distributor, and they had taken their list to the grave. This meant that Valve had to honor any legit Prey key. Either that or the prior digidist was a lot more lenient than their competitors (allowing independant retail keys to sap their resources). All this means that Prey allows you to install and run the game off of the disc as well as registering the key to DL through Steam and run without the disc. I actually wonder if there are a few more like this from that same service. Others have only pointed out Prey as the exception, so I think it's the only one. That list of games earlier are Steam retail games, Valve's back-catalog, and Prey, so it doesn't mean that they are like it (only the Valve back-catalog titles are).

There you have it. Steam has gained so much acceptance now that many 3rd-party devs and pubs release their games on Steam, including Ubisoft, Capcom, and Activision, even if they also sell them on competing services (Direct To Drive, EA Store, etc). I know that Capcom and Activision even have Steam releases that are sold at retail as Steam games (Lost Planet:EC; Modern Warfare 2), so it's not just Valve these days. OTOH, there are many non-Steam retail games that are also sold on Steam (you can't register your retail key to get it on Steam). You have to look at the box to see if your retail game is actually a tangible, resellable, "first-sale doctrine" title. Read the small print: Some even neglect to put the Steam logo (Modern Warfare 2).

Good to know. I've just been really careful to always enable offline mode before I go anywhere without Internet access, so I never noticed. Despite that, I suspected that it may have changed and that's why I qualified that with "I think." I recently enabled unofficial tethering on my phone just in case, now that I plan to use Steam on the road again. I guess I didn't have to!