Play a game without a CD?

How do you play a game without a CD? I know it can be done, just not how.
Im mainly looking to do this for older games such as Roller Coaster Tycoon.

 

To suggest the method would violate the TOS of this site.

May I suggest you use google, and not forums, to increase your knowledge (which looks like it could use alot of improving if you try to start in public forums)

 

A very legal way and not against TOS would be to reccomend a program called Alcohol 120% I have used it with great success in the past. Really good for laptop owner who don't want to lug around CDs. All it does is mirror the data from the CD onto your hard drive, and the PC sees it as another cd rom drive. It even gives you the option to eject.

 

This is a decent method for those with excess hard drive space, but I have just about 70 Gigabytes of space and big fat 5GB iso files (this is what CD copies are called) really eat up space fast when all that is needed is a tiny couple of megabyte disk check.

There is another method where you replace the .exe with a modified form, but that is the part here that is against TOS and essentially illegal, because it allows people who do not own the game to download it and play it. This isn't technically illegal if you own the game in the first place (and it doesn't require I massive .iso file on your hard drive), but generally attaining these files does not guarantee they are safe. Sometimes they can be filled with viruses or other unsavory code, as I have experienced in a small number of my own (legal) trials.

 

I think it should be legal to use a no-cd patch if YOU OWN THE GAME, and not let other people play around with the disk.

 

I agree, I'm just not sure if the site, it's handlers or even the majority of it's patrons agree unfortunately, despite the freedom of any liability (which is the usual fear of some).

 

Sometimes companies will release official NO-CD patches for their games too. Blizzard has done this for Starcraft and Warcraft 3 I believe.

It's not a very common practice though, Blizzard is just awesome.

 

CD checks are so lame. It is a MOBILE WORLD! If we have to do a check, make it a DNA check so I can just use a piece of hair or skin flakes. At least I don't have to put those in some stupid CD case and carry it everywhere.

Oh wait...then people will rip off their hair and skin counterfeiting keys.

The things people will do *shakes head*

 

Do you smell a mod coming to close the thread? I think I do...

 

On some games it works to start the iso making process, and as soon as the files bout 10MB big, u abort the process but keep the theoretically broken iso. The ISO can then be used for verification purposes. This works for BF2 for example

 

You can also use Game Jackal Pro.
http://www.slysoft.com/en/gamejackal.html

 

*fart* . . . . . .