How to make a backup copy of your Dreamcast game [BBA method]
Introduction:
This tutorial will explain how to make your copies of official original games, on GD-Rom therefore, with a Broadband Adapter.
This method is relatively expensive because BBAs are generally sold for around 100/150 euros, so it is rather reserved for people who already have the small hardware.
Another technique, much less expensive, with SD-Reader will soon be posted on this forum.
The tutorial does not explain how to reduce the total size of a game, for games larger than 900MB.
Tips and various notes:
I strongly recommend not to go through a box (Livebox, Freebox ...) or other router for the PC <-> DC connection, in fact the data transfer being very low (1 to 1.5 MB / s), it is very frequently cut by this type of connection.
The very first copy can take a long time, between installations and various settings, allow more than two hours. The following copies will be faster from 15 min to 1 hour depending on your installation, its power and the game to be copied.
Paragraphs A and B are only to be done for the first copy, for the following ones go directly to C.
What you will need in software:
- decompression software like Winrar:
- Dreamcast emulator for Windows:
- the .cdi creation software:
- the .cdi burning software:
- the file: httpd-ack-20080711.zip
- the exe file: nullDC_Win32_Release-NoTrace.exe
- the exe file: dummy.exe
- the exe file: isofix.exe
- the exe file: binhack32.exe
What you will need in hardware:
- a Dreamcast from before 2001 connected to a TV
- a Broadband Adapter (BBA)
- a Broadband Passport boot CD
- a crossover Ethernet cable (a straight one should also work, but not tested)
- two blank CDs
- a Windows PC, I use a Windows Seven 64 Home PC
- an original game
A- PC <-> Dreamcast connection settings:
For the three IPs below you will need to enter the values according to your personal network.
- Connect the Ethernet cable to the console and to the PC.
- Insert the Broadband Passport into the Dreamcast and turn it on.
- Go to the internet settings menu.
- Enter an IP for your BBA, for the demonstration I am using 192.168.1.45.
- Enter the IP of the gateway, for the demonstration I am using 192.168.1.1.
- Enter the mask IP, for the demonstration I am using 255.255.0.0.
- Validate until registration on the VMS.
- Make a bridge between the two connections to allow recognition of the BBA by Windows.
Your connection is configured.
B- Burning the httpd-ack CD:
- Unzip the httpd-ack-20080711.zip archive wherever you want. A .cdi file comes out, delete the other file (s).
- Launch Discjuggler and open the cdi file extracted previously.
- Start burning, leaving all settings as they are.
Your httpd-ack CD is created.
C-Dump of game tracks:
- Connect the Ethernet cable to the console and to the PC.
- Insert the httpd-ack CD into the console, turn it on, and wait for the full load. A line with the IP should appear 192.168.1.45.
- Replace the httpd-ack 1.0.4 CD with the dump set.
- Type (????) in your Windows Internet browser (firefox, Internet Explorer ...). The various data and tracks of the game then appear.
- Click on all the tracks (trackX.bin or trackX.raw) to save them one by one in a folder that you will name Dump. Do the same for the .gdi file.
- Run nullDC_Win32_Release-NoTrace.exe , select the gdi file and verify that the game is launching from the emulator. If not, start the paragraph over from the beginning.
D- File mergers:
Two cases are possible, the case that I will name Simple where there is no .raw file in your Dump folder and the other that I will name Hard where there is one or more .raw files.
Depending on the case you have, head to a method below.
- Simple Case:
- Open the file settings track3.bin the cleans and note the size of the file. It must imperatively be 1185760800. If this is not the case you made a mistake somewhere, start again from the beginning.
- Hard case:
- Open the file settings track3.bin the cleanings and note the size of the file, I call it: A .
- For my set A = 724519488
- Do the same on the last file, track15.bin in my case I call it: B .
- For my set B = 74012736
- Calculate the sum 1185760800 - ( A (+) B ). I call the result: C .
- For my game: C = 1185760800 - (724519488 + 74012736) = 387228576
- Go to the folder containing the dummy.exe executive via a command prompt (Windows, search CMD ...) and create a white file of size C named dummy.bat:
- dummy dummy.bin C (replace C with its value, for my set 387228576)
- Once you have your dummy.bin file, copy it to the Dump folder.
- Head into the Dump folder via a command prompt and create a tracktotal.bin file like this:
- copy / b track03.bin + dummy.bin + trackXX.bin tracktotal.bin (put the real name of trackXX.bin, for my game track15.bin)
- Check the size of tracktotal.bin, it must be 1185760800, if this is not the case you made a mistake somewhere, start over from the beginning of the Case Hard.
E- Modification of the binary:
- Paste isofix.exe in the Dump folder and run it.
- Indicate tracktotal.bin then the value 45000 then let the utility finish.
- Rename the bootfile.bin file to ip.bin and extract with Winrar the fixed.iso file in a folder named Extract .
- Move binhack32.exe to the Extract folder and launch it. Indicate 1st_read.bin then ip.bin and finally the value 11702. The utility will patch the two binaries.
F- Creation of the cdi:
- In the Extract folder, remove binhack32.exe.
- Check the size of the Extract folder. If it's not at least 500MB, create a dummy.bat file the same way as before. A large size facilitates the launch of the game by the console.
- Place the ip.bin in the Bootmake Tool folder then run the utility. Fill in, if necessary, the indications like this:
- Volume name: put the name you want
- Source directory: find your Extract folder
- IP.BIN: leave as is
- ISO temp: leave as is
- Destination file: indicate the location and the name of the .cdi file
- Click on Make, your .cdi file will be created automatically.
- Launch nullDC_Win32_Release-NoTrace.exe , select the .cdi file and verify that the game is launching from the emulator.
Warning: Bootmake does not support spaces and special characters like é, &, è,! ...
G- Burning of the game:
- Launch Discjuggler and open the cdi file created in the previous paragraph.
- Start burning, leaving all settings as they are.
Once burned, the game is ready to be launched from your Dreamcast console.