How to backup your playstation games (in case they get damaged)
THE ONCELER & THE IMMACULATE HOOD
=Present=
HOW TO BACKUP YOUR PSX GAMES (IN CASE THEY GET DAMAGED)
12.17.95
v1.7
BASIC DOCUMENTATION
- Important Info about NEW PLAYSTATIONS (US)
- What you need for Amiga and why.
- CD-ROM and CDR Drives
- How to create a backup of a PSX game.
- How to burn a CD of a PSX game from your backup.
- How to play them on your PSX (or What is the Sound of One Hand Swapping?)
- What software will work on other systems & A better Way?
- PSXCOPY.EXE and PSXBURN.EXE for PC
- Sony copy protection - tell me more...
- How to make a BOOTABLE copy... is it possible?
WHAT YOU NEED AND WHY
Software:
MasterISO
As far as I know this is the only CD mastering software for the Amiga. It requires OS3.0 or 3.1. I have it running on a softkicked A3000 (with actual 2.0 ROMS) and it works fine. MasterISO requires neither CD file system below to be mounted. It does, however, require a CD Writeable like a Pinnacle.
AsimCDFS
CD file system for Amiga (first of two). AsimCDFS allows you to read CD-DA (audio tracks) just as if they were files. The only shortcoming with AsimCDFS is that it has problems reading the MDEC video strings/files. It may just be my drive but I kinda don't think so as the next program has no problems with them at all. YOU SHOULD INSTALL THIS SO CD0 IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY MOUNTED AT STARTUP! You will need to double-click it when you want to see a CD...
AmiCDROM
A PD (woowhhh... let's hear it for Amiga PD!) CD file system which can read the .STR (MDEC) files off of the PSX discs. You will use this software when making backups of games. This is also the filesystem required for the next script. YOU SHOULD INSTALL THIS SO CD0 IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY MOUNTED AT STARTUP. Best when installing this to select scsi.device instead of trackdisk.device and no version numbers and DO NOT TRANSLATE TO LOWER CASE.
(all three very important)
CheckPSXCD
This is a script I wrote to pop out information about the PSX CD that will be used when burning the disc. The output is sent to a file in your RAM: disk. This is very important information! You must have it to burn the CD. You must 'execute' this script after setting some env. variables. Run cdrom (in AmiCDROM:c) to see which ones.
LHa
It is a good idea to pack the backup with lha and NOT LZX. There are de-lhaers for Mac, PC and UNIX. I don't know about lzx for Mac. But you can't be sure if you plan to make your backup copy on another system if you will be able to unarchive the data.
OK! Now you're ready to go!
HOW TO CREATE A BACKUP OF A PSX GAME
1) Install all the software with settings as detailed in the last section.
2) Mount the PSX disc with AmiCDROM
3) LHA all the files on the CD-ROM
4) Execute CheckPSXCD and copy the new file in RAM: somewhere
5) Reboot (or unmount CD0)
6) Mount the PSX CD-ROM with AsimCDFS
7) Select the AudioCD portion from the Asim pop-up requeser (NOTE: If there isn't any CD-DA data the requester will not appear and the disc icon will show up. This means that there is not any audio tracks. You can skip the next few steps)
8) Deturmine if any of the CD-DA data is important. Play the tracks and see if any of them have voice info. If they are just songs (like in Ridge Racer) you can forget about them if you want and just do the following: (You can put on CD Audio tracks you like better)
a) Note the number of audio tracks \
> In a .readme file
b) Note their times /
c) not necessary but it would be nice to note their mood in a text file so when you select songs from your own CDs to put on the disc. If you want to put on your own Audio tracks when you burn your backup you will need to know how many and what the length of each one is a select tracks of roughly the same length. You probably want to also put tracks on the reflect the mood of the original... Wouldn't want AC/DC in a love scene.. :)
9) If indeed some of the Audio is important, archive the CD-DA MSB versions.
ASIMcdfs give you a bunch of different drawers on the Audio CD. These are actually all the same data just in different formats. The ones you need to use are CD-DA MSB or LSB.
10) Include the files in the following DIR structure:
{psxGameName} (DRAWER - name Like RidgRcr)
|
|- {GetCDinfoFile} (Named like RR.cdi)
|
|- Data (drawer)
| |
| |- {RidgRcr0.lha} (Game data archive)
|
|
|- Audio (drawer)
| |
| |- {RidgRcrA.lha} (Important Audio tracks)
| |- {Audnotes.txt} (Info about rest of tracks)
|
|- MisNotes.txt (Misc. Info about the game)
This is not necessary but will really help keep things organized
11) Use filenames that will conform to PC standards (8chars+3ext)
12) Create one big archive of the whole thing!
HOW TO BURN A BACKUP CD
- Unarchive all the files
- Launch MasterISO
- Use 'more' or similar to open the CD info file
- Fill in all the blanks in MasterISO with the info ('NEXT' page button)
- Select 'File Versions', 'Upper Case', and 'Uniform Date' and use the date from the info file ( You may need to alter the version option on AmiCDROM and MasterISO but I believe the options configured the way I have described will work. Anyways, at $10 a CD versus $50 or $60 to buy another copy you can afford to burn a couple to test) .
- Select 'Examine Source' from the menu
- Select the directory with the unpacked game data
- Select Output Type: DOS file
- Select Build ISO Image (from menus)
- Build the ISO image
- Select Write CD-R disc
- Make the first track of Data-Dos type and use the newly created ISO image file.
- Add the additional audio tracks as needed (from either your own CDs or from the game archive or a combination of both.)
- Write the CD!
NOTE: YOU MUST WRITE ALL THE DATA IN ONE GO- NO MULTISESSION CDs
NOTE2: Sorry, as I'm not using an Amiga to burn CDs this is a bit of 'in my best reasoning' of how MasterISO works... I don't have any docs but think it should be fine. (The only thing I'm a bit unsure of is the file version. You may have to try one with and if it does not work try one without. I'm not exactly sure if AmiCDROM is passing a default file version of '1' if no version exists on the CD-ROM. On PSX discs all the files seem to have a version of '1')
PLAYING THE CD ON YOUR PSX
You will need to do one of the following to get the game to work:
Swap Methods:
Method 1: The 'Audio Swap'
Boot your PSX with no CD. Go the the Audio program. Insert an original PSX disc (like the demo disc that it came with) Tape down the lid-senson so the PSX thinks the lid is closed.
Exit the Audio section and swap the Disc with the backup.
Wait for a few minutes and the game will boot.
NOTE: This only works with Early Japanese and UK PSX (all US ok)
NOTE: This will only work 100% if you use a CD with exact same track sizes. The degree to which it works depends on the similarities of the CDs. It's best to select a CD that has the same size or larger data track (track 0) and the same number or more Audio Tracks. If the game crashes it's probably because the data track on the orig you used to boot the machine with was too small. If the audio is messed up, well that's kinda life- where are you going to find a CD with the exact same number and length of Audio tracks.
Method 2: The 'Audible Swap' or 'Whitepage'
Put a Orig. PSX CD in the drive. Tape the lid-sensor down.
Power up the PSX. You will hear the PSX read from the CD then stop. This happens write before the white screen comes up and the SONY audio starts. Right when you hear the Audio start pop the orig disk out and put the copy on. You only have a small window of time to do this in so be careful and you may not always get it the first time!
NOTE: If you look directly into the laser beam you can see a naked lady. (don't look into the beam...8)
NOTE: This so far has worked 100% for me fine. Although I don't use a Amiga to burn CDs.
WHAT SOFTWARE FOR OTHER SYSTEMS
As far as I know, the following is correct:
MAC:
- Toast (Won't do disc-at-once)
- Basic Pinnacle SW: (OK for games with only data tracks but no Audio)
PC:
- CD-Director (Haven't used but have heard it's good)
- CD-Creator (Heard this locks up on PSX discs... may be the same prob that ASIMcdfs has with MDEC. May write ok though...)
- PSXBURN & PSXCOPY
I DO NOT CONDONE PIRACY! This file is provided as information only. IT IS ILLEGAL TO COPY AND DISTRIBUTE COPYRIGHTED SOFTWARE. YOU COULD GO TO JAIL FOR IT. IF YOU LIKE A GAME, BUY IT SO THE MANUFACTURER WILL MAKE MORE!
I would also like to thank Jesus, without whom this doc would not have been possible.
PSXBURN.EXE and PSXCOPY.EXE
I have included this info because 1) Most people have access to PCs, and 2) This software right now is the best for copying PSX discs.
If you have access to a PC with a Yamaha CDR (Philips, Sony & HP CDRs will be supported in the future), there is a software package from a programmer named Jeff Arnold. The package includes two programs: PSXCOPY.EXE and PSXBURN.EXE, as well as territory headers for the US, JP and UK.
These programs use the disc-at-once method to copy and do not correct the CRC errors on the disc. They also will allow you to use the CDR drive to image and restore the PSX disc. Additionally, they will write which ever territory code you want to the disc. (Any Amiga programmers want to convert prog. to our machine?)
Jeff Arnold has a website for his software:
http://www.mainstream.net/~jarnold/cdrom/cdrom.html
Jeff is a really cool guy and this software will probably not be available for long (as it won't make Sony very hapy) so get it as soon as you can. His price is very reasonable.
Here is the doc file from PSXCOPY and PSXBURN:
PSXCOPY.EXE - Sony PlayStation Disc Backup Program Program Description:
PSXCOPY is a program that allows you to make backups of your Sony PlayStation discs. This program does *not* defeat the copy protection scheme.
You still have to use the "swap trick" to play a copied disc.
Usage: PSXCOPY <imagefile> <cuefile> {/EUROPE | /JAPAN | /USA}
[/ID=adapter:id:lun] imagefile - output image filename cuefile -
output cue sheet filename /ID - SCSI ID of CD reader (default is first found)
/EUROPE - make European territory image file
/JAPAN - make Japanese territory image file
/USA - make American territory image file NOTE: You must have at least one space between each parameter or switch.
The IMAGE file contains all of the program and audio data that is to be written to the CD. WARNING: This image file could require as much as 750Mb of harddrive space.
The CUE SHEET file describes the logical start time (from the beginning of the disc) of each track/index pair.
**********************************************************************
/ID=adapter:id:lun
adapter - adapter number of your SCSI card (usually zero unless you have more than one SCSI card in your system).
id - SCSI ID of the CDROM reader/recorder.
lun - logical unit number (usually zero).
Example: /ID=0:5:0
**********************************************************************
How to Backup a PlayStation Disc --------------------------------
C:\>PSXCOPY PSX.RAW PSX.CUE /ID=adapter:id:lun /USA
PSXCOPY reads the PlayStation disc from the specified SCSI device and generates an IMAGE file and a CUE SHEET file. The /USA switch tells the program to generate American boot blocks in the image file. So, even if you are copying a Japanese import game, the image can be written with different boot blocks than the original disc. The type of boot blocks that you write is probably not very important since PSXCOPY does not break the "copy protection" scheme anyway.
C:>\PSXBURN PSX.RAW PSX.CUE /ID=adapter:id:lun /BIN /NOPREGAP
PSXBURN is the program that will actually record the new disc using the files that were created by PSXCOPY. You *must* use both the /BIN and /NOPREGAP switches or you will end up with an unusable disc.
**********************************************************************
NOTES:
Do not attempt to use this release of PSXCOPY on any CD recorder other than the Yamaha CDR100 or CDR102. I guarantee you that it will not work on any other recorder. Support for the Philips, HP, and Sony recorders will be available in January '96.
I only own five or six PlayStation titles, which means that this program has only been tested on these discs. It's possible that you may have a title that this program does not handle properly. Contact me if you have a disc that is giving you trouble. I should be able to modify PSXCOPY to handle it.
This program assumes that the data track on all PSX discs is in CDROM-XA format. If it's not, then the recorded disc might not work.
I recommend that you use the Yamaha recorder to both read the original disc and to record the backup.
Please don't use low quality blanks for recording... Trying to save fifty cents on a disc is not a good idea. I recommend TDK, Ricoh, and MTC discs. I have had no problems with these in the Yamaha recorder. Keep your discs and caddies free from dust and other foreign material.
**********************************************************************
Please send all suggestions, comments, and bug reports to...
Jeff Arnold
EMAIL: jarnold@mainstream.net
********************************************************************** Updated
on DECEMBER 15, 1995
CD-ROM and CDR Drives
Pinnacle CDR1000
This CDR drive is a bit unreliable in the writing dept. You may have to burn a second copy to get a good one. This drive will also not do disc-at-once.
Apple/Matsushita CD-ROMs
I have tried both the 4X and 2X Matsushita/Apple CD-ROMs and both give random errors when reading the PSX discs. Neither will work for copying data. The 2X worked fine for copying CDDA (audio) data.
NEC Series
The NECs seem to work best. I have used the Multispin2V which is the cheapest, low end NEC and it works fine for data, except for phantom audio tracks in the data track. (games like DD and Twisted Metal). I have not tried to make a copy without the data-audio tracks, but believe it may work ok without them as I can't find any reference to the file names in the executables. This problem is most likely a limitation of the 2V and other NEC drives may work fine.
Yamaha CDRs and Philips
These are the best choices as they both will do Disc at-once recording. Esp. if you have a friend with a PC (See 'PSXBURN and PSXCOPY')
I have not tested any other CD-ROM drives but would like for anyone to please relay their experiences with other drives to me so I can include them here. Look for one of the Immaculate Hood agents on the IRC.
While this document is not wholly correct, I have included it beacuse it does contain some good information. I have {noted} where it is incorrect.
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What's all this:
I've been in possession of this knowledge for quite some time, but have been reluctant to pass it out for varying reasons. I have finally decided to let this out as I am getting less and less time to myself to be able to continue to hack, crack and code.
I've seen a lot of shit in my time, but the total amount of crap that is being bandied about by both Sega and Sony (not to mention their patriots across the global networks) has to be seen to be believed. Only problem is some people actually DO believe any shit they hear or read and take it as gospel.
Hopefully after reading this most of you (who have the knowledge and whom I have targeted this file for) will be able to better understand how the various protection systems work.
I've decided to release the Saturn specific expose' as a separate text file as the amount of dissension amongst the (ab)users is so great that it brings back the old Amiga Vs Atari and C64 vs Spectrum days and makes them pale in comparison.
Below I've documented the various protection methods used and how to bypass them. I've also disposed of a couple of myths that are doing the rounds as well. The last thing I'll say is that this information is correct and should be taken at face value. There is no easy way out here, just the plain facts to assist the scene.
One thing I'd like to say before we start (and one of the main reasons I never released this information previously) is that I can't stand 'professional' pirates. I'm talking about those guys who copy the stuff and then sell it in the papers (to lamers) and especially those gooks in Taiwan and China who make mass duplications of games and deprive developers of their rightful dues.
These people are scum; I made this to help the hacker and crackers out there to be able to import and play those (usually superiour) games on their home units. Hopefully we'll be seeing trainers and the likes (possibly even demos) as now that Datel have released their Action Replays on both machines.
Enjoy!
Icepic!/TRSi
TRSi - Legends never die!
Anti-Copy Protection:
The PSX compact disc copy protection is based upon the premise that most (if not all) CDRs and pressing stations pre-mastering processes will automatically regenerate a 'corrupt' sectors EDC/ECC code.
NOTE: The PSX CP is also based on a third format of data somewhere on the disc. It is theorized that this may be inside the normal writing radius of burner/reader or may have do with the special lens on the PSX's laser (or both).
Sectors 12 through 15 contain a zeroised EDC/ECC checksum (impossible) so if the PSX reads and doesn't see an invalid EDC/ECC then it knows that the CD in the drive is a copy. (The EDC is simply a CRC type hash that is used as a checksum to determine if the sector was read correctly. The ECC is used to recreate the sectors data).
The entire range of sectors are written in a RAW format (2352 bytes) and are completely zeroed, even the XA sub-header and EDC/ECC are zeroed. When it is copied on a CDR, these sectors are exact, except for the EDC/ECC code which is (correctly) written as 0x3F13B0BC.
Note: The PSX compact discs have a black-polymer coating. This is not really an anti-copy protection mechanism. The black (actually, very dark blue) colour that is added to the polymer that covers the underside of the disc does very little to change the refraction of the light from the reading mechanism. It is really more of a visual aid in easily determining if a compact disc is pirated.
The Black coating does serve as an easy way to identify a pirate copy, but it also hides rings of circular ultra-violet pockets and possibly a laser-readable barcode (barcode is theory)
How to copy the disc with protection intact:
The only way to successfully duplicate this protection system is to obtain a modified set of firmware for your CDR unit that will either:
- A) Allow you to write in either disc-at-once or track-at-once mode and not automatically 'correct' what it thinks to be corrupt sectors with invalid EDC/ECC codes.
- B) Allow you to write the first track in RAW mode (2352 byte sectors, CD-DA) and then force the TOC to report the track as a CD-XA track.
This will not duplicate the entire copy protection scheme- only the CRC check which using the audio-swap (safe-swap) gets around anyway.
I have a modified unit that does this (the first method), so it is possible if you have the technical knowledge and a suitable CDR unit.
Both Yamaha and Philips CDR have the ability to write disc-at-once built in already. Some other newer drives coming out also have this ability
Country Lock-Out Protection:
Let's get some things straight here. There is a lot of misinformation around (read: bullshit) from people who don't know what the fuck they're on about (ie: most internet newsgroup junkies).
The Japanese units are SCHP-1000. There are a number of different builds of these units, all with the SCHP-1000 model number but depending on the date of manufacture they may have different ROM BIOS versions. The basic difference in the ROM BIOS is that the earlier units did not have the country code check (as it was not finalised) and therefore will allow you to use the 'swap method' to boot non-Japanese games, whilst the newer units will not (as is the same with the Euro/US machines).
The development units are SCHP-2000 and are identical to the base-build (ie: the first revision) SCHP-1000, except their ROM BIOS has both the country and CD based protection disabled and they are a deep-blue colour instead of the typical grey.
The USA playstation are designated SCHP-3000. These are basically a cheaper build of the SCHP-1000, using 70ns RAM (instead of 60ns) and do not have the inbuilt SVHS port. They also have the country code protection check in their ROM BIOS (as with the later revision Japanese SCHP-1000's).
First batch of US PSXs did not have country code (lockout) check.
The Australian playstations are designated SCHP-1002. These are identical to the US versions, except that they are PAL by default and look for the standard country code for Europe (PAL).
I have not seen a European playstation, but my guess is that they are identical to the Australian unit, possibly only the model number is different.
The PSX country code lockout is based upon the first 5 sectors of the CD.
Sectors 0-4 (5 total) contain the 'Licensed from' line and buffer padding which tells the unit that the compact disc is either licensed for its area or not.
This check is parsed in the ROM bootstrap at boot time, so on the newer generation of PSX's it will fail - even with the disc swap method. The disc swap method only bypasses the copy protection portion, not the country code check on those machines.
This is incorrect, a white-page and audio swap will both defeat CP and territorial lockout.
How to bypass the country protection:
Included in this archive are three (3) image files. They are the System Area from a Japanese, European and US licensed CD. All that is required to bypass the protection is to read the first track of the game you wish to convert and either skip or strip the first 16 sectors (0 through 15) and then substitute the correct image file in its place.
The image files are called: PSX_JAP.RAW, PSX_EUR.RAW and PSX_USA.RAW.
I did not get these files with this text but am trying to find them If I do they will be included with the next release of this guide.
If you don't know how to do this then you shouldn't even be reading this file.
This is bullshit... there's no shame in not knowing how to do some- thing. We all have to learn some time. This is either to cover up the author's lack of understanding or to stroke his own ego.
Why some games don't work with the swap method:
I included this because of all the total bullshit I have seen in the associated newsgroups about the PSX protection. I'll take the 'Mortal Kombat 3' fiasco as an example.
Mortal Kombat 3 does NOT have protection. There are a couple of reasons why this game locks-up.
Mortal Kombat has both copy protection and territorial lockout
Firstly, the 'swap-method' is not perfect. The way it works is that the PSX takes a legitimate licensed disc and reads its TOC (Table Of Contents) into its RAM. Then the (ab)user swaps the CD, without the PSX knowing (by either holding down the drive sense or shorting it) and then exiting the CD-DA player screen which in turn initiates the bootstrap sequence.
The problem lies in the fact that the original CDs TOC is held in RAM whilst the copies TOC will most certainly be different. This is most noticeable on games where your original only has a few (or none) CD-DA tracks and you try to play a game that DOES. You will either get 'choppy' sound (or none) as the PSX will utilise the starts and limits of the original discs TOC.
This also applies to the length of the CD-XA (Data/ROM) track! So if you boot with a small game (Ridge Racer is circa 3 megabytes) and then swap it for a game like MK3, when MK3 attempts to use the ROM kernals 'Read_Long_Data' call it will fail, as the TOC will report that there is no data at that point, even if there is.
The problem with MK3 is in the audio tracks. MK3 uses 64 CD-DA tracks, and if it can not access some of these tracks (especially those between 8-15) it will lock-up as it thinks it has a read failure. The main problem is that MK3 is the FIRST game to use 64 tracks (the other 'record holders' were previously Ace Combat (Air Combat in the US) and some bowling game, both were 48 tracks of CD-DA.
The second problem with MK3 is shoddy code. It is full of dodgy code that does weird shit with internal timers. My guess is that it is supposed to do strange things whilst in-game (pop up funny faces?) but this leads to problems as it doesn't disable these timers when in the 'Insert Coin' mode. This is probably the worst case of a rushed game I have seen to date.
Facts and falacies:
The licensed PSX compact discs are thinner than conventional CDR and music CDs is true. The laser in the mechanism does in fact 'ride' at different heights during the reading of the CD. When a licensed (read: black undercoat) CD is inserted into the unit, the laser does indeed ride slightly higher, but not high enough to actually touch the surface of the disc. When a conventional CD is inserted, it will ride at whatever height it gets the best read rate at. The head tracking and riding is adjusted by the mechanism controller which uses the optimum reading level for each particular disc. This is calibrated when the disc is first inserted and when the TOC and protection are checked. You may have noticed that sometimes when you swap discs, the PSX will not load the CD (it'll sit there spinning and seeking, making weird noises) and this is the reason why. It will not recalibrate until you reset the mechanism which is done when you open and close the door.
A little tape fixes this problem :)
There has been some talk in various circles about the 'pot trick'. This is where people open the PSX and meddle with the pots (variable resistors) that control the gain and such for the CD mechanism. These are located to the lower left just below the CD mechanism. Adjusting these will NOT allow you to bypass the protection (as claimed by some). All it will allow you to do is either improve the reading ability of the drive in some cases, or fuck the ability to read any disc (in most other cases). I suggest you don't touch the pots unless you know exactly what your doing and have the ability to reset them if you screw up.
The End:
I can't think of any more that is important. With this information you should be able to copy (and if not with protection intact, still) play non-conforming games on your home unit.
One last note: When playing an NTSC game on a PAL unit (and vice-versa) keep in mind that even if the 50/60Hz is switched, the colour bust will remain on the original NTSC or PAL bandwidth. The only way to properly play these games (as far as I've been able to ascertain) is to use an RGB cable that uses a Scart/Euroconnector.
Hopefully now that Datel will soon release their Action Replay cart (Not the SAVE carts, but a real hacking cartridge) for the playstation, someone will be able to just use it to disable the internal ROM kernals protection routines which would allow a CDR disc to be booted without swapping, etc.
If you want to contact me, you can try. If you can find TombStone, then you'll be able to get a message to me. I won't be in Australia for much longer though as I'm going to Europe and the UK early next year.
I want nothing more than to see a decent scene evolve around the new generation of consoles with trainers, cracks and demos.
Let the games begin...
Thank you Mr. Icepic
How to make a BOOTABLE copy
It is possible to make your machine run games from any territory and pirated or not, but it involves some serious hacking and hardware knowledge.
It involves getting a hold of an image of the Developer's PSX's ROMs and burning your own PROM. The chip is surface mounted on the PSX's motherboard so this takes a lot of skill...
There are rumours circulating that the Datel converter kills both the country code and the copy protection, and this is why it has been delayed. They will not release it until they have fixed the 'problem' of it rendering the CP useless. Hopefully there will be a way to make it do this once it is released.
PLAYSTATIONS WITH A MANUFACTURE DATE OF NOVEMBER 1995 WILL NOT SWAP!
I recently went to a friend's house and his new PSX would not load any back-uped game or any IMPORT game using either swap method. His model # was the same as mine, but my manufacture date was August 1995 and his was November 1995. (Look on the underside of the machine at the bottom of the label). He is going to try to trade his machine where he bought it for an older one. His also had a serial number starting with 'U6' and mine was 'U5'... when getting a PSX maybe look at the box and try to get an older one. Looks like Sony finally got smart and changed the ROMS... :(
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