Dreamcast Burning FAQ -==-By Buckshot-==------------------------Table of Contents ------------------------I. Introduction II. eneral Questions III. !

el" #ith I-Dri$e I%. Do#nloading by &ther 'eans %. Burning (on-)elf-Booting ames %I. Burning )elf-Booting ames %II. After#ord and Thank *ou+s -------------------I. Introduction -------------------&kay, this is my FAQ. I ha$e been recei$ing a lot of -uestions about burning Dreamcast games, so I am going to do my best to hel" e$eryone out. .lease kee" in mind that it is I//0 A/ to burn Dreamcast games. (o#, I kno# that none of you actually burn them, but are in fact 1ust trying to find some information on the to"ic. I am here to gi$e you this information. .ut on your seatbelts, kids. This could get rough. ----------------------------II. eneral Questions ----------------------------Q2 !o# do you burn dreamcast games3 A2 It is a com"licated "rocess that #ill be co$ered in detail, but basically you 1ust do#nload the information contained on a retail co"y of the game, and burn that onto a CD-4. Q2 Can I co"y a retail co"y of a Dreamcast game #ith my com"uter3 A2 (o. Q2 Do I need a 'od-chi" to "lay these backu"s3 A2 (o. There are currently t#o ty"es of games2 self-booting and non-self-booting. 5ith the self-booting games, you 1ust burn them and "lay them. The non-self-booting games re-uire the use of a boot disc, #hich is easily obtained, and easily burnt. The use of a mod-chi" is not necessary. Q2 5here do I find the games3 A2 There are many different "laces you can find them, but this #ill "ro$e to be the most difficult ste" in the "irating "rocess. First, the best "lace #ould be the net#ork here at school, but I don+t kno# of too many "laces that ha$e them. Take ad$antage of it #hile you can6 )econd, there is the internet. It is "retty difficuly to find #ebsites that actually ha$e the games on their ser$er on the internet. 'ost likely #hat you #ill find is a #ebsite telling you its idri$e name #here the games are stored. This can be a hassle because you ha$e to deal #ith slo# do#nload times and do#nload limits. This #ill be co$ered ne7t. Third, you can find games on mI4C. oing into certain channels you can ha$e "eo"le DCC you the files you need. This is also a "ain because most of the "eo"le I ha$e come across on mI4C are selfish and don+t #ant to share #ith anyone. (e7t, you can use FT.+s, but the trouble #ith them is finding free "ublic ser$ers that don+t ha$e do#nload ratios. This means that if you u"load one file, you can do#nload three, if the ratio us 829. This can be tough if you don+t ha$e anything to u"load, and the s"eeds of the connections are usually less than o"timal. Finally, you can also do#nload off :senet. This usually has all the latest releases, but it can be tough to find older games, so I+$e heard. I ha$en+t actually tried this, but I+$e heard it is a decent #ay to get the games. Q2 )o #hat do you recommend I use to find the games3 A2 0$eryone has their fa$orites, but I ha$en+t had any "roblems #ith I-dri$e. It is "retty reliable, and you can find all the older games too. The only "roblem is that I-dri$e limits each account to 8;< ' to be do#nloaded each day. )ince the games #ill come in many se"arate rars, each at =< ', you #ill need to set u" multi"le accounts to do#nload the entire game. 4ead section belo# on ho# to do#nload using I-dri$e. -----------------------------III. !el" 5ith I-Dri$e -----------------------------This is ho# I do#nload the ma1ority of my games, and I ha$e been "retty ha""y #ith it. I currently ha$e ; accounts, and that has been enough to do#nload any game so far. &kay, first go to ###.idri$e.com and set u" an account. *ou #ill #ant to set u" more later, but for no#, one #ill get you started. 5hen you log into idri$e, click on the link at the to" of the orange #indo# that says >Friends.> Then click on >(e# Friend.> This is #here you "ut in the name of the idri$e account you found on the internet or got from some#here else. ?ust "ut in the name of the account in the a""ro"riate bo7, and click >Add Friend.> 'ake sure that you check the button #here it says >)end Files to i+dri$e dro"bo7.> &kay, no# that you ha$e a friend on idri$e, click on their name on the first #indo# #hen you first clicked the >Friends> link. This #ill bring you into that "erson+s idri$e. Click on >)torage> and then >)hared.> This #ill then sho# all the folders@files this "erson has shared. Check the bo7es ne7t to the files you need, and then click on the link at the to" that says >Take.> 'ake sure you

take the files and not do#nload. This #ill send the files to your idri$e. *ou #ill only be able to do#nload u" to A rars Beach =< 'C due to the 8;< ' limit. 4e"eat #ith a different account until you ha$e all the files you need. ---------------------------------------------I%. Do#nloading by &ther 'eans ---------------------------------------------:nfortunately, I can+t really tell you ho# to get the files through mI4C or :senet, since I don+t get them that #ay. !o"efully someone else #ill make a FAQ telling ho# to do it. )orry. -------------------------------------------------%. Burning (on-)elf-Bootable ames -------------------------------------------------&kay, no# you ha$e all the rars for the game you #ant to burn. 5hen you e7tract the rars, you #ill end u" #ith a .bin file and a .cue file. If you ended u" #ith a .cdi file, it is most likely self-bootable, so go do#n to that section. (o#, there are "rograms that can burn #ith 1ust the .bin and .cue, such as CD4#in and Fireburner, but I don+t use those, so to find out ho#, look some#here else. If you burn the #ay I am going to tell you, you #ill need 9 "rograms for the burning "rocess BIsoBuster, DummyFile, and (eroC. !ere #e go6 07tracting the .bin :sing a "rogram called IsoBuster, you #ill e7tract the data that is included in the .bin file. &"en IsoBuster, and click >File,> >&"en Image File.> Change the file ty"e to >CD4-5in BD.binC.> o to the folder #here you sa$ed the .bin and select it. This should then sho# a bunch of files in the right-hand #indo# of IsoBuster. )elect all of these files and right click them. Choose >07tract files.> *ou #ill then need to choose a directory #here you #ant to e7tract these files to. I recommend "icking an em"ty folder, as this makes choosing the files you #ant to burn later much easier. Choose your directory and e7tract. Find the folder you 1ust e7tracted to on your hard dri$e and get the "ro"erties for it. (ote the siEe of the folder, as this #ill tell you ho# large of a dummy file you need to make. *ou are no# ready to add your dummy file. Building a Dummy File A dummy file is used to force the game data to the outside edge of the cd-r, cutting do#n on load times and sometimes making them non-e7istent. Isn+t it funny that a burnt game sometimes runs better than the original3 Any#ays, using a "rogram called DummyFile, choose the siEe of the dummy file you need to make. If the total siEe of the folder you e7tracted to is say, F;< ', you need to build a dummy that is 1ust under =<< ' if you are using a G;< ' cd-r. Click on the button that says >.ick /ocation.> Choose the folder you 1ust e7tracted the game data to and click on >Build.> This may take u" to 9 minutes to build. (o#, get the "ro"erties of your game folder again, and the siEe of the folder should be 1ust under G;< '. I usually make a dummy that #ill make the total siEe about GFH ', 1ust because if you make one too large, you #ill ha$e to delete it and make a smaller one again to make it fit on the cd-r. (o# that your folder is 1ust under the siEe of the cd-r, you are ready to burn. Burning the ame #ith (ero I "ersonally ha$e found (ero to be the best@easiest "rogram to use for burning DC games. *ou can also use "rograms such as Fireburner and CD4-5in, but I don+t use them. If you #ant to kno# ho# to do it that #ay, you are going to ha$e to look some#here else. &kay, #hen you first boot u" (ero, you #ill #ant to choose the first icon in the $ertical bar on the left, >CD-4&' BI)&C.> :nder the >'ultisession> tab, click on >(o multisession.> :nder the >File &"tions> tab, you #ill #ant to choose >I)& /e$el = B'a7 of 98 CharactersC,> >Format2 'ode 8,> >Character )et2 I)& IGG<,> check the bo7 that says >?oliet> and check both of the bo7es under the >4ela7 I)& 4estrictions> area. (o#, 1ust ignore both the >%olume Descri"tor> and >Dates> tabs. :nder the >Burn> tab, only check the >5rite> and >FinaliEe CD> bo7es. )et the #rite s"eed to =7. *ou can burn at higher s"eeds, but it increases the chances of you burning a coaster. I #ould stick to =7. (o# click on the button that says >(e#> in the u""er right of the #indo#. :sing the #indo# titled >File Bro#ser> on the right, find the folder that you e7tracted the game data and dummy file to. If you e7tracted e$erything to an em"ty folder, then you can 1ust drag the folder o$er to the #indo# that says >I)&8.> If you e7tracted to a folder #ith other files in it, then you #ill ha$e to choose all the files that are in the game data in the correct order, #hich you "robably #on+t kno# #hat they are. I told you to e7tract to an em"ty folder6 (o# that you ha$e all the files that you e7tracted currently in the >I)&8> #indo#, highlight all of the files and folders. 4ight click and get the "ro"erties. )et the "riority Bsmall dro" menu at the bottom of the #indo#C to >!igh.> *ou must also do this to all the files contained #ithin folders. (o# that all of the files ha$e a high "riority, change the "riority of the dummy file Bdummy.binC back to lo#. This #ill make the dummy file burn first, forcing the game data to the outer edges of the cd-r. *ou are all set to burn6 Click on the icon at the to" that looks like a finger #ith a flame coming out of it "ointing at a cd. *ou #ill get the same #indo# you started #ith, e7ce"t the button that said >(e#> before no# says >5rite.> Click on this button and #ait about F< minutes and you should be set6 .laying a (on-)elf-Booting ame To "lay a non-self-booting game, you #ill need to burn the boot disc. This can be done by follo#ing the instructions for burning a self-booting game, but using a file Bcdloader.cdiC instead of a game. This file can be found on my com"uter, as #ell as IsoBuster and DummyFile. 5hen you ha$e the boot disc, "ut that in your DC first. It should load u" to a screen that says something like >:to"ia CD Boot /oader $ 8.8> or something along those lines. It #ill also ha$e a "icture of a s"inning reindeer. ?ust o"en the DC Byes, lea$e it onC and "ut in your burnt game. 5atch the bottom left hand side of the screen. *ou should see little red "ercentages telling you that the game is loading. If that doesn+t a""ear or you get a screen #ith a sil$er reflecti$e reindeer s"inning, then you ha$e a bad burn, and #ill ha$e to try again. This could be because you

burnt at a higher s"eed, didn+t ha$e the right files, or could e$en be the brand of cd-r you burnt #ith. )ome cd-r ty"es don+t like certain #riters. For instance, my burner does not like the .(* H< minute cd-r+s but #orks "erfectly #ith the chea" Com":)A AF min cd-r+s B#hich are made by memore7 by the #ayC. )o I #ould recommend trying a slo#er s"eed or a different cd-r. If it loads u", congratulations6 *ou are no# an official soft#are "irate6 !o"e you are comfortable in handcuffs6 ------------------------------------------%I. Burning )elf Booting ames ------------------------------------------)elf-booting games do not re-uire the use of a boot disc, so it makes them a lot easier to use. If you are too laEy to 1ust s#itch cd+s that is6 They are a lot easier to burn, though. To do this, you #ill need a "rogram called .adus Disc ?uggler. 'ake sure that you do#nload Disc ?uggler $. =.7. These are the only $ersions that #ill burn the games correctly. :nfortunately, the .adus #ebsite no longer has the $. =.7 to do#nload so you might ha$e to do some searching. I got mine from ###.dcisos.com, but they #ere recently shut do#n by )ega, so you are going to ha$e to find it some#here else. (o#, the ma1or dra#back to Disc ?uggler is that in the demo stage, you can only burn at 87. That means #aiting o$er AF minutes for the cd to burn, including the times to #rite the lead-in and lead-out. If anyone has a crack for Disc ?uggler $. =.<<.F<I, I #ould greatly a""reciate it6 (o# onto the burning6 5hen you do#nload the files, you #ill again end u" #ith bet#een 8; and =; rars Busually, but sometimes moreC. 5hen you e7tract these, you #ill end u" #ith a .cdi file. o into Disc ?uggler Bagain, make ):40 you ha$e $ersion =.7C. Click on the >(e#> icon Ba blank sheet of "a"erC. Then choose the icon that says >CD Image to CD 4ecorder.> In the >Task 8> #indo#, you #ill see an area that says >)ource.> Click on the icon in the left hand side of this area. *ou #ill no# bro#se your hard dri$e to find the .cdi file for the game you e7tracted from the .bin file. )elect this file. In the action area of the #indo#, I #ould change it to 1ust >5rite> Bdefault is >5rite and %erify>C. ?ust because $erifying doesn+t ser$e any real "ur"ose and takes too much time. 5hy #ait the e7tra time #hen you can 1ust "ut the disc in your DC and see if it #orked, right3 If you are using a registered@cracked $ersion, change the burning s"eed under the >'ethod> area of the #indo# to =7. If you are using the demo, it #ill only burn at 87. (o# click on the button that says >)tart.> This #ill burn the CD, and in AF minutes B9A if you are burning at =7C you #ill ha$e a shiny, ne#, self-booting Dreamcast backu"6 &r if something #ent #rong, you #ill ha$e a shiny, ne#, self-booting coaster6 ?ust "ut it into the DC and "ress the >.o#er> button. !o"efully e$erything #ent #ell. --------------------------------------------%II. After#ord and Thank *ou+s --------------------------------------------5ell, thats the first re$ision of my in-de"th FAQ. I ho"e I #as able to hel" e$eryone and ans#er some -uestions for some "eo"le. /ook for an u"date to this #hich #ill include instructions on ho# to use other methods of do#nloading the files, and also other methods of burning. There are a fe# "eo"le I #ould like to thank in the "roduction of this FAQ. First I #ould like to thank )ega for stealing so much of my free time. I #ould also like to thank Infidel for sharing some s#eet ass games and for not kicking me #hile I #as do#nloading. .lum-/oco for con$incing me to take 9 hours to #rite this. h:Bies for making my keyboard greasy. And A (e# Found lory for "ro$iding the background music for the "roduction of this. Feedback can be directed to my u"loads folder, .lum-/oco+s :nofficial :B Forum, or look for me on AI' as )trokemouth. .eace.