Transformers The Game/ GTA SA/Game Jackal and Virtual Clonedrive

[Dualor]

Ok that was quite a long topic title, but it should highlight a few problems I am currently having, which Im posting here looking for some help.

As you can see two games I have listed one being Transformers The Game (2007 version) and the second being GTA San Andreas PC games, which my lil netbook can cope with both at low settings. (Although it refuses to play Transformers at anything lower that 1024X600, which hey is fair enough with me )

Game Jackal (Which since my last post, I now own a lifetime subscription and license too) will make a profile image on both games perfectaly well (Hell took it a while) but when it comes to booting the games up this is where it falls apart.

Understandably both games are fitted with emulation software and virtual drive prevention software e.g. securom and safedisc (correct me If Im wrong) and I feel its conflicting with Virtual Clone Drive. (Yeah yeah wrong thread, but no as I have no clue if these prevention programs don't like or bully Game Jackal aswell)

This leads on to when booting GTA: SA up, an error messege reading conflict with emulation software detected, please do something along the lines of disabling this and restarting GTA:SA. Transformers will start or think about starting until a messege reading "Please place the correct CD/DVD in the CD drive" Which to be honest is not helpful as using a netbook has no connected disc drive other than the £80 external drive I use, which I would prefer not to cart around with me.

So can all you GJ, VCD or computer buffs help a gamer along with some possible answers so he can play his games why sat in the college Libeary (Yup I can't spell)

To clear lil bit up as said the netbook runs these games well which also leads on to the specs of the lil guy.

Acer Aspire One d250
Windows XP SP 3 (Yeah yeah Im old, very reluctant to change aswell)
1 GB Ram/ May be upgrading in the future
160 GB HDD
256 MB Intel GMA 950 (Big breath of air) Intergrated chip set (Whoo Hoo)

To also try and help my netbook with Game Jackal and VCD on board has made the following profiles, Simpsons Hit & Run, Big Mutha Truckers 1, Locomotion and Sims 1 Superstar (that runs like a dream, just first few times I had to run the missing sector part of GJ but eventually it got it)

Also a note, when using Sims 1 with the expansion packs leading up to superstar all of them except "Making Magic" (Thats to far out, the game was perfect before they came up with that idea) If you use programs like Ashampoo or eqvilant and do a drive clear add SimChin. something or other to the exceptions as that is the file that allowed the expansion packs to work and kept failing after ashampoo kept on deleting it (stupid program)

But any help towards my problem would be much appreciated!

Thanks Matt~

Also by the time I typed this up, Slysoft kindly logged me out

 

[matthew]

We are just about to release v4.0.2.0. This has many fixes and is worth upgrading too before we go any further.

Upgrade, recreate the profiles and let me know if you still need help.

 

[Dualor]

We are just about to release v4.0.2.0. This has many fixes and is worth upgrading too before we go any further.

Upgrade, recreate the profiles and let me know if you still need help.

Will do

 

[Dualor]

We are just about to release v4.0.2.0. This has many fixes and is worth upgrading too before we go any further.

Upgrade, recreate the profiles and let me know if you still need help.

Sadly with the update the same messeges as before keep appearing. Although Transformers does think about booting up for 10 seconds and eventually deciedes that the fat guy has to use the ecternal CD drive

(Just curious, when updating GJ on the program. I click on Update Game Jackal, it searches and then says one or more updates is avaible (somewhere like that) and directs IE8 towards the download page. Understandably making it easier to find the download link, but the question is do I un-install V4.17 (within those regions) and install V4.20? which I do, but as I do it takes a few restarts to connect to the server (which instead of restarting Ive noticed booting the program first connects to the server faster than you can say the wizard of Oz)

So the moral of the question is when you update can just install the update without un-installing or can its just do a patch update like antivirus programs? As the answer would cure wonderings and questions, time and the annoying habbit of having to reprofile when the system loses the files :bang:

And that also adds the question is there an easy way to backup your game profiles on an other sector of the hard drive, I gave it a shot with locomotion which was lost when updating, by copying the collection files which were just at the time that game into another folder. I then tested by deleating the profile and copying the files from the bakup into the collection file which seemed to fail as the profile didnt appear on the game jackal screen even after restarting which is kinda annoying)

Back to the game problem I have the latest version of VCD and Game Jackal and aside from dowloading No CD cracks which I'm close two with two games is anything you may be able to add?

Now discreetly saying this (by no means looking at getting banned or zippy'd) is if at the last possible chance any good/ reliable/ safe crack sites out there, I'm only asking this as a last resort because I've spent quite a bit on these games (and boy transformers 2007 PC is hard to get in the UK cheap) and feel that technically either illeagaly or legally should be able to play these games in the UK and abroad on my netbook, and for game publishers out there I do obtain and keep the orginal game Disc's purely for proof, entertainment and backup purposes But that is a last resort and one I do not want to take before all possible methods are taken first.

~Matt (the incredibaly long messege writer) Dualor~

Thanks for reading and much more high appreaciated thanks if you can reply with any clues (Jinkies!)

 

[matthew]

Sadly with the update the same messeges as before keep appearing. Although Transformers does think about booting up for 10 seconds and eventually deciedes that the fat guy has to use the ecternal CD drive

(Just curious, when updating GJ on the program. I click on Update Game Jackal, it searches and then says one or more updates is avaible (somewhere like that) and directs IE8 towards the download page. Understandably making it easier to find the download link, but the question is do I un-install V4.17 (within those regions) and install V4.20? which I do, but as I do it takes a few restarts to connect to the server (which instead of restarting Ive noticed booting the program first connects to the server faster than you can say the wizard of Oz)

So the moral of the question is when you update can just install the update without un-installing or can its just do a patch update like antivirus programs? As the answer would cure wonderings and questions, time and the annoying habbit of having to reprofile when the system loses the files :bang:

Yes you simply install over the top of the existing GJ installation.

And that also adds the question is there an easy way to backup your game profiles on an other sector of the hard drive, I gave it a shot with locomotion which was lost when updating, by copying the collection files which were just at the time that game into another folder. I then tested by deleating the profile and copying the files from the bakup into the collection file which seemed to fail as the profile didnt appear on the game jackal screen even after restarting which is kinda annoying)

Yes backup the entire "Profile Library" folder. If you need to restore. First shutdown the GJ service (in the GJ start menu), then copy all files back to the "Profile Library" folder.

Back to the game problem I have the latest version of VCD and Game Jackal and aside from dowloading No CD cracks which I'm close two with two games is anything you may be able to add?

Well first of all, it is important to note that you need either a physical dvd drive, or a virtual drive installed for GJ to work (I know you have VCD installed, just wanted to point this out anyways).

For the sake of testing, and given that you may not have access to the original media while travelling, I suggest that you profile all games with image mode enabled. This will create an entire image of the dvd on your hard drive. In fact you can even use this profile to reinstall the game if need be.

So first recreate the profiles using image mode and test again. Let me know if this does/doesn't work.

Finally re GTA and the emulation message. This game may be detecting VCD. There are many other flavors of virtual drives, may be try a different one.
[/QUOTE]

 

[Dualor]

Yes you simply install over the top of the existing GJ installation.

Just making sure: so there is no need to unistall the previous versions unless Im doing a jump from V4 to V5 for example?

Yes backup the entire "Profile Library" folder. If you need to restore. First shutdown the GJ service (in the GJ start menu), then copy all files back to the "Profile Library" folder.

The backup is a good thing but I cant tell which files belong with which profile, I think you mean copy them all into another sector but it be nicer to have them organized into the correct game areas.

But we cant all be winners.. Is there answer to when copying the files from one sector of the hard drive to the collections folder that can make the profiles appear in game jackal. The last result as said when i tested backing up didnt go all to well which led to me having to delete the files and remake a new profile of the game I tested

Well first of all, it is important to note that you need either a physical dvd drive, or a virtual drive installed for GJ to work (I know you have VCD installed, just wanted to point this out anyways).

For the sake of testing, and given that you may not have access to the original media while travelling, I suggest that you profile all games with image mode enabled. This will create an entire image of the dvd on your hard drive. In fact you can even use this profile to reinstall the game if need be.

So first recreate the profiles using image mode and test again. Let me know if this does/doesn't work.


All the games or most of them have been used with Image mode even when the proberly didn't need to, just to make sure. Although for games such as GTA:SA and TF 2007 I am happily enough to dedicate the 6GB of hard drive towards both games.

Finally re GTA and the emulation message. This game may be detecting VCD. There are many other flavors of virtual drives, may be try a different one.

That may well be as Transformers and GTA:SA run with out the CDs (or being specefic the DVDs) in the external CD/DVD rom drive, Game Jackal dosn't seem to upset the protection. Is there any other virtual drives you have in mind that could possibly work?

This was a quciky and didnt work with transformers as a test run, but I have recieved one of those mobile internet modems from my brother. The netbook treated the extraction installation software within the modem as a CD drive. As thought the Transformers game didnt work with the messege please insert the correct CD rom and restsrt the application, routine.... Although The Sims Superstar who has been giving me a hard time since the update and loosing the orginal working profile booted up happily with the modem acting like a CD rom drive Apparently 3 (the Network) seemed to have made a mobile internet dongle with a virtual cd rom thats confused my netbook

 

[Dualor]

A small Update: I took a piece of advise from you and have installed VcdControlTool by microsoft, i don't know if its working due to not knowing if there is anyway to mount a game jackal profile as an ISO on one of the virtual drives you can create with the application.

So aswell alongside my orginal problem looking at both cases is there away to mount game jackal profiles as an ISO on this application? Hopefully this may allow me to play GTA and TF 2007 on my netbook. Sadly GTA without the CD in the external drive unlike TF 2007 asks for the correct CD still, and when loading a game jackal profile with the new microsoft application they don't seem to be interacting together unlike virtual Clone Drive and GJ

Any ideas, if game jackal can't have its profiles used by other programs like the one I have installed or cant covert them to ISO, are there any good ISO programs out there on the Ginat world wide web :agree:

Thanks Matt...

 

[matthew]

For the sake of testing... I might be best to uninstall any VCD software and do all testing with the dvd drive attached to the machine. Also we'll pick one game to debug first (lets do Transformers).

To clarify, creating an image mode profile with v4.0.2.0 does not work under emulation?

If not... lets start with a simple test.
1) Edit the profile and select advance settings.
2) In the driver options enter 512.
3) In the debug options enter 40.
4) Insert the game's dvd into the drive (very important).
5) Start the profile.

Does the game start?

 

[Dualor]

For the sake of testing... I might be best to uninstall any VCD software and do all testing with the dvd drive attached to the machine. Also we'll pick one game to debug first (lets do Transformers).

To clarify, creating an image mode profile with v4.0.2.0 does not work under emulation?

If not... lets start with a simple test.
1) Edit the profile and select advance settings.
2) In the driver options enter 512.
3) In the debug options enter 40.
4) Insert the game's dvd into the drive (very important).
5) Start the profile.

Does the game start?

I do aplogise and I am much greatly appreciated for your help, but of fear of tearing my netbook apart for doing things at which it was not supposed to do, and the fact that the CD drive seems not to be reading or making images as good as it previously has done I tried for a first time The Cd Crack route for these two games, as I feel the millions of dollars that has gone into these two programs that prevent virtual CD software is to much and I dont really want to have multiple CD drives on the netbook from different publishers.

Although I have said I will no more use these Cracks as these were the last two games I wanted to install on the lil guy, and the games such as Big Mutha Truckers, Locomotion, The Sims and Simspons will still be used via Game Jackal :agree: With previous experience downloading from the Web (1 Comptuer fried, 1 went on strike and the last got infected with malware) I don't like downloading from the web much, which (Thank Primus!) means there is still a use for GJ

I do aplogise greatly for diceiding to give it a crack at (get the pun?) but after long time thinking, looking at different Virtual drives and Game Jackal crashing and dumping profiles after it can't get its head round these profiles for the two said games, I felt t may have been for the best.

While typing this up, Ive just looked across to my side and thought if Chris Sawyers Locomotion works with Game Jackal that came in a bundle with Chris Sawyers RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 that dosn't (to my knowlege) work with Game Jackal why would there be a difference in protection or the difference in not working? Or would it be Locomotion is not as heard of than the RollerCoaster Tycoon series?

Much appreciated for the help, and my apologises on cracking out on you It just seemed to much work to try and getting it working, and the fear of if it eventually did work would Ashampoo deleate an important running file (Ashampoo no matter how useful it is, is still a stupid program at times)

Thanks Matt, to Matthew