Can not install Final Fantasy XI (Original!)

[skeletoninarmor]

Perhaps I overreacted just a tad bit in my last thread. However, you must understand my frustration. I don't download warez. I bought a game and subscribed for the monthly service. I expected that I could actually play it. The same disc works fine on my other system, and I've never had problems with either my DVD or CD drives before. Does my system just merely not like the disc? It won't run the setup file, and I can't even copy most of the files from the CD to my HD. Is the problem even related to copy protection?

The game is Final Fantasy XI from Square-Enix, and I'm using a IDE DVD 16x and an Optorite CD-RW 48X16X48.

[LTR12101B]

Do you have any copying software installed?

Some recent protections blacklist certain copying/copy-assist software (even things like daemon-tools).

If you normally use the DVD-ROM, you may find the CD-RW reads it better - I frequently find CDs that won't read in the DVD-ROM, will read in the CD-RW - and a friend has similar results with a completely different pair of drives.

[Duracell]

Hi skeletoninarmor, Welcome to our forum!

like LTR said Daemon-Tools is sometimes a problem, CloneCD or Alcohol 120% maybe too;
contacting the game developer's support would be another option;

btw i edited the thread headline to a useful content;

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Greetings from
Duracell

[VIPER_1069]

I would email Square-Enix, and explain your fustration that you paid out your hard earned cash for something thats little more than a usless coaster at present and ask them if they are aware of this problem

if you get a solution from them direct then tell us about it


meanwhile check the above solutions while you wait for a reply

[skeletoninarmor]

I've contacted customer support, and I was offered a few general solutions. I updated installshield and installed sp4 for win2k. After these measures failed, I called again, and they told me to download the discs from their ftp server. The fact that they would actually post the entire game discs to an ftp server shows that they probably have a significant number of users with the issue. I'm fairly certain that it arose unexpectedly with the first retail release: I don't think beta copies have copy protection. I'm still thinking that the issue is simply certain configurations not being able to read the disc because of its cp schemes.

[skeletoninarmor]

I have Nero installed. It was installed before I attempted installing the game. I installed alcohol 120% after encountering the issue. How would that affect copy protection?

[Duracell]

Nero does surely not affect; if you tried the game before installing Alcohol it won't affect to; so there is probably no reason to uninstall one of those;

you could try enabling Alcohol's "Hide Media" function, maybe this will do the trick;

[skeletoninarmor]

What does this hide media function do?

[scarecrow]

What does this hide media function do?

It allows you to play some prtoected games from your burner. It also allows you not burning anything if you don't disable it before the burning procedure.

[Duracell]

... It also allows you not burning anything if you don't disable it before the burning procedure.

well said;

[tacos40]

Hi there,

I have posted a very very similar question in other thread (hardware). I have an *original* game CD (Star Trek The Fallen DS9, 2001 or 2002 game) I can not install from DVD-ROM drive or CD-RW drive.

Reading this thread, I think of some copy protection systems (not necessarily latest 2003 protection methods!) have problems with some hardware configurations, like yours or mine, i.e., they are trying to protect their software, but they over-passed its protection in such a way that, at least for some users like you and me, CD-RW drives can not read correctly the *original* cd !! (I have the Acer/BenQ CRW2410A drive).

So, what Iwant to know right now is how to 'hide' thee cdr media ?? Its not clear from above question. Do I need to use a software like alcohol to do this? Can I do it from Nero? From regedit (I use Win98se) ? Other?

Thanks in advance.

[Duracell]

So, what Iwant to know right now is how to 'hide' thee cdr media ?? Its not clear from above question. Do I need to use a software like alcohol to do this? Can I do it from Nero? From regedit (I use Win98se) ? Other?

hide media is an option in CloneCD, Alcohol 120% and BlindWrite;
you can't do this with Nero;
so you need 1 of these 3 applications; all are available as demo versions;

[scarecrow]

hide media is an option in CloneCD, Alcohol 120% and BlindWrite;

Plextools too, if you happen to be a lucky (?!) Plextor drive owner, and it's free.

[tacos40]

Hi there, thank you all very much. Its clear enough. Definetely, this is a very good forum.

I will try with CloneCD, because the BlindWrite version I downloaded some days ago (5.0.x.***) does not give that option. I have read previous versions of BlindWrite gave to user a lot of more options. So BW5 -> more automatic operation, less options (for dummies); BW4 -> less automatic, more option (for experts).

[Duracell]

I will try with CloneCD

additional info: "Hide Media" is an option in CloneCD's tray symbol; you can not find it in the reading/writing dialog;