Troubles with burning DC games

[Ack]

Well, I went out and bought a copy of Ready 2 Rumble Boxing, just to test. It worked very well in both Dreamcasts, so I'm guessing it's just one being picky. Oh well, I'll just have to play with it.

[Ack]

Ok, after playing around with my options, trying different burn speeds and a different brand of CD, I've managed to find a system that works for both! Thanks very much for the help guys, I appreciate it.

[marurun]

You want to share your method so others can narrow their own experimentation?

[Ack]

Well, I started with Daemon Tools, thinking just copying a mounted .cdi file over to a CD-RW would work. Don't bother trying, as it doesn't. Simply copying files over won't work and the Dreamcast doesn't recognize CD-RWs anyway.

Instead, I downloaded a program called BootDreams, and used that to burn the .cdi files onto some Memorex 700 MB CD-Rs I bummed off a friend. But I was burning at a x4 rate. While these worked in one Dreamcast, they didn't work in the other. I considered trying it at a slower rate, x1, but I ran out of CD-Rs. So, I ran to Wal-Mart and picked up some Sony 700 MB CD-Rs, and attempted burning them at a x1 speed, and it worked.

Now I'm having other issues, but it's mostly from finding ways to successfully burn non-.cdi formats. I've seen some .nrg formats(Nero's preferred format, apparently), and while I've read some interesting methods to convert these to .cdi using DiscJuggler, I have yet to get it to work(I'm also hesitant to download Nero again, as the first time I got a buggy install).

Also, .cdi files that I have to do something to don't really seem to want to work. I ran across a Guilty Gear X file that wanted me to inject .wav files into it, but once I followed the directions and burned the .cdi, both Dreamcasts refused to run it. It's a slow trial-and-error approach, but I'll figure it out eventually.

Either way, if you're just now trying to figure out how to do this, let me stress something: DOWNLOAD BOOTDREAMS AND START WITH .CDI FORMAT! It's a good starting point, pretty easy to deal with, and as you go you'll slowly learn more about the process.

Also, some folks will recommend Alcohol 120%, though I found that the program it brings with it, Starwind Services, apparently can cause some problems with PC games. I'm not sure how, but I figure it's just best for me to avoid it right now.

[weasels]

i hope you dont mind but i want to add something because i find it anyone looking on this topic might want to know and it saves space and explaining time on my hand.... its pertaining to burning a cdi that might be just a bit over your cd-r limit. if you use Alcohol 120% (i think diskjuggler has it too if you buy it) you can use a method called overburning. in most cases you should not need to use it because most games are under the standard 700 MB limit, but there are a few exceptions on games. it does work but i will warn you, if your drive isn't up to specs it might be damaging or you drive. it might not even be able to use it. it can still be damaging for CD-R drives that are new, but over time. so don't use it extensively. but this helped me when i had a game i really wanted to play. if you dont want to do this then i advise getting a cd-r with more space (although its a little more money).

[RemyC]

I have numerous game images that are over 700mb, and have no problem burning them with a trial version of Discjuggler