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Copy 2 PC Option Board

T

Tincanalley

Experienced Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2019
Messages
176
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Does this board still have a use nowadays? If so, what can be done with it? Can it fix my MS-DOS Activision disks that won't install anymore because I didn't uninstall? First time, HD died. Second time, I forgot to uninstall all of them before reformatting. So I have 3 games that won't install.

I just want to know if I still need it installed between the drives and FDC.
 
Chuck(G) said:
Depends on what you'd like to do. If you can't see a future use for it, don't clutter your life up with it.
Click to expand...
That's the thing. I can't think of a use, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. If it's only function is copy protection bypassing, then I don't. I just don't know all the functions it might have.
 
The more seasoned folks can correct me but the only reason the board existed at all was to make images or physical duplicates of copy protected disks and even then it was always in hot water for doing so while selling as a commercial product. These days I've only seen it used for making archives of copy protected disks.
 
Basically if you have boxed software with copy protection and you want to make a duplicate disk to use so the original stays in the box you use the DOB.
 
In the old days, the DOB was handy for quickly checking what kind of floppy you were looking at. The DOB could distinguish 400K and 800K Mac floppies, PC floppies Apple II and Commodore ones. Getting past copy-protection became something of a non-starter in the 1990s, and CP dropped the "Copy II PC" from the Deluxe Option Board labeling, instead drawing attention to a set of PC utilities to handle Mac 400K and 800K GCR floppies.
 
I have read old mac floppies on my DOB, but using an old mac is much easier.

Most companies switched from copy protected disks to external dongles later on.
 
Make that "most" to "many". Dongles cost money and, if a product is something you're not likely to spend hours working with are a damned nuisance. This is especially true if you're using several different dongle-protected products. If you work away from your main system, you have to remember to take the dongle with you. Also assumes that all PCs have conforming parallel ports--some don't.
 
Back then I couldn’t afford a P2PC board so settled on the less efficient software package they had and also bought an unassembler.
A few “stores” opened up here in Toronto during the early ‘80’s that rented out software packages. Things like Lotus 123, DBase and so much more. Typically, you were allowed two days and of course you didn’t use that time to use it but to copy it. Copy II PC could handle so many of them but a few were sneaky using damaged floppy sectors.
I still remember the HIGH I felt after disassembling, tracing and “noping” out program instructions on 123 when it read these “dead” sectors. I felt like I conquered the world!
 
Andrettigto said:
Back then I couldn’t afford a P2PC board so settled on the less efficient software package they had and also bought an unassembler.
A few “stores” opened up here in Toronto during the early ‘80’s that rented out software packages. Things like Lotus 123, DBase and so much more. Typically, you were allowed two days and of course you didn’t use that time to use it but to copy it. Copy II PC could handle so many of them but a few were sneaky using damaged floppy sectors.
I still remember the HIGH I felt after disassembling, tracing and “noping” out program instructions on 123 when it read these “dead” sectors. I felt like I conquered the world!
Click to expand...
I remember Lotus 123, before version 3.0, had the stupid SuperLock copy protection. Can't count the number of times I had to fix a messed up install. Company wouldn't allow us to using anything to remove the copy protection.
 
I think the one I had was version 1.0 but it was a really capable application. I used macros and a custom menu to input all my home and personal expenses.
As for the copy protection, it amazed me that they could source a media supplier capable of supplying floppies with bad sectors in the same spot.
 
The bad sectors had a laser drilled hole in them. You also need the enhanced option board to duplicate that error.
 
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