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Need help backing up copy protected game (5.25'' Ultima V) (IBM)

comradesean

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Oct 6, 2014
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I'm new to backing up this type of software and I'd like to create as close to a 1:1 backup as possible of this disk so I don't have to worry about this disk anymore. What exactly do I need to buy/do to accomplish this?

Just to tell you a little of where I'm at, I have an FC5025 that I've used to create a backup, but it's detecting about 8 bad sectors on the first disk which I'm assuming/hoping is the copy protection. I've done a CRC check and none of these sectors effect the data. Only the program(first) disk has this.
 
Ultima V's ULTIMA.EXE is protected with Origin System's own protection scheme, appropriately called "OSI-1". With regular disk copy software, it will produce eight "sector not found" errors on cylinder 6 side 0. Any other kind of error or any error occuring at any other position will not come from the protection.

The disk can be copied with the Central Point Option Board. Kyroflux can accurately read the disk, but in the case of IBM PC disks, they have so far disabled write support for disks which the "Software Preservation Society" has not processed. And given that they are not processing any submissions now that the Amiga kiddies have gotten theirs, this means that unless they allow writing back raw stream files, Kryoflux will never support writing protected PC disks.
 
It sounds like these sectors are all on one track, in that case you should be safe from data corruption.

You cannot intentionally write bad sectors to a PC DOS floppy disk without special hardware like an CPS Option Board. Several members have such hardware and can help you make a 1:1 copy or at least a backup image with all the information to make a 1:1 copy.

In the meantime, I think you should be able to make an image of the disk, bad sectors and all, and crack the executable ULTIMA5.EXE. Many programs exist with lists of games they can crack. CopyIIPC's NOGUARD utility is one with support for Ultima V, The Patcher 6.5 is another.
 
I'm new to backing up this type of software and I'd like to create as close to a 1:1 backup as possible of this disk so I don't have to worry about this disk anymore. What exactly do I need to buy/do to accomplish this?

Just to tell you a little of where I'm at, I have an FC5025 that I've used to create a backup, but it's detecting about 8 bad sectors on the first disk which I'm assuming/hoping is the copy protection. I've done a CRC check and none of these sectors effect the data. Only the program(first) disk has this.

I also have Ultima V (5.25" + 3.5").
It is impossible to copy this with normal tool due to copy protected track on 6.

6 0 0 6 0 1 512 MFM
6 0 1 6 0 2 1024 MFM
6 0 2 6 0 187 512 MFM
6 0 3 6 0 3 1024 MFM
6 0 4 6 0 188 512 MFM
6 0 5 6 0 4 1024 MFM
6 0 6 6 0 189 512 MFM
6 0 7 6 0 5 1024 MFM
6 0 8 6 0 190 512 MFM
6 0 9 6 0 170 512 MFM

It can be copied with Copy II PC Option Board (TransCopy).
Kyroflux can be copied too.

But you can dump it by Teledisk 2.1x to run on PCE emulator.
 
I also have Ultima V (5.25" + 3.5").
It is impossible to copy this with normal tool due to copy protected track on 6.

6 0 0 6 0 1 512 MFM
6 0 1 6 0 2 1024 MFM
6 0 2 6 0 187 512 MFM
6 0 3 6 0 3 1024 MFM
6 0 4 6 0 188 512 MFM
6 0 5 6 0 4 1024 MFM
6 0 6 6 0 189 512 MFM
6 0 7 6 0 5 1024 MFM
6 0 8 6 0 190 512 MFM
6 0 9 6 0 170 512 MFM

It can be copied with Copy II PC Option Board (TransCopy).
Kyroflux can be copied too.

But you can dump it by Teledisk 2.1x to run on PCE emulator.

I believe that is the track that showed bad sectors for me so that's a relief to hear that it's just the copy protection.
My 486's controller card was dying last I tried so I don't think I can get teledisk or any software for that matter running, but will see what I can do when I get home from work today. I've got a KryoFlux on it's way if that doesn't work out.
 
Kryoflux software version 2.50 now adds writng raw streams. This means that PC copy protections can be copied, although weak bits support is described in the documentation as "may or may not work".
 
>I believe that is the track that showed bad sectors for me so that's a relief to hear that it's just the copy protection.
>My 486's controller card was dying last I tried so I don't think I can get teledisk or any software for that matter running, but will see what I can do when I get home from work today. I've got a >KryoFlux on it's way if that doesn't work out.

Track 6-0 has no Bad Sector attribute, but it can't be read by normal disk image tool.
This copy protection type is same with Ultima 4 / Moebius too.
 
It's perfectly possible to write sectors using a PC disk controller that result in "sector not found" errors--and you don't even need to talk to the hardware directly.

The BIOS INT 13H "FORMAT TRACK" call allows one to put anything one wants in the sector address marks--altering any of them from "normal" will result in a sector not found error. Or you can simply leave the header information for those sectors out in the format call. It should be very easy to do with a few lines of code. The Phoenix BIOS reference manual even makes reference to doing copy protection this way.

The toughest one I've ever seen was the original Harvard Graphics disk--it put copy protection data in the gap between sectors.
 
"Format Track" allows you to put anything into the sector ID, but most protections also check the content of these sectors. And you won't be able to write data to these overly large sectors without either overwriting the next sector's ID or writing more bytes than one cylinder will hold.

Softguard, used by Sierra On-Line from 1985 to 1988 and by Taito, puts copy protection data into the gap fields as well.
 
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