Yes... and the best way to do it is to create disc images of the CDs using a program like Nero.... thgen using a program like Daemon tools to create virtual CD-Rom drives on your computer... then all you have to do is mount those Disc Images into te virtual drives and voila! You computer thinnnks you have inserted all the CDs in separate drives.
-Cub. =o)
-Cub. =o)
Okay, here we go:
The only way to get all the games working without the need for CD swapping is to copy each of the CD into single files in your Hard Disk called Disc Images. The Disc Images can then be ‘mounted’ onto a series of virtual drives you can create giving your PC the illusion that each Image on your Hard Disc is a CD being inserted into a drive.
So essentially… if you make 4 Disc Images of the 4 Under a Killing Moon CDs… you can create 4 Virtual Drives and mount each image to a drive and yo will essentially have all 4 CD’s loaded at the same time.
Now, lets explain how we go about creating disc images:
Any of the following programs should do the trick when it comes to creating Disc Images on your Hard Disk (also called ISO files):
Alcohol 120%
Nero << You may already have this package pre installed as it comes with most CD/DVD burners nowadays
Disc Juggler
CDR Win
Disc Dump
CloneCD
BandWrite
Now as for creating Disc Images… the only program I know how to use is Nero… in which case you simply to a Copy CD/DVD and instead of setting your output medium as your CD/DVD burner, set it to Nero DiscImage Writer… in which case the program will copy the contents of the CD/DVD into a Disc Image file on your HD. As for the other programs, I can’t imagine this process being any more complex than that, so have a fiddle around.
Now that you have your Disc Images of the CDs/DVDs you want, it’s time to create some virtual drives to mount them onto:
The program I recommend is Daemon Tools because not only can it create Virtual Drives, but it’s FREE! You can download it from HERE.
The only downside to this program is that it will only allow 4 simultaneous Virtual Drives to be created… which is perfect for Under a Killing Moon… not so much for Pandora though.
There are some programs that allow many more virtual drives to be created (as many as 23), such as FarStone’s Vitual Drive but of course these kind of programs will cost you a small fee…. But well worth is as I use this program and it is amazing… it can not only create Virtual Drives, but will created compressed ISO images saving disc space.
Anyway, back to Daemon tools… once it is installed you will notice a little lightning bolt icon in your system tray. Right lick it and under the ‘Virtual CD/DVD Rom’ section you can tell it how many Virtual Drives you want it to utilise. So if you are wanting to play Under a Killing Moon, you would select four… then you go to each device in that menu (Device ranges 0 to 3) and mount each UAKM disc image into the 4 VD’s.
Now all you need to do is go to my computer and find out which image in installed in which Drive Letter and let UAKM know (in the UAKM CD Options) which drive each CD is located.
And then hopefully you will be experiencing Tex Murphy with no more disc swapping!
I hope this guide helps… let me know if there is anything else you need cleared up.
-Cub. =o)
The only way to get all the games working without the need for CD swapping is to copy each of the CD into single files in your Hard Disk called Disc Images. The Disc Images can then be ‘mounted’ onto a series of virtual drives you can create giving your PC the illusion that each Image on your Hard Disc is a CD being inserted into a drive.
So essentially… if you make 4 Disc Images of the 4 Under a Killing Moon CDs… you can create 4 Virtual Drives and mount each image to a drive and yo will essentially have all 4 CD’s loaded at the same time.
Now, lets explain how we go about creating disc images:
Any of the following programs should do the trick when it comes to creating Disc Images on your Hard Disk (also called ISO files):
Alcohol 120%
Nero << You may already have this package pre installed as it comes with most CD/DVD burners nowadays
Disc Juggler
CDR Win
Disc Dump
CloneCD
BandWrite
Now as for creating Disc Images… the only program I know how to use is Nero… in which case you simply to a Copy CD/DVD and instead of setting your output medium as your CD/DVD burner, set it to Nero DiscImage Writer… in which case the program will copy the contents of the CD/DVD into a Disc Image file on your HD. As for the other programs, I can’t imagine this process being any more complex than that, so have a fiddle around.
Now that you have your Disc Images of the CDs/DVDs you want, it’s time to create some virtual drives to mount them onto:
The program I recommend is Daemon Tools because not only can it create Virtual Drives, but it’s FREE! You can download it from HERE.
The only downside to this program is that it will only allow 4 simultaneous Virtual Drives to be created… which is perfect for Under a Killing Moon… not so much for Pandora though.
There are some programs that allow many more virtual drives to be created (as many as 23), such as FarStone’s Vitual Drive but of course these kind of programs will cost you a small fee…. But well worth is as I use this program and it is amazing… it can not only create Virtual Drives, but will created compressed ISO images saving disc space.
Anyway, back to Daemon tools… once it is installed you will notice a little lightning bolt icon in your system tray. Right lick it and under the ‘Virtual CD/DVD Rom’ section you can tell it how many Virtual Drives you want it to utilise. So if you are wanting to play Under a Killing Moon, you would select four… then you go to each device in that menu (Device ranges 0 to 3) and mount each UAKM disc image into the 4 VD’s.
Now all you need to do is go to my computer and find out which image in installed in which Drive Letter and let UAKM know (in the UAKM CD Options) which drive each CD is located.
And then hopefully you will be experiencing Tex Murphy with no more disc swapping!
I hope this guide helps… let me know if there is anything else you need cleared up.
-Cub. =o)
You don't neccesarily need to use images to play the Tex games completely off the hard disk.
If you have UKM or PD, all you need to do is copy a single folder's entire contents to the game's install directory. You're after the*.AP files. On the UKM CDs they are in the 'MASTERTX/CHAP01' directory and on the PD CDs they are in each CD's 'DATA01' directory.
1. Install either game.
2. Bring up each CD's contents in 'My Computer'.
3. Browse to the DATA01 folder.
4. Copy all files into C:\MOON, C:\PANDORA - or wherever applicable.
5. Eject first CD, insert second, and repeat steps 2-4 until all the data from all CDs have been copied.
Note: You copy the FILES not the folders themselves.
You should be all set to play minus the CDs.
Bear in mind this process takes up a LOT of disk space. You'll need about 3 gigabytes of room for UKM and 4 gigabytes for Pandora.
I haven't yet been able to figure out a similar process for the CD version of Overseer, as the data is stored differently.
But since I got the DVD version, it doesn't apply to me. Besides, I've come across another hurdle - getting 48khz DVD sound downsampled to 44khz to squeeze through my AWE64!
If you have UKM or PD, all you need to do is copy a single folder's entire contents to the game's install directory. You're after the*.AP files. On the UKM CDs they are in the 'MASTERTX/CHAP01' directory and on the PD CDs they are in each CD's 'DATA01' directory.
1. Install either game.
2. Bring up each CD's contents in 'My Computer'.
3. Browse to the DATA01 folder.
4. Copy all files into C:\MOON, C:\PANDORA - or wherever applicable.
5. Eject first CD, insert second, and repeat steps 2-4 until all the data from all CDs have been copied.
Note: You copy the FILES not the folders themselves.
You should be all set to play minus the CDs.
Bear in mind this process takes up a LOT of disk space. You'll need about 3 gigabytes of room for UKM and 4 gigabytes for Pandora.
I haven't yet been able to figure out a similar process for the CD version of Overseer, as the data is stored differently.
But since I got the DVD version, it doesn't apply to me. Besides, I've come across another hurdle - getting 48khz DVD sound downsampled to 44khz to squeeze through my AWE64!
Unfortunately that does not work IM...
Becuase both UAKM and Pandora need MSCDEX registered drives... which means the game will NEVER look for the files on the Hard Disk no matter what you do... you must have each of the CDs in MSCDEX Virtual Drives becuase the game needs to have you specify registered drive letters for each disk and not folder locations.
Although, I too wish it were that simple.
-Cub. =o)
Becuase both UAKM and Pandora need MSCDEX registered drives... which means the game will NEVER look for the files on the Hard Disk no matter what you do... you must have each of the CDs in MSCDEX Virtual Drives becuase the game needs to have you specify registered drive letters for each disk and not folder locations.
Although, I too wish it were that simple.
-Cub. =o)
I have to disagree with you, Cub. As long as you load all of the ap files from each CD, either Pandora or UAKM, into the installed directories, pandora/moon, the games will run without CD's! Unless of course one or more of the ap files are corrupt. But if that were the case, you should have received a Data error - something like this: Cannot copy file ?: Data error (cyclic redundancy check). I started playing Pandora again about week ago (without the CD's) with the ap files loaded into my Pandora directory.
Nilo
Nilo
I've always just copied the files (but kept the larger files from more than one CD e.g. the intro) with no problems. The game should just detect the *.AP files in the game's directory and load them before looking in the CD drive. I discovered this after looking at the MM folder and copying the AP files for the Pandora room data to reduce spin-up delays. I got a new hard drive and thought "Why not go the whole hog and see if it works..."
The game does need CD and mouse drivers loaded to run, though.
In my machine, I play in pure DOS 7.10 ripped out of my 98SE disk, and use Cutemouse for my mouse driver and SHCDX32C/VIDE-CDD.SYS for the CD-ROM drive. Works great.
Ok, that raises a question (aside that NOW I know what the problem here is: the third cd is so badly scratched windows can't even copy some of the files) : what to do with the repeated files? I mean, both CD2 and 3 have the same C11.ap (at least in name), pandora.ap, vaaphoto.ap etc... are these repeated files for less cd swapping? should I let windows not copy the ones that are the same?
"Wer ein holdes Weib errungen..."
"My religion is the one in which Haydn is pope" - by me.
"Set a course, take it slow, make it happen."
"My religion is the one in which Haydn is pope" - by me.
"Set a course, take it slow, make it happen."
Yep. Keep the larger sizes (like 'Title.AP' is the Access logo - CD1 has the larger file as it's animated and the other CDs have static Access logos).SeuLunga wrote:... are these repeated files for less cd swapping?
I just copied all the AP files and kept the larger versions as I went up through the disks.
Thanks Wintermute, I'm sure the whole forum would like that....and let me be the 1st to welcome you! It's usually JTOG or Cub's job (I think they just do it for the post counts) jk Anywhoo post often....
Now if there were only a easy way to run UAKM, PD, and Overseer on my XP laptop. Life would be EXTRA sweet then.
Jen
Hmmmm....looking at the post count. What should I do for the big 200? 
Anywhoo post often.... Now if there were only a easy way to run UAKM, PD, and Overseer on my XP laptop. Life would be EXTRA sweet then.
Jen
Hmmmm....looking at the post count. What should I do for the big 200?