SecuROM 1:1 copy

Hi, is there a way to make a 1:1 copy with Alcohol (or any other software) of a DVD secured with SecuROM 7?

Not talking of image backup with emulator, I'm talking of a disc copy that I can use from a DVD reader.

Thanks.

You can make a copy with Alcohol using DPM and RMPS (look at the Alcohol's help file about them, you can download it from http://forum.alcohol...lish-help-file/) which isn't really 1:1 but can make the copy protection to accept it as such. You must use the SecuROM Alcohol's DVD datatype, use maximum speed for DPM and minimum for burning and the result will still depend on your burner's capabilities. Since it's SecuROM 7 you may have to cloak your virtual drives with ACID in order for it to not detect them and give an error.

Thanks Charalambos.

I was able to create a mds/mdf image with Alcohol reading DPM. I can also mount the image and it works fine. Also, I've burned a DVD using RMPS, which I was able to run *after* enabling the Alcohol RMPS emulator.

My problem is that I'd like to have a copy that is like the original and that I can run from the DVD reader, without emulator. This is a school DVD that came with the book for a German-language class, and I have to use it on several PCs where Alcohol is not installed.

Is anything like this remotely possible? I mean, making an exact copy that will pass the SecuROM validation? Besides, I don't really understand how SecuROM works and I can't find much info online. As far as I understand correctly, it's just bits positioned in a precise manner in the DVD sectors. My DVD burned is reported to support all modes, DAO/TAO/SAO/RAW.... But the copied DVD always fails with the "no_orig_found" message. Is there any particular flag that I need to check for RAW reading/writing with Alcohol?

Thanks.

The SecuROM copy protection is based in the abnormal topology of the data on the disc. This can not be done with the commercial CD-Rs and DVD-Rs, so the emulation is necessary. You can install Alcohol 52% Free on these PCs in order to have the needed emulation provided, I don't know if you own them but you can do it by permission if you don't - Alcohol is a safe well known program. Sorry but this is the best that can be done, otherwise you must use the original DVD.

Thank you. I think I'll follow your suggestion and use Alcohol 52%. I see there is also a "Free Edition" of Alcohol 120% on the website. The only problem that I have with these, is that they force me to install that thing called "smart file advisor" that I have no use of and it's just advertising. I don't want to sound harsh, but forcing these useless programs down on users is not cool. While I trust Alcohol to not mess with my PC, I don't trust these other programs that want to hijack my computer (in fact they're even flagged as malware by the antivirus software). It would be nice if there were a free minimalist utility to mount CDs and emulate protections, without ads and without bulls**t.

Anyway, thank you.

Alcohol 120% Free Edition has only the burning engine of Alcohol without the virtual drives and emulation. Smart File Advisor is a way for Alcohol to make some money from the free version of the program, in the paid version it's installation is optional. It can however help you update some programs. It may be a PUP ("potentially unwanted program") but it isn't a virus or anything like that. Perhaps its not the perfect thing for Alcohol to have it implemented but I can't tell, I'm just a volunteer.

> I'm just a volunteer

Interesting, how do you volunteer to a closed-source / proprietary program? Where is the source?

I don't make the program, I just know some things about it and can help its users to some extent. That's how it works.

oh I see! If you don't mind I'd like to ask one last question:

> The SecuROM copy protection is based in the abnormal topology of the data on the disc. This can not be done with the commercial CD-Rs and DVD-Rs

I don't really understand what it means "abnormal topology of the data". What is physically different from a DVD secured with SecuROM, compared to a blank DVD that I burnt? And what's that my burner can't replicate on my copied disk?

An optical disc - CD or DVD - copy protected with SecuROM has the data pressed in a twisted spiral pattern and not a normal one. The commercial blank discs have the spiral pattern premade and you burn the data on it, and of course it is a normal one. So it is impossible to reproduce the exact topology of the data of a SecuROM disc on a CD-R or a DVD-R.

> An optical disc - CD or DVD - copy protected with SecuROM has the data pressed in a twisted spiral pattern and not a normal one. The commercial blank discs have the spiral pattern premade and you burn the data on it, and of course it is a normal one.

Is there any picture depicting this? Would be interesting to see the differences visually. Thank you.

I'm afraid not, however you can imagine a road that zigzags instead of being straight and apply it to a spiral.