Is there a method to duplicate my previous game CDs?
Is there a method to duplicate my previous game CDs?
You have several choices available to you. I purchased many RPG titles in the late 90s and early 2000s and still enjoy playing them. The CDs are nearing the end of their lifespan, having been over 20 years old, so I’m aiming to switch to digital formats that will last similarly long. I don’t really want to invest in newer versions because the game content has changed significantly since then. Also, I don’t intend to stream them from services like Valve or Steam for privacy and security reasons.
The original developers of these games were Wizards of the Coast, Bioware, and Bethesda Software (Wizardry, BG/ToTSC, BG2/ToB, IWD IWD2, NWN, NWN2, Planescape Torment). I believe only Bethesda Software is still active today, now known as Bethsoft. Are there any programs available that allow replacing old CDs close to their end of life?
I don’t know of any offers for replacements. Steam isn’t a streaming platform; it provides digital copies of games that users can license. These copies are substantial enough to remain available unless you choose to buy older titles again or use alternatives such as Good Old Games (gog.com).
Game streaming involves playing a game on hardware different from your own, with the video delivered via the internet. These services typically operate through subscriptions.
The usual approach is to save these files as ISO images on a hard drive or solid-state drive. You can then mount the ISO as a virtual disk. Windows now supports mounting ISO files directly.
You’ll still require software to create the ISO files. Recently, I’ve used a program named ImgBurn for this purpose.
How to Create ISO Files From Discs on Windows, Mac, and Linux
An ISO file contains a full disc image packaged into one file.
www.howtogeek.com
If they remain legible on any of the drives, you might consider making copies immediately. I've always preferred using copies rather than originals, even back when there were only two CD burners available. This way, the originals stay untouched. Although some original discs can develop bit-rot and become unreadable over time—especially from sources like Warner Home Video—these seem to be more about the quality of the movies themselves rather than the discs. Surprisingly, I recently discovered that 30-year-old burned CDs are still fully readable today. At that time, I used a lot of CD-Rs and kept brands with high error rates out of my collection for car music mixes, where they often lasted only a single summer. The dyes in these discs aren't as heat-resistant as those on pressed media, but in cooler conditions they appear to endure for many years.
if any are still available, it would likely be through a platform like Steam, which doesn’t seem to interest you.
still, they’d end up costing you again even if a direct download was offered.
games such as Diablo II: Resurrected are actually worth repurchasing—they’re superior to the original and allow switching between the classic version and the remake.
@Eximo
has suggested what might be the most suitable solution for you; just make copies of all discs and save them on digital storage (like an external drive).
you can keep the originals in a secure place, use the copies when needed, and only retrieve the originals again if the new media fails.
i’m curious though—can these older CD-based titles run on today’s operating systems?
all the ones I owned required the CD to be loaded during playback, and I haven’t seen any game using this method in years.
As mentioned earlier, create disc images. Back in the day, with many 90s titles, tools like Daemon Tools could be used to mount the image and the game would function properly since it would effectively recognize the presence of the CD.
It's even simpler now, something I hadn't realized about Windows.
I employ POWERISO to attach. Simply right-click the ISO and choose MOUNT; it will appear as a CD drive, allowing you to use it identically. As previously mentioned, I utilize IMGBURN to transform the file into a CD format. When using an SSD for the ISO, you'll benefit from significantly quicker loading speeds compared to a conventional CD drive.
Discussing strategies to bypass copy protection is not something I can assist with.