Slight OT: CD Drive went bonkers - HELP!!

Hayashi · 05-20-2001, 10:50 PM

My CD drive has been acting up lately. What happens is that although a CD is inserted in the drive, the drive acts as if it is empty. Not just the BG2 CDs - ANY CD, even music CDs. Ejecting and reinserting the CD does not help.

This usually happens after some time, typically 20 minutes or so - sign of heat build-up? I've tried cleaning the CD and the drive, but no joy. Of course, I can't get my BG2 fix now.

I am now attempting to do a full installation. I tried doing it this morning but the "no CD" problem happened again, half-way through CD3. Can I copy the contents of each CD to the local hard drive, and install off that? I am trying to do this before the drive goes totally FUBAR.

I also know you will still need CD2 in the drive, but does the game check for CD2 all the time, or just at the start of a session? If it checks for CD2 all the time, could someone point me to a (Gasp! Shock! Horror! Blasphemy!) no-CD crack ?

Please excuse the poor English, I'm depressed...

Robin, Thief of Hearts · 05-21-2001, 12:09 AM

Be of good cheer my brother.

There lies a crack at megagames.com which wilt permit play without the CD #2.

Hayashi · 05-21-2001, 12:37 AM

Robin,
Thanks for the heads-up. Do you know if I can copy the CDs to the hard drive and install from the hard drive?

Bahamut · 05-21-2001, 01:31 AM

if you have been taking good care of your cd rom, just have it cleaned. did it manually with mine.. same prob, and it read afterward, if it still doesnt, it needs to be changed

------------------

We have merged... and now we are called Chiharumut..wehehehe

trux · 05-21-2001, 01:38 AM

that crack will fix your baldur's problem, but if you want other cds to work you will need to do one or more of many things. maybe cleaning your cd-rom drive, checking its software (if it has any,) or opening up the computer and checking connections, cleanliness, etc. try everything! it's usually something simple.

------------------
--
trux

Hayashi · 05-21-2001, 01:53 AM

Thanks for the replies.

I clean the cd drive every now and then. This isn't a dirty drive/dirty cd issue, believe me.

As I said, normally when I start up the 'puter the drive works fine. Then someway in the middle of the game when I enter a new area (the loading screen comes up), the game will hang as (apparently) the drive is spinning (including the hrad drive) but the screen remains with not loading bars to show progress. Then the game will beep and CTD.

After this when I check My Computer the drive icon shows that it's empty, although the CD is still in the drive.

This also happens when after using the PC for something else I try to start a game of BG2. The "CD2 not loaded" message appears. CD icon also shows no CD although the CD is in the drive.

The common denominator here is that the PC has been in use for some time, which leads me to suspect that it is heat related. This has never happened before, so I guess the CD drive is going FUBAR soon, which is why I want to do a full install before it finally goes kaput.

Can anyone tell me if I can copy the CDs to hard drive and install from the hard drive? Thanks.

vesselle · 05-21-2001, 06:36 AM

you should be able to do that without any problem. apparently interplay even recommended it when some players were having cd4 hang during install.
you will need lots of disk space, but copying all the files and running setup should set you up for a bit. at least till you get your frisky drive under control.

V***V

do you have a minimum install now? or nada? if it's minimum... the IP site tells you how to copy files off the cd to your 'puter. click anywhere

okay..here's a ton of stuff from bioware!

If you are having problems getting BG2 to install or BG2 asking for a CD5, you may want to try some of the following suggestions.

When changing CDs during the installation, let the drive spin-up and then stop. Then click OK and see if the installer recognizes the disc change. Do this for all the CDs that are requested.

Try checking for a firmware/BIOS update for your CD or DVD drive. We have had several reports of sucessfull installs of BG2 once a firmware update was applied. You will have to check with your CD/DVD drive manufacturer for this kind of update.

If for whatever reason you are unable to do a Recommended or Full install, but you can do a Minimum install, please read How to "fake" a larger install from a Minimum.(that's the link above)

If you have multiple CD/DVD drives, only install from one and do not try to use all of your drives. For some reason, this is confusing InstallShield.

If you cannot do any install without getting some sort of error or crash and you have about 5 Gig of free hard drive space, you can try to copy all 4 CDs to your hard drive, then run the install from there. Please note, you must copy all 4 CDs to the same directory for the install to run. If you get prompted for the next CD, then you have not copied the files over properly, or you have missed some.

Try turning off DMA for your CD/DVD drive. For some people, this has allowed them to install. You can find this checkbox by going to your Control Panel, then to System, then to the Device Manager tab. Find your CD/DVD drive and bring up its Properties, then go to the Settings tab.

Try turning off your CD/DVD read-ahead. For some people, this has allowed them to install. You can find this slider by going to your Control Panel, then to System, then to the Performance tab. Down in the Advanced Settings frame, press the File System... button and move the slider all the way to the left. You may need to restart for this setting to take effect.

[This message has been edited by vesselle (edited 05-21-2001).]

Hayashi · 05-21-2001, 09:39 AM

Having problems with one file in CD3 - MovCD3.bif. All files copied successfully except this one. I can copy 600+MB of data in miniutes, but this file (only 6+ MB) has taken me half an hour and still going!!

I tried a recommended install from the copies of the CDs which I put on my hard drive. Now it asks me for CD5!

I just can't win!!

I'll wait until the %#!(&*!@$( file is copied, then I'll try the full install off the hard drive.

Question: Do I copy the contents of the CDs into separate folders, or do I copy them all into one folder?

Hayashi · 05-21-2001, 09:55 AM

OK - the file seems to have copied over (took 45 minutes - for 6+MB!!) - now to put them all in one location.

(keeps fingers crossed)

[This message has been edited by Hayashi (edited 05-21-2001).]

Hayashi · 05-21-2001, 10:53 AM

The copying seemed to go ok - but during the full installation, I got a bad CRC error with the MovCD3.bif file, the very same one that took so long to copy.

I feel like banging my head on the wall.

I was able to continue the installation by clicking 'ignore'. Checking the copy of the MovCD3.bif file that was placed in the game directory, it is of the same size as the original on CD3, down to the last byte. But whether the file is corrupted is anybody's guess...

[This message has been edited by Hayashi (edited 05-21-2001).]

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05-20-2001, 10:50 PM	#1
Hayashi Silver Dragon Join Date: March 25, 2001 Location: The Lion City Age: 62 Posts: 1,699	My CD drive has been acting up lately. What happens is that although a CD is inserted in the drive, the drive acts as if it is empty. Not just the BG2 CDs - ANY CD, even music CDs. Ejecting and reinserting the CD does not help. This usually happens after some time, typically 20 minutes or so - sign of heat build-up? I've tried cleaning the CD and the drive, but no joy. Of course, I can't get my BG2 fix now. I am now attempting to do a full installation. I tried doing it this morning but the "no CD" problem happened again, half-way through CD3. Can I copy the contents of each CD to the local hard drive, and install off that? I am trying to do this before the drive goes totally FUBAR. I also know you will still need CD2 in the drive, but does the game check for CD2 all the time, or just at the start of a session? If it checks for CD2 all the time, could someone point me to a (Gasp! Shock! Horror! Blasphemy!) no-CD crack ? Please excuse the poor English, I'm depressed...

05-21-2001, 12:09 AM	#2
Robin, Thief of Hearts The Magister Join Date: April 8, 2001 Location: Caribbean Posts: 144	Be of good cheer my brother. There lies a crack at megagames.com which wilt permit play without the CD #2.

05-21-2001, 12:37 AM	#3
Hayashi Silver Dragon Join Date: March 25, 2001 Location: The Lion City Age: 62 Posts: 1,699	Robin, Thanks for the heads-up. Do you know if I can copy the CDs to the hard drive and install from the hard drive?

05-21-2001, 01:31 AM	#4
Bahamut Iron Throne Cult Join Date: March 12, 2001 Location: Manila, Philippines Age: 39 Posts: 4,864	if you have been taking good care of your cd rom, just have it cleaned. did it manually with mine.. same prob, and it read afterward, if it still doesnt, it needs to be changed ------------------ We have merged... and now we are called Chiharumut..wehehehe

05-21-2001, 01:38 AM	#5
trux Avatar Join Date: May 19, 2001 Location: Darkside of the Moon Posts: 578	that crack will fix your baldur's problem, but if you want other cds to work you will need to do one or more of many things. maybe cleaning your cd-rom drive, checking its software (if it has any,) or opening up the computer and checking connections, cleanliness, etc. try everything! it's usually something simple. ------------------ -- trux

05-21-2001, 01:53 AM	#6
Hayashi Silver Dragon Join Date: March 25, 2001 Location: The Lion City Age: 62 Posts: 1,699	Thanks for the replies. I clean the cd drive every now and then. This isn't a dirty drive/dirty cd issue, believe me. As I said, normally when I start up the 'puter the drive works fine. Then someway in the middle of the game when I enter a new area (the loading screen comes up), the game will hang as (apparently) the drive is spinning (including the hrad drive) but the screen remains with not loading bars to show progress. Then the game will beep and CTD. After this when I check My Computer the drive icon shows that it's empty, although the CD is still in the drive. This also happens when after using the PC for something else I try to start a game of BG2. The "CD2 not loaded" message appears. CD icon also shows no CD although the CD is in the drive. The common denominator here is that the PC has been in use for some time, which leads me to suspect that it is heat related. This has never happened before, so I guess the CD drive is going FUBAR soon, which is why I want to do a full install before it finally goes kaput. Can anyone tell me if I can copy the CDs to hard drive and install from the hard drive? Thanks.

05-21-2001, 06:36 AM	#7
vesselle Hathor Join Date: April 6, 2001 Location: the desert Posts: 2,296	you should be able to do that without any problem. apparently interplay even recommended it when some players were having cd4 hang during install. you will need lots of disk space, but copying all the files and running setup should set you up for a bit. at least till you get your frisky drive under control. V***V do you have a minimum install now? or nada? if it's minimum... the IP site tells you how to copy files off the cd to your 'puter. click anywhere okay..here's a ton of stuff from bioware! If you are having problems getting BG2 to install or BG2 asking for a CD5, you may want to try some of the following suggestions. When changing CDs during the installation, let the drive spin-up and then stop. Then click OK and see if the installer recognizes the disc change. Do this for all the CDs that are requested. Try checking for a firmware/BIOS update for your CD or DVD drive. We have had several reports of sucessfull installs of BG2 once a firmware update was applied. You will have to check with your CD/DVD drive manufacturer for this kind of update. If for whatever reason you are unable to do a Recommended or Full install, but you can do a Minimum install, please read How to "fake" a larger install from a Minimum.(that's the link above) If you have multiple CD/DVD drives, only install from one and do not try to use all of your drives. For some reason, this is confusing InstallShield. If you cannot do any install without getting some sort of error or crash and you have about 5 Gig of free hard drive space, you can try to copy all 4 CDs to your hard drive, then run the install from there. Please note, you must copy all 4 CDs to the same directory for the install to run. If you get prompted for the next CD, then you have not copied the files over properly, or you have missed some. Try turning off DMA for your CD/DVD drive. For some people, this has allowed them to install. You can find this checkbox by going to your Control Panel, then to System, then to the Device Manager tab. Find your CD/DVD drive and bring up its Properties, then go to the Settings tab. Try turning off your CD/DVD read-ahead. For some people, this has allowed them to install. You can find this slider by going to your Control Panel, then to System, then to the Performance tab. Down in the Advanced Settings frame, press the File System... button and move the slider all the way to the left. You may need to restart for this setting to take effect. [This message has been edited by vesselle (edited 05-21-2001).]

05-21-2001, 09:39 AM	#8
Hayashi Silver Dragon Join Date: March 25, 2001 Location: The Lion City Age: 62 Posts: 1,699	Having problems with one file in CD3 - MovCD3.bif. All files copied successfully except this one. I can copy 600+MB of data in miniutes, but this file (only 6+ MB) has taken me half an hour and still going!! I tried a recommended install from the copies of the CDs which I put on my hard drive. Now it asks me for CD5! I just can't win!! I'll wait until the %#!(&!@$( file is copied, then I'll try the full install off the hard drive. Question: Do I copy the contents of the CDs into separate folders, or do I copy them all into one* folder?

05-21-2001, 09:55 AM	#9
Hayashi Silver Dragon Join Date: March 25, 2001 Location: The Lion City Age: 62 Posts: 1,699	OK - the file seems to have copied over (took 45 minutes - for 6+MB!!) - now to put them all in one location. (keeps fingers crossed) [This message has been edited by Hayashi (edited 05-21-2001).]

05-21-2001, 10:53 AM	#10
Hayashi Silver Dragon Join Date: March 25, 2001 Location: The Lion City Age: 62 Posts: 1,699	The copying seemed to go ok - but during the full installation, I got a bad CRC error with the MovCD3.bif file, the very same one that took so long to copy. I feel like banging my head on the wall. I was able to continue the installation by clicking 'ignore'. Checking the copy of the MovCD3.bif file that was placed in the game directory, it is of the same size as the original on CD3, down to the last byte. But whether the file is corrupted is anybody's guess... [This message has been edited by Hayashi (edited 05-21-2001).]

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