I'm trying to reverse an old 16 bit game here and I've been at it for weeks. I have read many of the tuts that I have found and no one has hit with teaching me to [No-CD] this game. I've been following the instructions from some members of this forum, by trying to research for the answers via google, prevailing nothing. There is one particular file that lies with the HDVideo folder [insertcd.avf] that what software I have, can't do a thing with. Hiew will open it but I have no idea what offset to target, because the disassembler gives me no "string data reference" option. I believe that the no-cd issue lie within this file. Am I on the right path to solving this issue, or do I need to look in another direction?

Thank you for your time and patience with me.

The AVF extension sounds to me like a proprietary format of some video animation to prompt the user to insert the CD if it is missing, but I haven't found confirmation on google.

Try, without cd, to run the file with and without that file and see what happens...

Regards, bilbo

Assuming it is a data file, you should try and look for locations from where that file is accessed in executable code. Maybe the filename is hardcoded somewhere.

Avf sounds like Audio/Video File to me, too. Also, it is in a folder named 'hdvideo', so it is a logical guess.

Peres

I agree with the both of you and yes it is in a video folder...but there's a catch. I'll be back shortly with the details. Need to type it up on notepad so I can just paste it. Back shortly!!!!
**********************************************************

The game comes in a [two disc] set. Disc 1 has all the bells and whistles, where disc 2 shows only a couple of folders and a few cab files. During the installation procedure, to insert disc 2 is not an option. This is what I do. I dump disc 1 into a folder on my drive which includes doing the same for disc 2. I name both folders according to the disc's label. From the HHD I run the set up and install the game to it's default location the Program Files. Once this is done, I click on the desk-top short-cut and the game launches without the cd being the drive. Disc 2 contains two folders, cd sound and cd video...there's nothing in the cd sound folder but cd video has over 530mbs of .avf files.
After launching the game it gets to a certain point to where it says insert cd 2. I've tried tranferring the remaining avf files from cd2 over into the installed program's hd video folder, but that doesn't help. I've tried to make some changes in the game's ini file, like changing the paths of the new location of the files, but this does no good either. I used Wdasm89 and Hiew32 to make to changes,I used the nop code, but I still get the insert cd2 anyway.

bilbo suggested that I'd try to run this game by extracting this file at certain points of its function...these are the results:

Removed "insertcd.avf" from the game dump folder [before install] = "no install"

Removed "insertcd.avf" from installed game's folder [Program Files] = recived window "Game"
Unable to open file C:\Game Title\Game disc label folder[where I dumped the game from the disc]\cdvideo\insertcd.avf...I ckicked "OK" and received...MICROSOFT VISUAL C++ Runtime Library...Runtime Error!...Program:C:\Program Files\Game Title\Game Sub-Title\Game.exe...abnormal program termination.

Remove "insertcd.avf" from both the dump folder and the program folder and the game crashes.


These are the results...I'm still going to investigate further, but any help da_n sure would be appreciated.

Howdy,

Lets try a cd emulator program.

Woodmann

Howdy Woodmann...

I don't want any Virtual Drives...that's just a form of quitting.

eh eh, rather coriaceous these old dudes (I'm speaking for myself)...

Well, if I were you - since I do not know nothing about 16-bits (and we also need to find out if the OS is a pure DOS or Windows 16) I would grab a No-CD patch (search for "N**** D***"" + "no cd", with the quotes - is correct my guess about the game?) - I am sure you will find it! - and I would study the differences before and after the "maquillage".

Best regards, bilbo

bilbo...

I did look for it, that was one of the very first things that I did. Not finding it was the reason I had decided to research the possibilities of my learning how to do it myself. I'm sure most if not all of the newer games are a little easer to debug. It's just that this da_n 16 bitter has me on a mission. Do you know...I never thought about the possibility of this thing being an DOS game though! Thanks buddy.