Unable to Make Backup CD; Help Please

[perpster]

Hi All. I got over my anaylysis paralysis between KP & HTTR, thanks to the lively forums (for both games) here on Matrixgames.com, and decided to buy HTTR. Amazingly, the only place I could find it (other than online ordering), was Electronics Boutique in a nearby mall. They told me it was their one and only copy ever ordered, and that it had never sold and is being discontinued (by EB). HTTR not carried by CompUSA or BestBuy.

I play almost exclusively on a laptop that travels quite a bit, so a backup copy of the cd is essential (and it's obviously good SOP practice to always keep a backup anyway). I have tried to copy it on 2 different pc's but both tell me the new OEM HTTR disk is unreadable (dirty, etc.). The disk is not dirty; in fact, it loads the install program just fine.

So, let me ask the forum:

1. is the cd copy protected?

2. is there some obvious reason I am overlooking why I am unable to burn a backup cd?

3. is it necessary to have the cd in the drive whenever playing, and if so, can that cd be the backup instead of the original?

For the record, I paid US$49.99+tax and I am not a bootlegger.

I can't wait to install and play this game, but I have a couple of projects to finish first. Installing and playing HTTR will be my reward!

[Hertston]

Virtually all games these days are copy protected AND need the disk in the drive to play... I'm afraid it's even spread to wargames and "proper" flight simulators. It's a pain in the arse (I use a laptop a lot, too), but Matrix and the other distributors of their games are just following what has become the industry norm.

To make back-ups of protected disks you need buy the (perfectly legal) software to do it. A Google search will find it.

[perpster]

Damn. I feel like the 1,000 yard stare in your image! Would be nice if the cd software I have would say "disk is copy protected" instead of "disk is dirty, may have dirt or fingerprints on it". I've tried to clean the disk and the drives over and over again!!! Thanks for the reply.