I have selfbooted Sakura Taisen Columns 2 using EXOBOOT and the game boots fine on a PAL Dreamcast, but not on a friend's Japanese Dreamcast. The image is a data/data CDI. I have found some information regarding JP Dreamcasts stating that some early ones have problems with data/data discs, and converting these to audio/data is recommended. Any idea how to convert a .cdi image from data/data to audio/data ? Thanks in advancd! By the way, in case you are wondering, the reason I am doing this is because I couldn't find the self booting image anywhere.
Yes, it's true that the first Jap dreamcast model has problem booting data/data image. You can adapt this to convert your data/data image to a audio/data from point 6 with CDRECORD Method : http://www.racketboy.com/retro/2004/08/dreamcast-self-boot-tutorial-by.html I ve already done this, it works. You have to rip your image and recompil it following this guide. I ve done the dreamshell disc for old JP dreamcast. There is utility that can do the rebuild process in a final cdi (audio/data) image in such a way to avoid to burn the audio track and the data track separatly but I am at work now. But if you want it, I will be able to give you a link later. I ve never found an utility that was able to do this job at once with a results of a working cd on old jp dreamcast.
Thanks a lot for your reply, really appreciated! I will try out the tutorial as you linked. Meanwhile, when you can, send me link to the other utility
Alright here is a small update, maybe someone can help. 1. I grabbed the Data/Data .CDI image (which when booted on a PAL DC worked fine). 2. I extracted the data to a folder from the above mentioned CDI image 3. Launched BootDream and selected the above folder for data to create a self booting image with it 4. Got an Audio/Data .CDI Whenever I try this one, the Sega copyright screen appears, then goes back to the menu. I tried with both 1st boot file as SCRAMBLED and as UNSCRAMBLED as well, and I got the same issue in both cases. Is there something I'm missing? Cheers!
trouble with Echelon's selfboot tutorial is that i never got cdrecord to work under XP/Win7 properly- can't burn audio.raw properly i have used it quite a lot when i was running Win98. is it possible that the game is protected? i'd try echelon in any case and use sector 45000 just to be sure. maybe just wait for someone else's better suggestion : )
cdrecord works perfectly under XP. (I never tried under win7). The syntax to use depends on the cdrecord version you have. If you want to be sure with the syntax to use (echelon guide), you should use a version from 2000 or something like this. Maybe you recorder is not compatible ? Echelon guide is the key things for DC image convertion. You just have to binhack the 1ST_READ.BIN or BOOT.BIN with 11702 (it is what I use with my recorder and a audio.raw as first track). Have a good IP.BIN Make the data.iso including IP.BIN in it. Write the first track (audio.raw) with cdr then the second track (data.iso) or if you do not want to use cdrecorder, you can use cdi4dc to build your selfboot cdi image. It is a summary of what I usually do and it is working perfectly to build working selfbooting image under XP for the old JAP Dreamcast model, the one with cooling pipe and metal fan. No, his game is not protected. It is just a matter of using the good tools.
I just found a very easy way to do selfbooting for the first Jap Dreamcast. No need to cdrecorder or cdi4dc from command line. Just binhack the 1ST_READ.BIN or BOOT.BIN then use bootmake.exe from this link : http://dreamagain.free.fr/media/outils/bootmake_11_cdi4dc_02b.rar I will results in a selfboot cdi image ready to be burn. Bootmake is a gui for cdi4dc, it's very simple to use, no command line except the binhack process.
Thanks, I will try it. One question... If you are using a Data/Data CD and want to change it to Audio/CD, do you still have to run Binhack on 1stboot/boot.bin, or you just run bootmake.exe? In other words if I do this, should it work? 1. Copy game data from data/data selfboot disc 2. Run bootmake to make audio/data selfboot disc Cheers!
