• Registered: 2020-11-02
  • Posts: 2

I had a few questions to make sure I don't do anything wrong when submitting dumps and was directed here.

1. I saw on the Wiki that submission requests dumping with 2 different tools as well as 2 different drives to confirm correctness. For my CD-based games with SafeDisc I currently only have a LG WH14NS40, which does work (I also have a Plextor PX-708UF drive but it is broken and I don't have any immediate plans to attempt repair). I only have that 1 working drive, not 2. I assume this isn't as big a deal for duplicate submissions that match, but for ones that aren't on the site I'm wondering if that is sufficient? For DVDs I do have several other drives I can use.

2. My WH14NS40 successfully dumps my SafeDisc discs without issue, and for those which are already on the site, the hashes match. This is with the firmware that shipped on the drive (I haven't checked the version, since it has worked). Is there a particular reason I'd want to cross-flash to the ASUS if the stock LG firmware works? The wiki implies this is somehow an ideal FW but I didn't see an explanation of why that might be the case.

3. When I dump a disc, I notice the DAT file is XML-like with placeholder data. Should I be filling this out myself or leaving it the way DiscImageCreator generated it, and submitting the file as-is?

Thanks!

  • Registered: 2019-06-28
  • Posts: 172

Here's my experience (which may not be the best practice):

1. For most of the things I've dumped, I only dumped them once, using DICUI and a Plexor PX-W4012TA (for CDs) or a TS-H352C (for Xbox 360) or the DVD drive in my laptop (for video DVDs).  However, if it seems like something's gone wrong, I'll usually dump it another time with the same drive.  For Wii or GameCube games, if it dumped successfully once, I don't bother with doing it a second time, except for unlicensed games by Datel where it can't detect errors during the dump process.  If you're verifying an existing dump, you probably don't need to dump with multiple drives.  (That said, I also haven't dumped anything with unusual copy protection, where things may be different.)

2. I don't know anything about this.

3. I've never edited the dat file.  DICUI prompts for information that goes into a !submissionInfo.txt, which I usually submit directly (sometimes I edit it afterwards to tweak language, version, or contents info).  I upload all of the files (other than img/iso/bin/scm) though.  I think the metadata in the dat file is to match the format seen in datfiles from http://redump.org/downloads/ and doesn't matter for the individual ones.

  • Registered: 2020-11-02
  • Posts: 2

DICUI prompts for information that goes into a !submissionInfo.txt, which I usually submit directly (sometimes I edit it afterwards to tweak language, version, or contents info).

Ah, I see. I have been using the command-line version since I am on Linux. That version doesn't prompt for that info, so I suspect I will have to do some things manually. I'll have to check later to see if I can use the GUI guide to see what else I might be missing on the command-line version.

  • Registered: 2019-06-28
  • Posts: 172

AnEvilKoala wrote:

DICUI prompts for information that goes into a !submissionInfo.txt, which I usually submit directly (sometimes I edit it afterwards to tweak language, version, or contents info).

Ah, I see. I have been using the command-line version since I am on Linux. That version doesn't prompt for that info, so I suspect I will have to do some things manually. I'll have to check later to see if I can use the GUI guide to see what else I might be missing on the command-line version.

Here's a sample from a CD (http://redump.org/disc/2286/):

Common Disc Info:
    Title: Unreal
    Foreign Title (Non-latin): 
    Disc Number / Letter: 
    Disc Title: 
    System: IBM PC Compatible
    Media Type: CD-ROM
    Category: Games
    Region: USA
    Languages: Klingon (CHANGE THIS)
    Disc Serial: 04-12527CD2

    Ringcode Information:
        Mastering Code (laser branded/etched): FUTURE MEDIA \ CA    FM 14171 (04-12527CD2/GT0001)
        Mastering SID Code: IFPI LG32
        Data-Side Mould SID Code: IFPI 3V19
        Label-Side Mould SID Code: 
        Additional Mould: 
        Toolstamp or Mastering Code (engraved/stamped): 
    Barcode: 7 42725 60369 1
    Error Count: 0
    Comments: [T:ISBN] 1-56893-420-3
    Contents: 

Version and Editions:
    Version: 
    Edition/Release: Original

Extras:
    Primary Volume Descriptor (PVD):

0320 : 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20  20 20 20 20 20 31 39 39                199
0330 : 38 30 36 32 35 31 33 30  38 34 30 30 30 00 31 39   8062513084000.19
0340 : 39 38 30 36 32 35 31 33  30 38 34 30 30 30 00 32   98062513084000.2
0350 : 30 30 38 30 36 32 32 31  33 30 38 34 30 30 30 00   008062213084000.
0360 : 31 39 39 38 30 36 32 35  31 33 30 38 34 30 30 30   1998062513084000
0370 : 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ................

Copy Protection:
    Copy Protection:

E:\_sys1.cab: CD Check
E:\msvcrt.dll: CD Check
E:\DirectX5\dx5eng.exe: CD Check
E:\DirectX5\dx5frn.exe: CD Check
E:\DirectX5\dx5ger.exe: CD Check
E:\DirectX5\dx5itn.exe: CD Check
E:\DirectX5\dx5spa.exe: CD Check
E:\Heat\katalyst.exe: CD Check
E:\MPlayer\mplaynow.exe: CD Check
E:\Shared\MFC40.DLL: CD Check
E:\Shared\MSVBVM50.DLL: CD Check
E:\Shared\MSVCRT40.DLL: CD Check
E:\Shared\OLEAUT32.DLL: CD Check
E:\System\MSVCRT.DLL: CD Check
E:\WorldNet\iestuff\IE3240E\IE4SETUP.EXE: CD Check
E:\WorldNet\iestuff\IE3240E\MSVCRT40.DLL: CD Check

Tracks and Write Offsets:
    DAT:

<rom name="Unreal.bin" size="533435952" crc="f90745a5" md5="6ecaac5ca1e3ed590b4eb4b49390cfcc" sha1="94a09a8f33db49bd6298ecf1b969d3073324f93c" />

    Cuesheet:

FILE "Unreal.bin" BINARY
  TRACK 01 MODE1/2352
    INDEX 01 00:00:00

    Write Offset: -22

I'm pretty sure the "Copy Protection" section is generated by DICUI and won't have an equivalent with the command-line.  Also note that I didn't bother testing languages, as I didn't want to try and install things (and they were already listed on the previous dump I was verifying).  The other fields are as explained in http://wiki.redump.org/index.php?title= … _your_Dump (and http://wiki.redump.org/index.php?title= … g_database)