This form of CD copy protection was developed to more or less to dismay passive copying. It uses a illegal TOC (table of contents) that does not conform to ISO standards to inhibit duplication by confusing the CD-RW software. Over simplified the TOC lists tracks and volumes that are not respectfully there.

    A good example of this form of protection is Tomb Raider III. So let's take a look at the CD...

    With Nero installed on your system, or other CD-RW software that let's you mount separate volumes on a CD, right click the Tomb Raider III CD in My Computer and select properties. You will notice that this CD has four volumes. Two of which are audio tracks One TOMB3 track that is 516MB in size but only has a play time of 2 seconds (this would be a result of the illegal TOC), and another TOMB3 volume that is 516MB in size and has a play time of 76 Min. (If you do not have Nero or like software the disk will appear to be over a gig in size when you get the properties.)

    If you  physically look at the underbelly of this CD you can see two separate tracks, or what appears to be a very long lead-in to the CD.

    The problem most CD-R software such as Adaptec / Roxio has with such CD's is that when it comes time to duplicate the CD that illegal TOC confuses the hell out it.

    The simplest solution for this is to use a CD-R software that let's you choose to ignore illegal TOC's.  Aheads Nero Burning Rom offers this as well as some others. If you are using CDRWin try the MCN/ISRC enabled setting. Clone CD settings are as follows; On reading the CD select read Sub-channel data from data tracks, read sub-channel data from audio tracks and since most CD's protected this way incorporate dummy files select Intelligent bad sector scanner. (It won't hurt)

    Other Notes; It is advisable to use a CD-R drive that is capable of reading sub-channel data...

 

~InXS~