Burning Downloaded Game to CD

I'm sure this has probably been covered already, but nothing came up in my search of the forums.
What is the best way to burn hard copies of my downloaded games?

I'll move you to our Tech forum.

It depends on where you get the games from.

With GOG and DotEMU you just copy the installation files to the DVD. If the game is too large for one DVD, you can use 2 or more -- or back up the game on a USB drive with enough space for the game. If you use multiple DVD's for the installation files, you'll have to copy all the files on all the DVD's to the hard drive before installing.

With Adventure Shop games, you also copy the installation files to the DVD. However you'll still need to activate the game after installing (unless you're reinstalling on the same computer and the hard drive has not been replaced or reformatted between times).

Steam has their own procedure for backing up games, which you can find on their website.
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=8794-yphv-2033

There's no good way to back up Big Fish games for installation on a new computer. However if you zip up the game folder of most of their games and copy it to DVD and reinstall it on a computer where the game has previously been installed, the computer will "remember" the game has been successfully activated on that computer before.

Gamersgate has a procedure to back up their DRM-free games
http://www.gamersgate.com/info/faq
However if you want to back up the "entire" game, you'll need an extra file that disappears during the installation. Otherwise the game will require a connection to Gamersgate before it will install properly. For details, check Frazap's post #841038 at http://www.gameboomers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/841038/Re_Any_DRM_on_1953_KGB_Unleash.html

Wow.....I didn't realize it was so complex. So.....are you saying I would have to burn it to a DVD instead of a CD?

Depends on the size of the game file. CD's hold about 700 MB of data and DVD's hold about 4.7 GB of data.

Thank you!

I want to copy 2 advenure Shop games to DVD and I see above you say to copy the installation files, forgive my ignorance but do you mean the whole game or do I have to find certain files, since it seems to me that unless I copy the whole game it won't play if I try to reinstall it??

Oh yes one more question, I found some DVD-R 470gb (verbatim make) on Amazon Uk, would these be alright for use??

You copy the installation files that you download from Adventure Shop.

At the time you install the game, if the installation files needed to be copy to 2 or more DVD's because of large file sizes, you'll have to copy the files from the DVD's to a folder on your hard drive before running the install file. If you try to install the game from a DVD that only has some of the files, the installer will complain because it needs access to ALL the installation files in the same location.


You must mean either 4.7GB or 4700MB. They don't make DVD's in 470GB. I'd use DVD+R's instead of DVD-R's because DVD+R's are meant for data, but you can use either.

If you have a dual-layer DVD burner and are looking for dual-layer DVD's, then 4.7GB is not the size you want. 4.7GB is the regular single-layer DVD size.

Sorry I am still confused, do I go to the Adventurer Shop Downloader and copy from there or programmes86, or both, and yes I did mean 4.7gb which makes Yoormajak's ring take up 2.

I've never used the Adventure Shop downloader, but as long as you can find the installer files, those are what has to be burned to the disc.


Copying the installed game folder will result in an unplayable game (except for casual games). The game folder does not contain any of the registry settings that the game installs.

Please, please treat me like the idiot I am, because I am not sure what an installer file is, I have Riven which is GOG (no downloader) and I went into the files in Progamme 86 and the first breakdown is Riven File folder, then there is GoG downloader at 399 kb and uninstall app at 1,158 kb, the file folder breaks down to data and lots of other files which clearly I don't copy, the data file also breaks down to lots of files which I don't think I copy. I have looked Yoormurjak's ring which according to Adventure Shop is 4.7gb but nothing in the downloader or programmes is anything like that amount, so if I just copy from the downloader I surely won't be getting the whole game - or will I? Sorry, sorry but I clearly don't know what I am doing and I am hoping that this will be the learning curve that I need and will not need to bother you again once I get it into my thick skull..........

monbron,

Another idiot here. Here's what I do. I activate the GOG downloader (which usually needs updating first), then I go to my game shelf and use it to download the game. It goes to a separate GOG folder in My Documents. (Stop me if this is too much detail. ) If I had downloaded Riven, I would just click on that folder and hit Burn to Disc up on the computer task bar. And take it from there.

If the game is already installed and you haven't removed that folder from My Documents, you can still just copy the entire folder of files "there", not from the installation folder in Program Files X86.

HTH?

Edit: I just happened to think. Don't laugh. I've downloaded files from The Adventure Shop before and can't remember where they end up. However, they usually send you more than one link and all the links equal the entire game. "Before" you install anything, just burn those...um, I'll call them "link results" to a disc, that way you'll know you have everything you need. And you can always check by poking that disc in the computer and telling it to install the game. If you can, you've done it right. And you will, trust me.

Gil.

Ok I think I am beginning to understand, I copied the Riven game (as it is smaller) from My Docs and the D drive does say Riven but nowhere can I make it start to install I have tried right clicking etc, so I am at a loss, I still have the original game on computer as a back up until I get the procedure right, I am using win7 I have also gone into autoplay and looked at help but still no install comes up - I told you I was an idiot!!!

Double left clicking the icon for the game should be all you have to do to start the installation process, monbron.

If you did that and even autoplay doesn't help, NO-expert here sees two possibilities. 1. The file is corrupted. 2. You don't have all the files for that game burned to disc.

If nothing helps, start over. Go get the GOG downloader and activate it on your desktop then go to GOG and get the game. Use the downloader and you'll be sure you have all the files you need because it will grab them all.

When that's done, just navigate to the GOG downloads folder in My Docs, then to Riven's folder, poke a blank DVD in the computer and tell it to Burn that game to disc.

Then try installing it from the DVD. Autoplay should bring it up when you put the disc in your computer but sometimes autoplay has hiccups so you can navigate to D and double click on the icon to start the ball rolling.

If all that simplistic stuff doesn't work, kidnap InlandAZ.

Gil.

Mm..... interesting I updated my downloader yet again and it shows none of my games within it, I have sent an e mail to GOG as I assume it should show the games I have downloaded from them as The Adventure Shop does. Perhaps this is part of the problem, lets hope they reply.

Well, no. Mine doesn't show them either. I don't think the GOG downloader retains any of the game files once you close it, which makes sense. Why would you want them there (all those megs, sometimes gigabytes) in two places?

Couldn't say what the AS downloader does as I prefer to dl any game I buy from them in my browser.


Gil.

Ok I give up, I know I have done exactly what you said with Riven but I get the message the files are corrupted. I did hear from GOG (good service!) and I now have the files on their downloader but that still doesn't help. I tried with Deponia (Adventure Shop) but there are no files in My Documents, I did I think find the files in App data but I seem to be going round and round in circles, I guess I will just have to redownload when I want to play them, its just that I have such slow Broadband here, (average 0.67) it takes forever/all night to download and I thought it would be quicker to save to disc.

No it can actually be a good bit slower -- especially if your burning software times out because your connection is so slow and you have to start over because of corrupted/aborted files. It's better to get all the files onto your hard drive before you start burning them -- and make sure they're the size GOG indicates. If a file is supposed to be 2GB and the file you downloaded is only 700MB, you know the file is no good.