How to make a backup copy of your Dreamcast game [BBA method]

@Dreamcast

Published in

Dreamcast

· 27 Feb 2021

Introduction:

This tutorial will explain how to make your copies of official original games, on GD-Rom therefore, with a Broadband Adapter.
This method is relatively expensive because BBAs are generally sold for around 100/150 euros, so it is rather reserved for people who already have the small hardware.
Another technique, much less expensive, with SD-Reader will soon be posted on this forum.
The tutorial does not explain how to reduce the total size of a game, for games larger than 900MB.

Tips and various notes:

I strongly recommend not to go through a box (Livebox, Freebox ...) or other router for the PC <-> DC connection, in fact the data transfer being very low (1 to 1.5 MB / s), it is very frequently cut by this type of connection.
The very first copy can take a long time, between installations and various settings, allow more than two hours. The following copies will be faster from 15 min to 1 hour depending on your installation, its power and the game to be copied.
Paragraphs A and B are only to be done for the first copy, for the following ones go directly to C.

What you will need in software:

decompression software like Winrar:
Dreamcast emulator for Windows:
the .cdi creation software:
the .cdi burning software:
the file: httpd-ack-20080711.zip
the exe file: nullDC_Win32_Release-NoTrace.exe
the exe file: dummy.exe
the exe file: isofix.exe
the exe file: binhack32.exe

What you will need in hardware:

a Dreamcast from before 2001 connected to a TV
a Broadband Adapter (BBA)
a Broadband Passport boot CD
a crossover Ethernet cable (a straight one should also work, but not tested)
two blank CDs
a Windows PC, I use a Windows Seven 64 Home PC
an original game

A- PC <-> Dreamcast connection settings:

For the three IPs below you will need to enter the values according to your personal network.

Connect the Ethernet cable to the console and to the PC.
Insert the Broadband Passport into the Dreamcast and turn it on.
Go to the internet settings menu.
Enter an IP for your BBA, for the demonstration I am using 192.168.1.45.
Enter the IP of the gateway, for the demonstration I am using 192.168.1.1.
Enter the mask IP, for the demonstration I am using 255.255.0.0.
Validate until registration on the VMS.
Make a bridge between the two connections to allow recognition of the BBA by Windows.

Your connection is configured.

B- Burning the httpd-ack CD:

Unzip the httpd-ack-20080711.zip archive wherever you want. A .cdi file comes out, delete the other file (s).
Launch Discjuggler and open the cdi file extracted previously.
Start burning, leaving all settings as they are.

Your httpd-ack CD is created.

C-Dump of game tracks:

Connect the Ethernet cable to the console and to the PC.
Insert the httpd-ack CD into the console, turn it on, and wait for the full load. A line with the IP should appear 192.168.1.45.
Replace the httpd-ack 1.0.4 CD with the dump set.
Type (????) in your Windows Internet browser (firefox, Internet Explorer ...). The various data and tracks of the game then appear.
Click on all the tracks (trackX.bin or trackX.raw) to save them one by one in a folder that you will name Dump. Do the same for the .gdi file.
Run nullDC_Win32_Release-NoTrace.exe , select the gdi file and verify that the game is launching from the emulator. If not, start the paragraph over from the beginning.

D- File mergers:

Two cases are possible, the case that I will name Simple where there is no .raw file in your Dump folder and the other that I will name Hard where there is one or more .raw files.
Depending on the case you have, head to a method below.

Simple Case:

Open the file settings track3.bin the cleans and note the size of the file. It must imperatively be 1185760800. If this is not the case you made a mistake somewhere, start again from the beginning.

Hard case:

Open the file settings track3.bin the cleanings and note the size of the file, I call it: A .
For my set A = 724519488
Do the same on the last file, track15.bin in my case I call it: B .
For my set B = 74012736

Calculate the sum 1185760800 - ( A (+) B ). I call the result: C .
For my game: C = 1185760800 - (724519488 + 74012736) = 387228576
Go to the folder containing the dummy.exe executive via a command prompt (Windows, search CMD ...) and create a white file of size C named dummy.bat:

dummy dummy.bin C (replace C with its value, for my set 387228576)

Once you have your dummy.bin file, copy it to the Dump folder.
Head into the Dump folder via a command prompt and create a tracktotal.bin file like this:

copy / b track03.bin + dummy.bin + trackXX.bin tracktotal.bin (put the real name of trackXX.bin, for my game track15.bin)

Check the size of tracktotal.bin, it must be 1185760800, if this is not the case you made a mistake somewhere, start over from the beginning of the Case Hard.

E- Modification of the binary:

Paste isofix.exe in the Dump folder and run it.
Indicate tracktotal.bin then the value 45000 then let the utility finish.
Rename the bootfile.bin file to ip.bin and extract with Winrar the fixed.iso file in a folder named Extract .
Move binhack32.exe to the Extract folder and launch it. Indicate 1st_read.bin then ip.bin and finally the value 11702. The utility will patch the two binaries.

F- Creation of the cdi:

In the Extract folder, remove binhack32.exe.
Check the size of the Extract folder. If it's not at least 500MB, create a dummy.bat file the same way as before. A large size facilitates the launch of the game by the console.
Place the ip.bin in the Bootmake Tool folder then run the utility. Fill in, if necessary, the indications like this:

Volume name: put the name you want
Source directory: find your Extract folder
IP.BIN: leave as is
ISO temp: leave as is
Destination file: indicate the location and the name of the .cdi file

Click on Make, your .cdi file will be created automatically.
Launch nullDC_Win32_Release-NoTrace.exe , select the .cdi file and verify that the game is launching from the emulator.

Warning: Bootmake does not support spaces and special characters like é, &, è,! ...