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

@Dreamcast

Published in

Dreamcast

· 17 Jul 2022

Introduction

This tutorial will explain how to make your copies of official original Dreamcast games, on GD-Rom therefore, with a Broadband Adapter.
This method is relatively expensive because BBAs are generally on sale around 100/150 euros, so it is rather reserved for people who already have the 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 over 900 MB.

Miscellaneous tips and 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 reduced very frequently by this type of connection.
The very first copy can take a long time, between installations and various settings, count 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 made for the first copy, for the following ones go directly to C.

What you will need in software

decompression software like Winrar: www.win-rar.com
the Dreamcast emulator for Windows: NullDC http://www.jheberg.net/captcha/7ieXOi-nulldc-rar (unzip everything in a folder)
the .cdi creation software: http://depositfiles.com/files/vswf8plom (Bootmake + cdi4dc)
.cdi burning software: Disjuggler https://legacy.padus.com/downloads/dj/free/setup.exe (install it)
the file: http://www.gotwalls.com/files/httpd-ack-20080711.zip
the executive: Dummy.exe http://depositfiles.com/files/5o0qtfren
the executive: Binhack32.exe http://depositfiles.com/files/pmpbg3hmw
the executive: Isofix.exe http://depositfiles.com/files/586xnn5a9

What you will need in hardware

a Dreamcast released before 2001 connected to a monitor
a Broadband Adapter (BBA)
a Broadband Passport boot CD

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

a crossover Ethernet cable (a straight one should also work, but not tested)
two blank CDs
a PC with Windows OS, I use a PC with Windows Seven 64 Home
an original Dreamcast game

A-Settings for the PC <-> Dreamcast connection

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 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 use 192.168.1.45.
Enter the gateway IP, for demonstration I use 192.168.1.1.
Enter the IP of the mask, for the demonstration I use 255.255.0.0.
Validate until the recording on the VMS.
Make a bridge between the two connections to allow the 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 earlier.
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 the PC.
Insert the httpd-ack CD in the console, turn it on and wait for the total loading. A line with the IP should appear 192.168.1.45.

Replace the httpd-ack 1.0.4 CD with the game to dump.
Type http://192.168.1.45 in your Windows internet browser software (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.

Launch nullDC_Win32_Release-NoTrace.exe , select the gdi file and check that the game launches well from the emulator. If not, start the paragraph again from the beginning.

D-Merging files

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 are one or more .raw files.
Depending on the case you have, head to one method below.

Simple Case:
Open track3.bin file settings and note the file size. It must imperatively be 1185760800. If this is not the case, you made a mistake somewhere, start over from the beginning.
Hard case:
- Open track3.bin file settings the cleanliness and note the file size, I call it: A.
  For my game A =724519488
  Do the same on the last file, track15.bin in my case I call it: B .
  For my game B = 74012736

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

dummy dummy.bin C

(replace C with its value, for my game 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 imperatively be 1185760800, if this is not the case you made a mistake somewhere, start again from the beginning of the Hard Case.

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 the fixed.iso file using Winrar in a folder named Extract.
Move binhack32.exe to the Extract folder and run it. Indicate 1st_read.bin then ip.bin and finally the value 11702. The utility will patch the two binaries.

F-Creating the cdi

In the Extract folder , remove binhack32.exe.
Control 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 Tool folder of Bootmake then launch 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 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 check that the game launches well from the emulator.

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