GUI for Selfboot

[Atch]

Hi! First thanks Exoskeletor for your gui, it's THE tool that i use to make selfboot images (i have a 2X speed RW recorder, so i don't have time enough to burn directly on a CDRW...).
I just wanted to talk about a 'bug' which isn't directly from your guy : On some games, Binhack crashes while trying to edit the 1ST_READ.BIN, then displaying some hex values (for debugging i suppose ?) ! The .BIN remains unedited, and the final .CDI image hangs up on the Sega logo. I got this result with the game Ooga-Booga, and some others (exemple: Tokyo Extreme Racer 1 from an original non selfboot release, despite it worked without problem with the version of this game that i extracted from Jeffma's racing compilation). So i wanted to know if someone already had that kind of thing, and if there is a way to bypass it (like hand-editing the .BIN, of course, but i didn't find a *clear* explanation for this.
Thanks for any answer! ^^

 

[Ex0skelet0r]

hmm.if its a bug of binhack i can't do nothing .does anyone knows other games with the same problem?

 

[Atch]

After reading some help files on the net, i figure out that we effectively can't do anything : binhack seems to work by looking for a particular string in the BIN file. So i think it crashes coz he can't find it in some particular BINs that don't contain it, or, more obviously, on BINs that are to small in size to contain this string... Hacking such BINs would probably require a decompiler :yucky: ! Too bad =(

 

[MasterPhW]

I was wondering about the CDI file which was given after the hacking.
It was much smaller then the unhacked one. Why?
My unhacked rip of virtual one was 6** MB and tzhe hacked one was 2** MB (didn't remember the real size) but it worked. Any idea why it's so?

 

[KyJelly]

most likely because it removed the dummy.dat file

 

[NAruto2015]

Hi everybody i dl DC - Soul Calibur(self)(MDS).zip and use Ex0skelet0r prog ExoBoot 1.21 but i get the following error.

Please help me.



@echo off
echo -----------------------------
echo :: Script From Exoskeletor ::
echo :: Selfboot IMAGE Maker ::
echo -----------------------------
echo.


Rem DELETE OLD FILES AND COPY NEW ONES
Rem ==================================
echo Preparing directories and copying files:
echo Please Wait....
SET MAINDIR=C:\Dokumente und Einstellungen\Tobias\Desktop
SET READERSCSI=
SET READER=
SET GAMENAME=kjh
SET DestDIR=C:\Dokumente und Einstellungen\Tobias\Desktop\df\data
del /q %MAINDIR%\1ST_READ.BIN
copy /Y %DestDIR%\1ST_READ.BIN %MAINDIR%\1ST_READ.BIN >nul
del /q %DestDIR%\1ST_READ.BIN >nul
del /q %DestDIR%\dummy.bin >nul
del /q %DestDIR%\ip.bin >nul
echo.


Rem RUN BINHACK
Rem ===========
echo Running BINHACK
echo.
binhack <BINHACKimage.txt
echo.


Rem COPY HACKED 1ST_READ-BIN AND IP.BIN
Rem ========================
echo Copying over hacked binary
echo.
copy /Y %MAINDIR%\1ST_READ.BIN %DestDIR%\1ST_READ.BIN >nul
copy /Y %MAINDIR%\IP.BIN %DestDIR%\IP.BIN >nul
echo.


Rem CREATING THE IMAGE
Rem ========================
Mkisofs -C 0,0 -V Autoboot -l -o data.iso C:\Dokumente und Einstellungen\Tobias\Desktop\df\data
Bin2boot data.iso
del data.iso
del *.tmp
rename image.cdi %gamename%.cdi


echo Your selfboot game %gamename%.cdi is ready.You will find it here:%MAINDIR%
echo Enjoy
pause

 

[Ex0skelet0r]

this is not an error.it's the batch file which has been created by ExoBoot.
Try again using this program in another directory without spaces. (like: Dokumente und Einstellungen)

Here is another link for my program(with the right exoboot.exe):
http://xoomer.virgilio.it/exoskeletor/ExoBoot_v1_21.exe

 

[BIGFOOT_PI]

Hi everybody i dl DC - Soul Calibur(self)(MDS).zip and use Ex0skelet0r prog ExoBoot 1.21 but i get the following error.


WHY ARE YOU RUNNING Exoboot on THIS IMAGE?? its allready self booting and works with Chankast!!
I got the same image. You have to extract the image out of the zip file. you can then mount the .mds file directly with Daemon tools 3.46 and run with chankast with no problem- ran just fine for me.
ps- Please people!!!! - Exo is doing hard work here for us all and doesnt need to be bothered by "n00bs" who dont even know how to run working self-boot games properly.

 

[Ex0skelet0r]

Version 1,25 is ready:

- ExoBoot don't let you anymore to select a folder with spaces (If you have install ExoBoot in a directory with spaces then the program will display a message)
- Added support to search for the selfboot bin file (Thanx Johann for that)
- ExoBoot now checks your free hard disk drive space and don't let you extract the files if you don't have the right space left
- some other smaller bugs have been fixed

I have disable mode 2 because it was not working with all the image files, it wasn't able to search the selfbootable bin file and because it's better to use daemon tools (i don't think so that anyone use this mode)

I really try to make this program better and better but the code is starting and getting very big and it's not easy to test. Please forgive me for any bug you see. If you find one please tell it to me.

Someone test my program with a game which has a selfbootable bin file other that the usually 1st_read.bin.

Enjoy guys.
Download: http://xoomer.virgilio.it/exoskeletor/ExoBoot_v1_25.exe

 

[Duranium]

Your program doesn`t work with my Power Stone 2 and Metropolis Street Racer...but all the games that i've downloaded the programs work! Thank you for everything!

 

[Ex0skelet0r]

I have also made BinFinder.
Duranium can you download BinFinder and use it with Power Stone 2 and Metropolis Street Racer and tell me what is your selfboot file? (enter your game in your cd-rom or use daemon tools if you have an image, select your cd reader and hit find bin file.)

 

[Whirlinurd]

Comment removed. Content was obsolete.

 

[Ex0skelet0r]

Wow a lot of bugs i see and im scared.
Give me some time to see your other problems.
You say that it displays a message that you don't have enough space. how much free space you have in this hard disk?
EDIT:
Fixed problem with drive space
Fixed problem with the bin files

 

[Whirlinurd]

Yes, the final burned project worked. :whistling Hum, yes, and it did work to rebuild a selfboot image. Only have to image with burn program and finished.

I don't know yet what to do with non bootable images that also have extra audio tracks within the image or separate as with bin and cue. I believe the image burned with cdrecord is finialized and have no experience in adding those audio tracks after it is burned. Maybe exoboot is able to burn them also if they are present in a separate folder or set in the program itself eventually. Maybe you can post your thoughts also for me to see.

One game is Dead or alive that has cue, iso and Dead or Alive 02.mp3 > Dead or Alive 24.mp3. Another one is Gauntlet Legends that has three extra audio tracks within the .bin file. All the files I mentioned here can be extracted, converted and renamed before setting them in Exoboot. It generally consists to configure exoboot to take extra audio tracks with cdrecord if they exist in a seperate configurable folder. The files should be always alfabetical like audiotrack02.wav, audiotrack03.wav, etc. This sound easier then it is probably. Ill check later on this adventure....

Thanks and may your new ideas create themself, your bugs dissappear as silently as they came and the final result working better than hoped. Great. See ya. :happy:

 

[Ex0skelet0r]

the problem with the disk space i can't understad it.are you selecting the cd reader right? what it the letter of your hard disk and of your cd reader?

Well it seems that the code has problems with the virtual devices so i will disable this feature for now

Whirlinurd: I can make a mode only to remove the dummy files. and burn the extra adio files also. can you tell me the name of the extra audio files?

The way that the image file is created is very different from the way which the program burns a cd. the image's are working only with daemon tools 3,29 and not to all the pc's (for example the images aren't working in my computer). the best way to ccreate an image is to burn your game into a cd-rw cd and make an image from the cd with alcohol,nero or discjuggler

I have upload again the version 1,25 with the bug fixed. Mirror Link to Download here:
http://xoomer.virgilio.it/exoskeletor/ExoBoot_v1_25.exe
(if you have already download version 1,25 then just download exoboot.exe again and copy it into the exoboot directory)

 

[bleeder]

exo, nice work on this program, I'm using it for all my games and its really easy and actualy works.

I have a problem with the game Trickstyle, though.
It works fine after making the image, but I get no in game music.

See, the music are on tracks 2-14, while track 1 is the game files which only makes out 80mb (what the image comes out to) from ~400mb cd.

Btw, the cd I am using isn't selfbootable.

Is there a way to make an image keeping all the extra tracks? Another note, that if you use a cd player, you can play the music on those tracks.

Here's a picture of the original cd

 

[Ex0skelet0r]

yes this is a problem that i have.i am using mkisofs to create the images and mkisofs creates only data cd images without audio tracks. Im trying to find a way to create images with audio tracks (of course only with one click )
in the next version i will add an option to save your settings (so you will not have to enter them every time you're using ExoBoot)
for now the only thing that i can tell you is: use a cd-rw disk to burn the image and then create an image

Has anyone test it with games that have other bin file than 1st_read.bin?

Stay tuned

 

[Atch]

Has anyone test it with games that have other bin file than 1st_read.bin?

Hi Exo ! Yeah, i tried with some games using other bin than 1st_read.bin (like 1st_usa.bin), and it works fine. You just have to rename it to 1st_read.bin, and it works like a charm.

EDIT : sorry, i wasn't talking about the binfinder, but exoboot itself... Seems i'd better read before posting :blush:

I had a remark to do : i have difficults with some games, like Power Stone 2 or Confidential Mission. I have isos that are already selfboot, but i wanted to build a new one for each game, removing the dummy files to take less space on my HD. Unfortunately it didn't work for those (but fine with a bunch of others)... And i can't find why. Maybe the game itself checks it's own size ? It could be true, coz i observed some interesting things with other games.
I'll take Virtua Tennis 2 (european version) as an exemple : i also had a selfboot image, that i wanted to reduce, but it didn't work. Then i observed that the only audio track in 1st session was quite big (75 Mb), so i extracted this track as a wav file, replaced the 00session1.wav by the 75Mb one and built a new selfboot image (by the burning way to a CDRW) with your proggie. And it worked this time ! So i figure out that some games are able to check the size of some of their tracks (at lieast audio tracks)?

In a same way, some games are also able to check : 1- the size of their audio track(s), 2- the NUMBER of these audio tracks in the 1st session. (ie : Looney Toons Space Race and Hydro Thunder are of that kind). You can bypass it by extracting their audio tracks (with isobuster), then put these wavs to you exoboot folder (remove the 00session1.wav or it will be burned too), and burn everything on a cdrw. That's due to the fact that in the exoboot's script, it is asked to burn as the 1st session, *ALL* wav files (*.wav) in the directory, whitch is a good idea !!

I wish i was quite clear... (sorry english isn't my native language at all!)
Any comment about the track size check ? thanx !

 

[Ex0skelet0r]

why you have rename the bin file?is ExoBoot working without renaming it?

No the program doesn't check the size at all.There are 2 reasons of this problem:
1. it's hacking again the 1st_read.bin file and some times this is creating the problem
2. the 1st audio wav. Non-selfbootable games doesn't have this one

i want a favour for you and for all the guys here. can you test something for me:
Tell me. all the selfbootable games has an audio track in the first session right? if you do the same thing that you have do with all the games are working fine? (i mean this:" i extracted this track as a wav file, replaced the 00session1.wav by the 75Mb one and built a new selfboot image (by the burning way to a CDRW) with your proggie. And it worked this time !")

I will add an option to remove the dummy files only because i see that a lot of people want it.

 

[Atch]

why you have rename the bin file?is ExoBoot working without renaming it?

When i said i had to rename the bin file, it was to answer your older question "Has anyone test it with games that have other bin file than 1st_read.bin?" which concerned the binfinder. But i misread it and thought it was about exoboot itself. So please forget it.

About the size check : i didn't mean that exoboot checked this, but the game itself ! I think that, for some games (i don't know why), the game checks itself its audio tracks.

About your request : i didn't understand what you exactly want from us ? You would like me and others to test the audio track extraction, then reinjecting it by replacing the 00session1.wav, FOR ANY GAME ? If i'm right, it isn't usefull for most of games, because most of them already have a single blank audio track in their 1st session, that has the same size as the 00session1.wav. But as I told you, i tried this method with games like 'Looney Toons Space Race' and 'Hydro Thunder', which have multiple audio tracks, and which won't selfboot if they are removed during the process. For those game, you have to have ALL these tracks, and which keeps their original lengh. I tried with blanked (no sound) wav files with the same lengh and it worked fine.

Is it what you were waiting for ?