[aeberbach]

If the CD is copy protected it can't be played in a computer and often not in a DVD or car CD player. You can play it in a windows PC if you install the software that comes on the disc, and you get to access the pre-encoded MP3s or WMAs they provide, at 96k! What you can't do is encode your own high-quality MP3s or Oggs or APEs or whatever you prefer.

The weird thing is that if you stick the CD in the drive and make a copy of it with Nero it then works like a normal CD.

In other words, if you want to get around the copy protection, just copy it.

Philips have said that this makes it not a real CD. Sure enough, the copy of "Hail To The Thief" that I got from a music store in Melbourne didn't have the CD logo on it. I copied it, returned it, and ordered an unprotected "real" CD from Amazon. I expect that the ACCC and other consumer bodies will eventually force these protected CDs to be displayed somewhere apart from "real" CDs bearing the logo and that will make things os much easier. I might even be able to spend money in a local record store again.

 

[hero zero]

in most cases, the software on a copy protected cd installs itself automatically on your computer, without you knowing...really awful stuff...

 

[johnny sack]

seems almost redundant of them to make copy protected cds. Obviously there are ways around everything, and anyone who wants to copy a cd still will.

 

[ArChaos]

Quote:

Originally posted by hero zero in most cases, the software on a copy protected cd installs itself automatically on your computer, without you knowing...really awful stuff...

Are you sure about that?!!! Where from did you get tis info?

That's the same or even worse than spyware...

 

[hero zero]

I borrowed Massive Attack's 100th Window from a friend...he got it when it first came out...so there was copy protection on it...

when I put it into my drive, a strange variant of Windows Media Player popped up autiomatically [it's very difficult, if not impossible to turn of 'autorun' on Win2k and XP]

This variant of Windows Media Player was dedicated to playing the 100th Window disk...no other cd player software would work with it...

In the end, I used EAC to rip it...but I couldn't grab the first track....

 

[hero zero]

here's some information on the installation of files from a copy protected CD with regards to the 100th Window


Quote:

If you do let the CD run when you insert it, it will install a file called ACTIVESKIN.OCX to your System or System32 directory (without asking, of course). Not just that the music I bought is not accessible to me, they have the nerve to install software onto my computer with any notification or choice, that is unacceptable. Not to mention that ACTIVESKIN.OCX has very little to do with skinning.

and
Quote:

The files installed by this garbageware are: In the root directory: - install.log (you can see the details of the following files) - unwise.exe In the windows directory, they are: - activeskin.ini - activeskin.ocx (windows\system) The worst is the changes at your registry. With, i.e, "registry crawler", if you look for the chain "activeskin", you'll find A LOT of new entries. My advice: restart in MS-DOS mode and type "scanreg/restore", choosing to restore an older rb00X.cab file.

the rest of the thread can be found here:
http://www.marginalia.org/mt/mt-comm...i?entry_id=973

EDIT: I would like to add that in most cases, the copy protected versions of Massive Attack's 100th window has been removed from the stores [with the exception of Virgin Megastore]..

..also, different copy protected CD's use different types of copy protection software, but they succeed in screwing up things for the average consumer anyway....

...and another thing: a specific CD may not be copy-protected inside the US, but for the rest of the world, it IS copy-protected [eg. Radiohead's 'Hail to the Thief']...the whole idea that CD's are 'pure' in the US is totally disgusting, since the RIAA is the one developing and funding this sort of thing....maybe the rest of the world is a test ground for this 'copy protection'


oh....and..er....sorry for the thread hijack and the rant

 

[hero zero]

*post deleted*

 

[uniuniunium]

I just popped the CD in my VeloCD drive and queued it up in winamp, no problems whatsoever.

 

[Masonjar]

Quote:

Originally posted by hero zero I borrowed Massive Attack's 100th Window from a friend...he got it when it first came out...so there was copy protection on it... when I put it into my drive, a strange variant of Windows Media Player popped up autiomatically [it's very difficult, if not impossible to turn of 'autorun' on Win2k and XP] This variant of Windows Media Player was dedicated to playing the 100th Window disk...no other cd player software would work with it... In the end, I used EAC to rip it...but I couldn't grab the first track....

Same thing happened to me with the new M83 album. Weird media player pops up playing crappy MP3's. What a joke. I was able to rip a few songs with EAC, but I had to edit out some blank space that was stuck in there. Maybe I'll just try to copy the whole cd and see what happens.

-jar

 

[Wookie]

The Darkness' album is the same but you can still rip the first song if you miss the first half a second or so of the song. I can't remember the exact amount but it was the minimum amount allowed by cdparanoia. The rest were no problem this might work for other cds with this type of protection.

 

[raif]

I know this thread has already changed directions but I just bought the disc. I am only to track three but so far it has been excellent. Exactly what I was looking for to really give my new headphones a good listen.
-> justin