View original (French)

Install a game without a CD drive

Onelexone Posted messages 12 Status Member -  
PlumBob Posted messages 4652 Status Contributor -
Hello, I hope this topic won't duplicate others. I've looked through several replies on the forum but couldn't find anything clear.

I've dug out some old games that I purchased a few years ago (Anno 1404, The Sims 2, etc.) that I legally own and have the keys for, and I would like to play them again, but my computer has since been upgraded and doesn't have a CD drive.

I would like to know if there is a way to download an online version and enter my key to play.

I looked at this topic but it doesn't really answer my question since I cannot buy an external drive.

https://forums.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich-33800054-comment-faire-pour-installer-un-jeu-sans-lecteur-cd#answers

I've also read articles on the forum about using Daemon Tools, but I don’t think I’m using it correctly, as all I managed to do is create a virtual drive, which is not what I'm trying to do.

Thank you for your responses.

3 answers

  1.
    fmq Posted messages 4899 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   721
     
    Hello

    You have to be careful with "online versions"!!!
    They're full of ...........

    Be careful, some games require the physical CD to start

    Otherwise, for Anno for example
    You go to a friend's house (after the lockdown) who has a CD drive
    You create an ISO image of the Anno CD
    You transfer this ISO to your computer
    You mount the ISO with Daemon Tools

    Cia ciao

    P.S.
    If needed, 1602 is abandonware
    Available here
    https://www.abandonware-france.org/ltf_abandon/ltf_jeu.php?id=1057

    1
    1. Onelexone Posted messages 12 Status Member
       
      Yes, but I'm looking for a more immediate solution. If I have to go to a friend's house after the lockdown, I might as well wait until after the lockdown to buy an external drive....
      (and anyway, after the lockdown I will be back to work full time, I won't need to play anymore, so it doesn't really matter, lol)

      In this case, I have the discs in my possession, but so far with Daemon I have only managed to create a second local virtual drive (D:). That's not what I want to do; I'm trying to launch the game instead.

      So, I don’t know if I’m using the software incorrectly or if I’m not using the right one.
      0
      1. fmq Posted messages 4899 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   721 > Onelexone Posted messages 12 Status Member
         
        To use Daemon Tools
        you need an image of your CD

        send your CD by mail to a friend who has a CD drive
        and he will send you back the ISO of the CD on a USB stick !!!!
        or you put it in his mailbox
        or he hosts it so you can download it
        ask your neighbor

        etc....... a little imagination !!



        bye bye
        -1
    2. Onelexone Posted messages 12 Status Member
       
      once again, the friend who has a CD player is not really an option.

      However, I created an image myself, but I can't download it with the software.

      And what is the ISO? Because I don't think it's the definitions I've found while searching the internet.
      0
      1. fmq Posted messages 4899 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   721 > Onelexone Posted messages 12 Status Member
         
        a little reading

        https://www.commentcamarche.net/faq/3942-graver-une-image-disque-iso-nrg#definition-de-l-image-iso

        see you+
        0
  2. Anonymous user
     
    Hello,
    I might have the solution. I have a Steam account, and I've seen that "Anno" is available on it, but I couldn't find anything about "SimCity 2". With Steam, you can install a game with an activation key without needing the CD. You download and install Steam on your computer. You create a Steam account unless you already have one, in which case you use the same one. Then you go to the menu game > activate a product on Steam, and you continue to follow the procedure. Be careful about how you enter the key in the designated field afterward, but you'll have examples.
    Best regards.
    1
    1. Onelexone Posted messages 12 Status Member
       
      Thank you very much Niamorand_FR 1, you are much more helpful.

      However, I wonder if Steam works with very old games or only the more recent ones. Mine are about ten years old.
      I'm asking this because despite several attempts, I get an invalid key error message. And yet I don't think I made a mistake copying the code (I even did a copy and paste).
      -1
    2. Anonymous user
       
      Me when I had this error message, it was because I had typed the key incorrectly. Did you pay attention to the 0 and O? I believe there should be no spaces. The character series should only be separated by the dash - from the 6.
      0
    3. Onelexone Posted messages 12 Status Member
       
      That's exactly what I did. I typed the code in Word to copy and paste it. But it is a very old game? Could that play a role?
      0
  3. PlumBob Posted messages 4652 Status Contributor 1 689
     
    The people who reply here are volunteers who use their time and knowledge; it's incredibly rude and inappropriate to label their responses as useless.

    Just because the answer doesn’t suit you doesn’t mean it’s useless, as in some cases it is indeed the only possible solution.

    The Sims 2, for example, cannot be registered on Origin, so it is not possible to have a digital version. The only alternative is therefore the ISO image as described by fmq.
    0