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Install a PC video game on a USB drive

Guillaume08800 Posted messages 2 Status Member -  
madmyke Posted messages 52304 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   -

Hello, I installed a PC game on a USB stick, but when I launch the game, it asks me to insert the CD. Could you please tell me what is wrong? Thank you.

PC: HP laptop 17" Windows 11


4 answers

  1.
    brucine Posted messages 25022 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   4 181
     

    Hello,

    Wanting to launch a program in general and a game in particular from a USB stick is an exotic idea.

    That said, everything is fine: it's a rustic protection designed to ensure that the user has indeed purchased the game CD and possesses it.

    Any potential workarounds therefore violate the license of these games and are outside the scope of this forum.

    1
  2. Guillaume08800 Posted messages 2 Status Member
     

    Hello, it's not a pirated game that I want to put on a USB drive, it's an old game I've had for several years (Painkiller Black Edition) that worked on my old PC with a CD drive, but my new PC doesn't have a drive, which is why I wanted to put it on a USB. Do you know if there's a software that would allow me to play it again without the game asking for the CD?

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    1. brucine Posted messages 25022 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   4 181
       

      Generally, it is enough to make the game believe that it is running on a CD (and of course on a PC, not on a USB stick) but at the risk of repeating myself, if the solution does not present great difficulty, it does not need to be documented here.

      For a recurring need, one can also of course buy a USB CD drive for a symbolic price.

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    2. madmyke Posted messages 52304 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   12 488
       

      Another possibility, with no guarantee of success, but I've done it for exactly the same reasons, is to virtualize the original CD, then use a virtual CD drive.
      If the "protection" is simple, it will work; if there is something more subtle on the CD, it won't work.

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      1. brucine Posted messages 25022 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   4 181 > madmyke Posted messages 52304 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention  
         

        Of course, that's what I was alluding to.

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      2. madmyke Posted messages 52304 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   12 488 > brucine Posted messages 25022 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention  
         

        Probably not explicit enough, even I didn't understand.
        Moreover, this type of solution is completely explainable here.

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  3. madmyke Posted messages 52304 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   12 488
     

    Hello
    Normally, most games cannot be installed anywhere other than the system disk (C:/) and certainly not on removable media.
    When installing a program, it copies a bunch of files to the designated installation directory, but also to the Windows system part, plus the registry, etc. It cannot function without them.
    So there is no solution other than to perform a clean installation on the machine's disk or a disk/partition that is included in the system and not removable.

    Best regards

    -1
  4. Winnux
     

    Hello,

    Normally, nowadays, games are digitized and installed with a manager like Steam or Epic Games and many others. If you disconnect your USB key, you need to re-specify to the manager where the game's directory is located.

    However, be cautious with USB keys; they are often very slow, unless you have an "SSD" USB key which is quite expensive, I do not recommend this method.

    Also, watch out for counterfeits.

    -1