Redump.org

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Revision as of 21:14, 24 February 2014

This entire FAQ is still a work in progress

Contents 1 Overview 2 Technical Questions 3 Contributing Questions 4 Contact 5 Thanks

Overview

What is Redump.org and what is your goal?

Redump.org is a disc preservation database and internet community dedicated to collecting precise and accurate information about every video game ever released on optical media of any system. The goal is to make blueprints of the data on console and PC game discs. Redump.org also provides guides to ensure the dumps are correctly done. Users of the website who follow the guides correctly are encouraged to share their results to help build the database. Multiple dumps of games with the same serial number by different people are collected to ensure the same results are gathered, which help correct any incorrect dumps in the database as well as to help recognize alternate versions of the same game.

Why is it called Redump?

A "dump" is a slang term, used as a noun, to describe the resulting data obtained in the backup process. The term can also be used as a verb, as in: "I'm going to dump this game." Many groups in the past have attempted to preserve video game data with varying degrees of success. We believe that our methods of preservation are more accurate at preserving all the information contained on a disc than previous attempts made by other groups. The name "Redump" is a way of saying we need to dump again or redump games that have been dumped by others. The name "Redump" can also refer to the way in which our database is setup. A second dump or redump is required to confirm the accuracy of an unverified dump in the database.

Isn't dumping games illegal?

Redump.org does not provide copyrighted material nor do we condone software piracy. Please read the Redump.org disclaimer. You will need to consult your country's laws to confirm whether or not backing up the data on your discs is legal. However, "sharing" copyrighted material is definitely a crime and will not be tolerated here. If you want a game; buy it. Video game developers deserve money for their hard work.

What do you provide on this site?

Our database contains information about copyrighted data such as titles, version numbers and checksums, such as CRC32/MD5/SHA1, but not the actual data contained on the discs. We also provide links to tools and guides to assist you in dumping your discs as personal backups. We don't provide games so please don't ask where to download them. We encourage you to join our community and share information about the backups you create. The Contributing section below will provide you with more information on how to do this.

What's the purpose of this information?

You can use this information in the database so that you can compare a backup you've made to a backup someone else has made of the same disc, even with different PC configurations and drives. This comparison will verify that you've dumped your disc accurately and it's not faulty. The backup you've created can then be archived in case your disc is damaged in the future. We give you information you can use to preserve your games and any information you give us helps others to preserve their games as well. Giving back to Redump.org is covered in more detail in the Contributing section below.

Why preserve game discs?

Nothing lasts forever. Optical media is especially susceptible to damage in the form of scratches, cracks, heat, sunlight, etc. Preserving these discs now will ensure that future generations aren't deprived of our video game history.

What sets Redump.org apart from other projects that have similar goals?

Most other projects encourage you to backup your discs in such a way that data is lost. Our methods of preservation try to backup every bit of data contained on the disc. In this way your dump should be as close to a 1:1 copy as possible. More information about our methods is covered in the Technical section below.

Technical Questions

What is optical media?

CDs, DVDs, GDs, NODs, UMDs, Blu-ray discs, etc. If it spins, is read by a laser and has digital game data on it; we want to preserve it.

What is a pressed disc?

"Pressed" discs are stamped out in a plastics-molding stamper. The data patterns, represented as a series of pits and lands, is permanently molded into the plastic during the stamping process. Basically, its the same process that was used to make vinyl records (and CD's, for that matter), just ramped up a few orders of magnitude in precision. After the plastic has been stamped, it then gets coated (via vacuum deposition) with a few-atoms-thick layer of reflective metal, and another layer of plastic is bonded onto the top. During playback, the laser's reflection angle is subtly altered depending on whether there's a pit or a land in front of the beam, which causes the reflection to hit or miss the detector. These hits and misses become a binary data pattern.

Why you split the tracks?

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What is offset and why is it important?

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Why dump at 2352 bytes per sector and not 2048 bytes?

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Why don't you dump subchannels?

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Is it true that some data on a disc can't be accurately copied?

As of this moment, yes, that is true for some types of optical media. The subchannel data of a compact disc is especially difficult to retrieve with perfect accuracy. Certain copy protections can prove difficult to backup as well, but we are working on these issues.

Contributing Questions

I want to contribute, but where do I start?

Thank you for your enthusiasm and desire to help us preserve our video game heritage. Where you start depends on what you'd like to do. There are more ways to contribute than just what is written here, but the following should give you some ideas. You can post answers to questions in the forum or IRC channel. You can add or modify information in the wiki. You can program useful tools to assist the community. You can dump optical media and submit the information about those dumps to our database. However, contributing to the database requires more reading and preparation. Please see the Forum and Dumping Guide for how to contribute in this way.

What discs are accepted?

Please ask yourself this question about the disc you want to dump: "Does this pressed optical media contain video game data or material related to a video game?" If the answer is yes, please dump the disc using our guides and submit the information about the dump to the database. If you are unsure of the answer, please continuing reading or consult the forum.

• All console and computer games.
• All Demos, Betas, Unlicenced, Promos and Press discs.
• Bonus discs in limited/collector's editions, such as Video DVDs, and Audio CDs (not hollywood movies).

Should I dump discs containing a computer application?

Maybe. It depends on the usage of the application. Is the application used in such a way that it relates to a certain game or a type of video games? For example, a level editor application for the game "Doom" on a disc could be added to the database. However, a disc containing programming tools like "Visual C++" would not be acceptable for the database. While both the level editor and the programming tools can both be used to create or modify game data, the programming tools are not specifically designed for that purpose. If you are unsure of the difference or think a particular disc should be an exception, please consult the forum.

Should I dump bootleg discs?

Maybe. It depends what you mean by "bootleg." The information added to the database should be from pressed optical media and not a disc that was burned in a computer. If you are unsure of the difference or think a particular disc should be an exception, please consult the forum.

Should I dump operating system discs?

No. We are not accepting information about operating system discs unless the disc is used in a console. For example: http://redump.org/disc/15004/ and http://redump.org/disc/12542/.

Should I dump ___ discs?

If you can't find the answer here for a particular type of disc, please consult the forum.

Contact

Forum

The forum is the heart of this community. Browsing the various sections and reading some of the posts will give you an idea of how this site works. The most up to date news, discussions, guides and dumps can be found on the forum. It can also be a great source for answers to questions not found in the Redump.org wiki.

How do I reply to a topic or create a new topic in the forum?

The first step is to register for a user name at the Redump.org forum. After you've completed the registration process you can login with the user name you've chosen. To reply to an existing topic, click the name of the topic in which you want to make your reply. Then click the "Post reply" link in the upper right corner. Type your message and click the "Submit reply" button. To create a new topic, click the name of a section in the forum in which you'd like your post to appear. Then click the "Post new topic" link in the upper right corner. Type your message and click the "Submit topic" button. The "Post reply" and "Post new topic" links will only appear when you've registered and logged in with your Redump.org user name.

How do I search the forum?

Before asking a question please make sure it hasn't been asked before. Use search located on the top of the page. Be sure to also read the stickies in each forum section.

IRC channel

More questions? Join the IRC channel.

Thanks

We are thankful to all people which helped building up the always growing database,which gave us feedback, spread the word around, added /fixed errors and where just in any way contributing to this ongoing project!