[FF7PC-98] FF7 AnyCD (2011-01-04)

[Kranmer]

Hi Guys, i have made this to allow people to use any of their 3 FF7 gameplay Cd's to play the game without it asking to change CD (also i was given permission by sl1982 before posting this mod but if any other moderator or admin does have a problem with this mod they may delete it)
This is for the PC English 1.02 version of the game and probably wont work on other versions (although i can probably make one for other versions if need be).
http://www.mediafire.com/?30q3mxj9c3hea4x
To use just unzip the file above and put it into your FF7 folder, after doing that run it and it should remove the need for changing CD's (i have only tested saves, i haven't tried at the end of a CD yet so if someone could test that for me it would really help)

NOTE:- you will still need 1 of the 3 game CD's in the drive to run the game (The game still checks the CD on bootup) so i want to make this clear this is NOT A NOCD SINCE YOU STILL NEED THE GAME DISCS TO PLAY
NOTE2:- this loads FF7.exe so if you have renamed your EXE this will still try to load FF7.exe.
Also any feedback is welcome


EDIT1:- Ok here is the DLL version for anyone who dislikes the loader

http://www.mediafire.com/?l8p7yrysrvmbd5u
Extract the DLL to your FF7 folder.
then edit the FF7_opengl.cfg and add the line
load_library = FF7anyCD.dll
Then run the game with any FF7 CD in the drive and hey presto your done.

Also i scanned this with virustotal.com and it came back with 1 virus scanner out of 42 saying this was a virus THIS IS A FALSE POSATIVE, i made this myself and i assure you its not a virus, here is the report from virustotal
http://www.virustotal.com/file-scan...dfda1d90bd71698a0a1a166646b2474267-1301939656

Also if you use AntiVir Armorvil has explained how to stop AntiVir from detecting this as a virus
https://www.ff7catalog.com/posts/135815/

 

[Terid__K]

Tried loading a Save from Disc 1 with Disc 2 inserted, works like a charm. Thanks for this, very useful app.

I can't test the disc changing locations as I don't have saves on those parts, unfortunately.

By the way, kranmer, you can manually delete your messages in Aali's topic. They don't need to be moved here.

 

[nfitc1]

... i want to make this clear this is NOT A NOCD SINCE YOU STILL NEED THE GAME DISCS TO PLAY

Much better. Thank you!
This is very handy, actually. I hate trying to load games and being told I've got the wrong disc in. I don't want to fish them all out again just to continue an old game.

I suppose this could also be used to make it a DVD-based game then, correct? Label the DVD "FF7DISC1" or something and copy all the unique files from each of the discs to their appropriate spots and hilarity ensues?

 

[Covarr]

I will be downloading this as soon as my desktop PC is hooked up again (ain't no downloading on a netbook with no HDD :/). This is exactly what I (and I assume tons of other people) have wanted for quite some time. Combined with the only completely legal nocd solution that I know of, Game Jackal Pro, as well as an exe very similar but not identical to yarLson's (none of the drive renaming, just the launching), I can have this baby running from Steam as transparently and smoothly as if I'd bought it there!

kranmer, you are a hero.

 

[yarLson]

Hey this is exactly what I wanted original but I don't really have any programming skills. Thank you sir

 

[FeliX Leonhart]

This will help a lot)) Thanx ;D

 

[Armorvil]

I can't try the disc switching right now either.

Anyways, awesome program, works like a charm ! I also love the fact that it's compatible with FF7Music, and successfully terminates the FF7.exe processus when you quit the game.

Finally, I can say goodbye to Ctrl+Alt+Supp everytime I need to close the game ^^
Pure gold, thank you very much Kranmer

 

[Kranmer]

After going to sleep last night i was expecting when i got on today there would be a thread full of problems but it appears this is not the case

By the way, kranmer, you can manually delete your messages in Aali's topic. They don't need to be moved here.

Thanks, i didn't know users could delete their own posts (we never used to be able to)

I suppose this could also be used to make it a DVD-based game then, correct? Label the DVD "FF7DISC1" or something and copy all the unique files from each of the discs to their appropriate spots and hilarity ensues?

Yeah making a DVD backup would probably be possible with this (i haven't done this but the theory is correct)

kranmer, you are a hero.

Now i am gonna have to go buy a cape and tights and take my glasses off.

Hey this is exactly what I wanted original but I don't really have any programming skills. Thank you sir

Well you can still always include this in your release if you want to. (i would have suggested this earlier if i had known that the mods wouldn't have a problem with it)

Anyways, awesome program, works like a charm ! I also love the fact that it's compatible with FF7Music, and successfully terminates the FF7.exe processus when you quit the game.

Finally, I can say goodbye to Ctrl+Alt+Supp everytime I need to close the game ^^

Ah so its compatible with FF7Music as well, that's good to know (i thought it would be but i don't use FF7Music so i wasn't sure), also its nice to hear it solved your problem (although I'm not sure how it solved FF7 not closing correctly)

 

[Terid__K]

also its nice to hear it solved your problem (although I'm not sure how it solved FF7 not closing correctly)

It's probably overriding his ff7.exe running in Windows 98 compatibility mode. That's probably why the process wasn't shutting down to begin with (he must be using Windows XP, and I'm guessing he isn't running the latest version of Covarr's FF7 music installer).

 

[Covarr]

also its nice to hear it solved your problem (although I'm not sure how it solved FF7 not closing correctly)

It's probably overriding his ff7.exe running in Windows 98 compatibility mode. That's probably why the process wasn't shutting down to begin with (he must be using Windows XP, and I'm guessing he isn't running the latest version of Covarr's FF7 music installer).

Yes, this was a problem caused by older versions of my installer. I'm not sure how this fixed it though, since compatibility mode is set in the registry.

 

[Armorvil]

It's true that I forgot to set ff7.exe to windows 98 compatibility mode after my reinstallation of the game, but I did it before, and the processus still didn't end...

Anyways, I don't know how either, but I'm glad Kranmer fixed this problem of mine

 

[Covarr]

It's true that I forgot to set ff7.exe to windows 98 compatibility mode after my reinstallation of the game, but I did it before, and the processus still didn't end...

Anyways, I don't know how either, but I'm glad Kranmer fixed this problem of mine

if you're on xp, you DON'T want compatibility mode, that is what causes this problem.

edit: kranmer, why is this a patch? Since ff7 1.02 exe is already freely distributed, I don't think you have to worry about distributing a prepatched copy of it.

 

[Armorvil]

if you're on xp, you DON'T want compatibility mode, that is what causes this problem.

  ...I understood it backwards -__- When I got that "info" a while back, I checked FF7.exe's compatibility mode and thought : "nah, I don't have anything to do, oddly enough, it's already set on the right compatibility mode"... ...and I had no idea this problem was caused by a bad compatibility setting (I thought everyone had it). Well, better late than never ! Thanks for clearing that up, Covarr

 

[Kranmer]

kranmer, why is this a patch? Since ff7 1.02 exe is already freely distributed, I don't think you have to worry about distributing a prepatched copy of it.

Well Covarr the reason i don't distribute the full EXE is because anyone would be able to compare my modified one with the original EXE and see exactly how i did it (with any other mod this is not a problem but for this mod its a huge problem). If just anyone could see what values i have patched they could very easily just adapt it to a NoCd (even a idiot could with just a hex editor change 1 byte to make this a full NoCd) that would work with Aali's Driver, So i tried to make it a little harder with this (it wont stop anyone who is serious but it will stop idiots).
Anyway i am sorry if this is to your disliking but that is the reason for this (also its a Loader and NOT a patch, a patch modifies the file, a loader changes the file while its running, which is usefull since if a patch is used on a EXE there is always a chance it could ruin it since not everybody is using a clean EXE)

 

[Covarr]

Anyway i am sorry if this is to your disliking but that is the reason for this (also its a Loader and NOT a patch, a patch modifies the file, a loader changes the file while its running, which is usefull since if a patch is used on a EXE there is always a chance it could ruin it since not everybody is using a clean EXE)

Nah, it's not to my disliking at all, I was just wondering. Also, I know the difference, I just hadn't actually gotten a chance to test it yet when I asked, and your first post is kinda vague, so I'd just kind of assumed it was a patcher.

Still, this is a fantastic app you've made here!

 

[yarLson]

hey I am having a bit of a problem I was using this with the ff7music batch file and the first couple times it worked like a charm. But everything changed and now for some reason ff7music closes before the game starts. This is what my batch looks like

Code: [Select]

label c: FF7DISC1start /w FF7Music.exeping localhost -n 2 > nulCD D:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc.\Final Fantasy VIIstart /w FF7anyCD.exe"taskkill /im FF7Music.exe

I am just confused as to why this worked for a while and now ff7music closes before launch every time, sorry if this is kinda a newb question

 

[Kranmer]

hey I am having a bit of a problem I was using this with the ff7music batch file and the first couple times it worked like a charm. But everything changed and now for some reason ff7music closes before the game starts. This is what my batch looks like

Code: [Select]

label c: FF7DISC1start /w FF7Music.exeping localhost -n 2 > nulCD D:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc.\Final Fantasy VIIstart /w FF7anyCD.exe"taskkill /im FF7Music.exe

I am just confused as to why this worked for a while and now ff7music closes before launch every time, sorry if this is kinda a newb question

Hi yarLson, well first i wouldn't use the "/w" command with FF7music for a start,
also since FF7anyCD.exe doesn't stay open the /w command is doesn't work right (it only loads FF7.exe so it doesnt stay open but the bat file moves on because ff7anyCD has closed), try using this BAT
Code: [Select]

@ECHO offlabel c: FF7DISC1start FF7Music.exeping localhost -n 2 > nulCD D:\Program Files\Square Soft, Inc.\Final Fantasy VIIstart /w FF7anyCD.exe:LOOPtasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq ff7.exe" 2>NUL | find /i "ff7.exe" >NUL || GOTO KILLFF7ping localhost -n 1 > nulclsGOTO LOOP:KILLFF7taskkill /im FF7Music.exe

it checks to see if FF7.exe is running then repeats every second until FF7 closes (you can change that time by editing the ping), then once FF7 is closed it carries on with the BAT file (which closes FF7music).
Or if you dont like the thought of it looping you could just add the pause command between starting FF7anyCD.exe and taskkill and it would add you to press any button to continue after closing FF7 but i would recommend the above BAT if possible since its more automatic.

 

[Kranmer]

OK guys i have been thinking about this today and i am thinking about making a v2, instead of making it a Loader i am thinking about making it a DLL file that just needs to be put into the FF7 folder and can be loaded with Aali's Driver using the "load_library" function (so the game can still be run with FF7.exe).
What do you guys think of this or do you prefere the loader ?

 

[FeliX Leonhart]

The DLL of course! =)

 

[Kranmer]

The DLL of course! =)

OK that's good enough for me, just created the DLL, you can get it here
http://www.mediafire.com/?l8p7yrysrvmbd5u
Extract the DLL to your FF7 folder.
then edit the FF7_opengl.cfg and add the line
load_library = FF7anyCD.dll
Then run the game with any FF7 CD in the drive and hey presto your done.

Also i scanned this with virustotal.com and it came back with 1 virus scanner out of 42 saying this was a virus THIS IS A FALSE POSATIVE, i made this myself and i assure you its not a virus, here is the report from virustotal
http://www.virustotal.com/file-scan...dfda1d90bd71698a0a1a166646b2474267-1301939656