Dreamcast: ide/g1-ata mod problems, and Laser problems

[Dochartaigh]

I have a Dreamcast which has an ide mod (also called g1-ata mod) installed - the one where I can put GDI/CDI/ISO's on a HDD and play them from there using Dreamshell.

The guy who made this for me put a couple games on there which run just fine, BUT for the life of me I can't load any more games on it no matter what I do. I've been following the directions from here, along with literally 20-30 other tutorials and forum posts I found, and a number of YouTube videos - nothing works and I've been at this for about 6 nights over the last couple months. The directions from that page say:

Images supported (ISO / CSO / CDI / GDI). But I recommend using optimized GDI or ISO, so you can enjoy a true async DMA, it requires clean sector data (2048)

1 Get a GDI image. You can get them here or elsewhere on the net.

2 Go here http://www.dc-swat.ru/page/dreamshell/ and download the Iso make pack v2.3.

3 Extract the file and move the folder sys and the file optimize_gdi.bat to a separate folder. You will use this folder to optimize your GDI’s. Sorry, Windows only:)

4 Take all the contents of the GDI and place them in that folder.

5 Double-click the optimize_gdi.bat file and let CMD do all the work. When the program is finished, CMD will close on its own.

6 Finished. Delete the sys folder, the optimize_gdi.bat file, and feel free to delete the .raw files.

The amount of files that make up a GDI will vary, but generaly you will be left with one .gdi file, .iso files, and sometimes an IP.bin file. Optimizing GDI’s will also save you a lot of space too, around 300mb, give or take.

When I click on optimize_gdi.bat a window pops up for a split second and then nothing... I've tried both 'official' Redump and TOSEC Dreamcast files from Pleasuredome - all of which are on the compatibility list and from the correct region listed there, along with others I got from random places on the web. I can also rip some from my own official DC discs if somebody gives me directions on how to do that properly (and if my regular CD/DVD drive can even read CDI discs).



A secondary problem is I think I always need the Dreamshell disc itself to load into that OS to load these games from the HDD to begin with, and both of my Dreamcasts (only 1 with the IDE mod) have seemingly failing lasers and only read discs when they want to. I'm using 4x burned Verbatim DataLifePlus quality discs. I'm honestly perfectly fine with just playing burned discs on either of these Dreamcasts (would like to get the IDE mod working of course, but especially since a good third of the games I want to play aren't on the compatibility list to begin with, I will need a working laser either way no matter what), and when they won't load any disc at all that's impossible. I've adjusted the laser in small increments on both (lost my starting values, FYI), and cleaned the lens with camera lens cleaning equipment to no avail.

DC is the last of my systems I can't play any game I want on and it's quickly becoming my bane. This year I've either gotten Everdrives for and/or modded my NES, TG16, Genesis, SNES, Saturn, PS1, N64, PS2, GC, OG Xbox, Wii, and Xbox 360...it's just this pesky Dreamcast that I can't get to run properly.

[Syntax]

If you open the .bat and type Pause as the last line the window will stay open and you will be able to see where the program is failing(hopefully)

You can install a second bios that loads straight into dream shell.

Or just get a gdemu or usbgdrom and call it a day, I would.

[nmalinoski]

I second the notion of getting a GDEMU or USB-GDROM. I got a GDEMU to replace a failing GD-ROM laser and I've not looked back.

You can also see the output of the batch script by running it from a command prompt.

[Dochartaigh]

If you open the .bat and type Pause as the last line the window will stay open and you will be able to see where the program is failing(hopefully)

optimize_gdi.bat says:

@Echo off
SET PATH=sys
For %%1 in (*.gdi) do (
echo Optimizing GDI image...
gdiopt.exe "%%1" disc_optimized.gdi
goto :break
)
:break
echo Complete!

When I add 'pause' to the last line, it just says "Complete!" in the black window.

Do I perhaps have to change the "%%1" line to be that actual .bin names from the GDI files? Maybe that's why it isn't doing anything (I'm totally guessing here)? Some other tutorials say to grab only the #3 bin, which is supposed to be the ~1gb one...but some of my 1GB files are #3, others are other random numbers. OR, is it looking for a file called "disc_optimized.gdi" to optimize, and that doesn't exist in my files (all the .BIN's are named after the game name with 1, 2, 3, etc. at the end).

You can install a second bios that loads straight into dream shell.

So I can run the Dreamcast without the Dreamshell disc itself, and it'll boot into that Dreamshell OS menu? Do you know how to do that? I know the person who installed the IDE mod mentioned that he put a certain file on the memory card so it'll save me a step and automatically load into the loading part/program/menu-item instead of the root menu. Would this have anything to do with that process?

I second the notion of getting a GDEMU or USB-GDROM.

I know. That's what everybody has been saying. But those are like $200 and never in stock, right? And I would guess that the compatibility still isn't perfect just like this Dreamshell IDE mod, right?

I honestly never owned Dreamcast growing up, and to be even more blatantly honest I still haven't found many, like none at all (Jet Set Radio is OK) games I've fallen in love with on it so far (which may be because I'm having such a hard time getting it to load games so I haven't played much so far), so I'm extremely hesitant to drop that kind of cash and time/effort on something I might not play at all (case and point is the $175 N64 Everdrive I think I've played literally 3 times in the months since I've gotten it).

If the IDE mod is a lost cause, any suggestions on just getting the lasers sorted out on these Dreamcasts so I can play burned discs? Whenever I research that I read about things like how "90% of all replacement lasers are DOA"...that's probably an exaggeration...but if you guys know better please let me know which is the best to get and where to get it from. Both of mine seem to be slightly different from each other:

[Syntax]

To add a bios you need to have a working CD drive from memory. I made a cd ages agoo with a heap of different ones so I can switch between them but after installing a GDemu there's no point to it all.

If money is tight buy a clone, they are cheap as. Just dont update it.

Your IDE mod is pretty much obsolete nowdays.

[maxtherabbit]

Your IDE mod is pretty much obsolete nowdays.

I disagree, it's the only way to play ISOs while still retaining the ability to play original game discs that I'm aware of

[nmalinoski]

I second the notion of getting a GDEMU or USB-GDROM.

I know. That's what everybody has been saying. But those are like $200 and never in stock, right? And I would guess that the compatibility still isn't perfect just like this Dreamshell IDE mod, right?

I honestly never owned Dreamcast growing up, and to be even more blatantly honest I still haven't found many, like none at all (Jet Set Radio is OK) games I've fallen in love with on it so far (which may be because I'm having such a hard time getting it to load games so I haven't played much so far), so I'm extremely hesitant to drop that kind of cash and time/effort on something I might not play at all (case and point is the $175 N64 Everdrive I think I've played literally 3 times in the months since I've gotten it).

The official ones are 130 EUR shipped (Which, when I bought mine back in june, worked out to $156.81 USD); and yes, there was a bit of waiting involved, because the creator switches production between the GDEMU, Rhea, Phoebe, and Doc Brown. There are cheaper knockoffs that will work for now, but I wouldn't recommend them because they don't support the creator, and they're likely to break if you try to do a firmware update.

USB-GDROMs are easier to get, but yeah, those are $195 shipped (Or $165 if you send your money as a PayPal gift).

I don't have any experience with the USB-GDROM, but the GDEMU is great. I have not seen any compatibility issues thus far, and GDMenu lets me force normally-480i-only games into 480p so I don't have to get off my ass and flip any switches on my Toro. Frankly, I think it would be better with a vertical SD card slot, or one that's easier to access (something that looks like a PCE/TurboGrafx card slot), but I'm rarely removing the SD card to begin with, so it's not really a big deal. Plus, with one of these ODEs, you can play RGB-modified versions of the 9-or-so games that didn't ship with RGB support, or the however-many games there were that legitimately didn't support 480p.

I grew up with Sega consoles as well, but there's still enough on this system that I was willing to splurge on a GDEMU and extra controllers and peripherals. I had been into Bust-A-Move/Puzzle Bobble on other systems, so Bust-A-Move 4 was my first purchase. There were also a couple of DDR games, several more pop'n music games, House of the Dead 2 and Typing of the Dead (for which I bought two keyboards for some 2-player action). You've also got games like ChuChu Rocket!, Sonic Shuffle, Ikaruga, Rez, Gauntlet Legends, two Worms games, Crazy Taxi (with the original music), and a slew of racing games.

[Syntax]

Your IDE mod is pretty much obsolete nowdays.

I disagree, it's the only way to play ISOs while still retaining the ability to play original game discs that I'm aware of

That's probably the only pro it has, and considering OP has 2 with dead/dying drives and finding difficulty finding suitable replacements.

It does annoy me these ODE dont have a pass thru option like the WODE did.

[Dochartaigh]

Your IDE mod is pretty much obsolete nowdays.

I disagree, it's the only way to play ISOs while still retaining the ability to play original game discs that I'm aware of

Yeah, right now I'm kinda perfectly fine going all optical/disc on my Dreamcasts - with or without the IDE mod working (which has a pretty limited number of games it can play anyway).

I did some more research last night for a replacement optical drive and it's confusing as hell. People canabalizing other CD drives...switching parts, having to order like 10+ different drives to find one single drive which works...everybody bad mouthing the $30 Chinese-specials as not working and being crappy refurbs of decades old CD drives... Even found a large number of people swearing by the car headlight polisher to fix their CD drives lens which I'm very skeptical about lol. Is there really no "get this _insert link here_" advice for a known-working, known-longish-lasting replacement optical drive for the Dreamcast? I mean, $30 or whatever bucks for a new drive and have the DC work 100% sounds GREAT to me...just haven't found anything like that.

REALLY don't want to drop $150-$200 on a SD card/USB drive ODE...

The official ones are 130 EUR shipped (Which, when I bought mine back in june, worked out to $156.81 USD); and yes, there was a bit of waiting involved, because the creator switches production between the GDEMU, Rhea, Phoebe, and Doc Brown. There are cheaper knockoffs that will work for now, but I wouldn't recommend them because they don't support the creator, and they're likely to break if you try to do a firmware update.

So besides an new optical drive which I can't seem to find for some reason, second choice for me right now is the $72 knock-off GDEMU. I'll have to look into the installation process and see what's involved, AND make sure it's reliable and has a good compatibility list (which I think is supposed to be pretty much every game, right?). I'm honestly not worried about not supporting the creator, as let's be honest to ourselves – 95% of us are running bootleg roms on these so it's not like any of us are angels.

I grew up with Sega consoles as well, but there's still enough on this system that I was willing to splurge on a GDEMU and extra controllers and peripherals. I had been into Bust-A-Move/Puzzle Bobble on other systems, so Bust-A-Move 4 was my first purchase. There were also a couple of DDR games, several more pop'n music games, House of the Dead 2 and Typing of the Dead (for which I bought two keyboards for some 2-player action). You've also got games like ChuChu Rocket!, Sonic Shuffle, Ikaruga, Rez, Gauntlet Legends, two Worms games, Crazy Taxi (with the original music), and a slew of racing games.

Sega Genesis is still my favorite Sega console - probably simply because I grew up playing one (with NES before that). I thought I would like the DC enough that I bought 4x controllers, 2x VMU's, and 2x lightguns for mine. I forgot to say that Confidential Mission is really cool on the DC and I love that I can play a light gun game in 480p which is a totally new experience for me. Have House of the Dead 2 for OG Xbox (unlockable on HoTD 2), I like the arcade fighting game ports on it (don't like the non-6-button controller though - like Saturn better for those similar ports), Power Stone 2 I've had some fun with my brother on, Under Defeat I want to try to get into (maybe Border Down), so not a total lost cause, just not in love with it (yet...hopefully if I can get mine running properly I'll find some other titles I like). One problem is I have some arthritis and I find the DC controller to be REALLY uncomfortable for some reason (was bothering me last night on Jet Grind Radio). Maybe my hands just need to get used to it, don't quite know yet.

[nmalinoski]

So besides an new optical drive which I can't seem to find for some reason, second choice for me right now is the $72 knock-off GDEMU. I'll have to look into the installation process and see what's involved, AND make sure it's reliable and has a good compatibility list (which I think is supposed to be pretty much every game, right?). I'm honestly not worried about not supporting the creator, as let's be honest to ourselves – 95% of us are running bootleg roms on these so it's not like any of us are angels.

Installation is straightforward:

• Pull the top shell off (four Phillips screws);
• Pull out the GD-ROM (3 screws);
• Bridge the 12V rail on the PSU to ground with a 1W resistor;
• Optionally affix a 3D-printed tray (2 pieces, reuses the screws from the GD-ROM);
• Pop the GDEMU into the connector on the mobo; and
• Reassemble*

* While you're in there, if you haven't already, swap out the soldered-in clock battery for a vertical battery holder and an ML2032 coin cell, and consider doing the Noctua fan mod (LGT Greg Collins's listing; he's working on an alternate design for the fan shroud, as well as some no-cut parts for the UltraHDMI).

One problem is I have some arthritis and I find the DC controller to be REALLY uncomfortable for some reason (was bothering me last night on Jet Grind Radio). Maybe my hands just need to get used to it, don't quite know yet.

I'm not a super fan of the Dreamcast controller either, but mostly because, when I grip it, my knuckles end up mashing into the expansion lump on the bottom. It would be significantly more comfortable if the controller was either a little wider or the hump was smaller, and the grips might be better at a more relaxed angle instead of parallel. If I hold it loosely, I don't really have a problem.

I was going to suggest a Raphnet adapter, so you could comfortably use a controller from a different system, but it looks like they don't have any adapters for use on the Dreamcast, just adapters for using the Dreamcast controller on other systems. :/

[Ed Oscuro]

A little research turned up the site for the guy behind the G1-ATA mod, he posted his contact link himself:

https://dragoncity17.wordpress.com/contact/

He was active discussing the unit a few months ago.

I read a comment somewhere about SATA but the thing looks like classic "PATA" IDE. I would hope therefore that you could use Compact Flash cards with this. They have been made in pretty large sizes, certainly big enough to hold a few games at a time, and they are robust.