Backup of Wii DVDs and CDs

Hi All,
I bought my nephews, aged 5 and 7, a Wii for Christmas. 3 months later and already some of the games are showing wear.
Is there a method to back up the games?
Regards,
Mike

 

in all honesty i dont think anyone on here will tell you how to do that as it could fall into the category of piracy
imo the best way to back them up would be to go and buy the games again and tell the kids to be carefull with them in future...

 

Actually, backing up a movie or game that you already own falls within the realms of "fair use" which means it is perfectly legal.

The problem is that the method to create a back-up copy can be used to create copies for illegal distribution, which means game developers make it as hard as possible to make copies at all. Not to mention, if someone posts instructions on a public forum for how to make said copies, unscrupulous people would use the knowledge to violate copyright and digital rights, and that in turn can get the owners of the public forum in legal trouble.

Long story short: Since nasty people would use the knowledge you ask for to commit crimes, you will either have to spend money buying the games a second time, or resort to piracy yourself to obtain a copy. I think that's what that famous "rock and hard a place" saying was meant to describe... rolleyes Another way of saying it is that honest consumers end up suffering more than the pirates do from the DRM that was meant to prevent the piracy in the first place.

I'd help you, but as I mentioned above, there is a risk that the site owners will get into legal trouble if I do. Sorry.

 

Besides, the discs are recorded backwards, in no small part other than to prevent that.

How are the games showing wear? If the system is slowing down, that's normal. If there are scratches, it's not a problem until they prevent playing. I'd advise a sit down talk about the treatment of CD's, and the proper way to grab them.

 

Hi Triaxx2, Mimsy, and gordie,
Thanks all for the posts. Unfortunately DRM really doesn't do the job it was meant to.
The disks are getting scratched; it is only a matter of time before they are unplayable. Try explaining to a 7 and 5 year old why they need to handle the disks on the edges.
At $40-50 a pop, buying replacements just aren't a very good option!
Regards,
Mike

 

Isn't a 7-year old old enough to understand that if you don't handle the disc by the edges, they can't ever play the games again...? He's old enough to be in school and learn basic math, after all...

To clarify: Like my 2-year old niece, they don't need to understand why. They just need to realize that "you hold them this way, or you will never play the Wii again".

 

Hi Mimsy,
Yeah, he is. But his 5 year old brother and their younger friends, in the frenzy of gaming, don't always calm down enough to think it through. Remember when we were that age, all we needed to do was figure out which end of the pencil to use.
Regards,
Mike

 

When i was that age, all i had to do was blow in the machine or blow on the cartridge! and it worked fine!

 

Fair point. And when I was at that age, my parents were trying to teach me not to use my Barbie doll as a club on my younger sister. :-D

 

*wonders if she ever figured it out*

Anyway, the best thing is to put the games on a shelf only the 7 year old can reach and give him special priviledges. He'll handle with care and keep the others from destroying the discs. Or play with them and take care of it yourself.

 

Hi All,
So someone on another forum showed me a link for 'd-skins'. These are thin clear plastic sheets with a ring that snaps over the outer rim of the DVD. You install these and then play the game right through the skin! No more fingerprints or scratches!
Just google 'd-skin'. They are available online at WalMart, Home Depot, etc.
Highly recommended.
Regards,
Mike