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Now we'll start testing the reading of copy-protected data discs. Copy-protections are used on almost every game nowadays so it's important a writer can handle the various protections out there. For the tests we used CloneCD version 4.0.0.0 BETA 4 from Elaborate Bytes. As you might know if you've read our CloneCD v3.5 preview, CloneCD now uses Profiles for each type of disc. In this review we created a separate Profile for each protection with the common settings used in the old CloneCD versions. E.g. for SafeDisc we only selected the 'Fast Error Skip' setting.

We scanned every disc with the latest German ClonyXXL version 2.0.0.3a to determine the used copy-protection. ClonyXXL can be obtained from home.arcor.de/bejot. The 'skeletons' underneath each ClonyXXL scan-result screen indicate the toughness of the used protection:

We'll test the following, most common, copy-protections. Afterwards we'll conclude the reading of protected data with our usual conclusions:

• LaserLock
• SafeDisc
• SafeDisc 2
• SafeDisc 2.51.xxx
• SecuROM
• PlayStation/LibCrypt
• Conclusion

Protected Data - LaserLock:

For this test we'll use a game called 'Desperados' protected with LaserLock 2. We scanned the disc with the German ClonyXXL and it indeed finds the LaserLock protection.

The CloneCD Profile and the drive were set-up with the following settings:

• Read Speed: Max
• Fast Error Skip ON:
  • Read Retries: 0
  • Error Correction: Software
• Intelligent Bad Sector Scanner:
  • Sector Skip: 100 (default)

LaserLock 2 is hard to read for a lot of recorders but the TEAC CD-W540E performed very well. Whereas the Waitec MEGALUS needed well over 1 hour and 30 minutes to read the disc and the Mitsumi CR-480ATE about 22 minutes, the TEAC finished the job in under 9 minutes:

TEAC CD-W540E reading LaserLock

Of course, since the reviews of the Waitec and Mitsumi writers were done with different CloneCD versions, we checked the read times of the Mitsumi CR-480ATE again using the same Profile. The Mitsumi needed about the same time (a difference of only one second) as in our previous test:

Mitsumi CR-480ATE reading LaserLock back-up

Protected Data - SafeDisc:

For this test we'll use a game called 'Beavis and Butthead: BungHole in One' protected with the normal SafeDisc. Note that 'Alt' means 'Old' since SafeDisc is a rather old protection:

The CloneCD Profile and the drive were set-up with the following settings:

• Read Speed: Max
• Fast Error Skip ON:
  • Read Retries: 0
  • Error Correction: Software

Below you can see the achieved result of the TEAC CD-W540E. The drive needs just over 39 minutes to finish the job whereas the Mitsumi CR-480ATE doesn't even need 3 minutes. As a comparison, the Waitec MEGALUS needed well over 1 hour and 30 minutes to read the same disc:

TEAC CD-W540E reading SafeDisc

As a comparison we again re-did the read test with our Mitsumi CR-480ATE which is the fastest SafeDisc reader we've seen so far... The drive is lightning fast when skipping the errors and it's no wonder the TEAC cannot even come close to these times since there are very few drives that can:

Mitsumi CR-480ATE reading SafeDisc

Protected Data - SafeDisc 2:

For this test we'll use a game called 'The Sims: House Party' protected with SafeDisc 2:

The CloneCD Profile and the drive were set-up with the following settings:

• Read Speed: Max
• Fast Error Skip ON:
  • Read Retries: 0
  • Error Correction: Software

Like expected the TEAC needs again some time to finish the job. 23 minutes is not a very bad time but again it doesn't even come close to the time the Mitsumi reaches (2m:30s). However, as most people will know, we also need to check if the drive can write SafeDisc 2. Unlike the other protections SafeDisc 2 back-ups depend on whether or not the drive support 'Correct EFM Encoding' which is needed to write 'regular bit patterns'. For more info on SafeDisc 2 read this article.

We re-read the disc again only this time at 4x just to make sure that the created image was good. We used the same SafeDisc Profile as before:

• Read Speed: 4x
• Fast Error Skip ON:
  • Read Retries: 0
  • Error Correction: Software

We wrote the disc with the default settings enabled ('buffer underrun protection and 'always close last session' on). 'Amplify Weak Sectors' was disabled in the Profile. Unfortunately the TEAC CD-W540E fails in making a working SafeDisc 2 back-up. We tested the back-up in these drives:

• Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1502: failed
• TEAC CD-W540E: failed
• Mitsumi CR-480ATE: failed

Next we tried to write the disc with CloneCD's 'Amplify Weak Sectors' option enabled. This CloneCD feature is supposed to help writers like the TEAC produce better (read: working) back-ups of SafeDisc 2 protected discs. For more info on this new feature read this article.

With CloneCD's 'AWS' the TEAC CD-W540E succeeded in making a working back-up. We tested the back-up disc in the following drives:

• Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1502: success
• TEAC CD-W540E: success
• Waitec MEGALUS: success
• Mitsumi CR-480ATE: success

Protected Data - SafeDisc 2.51.xxx:

Besides our SafeDisc and SafeDisc 2 tests we need to take a look at the latest SafeDisc 2 version 'called' SafeDisc v2.51. This is a new version of the regular SafeDisc 2 and has caused quite a few problems for a lot of writers (which didn't have problems with the normal SafeDisc 2). For this test we'll use a game called 'Serious Sam 2: Second Encounter' protected with SafeDisc 2.51:

We also used a tool called SafeDisc Analyser to check the actual version:

We read the image with the Mitsumi CR-480ATE at a safe 4x using the same Profile as for our normal SafeDisc 2 test. We then tried writing the image with the TEAC CD-W540E with CloneCD's 'Amplify Weak Sectors' option disabled. The 'Hide CDR Media' option was enabled in the CloneCD tray to test playing from the CD-RW drives. The results when playing from these drives:

• Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1502: failed
• TEAC CD-W540E: failed
• Waitec MEGALUS: failed
• Mitsumi CR-480ATE: failed

Of course no major surprise since the drive also couldn't write the normal SafeDisc 2 protection without 'AWS' enabled. The next tests we did was re-writing the same image but now with the 'AWS' option enabled:

TEAC CD-W540E writing SD2.51 with AWS

And of course we tested the back-up in the following drives. The 'Hide CDR Media' option was again enabled in the CloneCD tray:

• Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1502: success
• TEAC CD-W540E: failed
• Waitec MEGALUS: failed
• Mitsumi CR-480ATE: success

Serious Sam 2 refused to start when reading from the TEAC itself and the Waitec (both gave the usual error in .TMP file) but played fine from both the Mitsumi and the Toshiba drives. A pretty good result overall (the game did work and considering the huge amount of problems SafeDisc 2.51 has caused we feel this is still a good result).

Protected Data - SecuROM:

The next protected data tests we'll do is with a game called 'V-Rally 2 Expert Edition' protected with SecuROM 2:

The CloneCD Profile and the drive were set-up with the following settings:

• Read Speed: Max
• Read SubChannel Data from Data Tracks
• Read SubChannel Data from Audio Tracks

The TEAC CD-W540E supports the reading and writing of the full 96 bytes of SubChannel Data and had no problems with SecuROM 2. The drive is pretty fast but again not as fast as the Mitsumi CR-480ATE.

Protected Data - PlayStation/LibCrypt:

The final protected data test we'll do is with a LibCrypt protected PlayStation disc called 'Final Fantasy VIII'. We used the first (of four) disc(s) of this game:

The CloneCD Profile and the drive were set-up with the following settings:

• Read Speed: Max
• Read SubChannel Data from Data Tracks
• Read SubChannel Data from Audio Tracks

TEAC CD-W540E reading PSX

We get about the same result as when reading the SecuROM protection. The TEAC is pretty fast and can read the disc in under 9 minutes. Not the best time we've seen but good enough. The Waitec MEGALUS for instance needed about 12 minutes to read the same disc. As a final comparison we re-read the PlayStation disc again with the Mitsumi CR-480ATE using the same Profile as before:

Mitsumi CR-480ATE reading PSX

There's no beating the Mitsumi... It's extremely fast every time...

Protected Data - Conclusion:

The TEAC CD-W540E is a fairly good reader for copy-protections but it didn't come close to the Mitsumi CR-480ATE, but, on the other hand, few drives can. The drive was able to read every protection at an acceptable time and that's what's important. The TEAC CD-W540E does not support 'Correct EFM Encoding' which is needed for the popular SafeDisc 2 protection but it did manage to make a working back-up when CloneCD's 'Amplify Weak Sectors' option was enabled even with SafeDisc 2.51.021. So overall a pretty good result but not the best we've seen.