bin2boot.exe bad for the Dreamcast?

[AuroEdge]

I've been messing around with plain files for several emulators because I decided selfbooting with selfboot inducer was too easy. Anyways, I came acrossed a site telling me basically that bin2boot.exe can make discs (be it utilities, games, homebrew, whatever) you want to burn harder on your GD-ROM to read than if you use the "Echelon Method". I'm not too familiar with the "Echelon Method", but isn't it almost the same as if you're using bin2boot.exe?

[LyingWake]

The only thing that's different between the "ECHELON method" and the way bin2boot does it's images, the way the format of the image is.

The ECHELON method has it to where you are burning a audio session first and then the Dreamcast data session, and bin2boot makes images that place the Dreamcast session first, and then another data session. I'm not exaclty sure what the second data session is - I've always known it to be the header of the first session. Maybe BlackAura can inform us more that what it is?

Basically either method doesn't really destroy your DC for using homebrew because most of the time the Dreamcast data is loaded into the RAM, so the Dreamcast isn't even really reading the disc. If anything, warez is what supposedly "destroys" your Dreamcast. I wouldn't really say destroy. It's probably like smoking, it's slowly killing you, some get away with it, most don't.

When there's data scattered all over the disc that consistantly needs to be access, that's not good for the Dreamcast.

For the most case, you shouldn't really be worried about it. If you are worried, you can always use a dummy file which should help loading the files on the disc a bit faster.

[hrb2k3]

The ECHELON method has it to where you are burning a audio session first and then the Dreamcast data session, and bin2boot makes images that place the Dreamcast session first, and then another data session. I'm not exaclty sure what the second data session is - I've always known it to be the header of the first session. Maybe BlackAura can inform us more that what it is?

thats right. bin2boot takes a copy of the TOC of the first session. and burns it as the second session. on some homebrews, the laser is constantly searching back and forth reading files from the TOC of the second session, (really noticable if the cd is full). where as with the echelon way the TOC is read from the second session which is right after a 4 second audio session. it doesn't grind the lens that much because its right near the center of the disc.

i ususally use the bin2boot way because i like to burn mp3 files to them and my dvd player can play them. if i use the echelon way, it will just read the audio session as an audio cd.

[AuroEdge]

The ECHELON method has it to where you are burning a audio session first and then the Dreamcast data session, and bin2boot makes images that place the Dreamcast session first, and then another data session. I'm not exaclty sure what the second data session is - I've always known it to be the header of the first session. Maybe BlackAura can inform us more that what it is?

thats right. bin2boot takes a copy of the TOC of the first session. and burns it as the second session. on some homebrews, the laser is constantly searching back and forth reading files from the TOC of the second session, (really noticable if the cd is full). where as with the echelon way the TOC is read from the second session which is right after a 4 second audio session. it doesn't grind the lens that much because its right near the center of the disc.

i ususally use the bin2boot way because i like to burn mp3 files to them and my dvd player can play them. if i use the echelon way, it will just read the audio session as an audio cd.

Based on what you said, I'll go with the Echelon Method. It sounds like even though you're barely loading anything with homebrew, it is in fact a little easier on your Dreamcast. Thanks. Thanks LyingWake too.