I've read somewhere that old cd-drives can read copy protected audio cds without problems:
at least in my case, it's true.
Both my hp-cd writer 9100+ and my cheap cd-drive (bought in early 2000) doesn't have any problems.
The copy-protected audio cds i've tried contains a data session with the player;
CDex EAC and Audiograbber had no problem extracting the tracks (even with burst mode).

My questions are:
Have you an old drive and no problems with copy-protected cds?
Why new cd-drives have problems and older no?

Yes, (it seems for me) the drives that doesn't support C2 have no problems ripping such CD protection.
I have old TEAC CD-524EA (24x) that perfectly rips all such CDs (obviously, after manual TOC detection )

On the other hand, the relatively new Plextor drive (PX2410TA) also rips those CDs (ok, Plextor is Plextor ),
but have a strange defect at the 9th second of each track (while TEAC's wavs haven't).
Does someone encounter such a problem with Plextor drives?

I have no tested Cactus Data Shield 100/200. Someone has tried to rip a CD protected with Data Shield ?

dudes, i believe theres a 100% succesful way to defeat any audio cd copy protection... its the famous marker trick. Right now we dont have that much protected audio cds, but you bet when it becomes overwhelming, there will be a databes on where each cd has the protection so it can be deflected with the marker, like pics or something. I hope that comes true...

CDS200 or SafeAudio can't be completely defeated by a marker. The marker trick is valid for the first version of Key2Audio (and maybe some other protections as well).

I bought a CD few weeks ago not knowning it was copy protected, it took a long time for the disc to be recognised by the OS and actually caused Win98 to crash on the first attempt, however after restarting Win98 EAC with my DVD-ROM drive successfully ripped it. It will however be the last copy protected audio CD I ever buy.

Then you'll have to stop buying CDs...






EDIT: (otherwise someone else would mention it anyhow) " ... or give 'em back to the store. "

hmm, I've tried to rip a CDS100 CD (IIRC), but failed. With both my drives, a 24xPanasonic CR-585 (bought 1997) and a Teac CD-W54EK (4xwriter). Oh... and my mp3 cd player was able to read a part of the CD (I think the first track as missing).