Utopia bootdisk
Encyclopedia
Utopia Bootdisk is a booting program, created by a software group named Utopia, designed for the playing of import Sega
Dreamcast games, but because it also allowed the running of unsigned code, it was exploited by software pirates to play copied games. The Utopia Bootdisk does not defeat the security used on original GD-ROM
disks, instead it uses an exploit in the Dreamcast BIOS
which was originally intended for use with MIL-CD
s. The program allegedly used an early teapot demo
to display the rotating reindeer.
, and was programmed from a hacked up version of the Katana SDK, a protected software development kit that was only officially, and legally, distributed to Sega
approved developers. When loaded into an unmodified Dreamcast, it allows the user to swap out the Utopia disc for a burned CD. The Utopia Bootdisc also bypasses region encoding and granted the ability to boot most legitimate GD-ROM's from other regions. Once loaded, the screen will display a spinning 3-D
reindeer and a message to insert disc.
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
Dreamcast games, but because it also allowed the running of unsigned code, it was exploited by software pirates to play copied games. The Utopia Bootdisk does not defeat the security used on original GD-ROM
GD-ROM
GD-ROM is the proprietary optical disc format used by the Dreamcast games console, as well as its arcade counterparts and the Sega/Nintendo/Namco Triforce arcade system...
disks, instead it uses an exploit in the Dreamcast BIOS
BIOS
In IBM PC compatible computers, the basic input/output system , also known as the System BIOS or ROM BIOS , is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface....
which was originally intended for use with MIL-CD
Mil-CD
MIL-CD is a compact disc format created by the video game company Sega in 1999.The main purpose of MIL-CD was to add multimedia functions to music CDs, for use in Sega's Dreamcast games console...
s. The program allegedly used an early teapot demo
Utah teapot
The Utah teapot or Newell teapot is a 3D computer model which has become a standard reference object in the computer graphics community. It is a mathematical model of an ordinary teapot of fairly simple shape, which appears solid, cylindrical and partially convex...
to display the rotating reindeer.
Background
The Utopia Bootdisk is indirectly a type of warezWarez
Warez refers primarily to copyrighted works distributed without fees or royalties, and may be traded, in general violation of copyright law. The term generally refers to unauthorized releases by organized groups, as opposed to file sharing between friends or large groups of people with similar...
, and was programmed from a hacked up version of the Katana SDK, a protected software development kit that was only officially, and legally, distributed to Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
approved developers. When loaded into an unmodified Dreamcast, it allows the user to swap out the Utopia disc for a burned CD. The Utopia Bootdisc also bypasses region encoding and granted the ability to boot most legitimate GD-ROM's from other regions. Once loaded, the screen will display a spinning 3-D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
reindeer and a message to insert disc.