1) from what i understand, the game rips into a folder structure, so there is no "format" - this concept is backed up by the ripping process, where you can see the files are all being backed up one by one. what im saying is, the disc's files arent saved as an image file, but rather just directly copied into the same folder trees as they are on the disc. 2) if you own a disc and it breaks, it doesnt justify piracy. backing up software in itself is illegal, in pretty much every country - anything with copy protection on it (dvd's, cd's, games) cant be circumvented. anything without copy protection youre usually okay to copy, but in this case, youre not. to say you can pirate because you pay taxes is a joke, IMO. your statement is like saying "everyone gets stressed, its okay to let out some steam once in a while by assaulting someone with a baseball bat".