[Guide] How to extract radio station musics from Saints Row The Third
DISCLAIMERS:- Ripping contents out of original game installation may or may not be legal in your country. Do it at your own risk.
- The result music files are for personal use only. DO NOT publicly distribute or circumvent the music files.
- Tools linked in this guide are done by 3rd party author. I give no warranty nor guarantee on the usage of the tools. Use them at your own risk.
Before you start
You must have a copy of Saints Row The Third installed in your hard drive (or a copy of the needed game file).
Basic command prompt knowledge is required.
The end results are 96kbps audio files. These music are the exact rip from the game itself, but since the musics are played as a background music in-game, you might not notice the bad music quality in-game. If you are expecting quality music, then you might be disappointed.
Tools needed:
This tool from Rick’s Game stuff
http://svn.gib.me/builds/volition/ (Download the latest build)
— (mirror/version used in this guide)
This tool from ToadKing
http://toadking.com/bnk_tools.zip
— (mirror/version used in this guide)
ww2ogg tool from here
http://www.hcs64.com/vgm_ripping.html (Download “ww2ogg”)
— (mirror/version used in this guide)
Procedures
-
Find and copy the sounds_common.vpp_pc file to a working folder on your PC that’s easy to access (in this guide, I’ll be putting all the files on my desktop). It resides in <steam installation folder>\steamapps\common\Saints Row the Third\packfiles\pc\cache\sounds_common.vpp_pc (around 600MB+).
These are all the required files.
-
Unpack the .zip tools.
- For bnk_tools.zip, all you need is bnk_pc_extractor.exe.
- For volition.zip, all you need is the bin_sr3 folder.
- For ww2ogg.zip, all you need is the ww2ogg.exe.
-
Open up command prompt, navigate to the bin_sr3 folder, and run this command:> Gibbed.SaintsRow3.UnpackVPP.exe ../sounds_common.vpp_pc
Once this is done, you should have a new folder appeared in bin_sr3 folder. Move that folder to up one directory. Your original directory should look like this.
Inside the sounds_common folder should have a lot of .bnk_pc files.
-
The radio station musics are in the radio_<station>_media.bnk_pc files. I will extract one of the stations in this guide, just repeat for the rest.
In the command prompt, navigate to the folder for the bnk_pc_extractor.exe, and run this command:> bnk_pc_extractor.exe sound_common/radio_klassic_media.bnk_pc
You should get a lot of .wav files in the sounds_common folder.
Repeat this step for all the radio_<station>_media.bnk_pc files.
-
These .wav files are compress files. You will need to uncompress them into codec-readable format. In command prompt, use this command:> ww2ogg.exe sounds_common/radio_klassic_media_00000.wav
Once that is done, you will find radio_klassic_media_00000.ogg in the same folder as the radio_klassic_media_00000.wav file.
Repeat this step for all the radio_<station>_media_<number>.wav files.
- (Optional) If you got the right codec installed in your system, you can play the .ogg file directly. If you wish to copy into an MP3 player or your phone, use something to convert the .ogg files into MP3. I recommend using Format Factory to do it.
References
How to buy an external hard disc?
DISCLAIMER: This guide is based on my personal experience and knowledge. Correct me if I am wrong, on the comments section. And also, this guide is meant for basic consumer, and more towards decision making than technical comparison. Therefore, this guide will contain minimal technical knowledge / comparison.
Summary
For people who just wanted to know the “how” part, read this section.
How do you plan to use it?
Transfer files, traveling with large number of files. –> 2.5″ portable hard disc
Backup my files, stays on the desk all/most of the time. –> 3.5″ external hard disc
Do you…
Need one? –> Get the one with just enough space
Want one? –> Get the largest space available in the market
Brand? Get only branded ones. Avoid unknown brand.
Popular brands: Western Digital (aka WD), Seagate, Toshiba.
Extra features? Auto-backup, encryption etc these features good?
Not recommended. However if you liked the design, and it only comes with these extra features, then go ahead and buy one, and try to get rid of them later. Or live with it.
For people who wanted to know more about the comparison, read on.
Introduction
As a techie among my friends, often people will come to ask for my advise when they want to buy an external hard disc for themselves. Most of the time, people will start with “Hey, is (insert brand name here) hard disc worth buying?”, or “Hey, I found (insert model here) cost (insert price here), do you think I should buy one?”. This kind of questions is really hard to answer, not without some further clarification.
Hard Disc Type
Most people are unaware, there are more than one size of hard disc. People will think the 2.5″ portable hard disc is THE ONLY external hard disc on the market. Why? Because that’s what all those IT shops are pushing towards consumers. When people goes into an IT store and say “I want to buy an external hard disc”, the shop keepers will, by default, show you their collection of 2.5″ portable hard disc.
This is WRONG.
There are, in fact, two sizes of hard disc.
The existence of 3.5″ hard disc seems to be known only among techies. I wonder why.
Pros & Cons
After knowing the existence of 3.5″ external hard disc, most people would ask, “Its so big! Why would anyone want to buy this?”. Simple answer: It’s cheaper.
Price is not the only factor. There are some more pros & cons when comparing the 2.5″ and 3.5″ external hard disc.
Physical Appearance / Usage
The 2.5″ portable hard disc is small and portable. It usually is powered by USB only. Occasionally, one USB port may not be enough to power up one unit, this is why most 2.5″ portable hard disc comes with 2 power input. This situation often occur when using battery-powered netbook / laptop.
The 3.5″ external hard disc is big and bulky. It comes with a power adapter, and must be powered by external power outlet. As it is powered by external power, you won’t need to worry about under-powered hard disc. However, it is advised to unplug it during thunder storm.
Size comparison of 2.5″ and 3.5″ external hard disc.
(Image gotten from Wikipedia)
Disc Space
3.5″ usually have a larger capacity than their 2.5″ counterpart.
At the time of writing this, Western Digital offers:
3.5″ external hard disc: 500GB ~ 3TB
2.5″ portable hard disc: 250GB ~ 1TB
Read / Write speed
3.5″ usually have a faster speed than their 2.5″ counterpart.
3.5″ external hard disc spins at 5,400 up to 10,000 RPM.
2.5″ portable hard disc spins at 4,200 up to 7,200 RPM only. And the higher RPM ones usually have less disc space.
However, this won’t be a major issue since most people only use external hard disc to store data, not installing programs and run on it.
Transfer speed
In terms of transfer speed, they actually depends on the medium of transfer.
Common type of transfer interface: USB, FireWire, and eSATA.
USB: It is so common, that it is so hard to find any computer without USB port nowadays. Unfortunately, when comparing with the less common medium, it is the slowest. And also, not all motherboard support booting from USB device. Do not worry though, it is good enough for common folks like us.
FireWire: People who are getting this are mostly Mac users. This is way faster than USB, but is less common for PC users. Most Mac machines now can even boot from FireWire, which makes it a good alternative storage for a second OS.
eSATA: This is usually for people who are techies themselves, whom people ask them to troubleshoot their computer. eSATA is useful when a computer’s internal hard disc had failed, you can boot from an external hard disc using the computer’s internal SATA adapter. If your computer had an eSATA port, you also could benefit from the fast transfer rate.
How my summary works?
First question will usually determine the actual size of hard disc you need. If you need a portable one, you will definitely need a 2.5″ portable hard disc. If you need only a static backup, my recommendation is to use a 3.5″ external hard disc, to enjoy its large capacity and lower cost. You could, get a 2.5″ portable for this purpose as well, but usually not worth the cost (since you aren’t utilizing 2.5″ portable’s only advantage – its portability).
The second question is my own opinion.
If you “need” it, the just get the one that is just enough for your need. Don’t bother going for the maximum size available. Why? Because the price of hardware is constantly dropping. It would be a waste to spend the extra cash, to buy something that you won’t be fully utilizing, and will price-drop in the future.
However, if you just “want” it, then go ahead and get the maximum size available in the market. Why? Because in the future, where technology advances and newer, larger hard disc came out:
(1) Your current one still have so much space, so you decide not to get another one until it goes red, which saves you money for a very long period, or;
(2) You resell your current one and get the latest one, where in this case since yours aren’t outdated yet, its resale value is retained better.
Why not recommend those extra features?
I wouldn’t recommend buying a hard disc because of it. You don’t usually need these fancy features, and even if you do, there are many free alternative on the web. These features eat off the actual storage space of the hard disc itself, and may not be compatible with every computer. It may affect the performance of the hard disc too. But, if you like the design of the hard disc, but it only comes with these extra stuff, you can still go ahead and buy it, and try to get rid of them later. Or live with it.
References:
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/catalog/?segment=2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_drive#Market_segments
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Comparison_of_3.5_and_2.5_inch_hard_drives.jpg
Disassemble Guide: How to clean the fan for Acer Aspire 4937G
I’ve been experiencing auto-reboot recently again. Due to overheat I guess.
It’s been half a year since I last clean my laptop fan.
Normal users should clean their fan once a year. But for power users, you may need to clean them more frequently, like twice a year. (like me :S)
DISCLAIMER: If you really wants to disassemble your laptop, DO AT YOUR OWN RISK! I do not, and will not, bear any responsibility of you messing up your own laptop just because you’ve been reading my guide. This is just a basic guideline for experienced users with hardware knowledge. It is advised to send your set to proper technician if you do not feel confident, or do not wish to take the risk. Also, note that opening your laptop case WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY! (Although it doesn’t really matter, Acer’s after-sales service sucks anyway.)
DISCLAIMER 2: This post is more than 2 years old. Unfortunately, my laptop has long gone, and I am not an Acer technician. Follow this guide at your own risk, and note that I may not be able to answer most of you questions now as I can’t really recall much details anymore. Sorry.
Ok here we go…
First of all, these are the tools you need:
– A small plus (+) sign screwdriver, but not too small. About the size of the screws under your laptop. Preferably magnetic.
– A small minus (-) sign screwdriver, about the size of above plus size screwdriver. Useful for prying open some casings.
– A really small minus (-) sign screwdriver. Useful for opening small plugs.
These are the tools I used this time. (With my Nokia N70 beside for size comparison)
Before you start, shut down your laptop, take out the battery and let it cool down for a while if you’ve been running it for some time. It will be dangerous to operate a hot laptop.
Flip to the bottom of the laptop, and take out all the screws as shown.
Next, open the 3 panels to expose the Harddisc, RAM, and WiFi card. Take out the 2 side cover of the LCD as well.
Take out more screws under it as shown.
Take out the harddisc and RAM as you normally would. Slide the DVD-drive out from the inside. Take out the PCI dummy if you have it. Remember how they connect the WiFi card. It’s white on top and black below. It is advised to take a picture before pulling the plug, so that you can remember how to put them back when you’re done.
Take out the WiFi card when you’re done. Now, flip the laptop, and carefully open the LCD screen. Since the bottom are unscrewed, you may need to hold the sides of the top cover to avoid breaking the top casing, specifically left side (right side have 3 screws beneath, you can worry less.)
Next, carefully pry open the speaker panel.
Once you’re done, you may slot out the keyboard, to reveal the underneath. Take out more screws, and on top of that, plugs. Use your very small sized minus sign screwdriver to open up small plugs before pulling it out.
After all the screws and plugs, take out the speaker and quick-launch board. Time to remove the LCD. Take out 3 more screws under the speaker board, and carefully pull out the black and white wire from below. (I forgot to take a picture, so I will just use back the previous ones.)
Take off the LCD and put it aside. Carefully pry open the top casing to reveal the motherboard underneath. This is going to end soon. Some little more screws and plugs.
Carefully slide out the motherboard. Flip it over. You’ve finally reached the fan! Take out more screws.
Flip over the fan, and clean the layer of dust blocking the ventilation.
It is not necessary to clean the dust in the fan itself, although you may do so if you wish. I don’t do it, since it involve much much smaller screws, and it requires a lot more concentration and proper tools screwing back in.
When you’re done, you generally had done this to your laptop.
Alright, you can start to read this guide in reverse. And wish you good luck. =)
Any questions, just leave me a comment, I will try to answer them if I can. But do not expect too much from me, I am not Acer technician.
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