Reinstallation problem

Ok, so I'm at my wit's end trying to work out how I can get this game to work. Here's the whole story:

I installed it a few days ago and it was working properly. I managed to get out of the initial Tarsus facility and the game crashed on level load. I figured there might be a patch, came here and downloaded patch 1.2.

Sadly, when I tried to install patch 1.2, the installer failed (complaining about a file being missing, I think). Now the game wouldn't launch at all. I ran the "repair" that came with the original installer. Still wouldn't launch.

In desperation, I uninstalled the game and tried to reinstall it. Now the installer won't install properly - it complains repeatedly about CRC errors.

If I ignore all the CRC errors (there's about 7), the game won't launch - it gets to the point where I can load the game and then dies when I try to load it.

I should note that if I look very closely at the CD, I can see tiny hairline scratches, but they do not seem bad enough that they'd cause this problem.

Ok, so that's the situation I'm in. Here's what I've tried at this point:

* Tried installing a no-CD crack, since I figured the launch issue is probably a SafeDisc thing or similar. Then the game will launch but some things don't work (e.g. I can't install new biomods, part of the UI is missing).

* Tried using a CD recovery program (CDCheck) to copy the install files from my CD to the hard drive and install them from there. I get the same CRC errors. I should note that the CD recovery program doesn't think there are any errors on the CD, either on a scan or during the actual recovery process, which makes me think that the hairline scratches are a red herring.

* Tried installing, ignoring the CRC errors and installing Patch 1.2. The patch installer won't install so that doesn't help (you can't ignore its errors).

* Tried uninstalling everything, including the game directories, removing any Eidos/Deus Ex references in the registry, and reinstalling the game. Didn't make any difference, still just a CRC issue.

Personally, I am guessing that whatever copy protection scheme is used with the game is causing the problem. I just can't see a way round it.

Basic system specs (if it will help to post all the DirectX stuff, I can do that too):

Windows 2000 Professional
512 Mb RAM
GeForce 3, 64Mb
Creative 52x mx CD-ROM

Please, if you have any bright ideas on anything else I can do, reply.

Ok, so I think I may have found a solution.

I installed the game at work and everything installs fine including the 1.2 patch. I'll try installing it again at home, ignore all the CRC errors and then just copy the patched version over the top of the broken version via VPN and see if that fixes it. If it doesn't, I guess I'll have to recycle the CD as a coaster.

I suspect that whatever copy protection Eidos is using on the game just doesn't work with the Creative CD drive I have.

Eidos: please, for the love of god, do not use these kind of CD copy protection schemes. Personally, I don't care what you do - in-manual keycodes, whatever (hell, even online registration is ok by me), just don't use these schemes that don't work on so many people's computers.

I'm pretty sure you must have mandated it as the publisher, rather than it being the developer's fault. I would now seriously consider not buying a game because it was published by your company, since there would be a good chance it wouldn't work properly on my computer. I am guessing that isn't what you want.