You could also image the CD if it is still a hassle. (provided you have the disk space).
Use something like Blindread to make a file image of the disk. Then install the Daemon CD rom emulator and mount the image (make sure daemon has the CD copy protection options on). This way you can play it anytime without the cd. Plus it's better than cracking it as daemon emulates the copy protection so you don't need to. (You can also install any patches without worrying).
Jimbo