First distinguish an installer asking for the next CD from SPEED2.EXE asking for a play disc. PCGamingWiki documents both 2CD and DVD editions and retail SafeDisc protection. Missing-drive detection and unsupported DRM are different problems; the same prompt is not proof of either one.
Three situations
You have the 2CD set and a real drive
Install from disc 1 and swap to disc 2 when the installer asks. Apply the official patch for your edition and language. If a prompt appears at launch, check the required play disc and drive before diagnosing DRM.
You have a DVD or an image
Check that the disc or your own image contains the expected edition's files. ThirteenAG's widescreen INI describes NoOpticalDriveFix as allowing the game to run without an optical drive. It addresses that compatibility check, not SafeDisc authentication. This site does not supply a replacement executable or promise that mounting an image makes retail DRM work.
You are on Steam Deck or a laptop with no optical drive
Check NoOpticalDriveFix in the release's INI for missing-drive detection. Treat retail DRM as a separate prerequisite, particularly under Proton. The Deck page distinguishes these limits from controller and display setup.
How to narrow down a remaining prompt
Confirm the shortcut points to the intended game folder and that its ASI loader reads the INI you edited. A persistent prompt can still be a media, edition, or DRM problem; it is not proof that you edited the wrong file. If the protected executable cannot start on the OS, an ASI setting cannot be assumed to repair that earlier failure.
Continue with Patches, not ISOs.
Questions people ask
Do I need a second physical disc?
A 2CD edition needs its second disc when the installer asks. A launch-time prompt is a separate diagnosis: check the correct play disc, drive detection, and retail DRM compatibility. The message alone does not identify the cause.
Is an empty file named foobar the fix?
An empty file is not a documented general fix. The widescreen INI documents NoOpticalDriveFix for systems without an optical drive, but does not describe it as a SafeDisc bypass.
Will this work on Steam Deck?
NoOpticalDriveFix may address missing-drive detection on Deck, but it does not make retail SafeDisc work under Proton. A mounted image and this INI option are not a guaranteed launch solution.
Sources checked 2026-10-23
- PCGamingWiki: Need for Speed: Underground 2 — accessed 2026-10-23
- ThirteenAG NFSU2 widescreen release — accessed 2026-10-23
- Default widescreen INI — accessed 2026-10-23
Checked on 2026-10-23. Prices, player counts, and store listings are snapshots from that date.