“No CD patch” is shorthand used informally by some maintenance personnel, modders, and forum commentators to describe a software workaround or configuration change that prevents a system from requiring insertion or access to a specific physical media or legacy authentication mechanism (CD, removable media, or similar), or that disables a particular compatibility or diagnostic mode tied to such media. On the F-22—or systems associated with it—the phrase typically points to efforts to:

If you prefer not to use patches, you can often find the game bundled on platforms like GOG.com or Steam, which provide pre-patched versions that run natively on modern systems.

: A major "interesting piece" of the original game is that it only supports legacy gameport joysticks