BACKUP CDs: woes about CloneCD & PPFs

[andrewwan1980]

(I know this is PS2 forum, but couldn't find the PSX forum. Plus I talk about PS2...)

I own a copy of PAL Final Fantasy 9. I know the 2 best backup software is Alcohol 120% and CloneCD. Both can only create CCD images (Alcohol can also create MDS I know).

What I would like is to apply a FF9 trainer (which comes in PPF format) to this game and burn the CD so that I can play on my PS2 slim with this cool trainer.

However, PPF can only be applied to ISO images because they are really diffs between two ISO images... not CCD images. FF9 comes with a large subchannel (30MB) and I guess this is the audio music part of the CD. Am a bit weary about using CCD to ISO converts... as some may ignore the subchannel or even the hidden error-bits that CDs use for copy-protection.

So my question is:

1. Is it possible to apply a PPF patch to a CloneCD image?
2. CloneCD/Alcohol images retain every single bit, including error bits used for copy-protection. If this CCD image gets burnt back onto CD, does this really mean it can be played on PS1/2 console? If not, why not if this backup is truely a cloned 1-to-1 backup?
3. If I converted CloneCD image to ISO image and burnt the ISO, (as long as I use modded PS2) would I be able to play the ISO on my modded console?