I followed the advice I was given, downloaded and installed a free trial version of either DVD Decrypter or Dvd Fab Decrypter (I can't remember which) and made some backup DVDs which played fine on my regular DVD player (although, not on other players, which might have been a region issue as I have a multi region player). Anyway, with the backups done, I let the free trial lapse and didn't bother buying the full version. Now, months later, I need to back some DVDs up again but neither of the programs are available any more. Can anyone point me in the right direction of some currently available software (freeware preferably) that does the job? Thanks.
ok john. first off the free software you want to get is RipIt4Me (this has DVDDecrypter in it, FixVTS, also free, and DVDShrink.. all free!!) does a great job & here ya go:
this is a guide by my good buddy, Arniebear and you can download all the programs that you need as posted in the guide! These programs will rip the movie to the hard drive and fix the files so there are no new encryptions and then you can process it with Shrink to fit onto a DVD-5 (single sided DVD) and it will work great!
next is to get your disks to be more compatible to play on most players:
read all about booktyping! If your burner can be set to booktyping to DVD-ROM then your burned disks will be more compatible to most DVD players and you shouldn't have any problem viewing them. Here is one way to booktype:
if your burner is not listed there then you can let Nero automatically booktype your drive every time it burns a +R disk. And since you have DVDDecrypter you can check to make sure you have up to date firmware for your burner:
Firmware... what do you mean firmware.. well read this:
Firmware for your burner as that sets new write strategies for new media thats out..
Firmware is programming that is inserted into a programmable memory area of your drive, thus becoming a permanent part of a drive. This 'software' is called firmware and can be updated with a firmware flasher. Every company has its own methods to allow you to do a firmware upgrade. A firmware upgrade can add new functionality to your drive. Also bug fixes and improvements are done by firmware upgrades.
now there is only one more thing you should know about DVD burning to get you started in the right direction! Media..... what's good, what's not good and what to stay away from:
that's a media guide, just keep to this simple rule of thumb:The best media is Made In Japan (MIJ). Taiyo Yuden, Verbatim, Sony, Maxell..... top notch media.... the only exception to this rule is Verbatim (which is made in Taiwan/Singapore)which is top notch media. Use DVDInfo Pro, DVDIdentifier (freeeeee), or Nero InfoTool to find the manufacturer ID of you disk. Just stick to the MIJ media and you'll do fine.
there ya go...... now do your reading and learn your stuff and you can be a happy go lucky burning fool, LIKE ME!~
I was a Newbie once, too! And members here took me by my hand and did the same thing..... now I have all the info to burn any DVD out there! I just like sharing and giving back to help others like the members of Afterdawn helped me! And it's fun, too. Welcome to Afterdawn.
one more thing...... here is a thread that really helped me out and it's good reading, too:
