I just checked one of my original discs by clicking on my dvd drive and choosing "explore". Actually I was looking for something else, but guess what I found? These two files, that apparently from their names, were put there by CopytoDvd! COPYTODVD 09032004 205210 210.cache COPYTODVD 09062004 224531 175.cache Can you believe that that lameass program actually copied these to my [bold]original[/bold] disk!? I am so outraged, that I don't know what to do! I no longer use this program, I only use Dvd Shrink, Anydvd, and Nero now, but what about all the discs that I (allegedly) burned that belonged to Blockbuster or Netflix? Did this program put these files on them too? By the way, I stress, this is [bold]Not[/bold] a "joke post". This actually happened.. Also, when I right-click on these files to try to delete them (actually I don't even know if you can delete a file from a dvd like that), the computer takes about 20min to read the damn thing, I went to the store and came back, and the drive was still just chugging along, like it was making coffee or something, and re-booting didn't change anything. What in the hell is going on, and has anyone else experienced this? The version of copytodvd that I have was upgraded to 3.0.42.78, but I don't know if this version, or the previous version is responsible for this, because, right after I paid for the program, and used it a few more times, I discovered this place (Afterdawn), and of course discovered much better programs, in your wonderful forums. I checked all the settings for this program, and the folder to be used for temporary files has "automatic temporary folder" checked, instead of "C:\PROGRA~1\vso\COPYTO~1\" which is voided, and in a "grayed-out" state due to that option being checked. But surely the program would not "automatically" choose a folder on the actual target disc being burned? Which leads me to speculate on whether this is something perhaps more insidious; because after all, who would think to check their original discs for something like this; I only found it by accident, most of us never "explore" our dvd drives or our original discs...
I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public I don't believe I am going to even go into this one any further...
Hmmm, interesting, look if I were you this is what I would do. First take your burner out of your computer, then get yourself a dvd-rom drive (double check that it can only read and not write) then copy the original disc to the hard drive, then take the original out of the computer and place it at least 20 feet from the computer (just to be safe don't go less than 20 feet), then and only then, put the burner back in the computer and burn your back-up. But the most important thing to remember is don't get the two discs too close together, this may be disasterous, as the same matter cannot occupy the same place at the same time. Just for info, if you look at the two files you will see: COPYTODVD 09032004 205210 210.cache Obviously the "COPYTODVD" bit tells them what program you used, the "09032004" gives them the date that you copied the disc, the "20510" is the FBI case file number that is assigned to your offense, and the "210" is the number that you subtract from 220 to find out your IQ score. Hope this helps.
Just a little info for those that NEED to know. Original dvd movies are pressed discs not burned, therefore information can't be burned onto an original disc. Now if Blockbuster is using copies for rental that are burned then there might be a slight chance of something like that happening. But not too likely. Jerry
DSYF3R, I think you are trying to tell me something, but I don't see what yet... I had already figured out that the "09032004" part of it was the date, that is what had me so worried, because essentially this is a documented record of a copy that I made. The disk that I mentioned was not a blockbuster copy, it was my own, bought on Ebay, Tyler Perry's "Diary of a Mad Black Woman", the stage play. I realize that you are having a joke at my expense, but if I am not seeing something here, please help me see what I am missing. I took the disc out of the Sony dvd player, inserted another disc, played some of it with PowerDvd,(to clear any cache the computer might have had), then reinserted the Tyler Perry disc, went to My Computer, "explored" my dvd drive, and got the same two files present, (along with the .Vob, .Ifo, and .Bup files, in the Video_TS folder. That would seem to suggest that the files are actually present, not just coming from somewhere else on the computer, or from my imagination. By the way, I know that once a burning session has been closed, data can no longer be written to a disc, but what if the session is left open?... I hesitate to say left open on purpose, because you are already trying to brand me as some sort of a paranoid idiot, and the joke is already wearing a bit thin. If I am doing or overlooking something incredibly foolish here, pointing it out to me would then make the joke funny to me, too.
If it wasen't a BB copy then why this post You evidently bought a pirated copy from someone on Ebay. So it is possible those files could be wrote to that disk, but then that means the original author didn't fianalize the disk. So how would it play back in all stand alone players? Maybe them are files from the original maker of the disk?
bbmayo, maybe they are files from the original maker of the disk. If that's your opinion I would rather hear that than some YinYang nonsense about removing the disk burner 20 ft away from the computer. I made the post because, allowing for the fact that this could happen on a disk that has the session left open, and Blockbuster Online (And the MPAA) knew of it, and of copydvd's tendency to write cache files to an original "open-ended session" disc, wouldn't this be a great way to take advantage of that to amass proof of burned (copied) disks? Of course all of the discs couldn't be open ended, well duh, because they then wouldn't be compatible with everyone's player, but why not say, one in twenty, or a hundred and twenty, that would still amass quite a lot of damning evidence. When they received your disk back via the mail, the disc could be scanned for these files, if it was one of the "special" discs, the incriminating info would go next to your name, if it wasn't, fine. The only thing keeping a scenario like this from being true is, in my mind, our "certainty" that an open-ended session disc would not play in many people's stand alone players. But it must play in quite a few, or why even have open-ended sessions as an option? True, even to me this does just sound like a bunch of paranoia, and I hope of course, that that is true. I, after all, like a good laugh as much as the next person. I am just concerned that, in our haste to have a good laugh, we are not maybe, just maybe, missing something....
That option is mainly there so you can write some data to a disk and still put more on it later. It isn't meant for DVD Video recording. 99.9% of the time the only thing that will read an open-ended disk is the DVD writer that created the disk. To solve your worries just rip your movies with a good DVD ROM then you know it can't write anything to the DVD, and they are much faster at ripping anyway.
There are some burning programs that WATERMARK the copy it makes. X Copy software does this to all its copies and the copies could be traced back to the original purchaser of the software. I'm not aware of other software that does this but it is possible. At least we found out this is a copy not an original dvd. Like I said before original PRESSED dvds can't be burned with any type of code to show you copied it. Jerry
I would love for Blockbuster to rent movies on burn't DVDs, if they did that would constitute a breach of copyright (as they would need to crack the encryption) this would mean that they would then try to get an exemption, which in turn would open up all sorts of loopholes for you and me.
Thank you, I did not know that, about discs being pressed; that does it then, the whole theory is now offically debunked. Thanks to the people who, in the spirit of this and other forums here at Afterdawn, (A place I have come to respect), tried to seriously address my lack of knowledge in this respect and enlighten me; it is why people come to this forum. Not to have their I.Q.'s belittled by jerks like DSYF3R, who, before last week, probably thought I.Q. meant "I quit".
@ amaze122. Most of the long time members on this forum try not to come down on newer members for a lack of knowledge. We all were newbies at one time and just starting the learning process. We at times get a little hot at repeat questions that have been asked hundreds of times and which the answers can be found with the search feature. But most of the members and mods are forgiving of this and will just try to correct the problem. We do see a few members that go out of their way to look for trouble by answering the simple questions with smart remarks which then escalates into a verbal battle. I try to downplay that kind of situation and would rather answer the simple question again than cause problems. Don't let one bad remark get to you or hold that against the general forum. Most members on here are a good bunch of people. Jerry
