Some movies with the AUTORUN.inf file I've not been able to copy. Am I right in this or is it some new technology that's tripping me up?
No, autorun just tells the player to start playing the DVD when its inserted in the player/drive. The newest version of DVD Decrypter can handle the newest copyright protection. It does for me and most people at least, though it seems that some people still have problems.
Well, I'd say you should try out the combo of DVD Shrink and DVD Decrypter. They're both freeware, both stellar programs, and have worked beautifully for me on hundreds of backups. Follow the link in my sig for links to where you can download the programs and a great guide with pictures.