Hi, Frank, Scuba Pete, Herb, et al: Got my new Dell 8300 Series PC up and running. Dell packaged several items of software related to DVD operations. One of them provides for a disc-to-disc copy. Just for tricks I tried on an encrypted DVD that I own. The software whipped out a copy in some 15 minutes. I have a mixed bag of DVD drives around home: My Sansui standalone home DVD recorder/player, the one I use to play DVDs on my TV, is a DVD-RW drive. Unfortunately, Dell does not equip the 8300 Series with DVD-RW drives. They claim that they don't have them. Here is my mystery: The direct copy(a +RW) of that encrypted DVD plays well on my PC, but when I tried it in my Sansui, the -RW drive, the output was garbled. It looked like an encrypted copy of the original DVD movie. Is that the way -RW and +RW drives manifest themselves? Or is that direct copy a copy of an encrypted disc? A final question: Any hints on how to quickly determine which drive is a CD-ROM,DVD-ROM, DVD+RW? My Computer is no help. It seems to vary from time to time. It seems to perfer to use CD-ROM, CD+RW. . . . But with my three DVD/CD drives, these vary now and then. Oh, the drives work fine. But I am not certain which one I am using between the two DVD drives. I have to try first. I am on the brink of disowning XCOPY XPRESS. I have spent much to much money and time on this crap without much success. What antagonizes me most is the operation is not "fluid." It's either working or "frozen." That CANCEL buttone is just for grins. It is not connected for me. I have to force a closure of the folder to get out of the program. There is not telling what the real problem is when it fails. This software cost about 6 times more than any value I seen in it! Any help there? Tech. Support is a Martian operation. Regards, wlloyd
I use dvd shrink (better IMHO than DVD X Copy et al)and its free and i use cdvdinfo (find in the software section on this site)for drive info
Thanks,sillycybe: I had worked with DVD Shrink prior to installing my new PC(Dell 8300 Series). Apparently, there was "something alien" about the Pioneer DVR-106D burner I was using. All of the operations took much too long to complete. I have been reluctant to get back into "the waiting game." . . .Maybe now with my new PC--with giga-this and giga-that-- I won't have the total grief I had with DVD Shrink(Truthfully, just before I pulled the plug on the other PC, I had resolved most of the difficulty with DVD Decrypter and DVD Shrink, but I seemed to get of the glide path from there to the burn. The folks at 321 Studios should show a bit on conscience and issue a comprehensive paper on XCopy Xpress(or close up shop). Their pricing is on a par with Microsoft without a tenth of the quality. . . . Thanks again. wlloyd
wlloyd, Load this tool up and it will tell what drive is what - http://www.dvdinfopro.com/ I thought we had set you up with a DVD player compatibility site too but here it is to insure you are using the proper disc for the player http://www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdplayers.php All DVD burners are by default CD burners but not all CD burners are DVD burners. A DVD-ROM is a player that can play CD's and DVD's and a CD-ROM is an incredibly stupid waste of money. Work though the "Black List" for DVD XCopy and when you have an exact problem come back and we'll help - http://dvdxcopy.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/49908 If you find too many conflicts, it probably would be better to get rid of XCopy, at least from msconfig. And Lastly - I thought we taught you better - we're here on our free time and there are tons of people who post things on this and many other forums in A/D and they want answers too. Be patient, when you get impatient we feel like bypassing you and going where others are happy to see us, not annoyed because they waited. When your post hasn't been answered for a day and 1/2 or 2 days, THEN give it a "Bump". In case you are wondering where I'm coming from - before my accident I was an EMT, getting up at 3:00AM and going to someone in need - for our efforts we were yelled at and even cursed because we weren't there sooner. Helping people, we shouldn’t' have to adhere to a timetable. That said, congrats on your new toy Pete
Scuba Pete: If my posting that you referenced appeared to imply impatience on my part or lack of respect and appreciation for the fine assistance that I have been accorded at AfterDawn, please accept my sincerest apology. I had waited a reasonable length of time for a response. I simply thought that with the traffic coming into AfterDawn, my posting had been inadvertently overlooked. Back to my difficulties with blank DVD discs. One of my problems is a some two or three years ago, I burned at least 300 CDs downloaded from Napster. I had used first one burner software/drive then another. I thought that I was on top of my game relative to optical discs. Now, with DVDs I find little similarity in how the blank DVDs are treated when first inserted.(Hey, maybe all of my hardware is from Venus. . . .). With my new, high bracket Dell Dimension 8300 Series with gobs of bells and whistles, admittedly I am getting some response. On my Pioneer DVR-106D burner, which I bought just before the Dell, I get nothing when I insert a disc. In fact, as I recall, the message is "Please insert a disc. . . ." With XCopy the frustration is amplified. There is no way with XCopy to determine where the problem is the result there is "Success" and "Failure," usually the latter. A session begins by messaging that XCopy has found a recordable disc and do I want to burn with it. I think, "Finally, I'm getting somewhere." No! After the 18-minute READ, the system freezes. This is typical of what I get from XCopy even with different burners(I have two: an NEC ND-2100AD DVD+RW 8X and the Pioneer DVR-106D DVD-RW 2X.). Pete, if I may suggest: You can best help me by getting me started step-by-step with what method you deem appropriate. And please don't fret. . . .I have PLENTY of patience. Thanks for your indulgence. wlloyd
Tis my experience with XCopy (I still hate that program) that when it "freezes" there is too much running in the background. Go to msconfig and turn everything off. Reboot - starting with just XCopy try again. If you have problems, uninstall XCopy reboot install XCopy again, reboot start XCopy again and try to backup again. Also, go here and try to remove conflicts - http://dvdxcopy.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/49908 Pete PS - Remember, leave the room while XxCopy is working, don't use the PC for anything (Yes, Wlloyd, even with our computers)
Hi again wlloyd, Congratulations on your promotion here at Afterdawn!! And you got a new computer too! Do you ever look at the log files Xpress makes? It makes a log of every burn.You can find it here: C:\program files\321 studios\Xpress\log I don't use Xpress anymore, I like to have a bit more control over the process. With Xpress all you can do is just start it up and hope it works. I still recommend Shrink and Nero as a good place to start, Even though my Nero is sucking eggs at the moment. Cheers, Frank
WOOOOhhhh, wlloyd - Way to go, a new name tag !!! That means you've been hangin' round here way too long ! CONGRATS !!! "P"
Hi,Scuba Pete and Frank: Don't look now, but I still feel like a "newbie." Anyhow, I will accept my accolades where I find them. Cheers! Got a successful burn in respectable time with the Pioneer DVR-106D. Had to rustle out a fresh DVD blank. Don't know how the system knew the others were stale. Still reflecting on the NEC ND-2100AD burner. Thus far, it has been an eager DVD-ROM, reluctant(idle) burner. After using DVDInfoPro, I learned that the Pioneer works with all DVD formats, both Reads and Writes. Need to check out the NEC. Suspect a one-sided situation there. Even though I spent far too much on XCopy Xpress, I am done with it for now. Maybe after I have greater facility in DVD handling I will re-visit it. Anyhow, it is an unquestionable RIPOFF!. I don't believe that I got even one burn with it. Also, it took me a while to discover how to work around having my system frozen every time I used it. I agree with you, Frank, I want control over the process. Back on the NEC burner, I hope that I can get it going. It's an 8X. I realize that with my media all that I can expect is a 2X operation, but that is still faster than the Pioneer: 1X-2X. It is sad that my home DVD, standalone, recorder is a DVD-RW. I am a bit surprised that a fine outfit such as Sansui(They have made some fine home electronics stuff over the decades.) came out with a non-universal unit. You see. My NEC is DVD+RW. . . . (Dell claims that is all they have in their systems. . . . I tried to get a swap after I disovered the mismatch. What I would really like and may break down and buy is a Plextor +-RW 8X. Still have not found a bargain on an external drive. Hell, I'll have a drive for every day of the week. . . . Thanks a bunch, guys. Never fret. Your assistance is appreciated here. Best regards, wlloyd
Hi,Compadres: Had an inspiring experience just before taking abed last night: Ran a CLEAN XCopy burn: 18 min + 25 min. I remained seated. . . . Had to stop my jaw from hitting the floor. . . . I still don't like it!. . . DVDInfoPro is the kind of software I enjoy. Now, if you can point me toward some that will format a blank drive, you will enhance my pleasure. I have a situation where an RW has been recorded. I would like to erase it and use it for another burn. DVD Decrypter during a burn attempt reminds me that this disc is not empty, but it does not provide an offer to erase it. . . .Why is that? Generally, I don't mind doing a burn step by step. I would like to be able to control each step and know(or reasonably expect) that each step will proceed smoothly. I don't have to have a one step operation. Sonic came with my new Dell Dimension 8300 Series PC, which incidentally has the following features: Processor: 3GHz; RAM: 1GB; HDD:120 GB;Video RAM: 128MB; DVD+RW Burner: NEC ND-2100AD 8X;NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200. Sonic seems to be quite capable software. That is what is recorded on the disc mentioned above. It is a literal copy of an encrypted movie including the encryption. This disc will play that movie on my PC, but if I try to play the disc on my Sansui DVD recorder/player, I see the return of the encryption. That's why I want to erase this disc. Does this make sense? . . . Seems bizarre to me. . . . Cheers! wlloyd
Hi Again, I like that infopro tool enough that I gave Nick $20.00 for the no ad version. That tool will erase your RW media, look for the icon at the top with a pencil erasing a disc. I did a google search for that NEC burner and did not find much info. What you should be using is your Pioneer to burn with and a 16X DVD ROM to do the ripping with. There are several available for 40 to 60 dollars or so from places like Newegg. Just pull the NEC. I've got my Pioneer A-07 and Sony ROM in my computer, an Optorite 4X, A pioneer A-06, and the OEM CD burner out of my computer in my closet. I traded my Toshiba 2X +R OEM burner for a bunch of computer books. So are you using Shrink and Sonic DVD or just Sonic DVD by itself? To be honest I put that program in the same category as your NEC burner. That program comes OEM with a lot of burners, I got it with my A-06 but never installed it. Thats a nice computer you have, I would definitely get a 16X ROM, keep the A-06, take the money saved by not buying the Plexor and get the full Nero download and a bunch of Ritek G04s. 8X burners are cool but most of the time is spent ripping so going from a 14 minute burn to an 8 minute burn is not that important. IMHO. Cheers, Frank
Hey Fellas!I've been useing a NEC DVD_RW ND-1300A..It's a dual format burner+- & I've had extremly good luck with quite a few dif DVD's Ritek A04's be the best40 burns no coasters.It's also supposed to be compatible with these new dual layered DVD's when they come out,that is w/firmware upgrade. read all this at nec home.It's a reasonable price around $100.00
Hi, Frank: We often think it's the big issues that plague us. But that's wrong. Here are some examples: With DVD Decrypter, preparing to burn the .iso file, if the disc that is burned is not blank(empty), there is only that message. There is nothing to tell that DVD Decrypter will erase the disc. That is not learned until one proceeds with faith that the system will work. I must have passed over than idea ten times before I decided to try a burn--anyhow. That is when I saw the note that the disc would be erased. My setup does not lend itself to swapping out components. Also, I am really not a "purist" regarding system operations. However, I would love to have reasonably priced fast method to access the Internet. I've shied away from the Plextor for quite some time. I will probably never get one. I have a four-year, in-home warranty on this PC. It is unlikely that I will have any extended problems with system components. I had one of those warranties with Gateway. That one worked quite well. Gateway USED TO BE the best brand going. . . .Back in the '80's. Some other good news. . . .No I already had Geico(30 + yrs.). It's my Sansui home DVD recorder/player. I discovered that it will play both +-R/RW DVDs. That is truly a burden lifted! Another subject. . . .See if you can detect my problem with DVD Decrypt,DVD Shrink, ImgTool,DVD Decrypt. After decrypting, shrinking, I seem to get into a fog bank with imaging and burning. The output files do not seem to be where they belong. Initially, I thought that I had a good plan of setting up three folders in C: with the movie name plus an underline then either decrypt,shrk,img. That idea works fine until I get to ImgTool. Then, things do not work. From now on, I will gamble on being able to find the files by allowing the software to set up the folders. . . .I still prefer my way--if it would work. . . . Comments? wlloyd
So you are using ImagToolBurn? Thats that program that uses Nero's API (whatever that is) to do a burn. Do you have Nero installed? The most important thing to do is to remember where the heck you told your ripping program to put your files. I always have a notebook handy to write this kind of stuff down. In the case of Decrypter, it will make it's own folder, you just need to find it when looking with the burning program's browser. Shrink will ask you where you want to put them. I have a folder on my drive called "movies". When I get ready to rip I'll use Shrink's browser, find and select my "movies" folder and then make a new folder with the name of the movie. I've had 5 or 6 movies in the movies folder. I know Pete has had over 20 in his. My new hobby is taking mine and friend's computers apart, you need to get the case off occasionally just to use some canned air inside and on the fans, You've got a fast CPU that can make a lot of heat. You need to keep the dust off the fan and heat sink. So while you have it apart, when the time comes, put in a new ROM and increase your rip speeds. Changing a drive is pretty easy I think, Just a few screws and a couple of connectors. I think that what is important for you right now is to get a few DVDs burned using what you have. I just don't like ripping with a burner cause its sooo slow.
Hi,Frank: My system unit is under the dinette set where I have the PC setup. It's quite crowded there. I would consider a trip to the dentist on a par with muscling out the unit to remove the case. Oh, well, I know after all these years, playing with the PC case is part of it. On the burn count. Mine is now some seven DVDs. Even when I was having problems with this software and that I managed to burn a few DVDs. Some of them took 8-10 hours. . . .Now I can burn a XCopy DVD in 43 minutes total. With DVD Decrypter it takes approximately one hour(possibly less). Now that I feel I have a handle on these operations, I expect the count to rise dramatically. wlloyd
Good lord! your Shiny new PC under the table. Have you no mercy? I pull my case off once a month and clean inside and mine sits on my desk. Its always full of dust. My friend does the same thing you do and I just can't get him to move it. I think he can kick it better that way. He actually did that to his last computer. Hehe.
Hi,Frank: I keep forgetting to respond to your question about Nero. I do not have it. And after being slashed badly with XCopy(not that there's a comparison), I am not spend-ready right now. Since Nero is recommended by virtually everyone, I will need to overcome the price hurdle at some point and get it.(Can you e-mail me a copy? . . .). Remember that war flick "A Bridge Too Far?" I am sensing some of that quality with the DVD soft/hardware. wlloyd
Hail, Scuba Pete and Frank: One of the impediments that I have in progressing with DVD burns is Windows Messenger. That #@&* thing stays on my back. Do any of you know how to get rid of it(assuming that it is not worthwhile for something) without tweaking the registry? And now I have begun shopping for Nero. I might try E-bay. What about E-bay? I don't feel like paying $50-$60 for it. wlloyd
wlloyd, Frank - Been reading your posts - Question, you have been saying that you lose files with Decrypter ?? Why not create your movie folder and then tell Decrypter to use that as its destination ?? (or did I miss something somewhere ?) wlloyd - here's the Nero story - better to "Google" Nero, look for a serial number for Nero 5.5. It's legal and will add a few steps to your burning but is still good to have - average cost $10.00. You need Nero 6 to get the automatic burn with DVD Shrink and also Nero recode 2, both which I like (Plus all the other bells and whistles that Nero 6 has), if you "Google" it you can get Nero for $69.99 - an excellent price for Nero Ya really got ta break loose there wlloyd and spring for Nero - Wlloyd, when I read your post about it taking 8 to 10 hours - The longest it has taken me with my slowest PC was 1 and 1/2 hours and that was 4 -5 years ago - I like this 45 minutes or so I do it in now - pretty kool Huh, wlloyd ? Frank, thanks for pointing out that pencil eraser in infopro tool, I didn’t notice it (Hangin' my head in shame) it will be a good thing to help so of the Newbies with Catch ya later guys "P"
