DVD-RW Help

[n00bie]

I want to make a backup of all of my DVD'S so i have brought a DVD-RW from amazon and i took the receipt into comet to ask what discs i would need to use to backup dvds and he said i would need a pack of DVD-R.
So i brought a pack of memorex DVD-R,i am using a trial version of DVD X COPY first it asks to insert dvd which it reads fine then it says insert a blank dvd so i enter a DVD-R but it wont read it.
Second i go into my computer and its got the DVD-R icon there but when i click on it it says insert disc which is inserted.
Do i have the right DVD Burner and discs to backup dvds?.
Could someone please help?

P.S The DVD-RW draw actually gets stuck when it goes in and i need to push it in,i think it got broke thru the post so im sending it back for a replacment,but what i need to know is do i have the wrong discs to backup dvds? and do i have the right drive to backup dvds?
I think i may of brought the wrong discs the man in comet said i need DVD-R is this correct?

For more information the link to the form where i brought my DVD-RW is here

[jm459]

I am at present reading the official HP Guide, titled, Creating your own great DVD's and CD's
Publisher Prentice Hall
Author Mark I chambers
ISBN 0-13-100105-1

A point of interest was referring to copy protected discs [QUOTE] DVD movies are practically impossible to copy.Some discs are protected by the addition of unreadable areas on the disc during manufacture(because your DVD recorder can't read these areas, it also can't duplicate them)Sure, it's possible to copy the digital video stream from a DVD disc, but it takes hours of time, specialized software, and quite a bit of technical knowledge; the quality of the video is likely to be degraded too (I don't think I need to underline the fact that it's also illegal)[QUOTE]


I found this copy in the local library

[n00bie]

Well there is some software called DVD X COPY that can do this if u own a DVD-RW and its easy to use the software.
The reason i want to 'copy' my dvds is to make backups of my own personal copies so if my £20.00 Dvd brakes i will not be much out of pocket..

[jm459]

I have a friends system to have a look at, It would be appear he is having similar problems, but I have no practical experience with DVD rewriters and no idea at present as to the type of hardware, format etc, or software he is using, so my expeience and knowledge of this subject will be gained on someone elses system. I would suggest you read anything of practical interest on the subject before wasting a lot of DVD-R discs or buy a couple of DVD-RW discs and practice with them until you get it right

[n00bie]

Lol,i will.Some of the people here are very knowledgable on this subject so im hoping someone here could point me in the right direction..

[nihil]

As I understand it, there are two DVD formats "+" and "-". They are NOT interchangeable unless you have a device that supports both formats (I have a Sony that does this, and CD as well).

You say that your DVD writer was damaged in transit. First thing I would do is wait for the replacement. Then check for DVD-R+ or DVD-R-. Also does the software ask you to format the blank DVD? From what you are saying, it does not even recognise it?

It reads the host CD but is it creating a file on your HDD?..............it will be up to 4.7GB! so you should notice it?

Could be the first read is only to test the input media, so when you take it out and insert the blank it says "where the hell is this DVD I am supposed to be copying"......?...........you did not say if you have a read only DVD player as well, which you would need for DVD to DVD.

Cheers

[n00bie]

What i want to do is backup a comercial DVD.
So i have brought a DVD-RW and was told by a superviser at comet that i will need a DVD-R disc for my drive,can i backup a comercial DVD using a DVD-RW? and a DVD-R disc using DVD X COPY?.

If so..

I inserted a comercial DVD and started DVD X COPY and it says reading disc..
then it asks me to insert a blank DVD so i enter a DVD-R disc the light shows up on my drive but DVD X COPY dosent copy from the disc.
So i click on my computer and it has a cd icon their with cd-r written on it so i click on that and it says insert disc..
This DVD Burner and DVD copying is something i dont understand so i need to know if this should work and should i also be able to backup my DVDS using a DVD-RW and a DVD-R disc?.

[nihil]

In theory your equipment should work with DVD recordable disks. You need to have a look at your HDD to see if it is making a file from the original DVD onto your hard drive. This will be several gigabytes in size. If it does not create such a file.......and I would expect that to take 20 minutes or so......(it is not a very fast drive!) that would suggest that the hardware and/or software are not working properly. If what you say happens in a few seconds/minutes, you can be almost certain that it is not creating the file.

It is hard to say anything worthwhile until you have one that is functioning correctly though

I do not know your particular software and hardware, but I would expect that you should have to format the DVD first? Try putting a blank DVD into the drive and see what messages you get..........I would expect some sort of unformatted media message?

Go to your X copy software and look up "format" and/or "formatting" in the help section. Maybe it is expecting pre-formatted media, or, you have left that step out of the process.

You really need to tell us what happens with kit that is not damaged.

You might post your system specs whilst you are at it, and check the amount of free space on your drives (the one with X-copy in particular).

JM459 is absolutely correct about copyright and copyright protection, but I am thinking that you do not even get that far?

My comment is that if I were doing it (copy protection), I would let you waste your time and media and hope that you sold a copy down the pub to someone who owned a dog like his avatar

On that note though.......try playing a music DVD and a video DVD and see if that works. That is to prove that the kit actually works and is set up correctly? and reading the data OK. Also, have you installed all the software that came with the DVD hardware? that may be a part of the problem X-Copy may not be a complete package, and may NOT give you an appropriate error message.

Hope that lot helps a bit, but the first thing we need is hardware that has been proven to work properly in simple play mode.

Cheers

[n00bie]

Ok i have stored an image and formatted the disk i can now access it thru windows explorer
and write files to the disc but DVD X COPY still will not read the disc.
I have around 150 DVD'S which get scrached then when i saw the DVD X COPY DVD backup software i knew i had to get it so i asked for a DVD-RW for christmas and the man at comet advised to buy DVD-R.

Please help

Thankyou

\Edit\: I am running WINXP Home Edition and the software that came with my DVD-RW is called
roxio EasyCDCreator 5 \Edit\

[n00bie]

Right i have all the dvd files,can i burn all of these to my DVD-R?.Or do i need special software?