How can I store the image of a DVD disk on my PC and then view it? 2

[yalamo]

I'm trying to do something that I thought would be simple (using Win XP SP2). but apparently isn't.

I have a number of DVD disks (home video, not commercial) that I want to back up on my external hard disk. I use Nero for burning DVD's, and I can use it for making an image of the DVD disk on my hard drive. However, I can't view this DVD image unless I burn it to another DVD disk.

What I want to do is put an image of the DVD disk on my hard drive, and then view it with something like Windows Media Player. This way, I have both the backup of the DVD on a hard drive, and in the future, if I want to make an optical disk media copy of it, I will be able to view it first, to make sure it's the DVD I want

Anyone know a cheap way to do this, without investing in expensive software?

 

[Freestone]

The versions of Nero I have used (6 and 7) come with a feature called Nero ImageDrive. This feature will create one or two virtual drives and will mount CD or DVD images, making them appear as physically mounted drives.

DAEMON Tools and Slysoft's Virtual CloneDrive alsi provide this function.

 

[yalamo]

Freestone, thanks, but the Version 6 of Nero that I have (OEM I got with the DVD hardware) doesn't allow me to use ImageDrive.

However, I found out that the *.nrg image files that Nero generates can be opened with Windows Media Player (even though WMP first tells you it doesn't recognize that type of file). You can't use all the WMP controls when playing the image, but you can play the image, so I'll be satisfied with that.

If anyone has a better solution, I'll be glad to hear it.

 

[AcquisitiveOne]

I had this same issue when trying to convert home made DVD movies to a format that I could post on the web. I found a CNET Video that explained how to do it for free. See if this helps you out. I believe it allows you to convert the DVD to either an .AVI or .MPEG format.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4660-10165_7-6686827.html?tag=vid.3

Acquisitive - 1. Characterized by a strong desire to gain and possess. 2. Tending to acquire and retain ideas or information

 

[linney]

See what is on offer at this site.
VideoHelp.com also known as DVDRHelp.com & VCDHelp.com

http://www.dvdrhelp.com

http://www.videohelp.com/guides?sea...its=25&archive=0&search=Search+or+List+Guides

 

[yalamo]

AcquisitiveOne and linney, thanks but it's not really what I'm looking for - I don't want to change the formats, or remove DVD protection. I'm just looking for a simple backup tool that lets me put my DVD's om the hard drive so that I can burn them back onto disks at sometime in the future, if I ever decide I want to. Also to let me view the backups on the harddrive with a minimum of fuss.

 

[linney]

I still recommend you search that site using your own search terms.

Have a look at something like this and see if it is possible or not?

Image for Windows, in conjunction with their free TBview program. I believe you get a free trial to test out things before purchasing.

Terabyte Unlimited

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/prodgrid.html

 

[vacunita]

What about this:

http://www.farstone.com/software/virtualdrive.htm

I use something similar for some application CD's that get used very often at the office. So they are set as virtual drives on the server and shared.

Of course you realize DVD's are very large. each one taking up 4.5Gb of space. so assuming you have a 100GB drive minus whatever your Windows installation currently takes, you can probably store around 20 DVD's before you run out of space.

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Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[yalamo]

Linney, thanks for the effort. I tried looking again, and I seem to be getting back to Daemon tools. I'm a little leery of them because of some reviews I read, and I don't want to try their free software, because it looks like you get stuck with adware. In the meantime, I'm trying to find out from Nero why DriveImage or Drive Mounter won't work in my system.

vacunita, I just got a 320GB external hard disk, mainly for backing up old (converted) 8 mm home movies from the 50's, 60's and 70's, VHS tapes I expect to convert, and digital video of my grandchildren that I keep making. I have a feeling that the limit of 23 virtual drives won't be enough. My main fear right now, which this forum can't do much about, is what happens when today"s DVD standard becomes obsolete.

 

[Freestone]

Yalamo - It had been awhile since I visited Daemon tools, so thank you for posting about the free version including adware. I apologize for posting the link.

I'm confused as to why you think 23 virtual drives won't be enough?

 

[yalamo]

Freestone, am I correct in assuming that if there are 23 virtual drives, I can only have 23 DVD images that I can view? In that case, since I plan in the end to have a collection of 50 to 100 DVD's which I will want to back up, so 23 will not be enough.

If a virtual drive means that I can insert any DVD image in my backup collection any time I want, then you're right, I certainly don't need 23 of them. (I'm just learning the terminology in video backups right now, so my assumption could very well have been mistaken.)

 

[Freestone]

First, 23 virtual drives is based on drive letters A: B: C: already being used in a system. In your case, the external drive consumes another drive letter so you will have 22 available letters, assuming you don't have any other drives.

Virtual drives are like any other hardware drive. You insert a DVD (mount image) and eject a DVD (dismount image), so yes, that means you "can insert any DVD image in my backup collection any time I want".

My experience with virtual drives is limited to DATA CDs/DVDs. I am not sure what format your DVD images are in. Are they .nrg image files? If not, perhaps you can expand on the format and others can comment on the ability of mounting them in a virtual drive.

What type of problems are you experiencing with Nero's ImageDrive. Was this not part of the OEM package?

Finally, please don't rely solely on the external hard drive for backup of your irreplaceable video data. Too many posts have appeared here about an external hard drive that worked one day (minute) and broke the next with absolutely no data recovery possible, other than by professionals, read big $$$.

 

[yalamo]

Freestone, good advice. The fact is, what I have are the DVD disks themselves (*.vob files, or whatever the video files on the DVD are called) plus the metadata, and the *.nrg files on the external hard disk, which is stored somewhere else. I suppose I could copy the DVD disks to a second set of DVD disks, but somehow, I feel safer having the stuff on two different media.
Like I said in one of the previous posts, at some point, these file formats will be superseded by other formats. The trouble with digital data is that the format lifetime is probably shorter than the medium lifetime. I have documents written in a word processor called Applewriter on an Apple 2e on 5.5 inch floppy disks. You know what I can do with those.

 

[linney]

Microsoft seem to build in backward compatibility for file systems for any of their previously used file systems. You can still read FAT, and FAT32 in Vista.

DVD players have large hard drives, it might be possible to do something with that?

See if this suggestion from Fred Langa offers a solution about having many more drives than the 23 mentioned?

3) Needed: More Drive Letters

http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2004/2004-06-07.htm

 

[vacunita]

I think we are having trouble getting you to understand how a virtual drive really works:

You can copy the DVD's themselves into "ISO" files. ISO files are complete images of the DVD itself ezxcepot they are a single file. Instead of having the vob, and the grn files from the DVD in a folder, you have a single ISO file that contains everything. Which can then be mounted by whichever virtual CD software you choose.

You can then have all your DVD images stored in your external backup drive as ISO files, and mount them whenever you need.

yoiu can have afolder called movies that contains:

matrix.ISO
batmanbegins.ISO
transformers.ISO

Whenever you want to watch a movie, you go through the Virtual CD app, and mount the image you want to watch. Once mounted, the image will behave exactly as it would if it were a real DVD inserted into your drive.

Once you are done watching it, you can unmount it and mount something else. The ISO file is still there if you want to mount it again at any other time.
So having a limit of 23 drive letters really is of no issue. Its just like inserting the actual DVD, except its a file instead of a real disc.


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Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[yalamo]

Linney, thanks. Between you, Fred Langa, vacunita, and Freestone, I think I understand the problem of multiple drive letters and virtual. As for DVD players, I have a simple one, since I don't watch TV much, and don't have much use for TIVO-type players. What you're saying is to get one to use as a backup device. I prefer using the external hard disk I recently bought.

vacunita, I know I can copy the DVD disks as *.iso files, but:
1. The software I have (Nero 6) doesn't do it, and I don't really want to invest in more software.
2. If I did save them as *.iso files, how would I view them?
Is there a viewer for them, or do I have to burn them back to a new DVD disk? This seems like a tedious process, I can foresee that in a couple of years, I won't remember which particular scene was in which particular DVD, so I want a (relatively) quick way of reviewing them.

As I said in my first post, I thought this would be simple. It's not.

 

[vacunita]

You still haven't understood what we are telling you.

The Virtual Drive app takes the ISO file, and creates a virtual, (as in fake) CD/DVD drive on your computer. This drive acts and looks like the real thing, except instead of inserting an actual DVD into the drive (since there is no actual drive for it on the outside of your PC), you are inserting the ISO file. In your case since you have NERO it can be an NRG file.

Now to create the NRG files, NERO has the Copy CD tool. Instead of copying unto another disc, you can select Copy to image writer. or something along those lines.

Once you have the image file a.k.a ISO file or NRG file. you can then mount it unto the virtual CD application, and use it as if it were a normal CD/DVD drive with the disc inserted. You don't need to burn another DVD, you use the file on your hard drive.

The app I use is this one and its free:

http://www.magiciso.com/tutorials/miso-magicdisc-overview.htm

It also offers the Magic ISO app, to copy cd's and DVD's into an ISO file although it isn't free





----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[yalamo]

vacunita, you have finally solved the problem for me. I downloaded MagicDisc, it added a virtual drive to my PC, I mounted one of the DVD image files (*.nrg) that I have, and it played in Windows Media Player with no problems.

Thank you. Didn't they used to have stars for very helpful posts on this forum? You deserve one!.

 

[vacunita]

Under the post, where it says Thank XXXX for this valuable post.

And yes, that's what we have been trying to tell you. I guess you needed to actually see it, to understand. It mounts as if it where a real DVD drive, then you can use whichever program to view it. Like Media Player.

Anyway, glad I could help.

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Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[Freestone]

It's good to see persistence pay off And the star given to vacunita whom I thank for yet another free Virtual CD/DVD link.