Backing Up Your DVD Movies on to Your Hard Disk

For the next few posts I will be exploring ways to backup your DVD movies. As for today, I will be illustrating how to backup your DVD movies on to your computer’s hard drive (HD) as an ISO image. In order to do this, you will need to download and install two software programs, both of which are freeware. You will need Lightning UK’s DVD Decrypter and Windows XP Virtual CD Control Panel . Warning, many countries, including the United States, have laws against copying copy protected DVD’s. Users need to be aware of their countries laws regarding copying DVD movies.

In order to install DVD Decrypter, simply click on the installer. Installing Windows XP Virtual CD Control Panel is a little bit more complicated. First, click on the installer. This will install (3) files, including: VCdControlTool.exe, VCdRom.sys and readme.txt. After installing DVD Decrypter, placed the DVD into your optical drive. Right click the optical drive and, under the contextual menu, choose Decrypt using DVD Decrypter.On the main menu toolbar, go to Mode> ISO> Read (figure 1). Next, click on the icon (figure 2) to start decrypting.

Figure1: Setting DVD Decrypter to ISO mode

Figure 2: Start reading of DVD

Now, you are ready to play the ISO image. First, you need to find the (3) files you created earlier from Windows XP Virtual CD Control Panel. By default, the (3) files can be found at C:Document & Settings/ /Local Settings/Temp. Click on the readme.txt file and follow the instructions carefully: (see below)

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- Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional

Installation instructions

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1. Copy VCdRom.sys to your %systemroot%\system32\drivers folder.

2. Execute VCdControlTool.exe

3. Click "Driver control" (see figure 3)

4. If the "Install Driver" button is available, click it. Navigate to the %systemroot%\system32\drivers folder, select VCdRom.sys, and click Open.

5. Click "Start"

6. Click OK

7. Click "Add Drive" to add a drive to the drive list. Ensure that the drive added is not a local drive. If it is, continue to click "Add Drive" until an unused drive letter is available.

8. Select an unused drive letter from the drive list and click "Mount".

9. Navigate to the image file, select it, and click "OK". UNC naming conventions should not be used, however mapped network drives should be OK.

You may now use the drive letter as if it were a local CD-ROM device. When you are finished you may unmount, stop, and remove the driver from memory using the driver control.

figure 3: Mounting an ISO image to play

Note: Windows XP Virtual CD Control Panel is not the easiest application to use. There are alternatives applications, such as Daemon Tools or Alcohol 52%