PgcEdit "Target not found"

[Instant Martian]

Hi guys,
I am currently backing up my "LOST" DVD collection, but I stumbled on a strange problem on one disc.
The original disc plays ok, so I followed my usual workflow and burned it.
When I tried to test the backup disc the player went crazy, instead of going to the main menu it started to play the Italian list of dubbers (usually dispalyed at the end of the English closing credits). It was like "zoomed in" too.
Then it jumped to another clip (easter egg), again displayed uncorrectly.
So I went back to my pc and traced with PgcEdit trying to figure what was wrong.
A little while from starting, PgcEdit stops saying it can't find a "target" (VMGM, LU 1 (en), PGC 6 (dummy)) .
But that PGC is there and if I continue the tracing from it I reach the main menu.
I tried to clone the "unreachable" PGC and modify the command to point to the new PGC, but it doesn't work.
I tried to jump to the menu but to do that I have to trace, hence I am at the starting line again.
Now I have no idea how to fix it.
Any help appreciated.
Here it is the PgcEdit log:

DVD inserted: "E:\DVD\LOST_S02D05\VIDEO_TS"
DVD inserted: ""; Provider: (Fab9036)
DVD inserted: Resetting all GPRMs to 0.
DVD inserted: Initialising the SPRMs to default/setup values.
------> Entering VMG , First-Play PGC
-- pre 1 : (JumpSS) Jump to VMGM PGC 2
------> Entering VMGM , LU 1 (en) , 2 (dummy)
-- pre 1 : Set gprm(9) =(mov) 9
-> gprm(9) = 9 (0x0009)
-- pre 2 : Set gprm(3) =(mov) 1
-> gprm(3) = 1 (0x0001)
-- pre 3 : Set gprm(10) =(mov) 4
-> gprm(10) = 4 (0x0004)
-- pre 4 : LinkPGCN PGC 5
------> Entering VMGM , LU 1 (en) , 5 (dummy)
-- pre 1 : Set gprm(0) =(mov) 0
-> gprm(0) = 0 (0x0000)
-- pre 2 : Set gprm(1) =(mov) 0
-> gprm(1) = 0 (0x0000)
-- pre 3 : Set gprm(2) =(mov) 0
-> gprm(2) = 0 (0x0000)
-- pre 4 : Set gprm(4) =(mov) 3
-> gprm(4) = 3 (0x0003)
-- pre 5 : Set gprm(5) =(mov) 68
-> gprm(5) = 68 (0x0044)
-- pre 6 : Set gprm(6) =(mov) 70
-> gprm(6) = 70 (0x0046)
-- pre 7 : Set gprm(7) =(mov) 68
-> gprm(7) = 68 (0x0044)
-- pre 8 : Set gprm(8) =(mov) 0
-> gprm(8) = 0 (0x0000)
-- pre 9 : Set gprm(12) =(mov) 0
-> gprm(12) = 0 (0x0000)
-- pre 10 : Set gprm(13) =(mov) 63
-> gprm(13) = 63 (0x003F)
-- pre 11 : Set gprm(14) =(mov) 999
-> gprm(14) = 999 (0x03E7)
-- pre 12 : Set gprm(15) =(mov) 999
-> gprm(15) = 999 (0x03E7)
-- pre 13 : (JumpSS) Jump to VTSM 7, Audio menu (TTN 1)
-> sprm(5:Title number in VTS) = 1 (0x0001)
------> Entering VTSM 7 , LU 1 (en) , 3 (0:03) AudioM
PUOs: 33554368 (0x01FFFFC0)
******* Start playback VTSM 7 , LU 1 (en) , 3 (0:03) AudioM...
******* Playing Program 1, Cell 1 (0:03.00) (0 buttons)
******* End playback of PGC 3.
-- post 1 : LinkPGCN PGC 4
------> Entering VTSM 7 , LU 1 (en) , 4 (dummy)
PUOs: 33423343 (0x01FDFFEF)
-- pre 1 : Set gprm(0) =(mov) sprm(16:Preferred audio language)
-> gprm(0) = 0xFFFF (0xFFFF)
-- pre 2 : if ( gprm(0) == 26996 ("it") ) then { LinkPGN Program 1, button 3 (3072) }
if ( 0xFFFF == 26996 ) : false.
-- pre 3 : if ( gprm(0) == 25701 ("de") ) then { LinkPGN Program 1, button 2 (2048) }
if ( 0xFFFF == 25701 ) : false.
-- pre 4 : LinkPGN Program 1, button 1 (1024)
-> sprm(8:Highlighted button number) = 1024 (0x0400) = button 1
####### Target not found!

[r0lZ]

VMGM, LU 1 (en), PGC 6 (dummy) is not responsible of the error message.

[...]
------> Entering VTSM 7 , LU 1 (en) , 4  (dummy)
[...]
  -- pre 4 : LinkPGN Program 1, button 1 (1024)
-> sprm(8:Highlighted button number) = 1024 (0x0400) = button 1
####### Target not found!

You are in VTSM 7 , LU 1 (en) , 4. That PGC is a dummy, without cells, and therefore without programs.
The pre-command 4 tries to jump to Program 1 (in the current PGC), which doesn't exist. Hence the error message.

Note that there are other pre-commands that jump to programs in this PGC, but they have been skipped during the trace due to their conditions being false. Of course, they have to be fixed too. (Use Info -> Find Jumps to Nowhere to locate this kind of error in the whole DVD.)

I suppose you have converted the PGC to dummy somehow. If that PGC has buttons, you should keep it (or, if you are sure the menu is useless, you can skip it with PgcEdit's Kill PGC Playback). Anyway, now, it will be easier to start over.

[Instant Martian]

I thought it was that PGC because the program seems to stop at pre-com 5 (see picture), anyway you know better than me.

I suppose you have converted the PGC to dummy somehow

I didn't do anything, this is the output straight out from DVDFab.
(BTW, these DVDs are full of dummy... stuff I don't understand what's for, but that's another story)

Use Info -> Find Jumps to Nowhere to locate this kind of error in the whole DVD.

That returned: none.

If that PGC has buttons, you should keep it (or, if you are sure the menu is useless, you can skip it with PgcEdit's Kill PGC Playback

It's a dummy, so it hasn't buttons (and there's no playback to kill).

OT:
I forgot to reply about PowerDVD in the Blade Runner thread so I do it now.
PowerDVD is probably picky, but any other program I have tried is at least as peaky as it is.
Do you have any suggestion for a better option?

EDIT:
I just had a stroke of genius, maybe.
I created a cell into VTSM 7 and now it seems to work. Have to test it more accurately.
Could be this a way to fix the problem?

[r0lZ]

Yes, it could be. That PGC is (was) obviously the audio language selection menu, and replacing a cell has the effect to skip it. I can't tell you how the DVD will react with a menu that has been butchered like this, as of course the user cannot select the right button any more. As far as I can tell without seeing the original button commands, when the nav is what I've read in your trace, it seems that it will react as if the user had selected the default language (probably English). IMO, you can even simplify it more, and remove most of the pre-commands. The two conditional linkPGN in line 2 and 3 should be removed, as they can lead to other problems. Also, pre-command 5 is dead. (It cannot be executed.) I think someone or DVDFab has tried to skip that menu by jumping straight to VMGM PGC 6, but there is a severe bug, and the other pre-commands are executed instead. You can even try to remove all commands but pre-command 5, and I guess it will work almost normally (without the audio menu, definitely lost). If you leave only the jump, you can also remove the cell.

That PGC has certainly not been authored that way on the original DVD. So, either it has been badly skipped by DVDFab (and I wonder why DVDFab has decided to skip it), or the DVD has been badly modified by an human who has tried to remove all audio languages but one, and the audio selection menu. Anyway it's not the original commercial DVD, as as it is, it crashes certainly on most players.

[Instant Martian]

I will do some tests.

I have the original commercial DVD, and that is the output from DVDFab.
When I bought the DVDs I played all of them on my stand-alone player and they all played fine (this one too).
I put the disc into my DVD-drive and fired up DVDFab to rip it, that's all.
If something is messed up there are only two possibilities:
1) the original DVD is defective (though I played it without problems)
2) messed up by DVDFab for some unknown reason (but I ripped the whole series the same way and this is the first disc to have this issue).

[r0lZ]

Oh well, that may as well be an authoring bug in the commercial DVD itself. But it's strange. It's a very big error, probably not created by the authoring program.

Can you verify if the original IFO has the same bug? I wonder if DVDFab could be the culprit. You can simply copy all IFOs on your hard disc with the Windows Explorer, and open them in PgcEdit. (You can't copy the VOBs that way, though, as they need to be decrypted.)

[Instant Martian]

Sorry for the late reply.
I could do that (copy the IFOs) but how do I open them in PgcEdit? Like any other DVD?
Anyway I will be a little busy in the next two or three days so I'll do it as soon as I can but not tomorrow.
Tonight I will test the new "fixed" DVD (I went for a conservative approach so I only created a new cell in VTSM 7) to see if it works.
Thanks for your precious help, as usual.

[r0lZ]

Yes, you can open the IFOs like an ordinary DVD. Of course, due to the missing VOBs, PgcEdit can't show you the menus, the preview doesn't work, some functions may misbehave, but you can still examine the commands of the PGCs.

[Instant Martian]

What if I backup the current IFOs in the folder and then overwrite with the ones from the original DVD?

[r0lZ]

Normally, it's something you can never do. The IFOs and the VOBs must come from the same source, as otherwise they are not synchronized. Maybe DVDFab modifies the VOBs on the fly during the decrypting operation, or you have modified the VOBs yourself with PgcEdit. In both cases, you cannot overwrite the IFOs with the original ones. But if you are sure that the VOBs have not been modified (other than the removal of the CSS protection), then you can try, at your own risk.

Anyway, as I wrote above, to inspect the IFOs with PgcEdit, you don't need the VOBs. Copy them in a new directory. If they seems OK, you can then copy the VOBs from the old directory, and see if they are suitable.

[Instant Martian]

Ok, here I am again.
I copied the IFOs right from the original DVD via copy/paste.
Unfortunately I don't know what I have to look for.

[Instant Martian]

Oops, I forgot.
In the meantime I tested the fixed DVD (new cell in VTSM 7), it can be played now but the easter egg (the one that was played as first play on the bad backup) isn't playable anymore.
I got what is missing in this DVD.
All the others start with a language selection menu, then display a set of menu (according to the chosen language).
This first menu is missing, it plays the Italian menu directly (probably due to some player setting).