Problem ripping home made DVD

[johnmeyer]

johnmeyer is correct. I have got most of the footage on to my hard drive but the last 3 minutes is always missing. If all else fails I still have two options left. I could contact the Band Leader direct because I produced several copies for some of the other band members. He is very busy but there is a chance he still has a copy himself. I would then find out if they are all suspect.

My second option would be the last resort. Send my only "good" copy to johnmeyer in the hope he might be able to help. Remember though it has a paper label on it. My view is if I can't rip or copy the disc then it's not really much good to me and I think in those circumstances I would risk sending it airmail (and risk it getting lost!). I will persevere and see what happens. I do appreciate everyone's input but some is contradictory and leaves me wondering which way to go. Thanks all.

Let me ask this: when you say you "got most of the footage on to my hard drive," did you look at the file names and sizes and compare them to what is on the DVD? What I would do, if I were you, is to open two file manager windows ("Explorer" on a Windows computer) and in one, look at the DVD's VIDEO_TS folder. That is where the contents of the DVD are stored, all in one folder. Then, in the other Explorer window I'd look at the files on my hard drive which came from the DVD. If you did a simple copy by dragging and dropping the files, as I recommended, you should have the identical number of files, and they should have the same names, and the identically-named files should have the same file size.

You are welcome to send the disc here. You will have to send me a private message (PM) because I don't want to put my address out in the open. As I mentioned, I live in Carmel, California, so you will have to pay a pretty steep shipping charge.

As you contemplate whether to take the risk of losing this in the mail, you may be asking, who is this guy?

I am retired from the computer industry and I do media restoration. I just finished a massive project for the estate of the biggest Hollywood box office draw of the 1950s. Some of the media was unplayable because of poor storage conditions. This latest lot consisted of 78 and 33-1/3 records, plus hundreds of acetate dictation discs and belts (I had to get two tube-based dictation machines from the 1950s working again).

For the records, I used my ultrasonic cleaner on those records which had massive mold and dirt issues. I had not used this before, and it worked an absolute miracle. I have included a before/after clip from a 1956 78 rpm transcription record from a well-known US TV show from that era to show what ultrasonic cleaning can do. While this audio restoration has little direct bearing on your problem, I include it to show that I am able to deal with unusual problems. The clip is one minute long and the first thirty seconds are the transfer I got after simply brushing off the record, as one normally does. The second is after a thorough cleaning in my ultrasonic cleaner, using distilled water, Photoflo, and a little isopropyl alcohol. And yes, I did use a 4 mil 78 rpm stylus. The final result sounded even better after I put it through iZotope RX, which is a professional audio restoration program.

If your DVD is still dirty with label residue, I will probably try various solvents along the outside edge (DVDs are recorded from the inside out, so if my solvent causes any damage to the disc -- which I doubt -- it will damage an area under which there is no media). I am quite certain I can remove any traces of the label, on both sides. I could also use the ultrasonic cleaner, but I don't think it is the right tool for this job. My next step will be to test it for burn integrity. For this I'll use "DVD Speed," a utility that used to be bundled with Nero. I have a LiteOn drive that, when used with DVD Speed, can detect how many read errors are on the disc, and where they occur. All discs have hundreds of read errors, and they can usually all be corrected, unless the number exceeds a certain threshold. If your problem is from either a bad burn or bad media, DVD Speed will tell me, with 100% confidence, that this is the problem. If I find that parts of the disc have huge errors, then I will attempt to rescue the media using some of the DVD recovery tools already mentioned. A little secret is that different drives can often read certain areas that other drives can't read, and vice versa. Therefore, to rescue more of the disc, I'll transfer it on 4-5 different drives using LiteOn, HP, and Plextor drives and then see if I can combine the best of each transfer.

Hopefully the main problem will turn out to be nothing more than authoring software creating multiple titlesets where normally there would only be one. That is what I initially suspected, and if that turns out to be the problem, it will be an easy fix.

Before you send the disc, how many files are in the VIDEO_TS folder? You should be able to right-click on that folder, select "Properties" and get the answer without counting. How many VTS*.IFO files do you have? This will tell you how many titlesets you have. The listing below shows only one such file (VTS_01_0.IFO). This listing is what a normal, single-titleset file listing should look like (this one happens to be dual layer). If instead you have a LOT of VTS* IFO files then the authoring created multiple titlesets where there probably should have only been one, and that may be the problem that needs to be fixed.

John

VIDEO_TS             BUP        14,336 6/21/2017 
VIDEO_TS             IFO        14,336 6/21/2017 
VIDEO_TS             VOB       237,568 6/21/2017 
VTS_01_0             BUP        79,872 6/21/2017 
VTS_01_0             IFO        79,872 6/21/2017 
VTS_01_0             VOB       200,704 6/21/2017 
VTS_01_1             VOB 1,048,576,000 6/21/2017 
VTS_01_2             VOB 1,048,576,000 6/21/2017 
VTS_01_3             VOB 1,048,576,000 6/21/2017 
VTS_01_4             VOB 1,048,576,000 6/21/2017 
VTS_01_5             VOB 1,048,576,000 6/21/2017 
VTS_01_6             VOB 1,048,576,000 6/21/2017 
VTS_01_7             VOB   958,060,544 6/21/2017

[Maz1000]

No, I didn't look at the hard drive file names and compared them. I would not know where to start! Sorry.

From what you have told me I think you are the best person to help me. However, I have just PM a message to a band member who I think may still have a copy of the disc. I could not get in touch with the Band Leader and he probably wouldn't be that interested anyway. Not that that will help me but the band member does do video editing and he just might be able to import his disc and run off some copies for me. I am doubtful but you never know. I am thinking the whole disc burns for that project were corrupted and useless for any kind of computer programmes but will play on normal DVD players connected to the TV.

I tried to copy and paste the file names but it didn't work.

There are 5 x VTS.01 VOB

Then there is 1 x VTS IFO
and 1 x VTS BUP

Then there is 1 x VIDEO_TS VOB
1 x VIDEO_TS IFO
and 1 x VIDEO_TS BUP

I have not got a flying clue what all that means but you will.

Do you need me to write them all out properly for you? If you need it I will do it.

Incidentally, the Recover Disc programme was very promising indeed but when I tried to extract the data it said under the trial period you can only extract 2 files per day! So I am buggered. I would need to buy the software - which I don't mind doing - but I would have to go through the same thing again analysing the files on the disc which as I mentioned took hours and hours - all night! I have emailed them and asked if I would need to go through all of that again.

I may PM you as I am beginning to think you are my only hope.

M xx

[dellsam34]

Try to download the INGBurn file directly from this post, If the IMGBURN fails to make a disc image on the hard drive it will tel you exactly what sector is bad on the disc.
I think you should seriously take your computer to a local store to get it checked for viruses, few bucks could save you your bank account from being hacked. Or just save you files and wipe it clean and install a fresh OS and watch what you download in the future.

[Maz1000]

dellsam34. Thank you. I do not do internet banking and none of my details, apart from my email address, are on the internet. When I do online shopping I almost always use PayPal but if not secure websites. Can you tell me why you think I need to be checked for viruses? I have the usual protections. Thanks.

Just did a full system scan for viruses and malware and it came up clean!.

[davexnet]

No, I didn't look at the hard drive file names and compared them. I would not know where to start! Sorry.

From what you have told me I think you are the best person to help me. However, I have just PM a message to a band member who I think may still have a copy of the disc. I could not get in touch with the Band Leader and he probably wouldn't be that interested anyway. Not that that will help me but the band member does do video editing and he just might be able to import his disc and run off some copies for me. I am doubtful but you never know. I am thinking the whole disc burns for that project were corrupted and useless for any kind of computer programmes but will play on normal DVD players connected to the TV.

I tried to copy and paste the file names but it didn't work.

There are 5 x VTS.01 VOB

Then there is 1 x VTS IFO
and 1 x VTS BUP

Then there is 1 x VIDEO_TS VOB
1 x VIDEO_TS IFO
and 1 x VIDEO_TS BUP

I have not got a flying clue what all that means but you will.

Do you need me to write them all out properly for you? If you need it I will do it.

Incidentally, the Recover Disc programme was very promising indeed but when I tried to extract the data it said under the trial period you can only extract 2 files per day! So I am buggered. I would need to buy the software - which I don't mind doing - but I would have to go through the same thing again analysing the files on the disc which as I mentioned took hours and hours - all night! I have emailed them and asked if I would need to go through all of that again.

I may PM you as I am beginning to think you are my only hope.

M xx

Why didn't you just take a screen print instead of typing out all this ?

[johnmeyer]

There are 5 x VTS.01 VOB

Then there is 1 x VTS IFO
and 1 x VTS BUP

Then there is 1 x VIDEO_TS VOB
1 x VIDEO_TS IFO
and 1 x VIDEO_TS BUP

That's very useful. It means my mumblings about titlesets is completely wrong. You have just one titleset. I don't need anything else, and you don't need to write them all down.

I may PM you as I am beginning to think you are my only hope.

When I am someone's only hope, that person is probably about to get into even bigger trouble.

P.S. I just saw the post about viruses on your computer. I don't have any clue what that is about, but the symptoms of what you are describing have nothing whatsoever to do with viruses.

[dellsam34]

dellsam34. Thank you. I do not do internet banking and none of my details, apart from my email address, are on the internet. When I do online shopping I almost always use PayPal but if not secure websites. Can you tell me why you think I need to be checked for viruses? I have the usual protections. Thanks.

Just did a full system scan for viruses and malware and it came up clean!.

I'm not saying your problem is caused by viruses, But when I click on a link and it takes me to a completely different website I would be worried. Were you able to download the file directly at all?

[Maz1000]

dellsam34. Nope!

[Maz1000]

davexnet. How do you do a screen print?

[Maz1000]

johnmeyer. Just had a PM from the band member. He did not have a copy of the disc but he has managed to contact the Band Leader who has said he does have a copy of it. The band member is going to pick it up in the morning and import it to his computer and try to copy it. I have told him the whole story - that my own copy and my late brother's copy are both corrupt so the chances are all the other copies are too. I told him if he does manage to copy the disc he needs to watch it right to the end to make sure the whole footage is there - including when they all get up to take a bow at the end. John, I will let you know what happens. I am not holding out very much hope because I think all the discs will be corrupted from that project. Thanks for everything. You may still be my only hope! I will be in touch. Thank you!

[davexnet]

davexnet. How do you do a screen print?

You use the Print Screen button on the keyboard. It's to the right of the F12 button (usually)

Then you can open something like MSPAINT, press Ctrl-V to copy in the image,
then Ctrl-S to save it as a jpg

[Maz1000]

davexnet. Thank you very much. Very helpful.

[dellsam34]

dellsam34. Nope!

Oh wow! You can’t even download a file by clicking on it? But it looks like you have given up on doing yourself so I guess it don’t matter anyway.

[Cornucopia]

In win10, if you are stuck w/o a keyboard to do screen print (gettting more & more common), use WIN+Shift+S and it'll open up Snips to allow you to mark your screen, then put it into the app so you can save it.


Scott

[lingyi]

Does anyone know what "Dazzle" is. My brother had this device. It was he who told me (stupidly) not to bother keeping disc images anymore on my hard drive because they take up space. He said if you have even just one disc of a video it can always be copied. That is the precise reason I no longer have the disc image for this footage and therefore cannot burn more discs. He always reckoned he could copy any disc but of course he is no longer here to help me. Just thought I would mention.

Almost certainly it's the Dazzle video capture device. Not a very good one despite the high reviews it generally gets anywhere but here.