Lazy DVD backup HOWTO

[regeya]

This HOWTO was inspired by this link: http://www.gurtlush.org.uk/article.p...40522135306118

I have a couple of DVDs that have started going bad already. You know, the infamous problem of cheaply mass-produced DVDs to meet the demand, blah blah blah. I'm not about to give these studios more money when chances are the new disks will be just as cheap, and my DVD-ROM drive seems to be able to read the discs just fine.

As a U.S. citizen I'm legally allowed to make one backup. Check your local laws before doing this.

Also, as this is the lazy howto, the easiest (actually, the only method that worked well for me) was DVD Shrink, hence the Wine and WinesetupTK requirements. While I get a dirty feeling running Win32 programs under Linux, for now it works fine and since I'm not having to run Windows, I don't feel nearly as bad about it as I might otherwise. It's my intention to find a trouble-free way to backup menus, stills, etc. in a straightforward way, as soon as I know how. At that time, I intend to update this HOWTO.

You'll need the following. You need to install bleeding-edge versions of these programs, so beware--make sure you know how to add Hoary sources, and how to pin, before you even attempt this. I've seen guides elsewhere, and can add info about my setup when I get home and get a look at my setup. Also, I'm assuming familiarity with Wine and DVDShrink. Finally, I'm assuming NTSC. Here's the software:

• dvdbackup
• wine and winesetuptk
• DVD Shrink (Windows program, sorry)
• k3b

Here's what you need to do.

1. Create a directory to back up your DVD to.
2. Run: dvdbackup -M -i/path/to/dvd/drive -o/path/to/folder
3. run: wine /path/to/dvdshrink/executable.exe z:/path/to/folder/here/VIDEO_TS.IFO
4. Choose your settings carefully. There are a number of guides around.
5. Open the folder you chose as the destination directory, and find the VIDEO_TS folder. Example: If you chose to save the DIME_NTSC folder to C:\ then the DIME_NTSC folder will be in ~/.wine/fake_windows (assuming you haven't changed your default Wine settings.)
6. Start k3b
7. Start a new Video DVD project
8. Double-click on the VIDEO_TS folder on k3b
9. Drag the files from the VIDEO_TS folder to k3b
10. Put in a blank and click the Burn button