What do you use to copy DVDs? I have Nero, but I hate installing on my PC. I'd like to find a program with a small footprint that can allow me to copy and burn a dvd when I don't have the original DVDA project.

i still use dvd shrink - though i'm sure there's literally dozens of other progs...

img burn, burn aware, etc.,

I find Ashampoo studio 6 is very good and very quick. It will also copy Blu-ray discs. It's also free. There are many other programmes of course and I have used several.

Thanks Leslie and Roy.

Hi Jeff

If you are actually duplicating an existing DVD then I just copy the Audio_TS and Video_TS folders onto my drive and then burn the new disk with Win7 !! No software required at all!!!

This is assuming you don't need to recompile the DVD's vob files or change menus and suchlike!!

Chris

Chris, so the menus, everything will be present, just like the original?

Very cool, thanks!

That may work some of the time (and will probably work when playing from a computer), but it won't work all of the time, and it'll be especially problematic with dual-layer DVDs.

It'll work with a disk image (.iso), but not always with the TS folders.

Jeff - why the hatered of Nero on your PC? I've had this software for ever (or som it seems) and it works all the time, every time.

It works fine, but it's invasive. It is also well know for causing conflicts, as it has done for me in the past. While I have learned how to deal with it by disabling the startup of options that I do not want, I prefer programs that are simpler. Imgburn, which I downloaded, is 1.5mb. Nero is relatively huge.

jeff, i've had nero 7(. something or other) on my various pc's for years without any problem - but on installing i've only ever let it install burnng rom, none of the other crap....

If you're going to make an duplicate of an existing disc I use ImageBurn. First Create and image of the disc you want to copy. Then I write the image to the new disc. Exact copy of the disc will be created. It sounds like a lot of work but it is the most reliable method I've found. Either that or I use my stand alone duplicator which does essentially the same thing.

-Garrett

Hi Jeff

Never attempted it with dual layer DVD's but a standard DVD simply has two folders...I really cannot see why if you copy the folders to your drive and burn more disks it should cause any issues with menus?? You are not changing any file structures at all and the original DVD was probably burnt from the identical folder structure created by your authoring software.

David? I gave up on trying to creat even original DVD's on Dual Layer!! I could never get the menus to work correctly but maybe cos I still use DVD Lab to author??? Besides burning at 1X or 2X was just too frustrating to wait for a burn to end!!!

My favorite Nero 6.66 refuses to run on Win7 64 bit ....does 7 run on Win7 64???? My old workflow was render in Vegas to MPEG2, then use DVD Lab to create the DVD and finally burn with Nero 6....on my newer machine I cannot use Nero so I just use Win7 to do the burn to disk ..and yes it does include the menus and everything. I'm sure I would have a lot of angry brides on my doorstep if it didn't work!!

Chris

CD Burner XP (see here: CDBurnerXP: Free CD and DVD burning software (http://cdburnerxp.se/en/home)) works very well for me and is free.

Whilst Nero get the job done, it's a pain to have to fiddle around with. If it's possible to make a disc burning interface more complicated and glitzy ... then the makers of Nero can certainly do it! :-P

To get the job done and move on to the next item in your day, use CDBurnerXP.

Andrew

One thing you could try is Image Burn. It will rip an iso of your DVD and then burn the iso. It is just like the older DVD decrypter software. We use DVD decrypter to make iso to send to our industrial duplication system. It works just fine and for an older program is rock solid.

Another vote for ImgBurn, great program, bulletproof. Free too!

Thanks one and all, Imgburn looks like the favorite, and it's really got a small footprint, I love that about it. It gets installed this morning!

VO: We have a winner!!!

[SFX] Crowd goes wild.

:-)

Andrew

the one thing to be said for nero (my 7.10 version) is that it can handle multiple burners* - something i haven't found in any other dvd software - but i'm more than happy to be corrected.

*i have 2 x dvd's in my edit pc - easy enough to burn one for client + back-up for when the idiot forgets it in a player somewhere.......