How to Backup a DVD

DVD home libraries are wonderful. Families can buy and save their favorite movies on DVDs and watch them whenever they like. For families who have children who enjoy watching the same show over and over, this is a great investment. To protect this investment, it would be wise to back up or make copies of the valued DVDs. This goes for bought and homemade movies that are either irreplaceable or expensive to replace.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Select the DVDs that you would like to make backups of. Home movies are a good place to start. These are movies you can never replace.
2. Buy burnable DVDs. You will need to consult your DVD burning manual to find out what the specifications of your DVD burner. Many new DVD burners are able to use both + and – DVDs, others use only use one or the other. Buy just a few of the DVDs first to be sure that you are correct. When you are successful in the burn process, then you can invest in the bundle packs.
3. Make room on your hard drive for new movie files. Clear off about 13 gigabytes to be safe while working on this project. This will allow a decrypted copy and a shrunk copy.
4. Take the decryption off of the movie that you are backing up. Software programs are available that will enable you to do this. It will copy a new set of files without decryption to your hard drive.
5. Find a software application that will shrink the size of the movie, so that it will fit on a burnable DVD. There are several software programs for sale that will do this, but if you search the Internet, you may find a freeware program. If the files on the DVD are greater than 4.7 gigabytes then you will have to shrink the files.
6. Burn the new decrypted, shrunk files to your new burnable DVDs. Again you will need software to do this, and there are several out there for public use free and for sale.
7. Label your new DVD, check to see if it works in your DVD player and then store it or the original somewhere safe incase of a fire, or flood.

Tips & Warnings

• When buying software, check to see if the decrypting, shrinking and burning software use compatible file types.
• It is illegal to make copies of movies that are copyrighted and not for your own personal use. Backup only home movies and those you own and only for personal use.

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