How to Copy a DVD Using Nero Recode

Using Nero Recode to copy a DVD is an easy and efficient way to duplicate home movies or other non-copyright-protected media. The program makes a breeze of selecting which components of a movie you want to copy, giving you plenty of control over features such as subtitles, audio tracks and menu information.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Open Nero Recode. This can be done either by double-clicking a shortcut already on your desktop, or by clicking on the Start button and going to Programs->Nero 7->Photo and Video->Nero Recode.

2. Load the DVD to be copied into your disc drive. If you have more than one drive that can read a DVD, put it into the one that either doesn't burn DVDs or has the slower burning speed.

3. Load a blank DVD into your DVD burner. If you only have one drive that both reads and burns DVDs, this will work great, too. But, hold off on putting the blank DVD into the drive for now.

4. Click on "Recode an Entire DVD to DVD" in Nero Recode. This option will make a complete copy of the DVD you're backing up, which in most cases, is the result you probably want.

5. Click on the "Import DVD" button, then select your DVD drive from the following menu and click "OK."

6. Use the Audio and Subtitle tabs to select which of the DVD components you would like transferred. Nero automatically chooses for all components to be copied, so unless you have something specific in mind to transfer, you don't have to make any adjustments.

7. Click on "Next."

8. Select your DVD burner from the drop-down menu labeled "Destination."

9. Click on "Burn."

10. Insert a blank DVD into your DVD burner when prompted by Nero. Again, you only need to switch the original DVD out for the blank DVD if you don't have two DVD-capable drives.

Tips & Warnings

• For backing up a full-length movie, copy it to a double-layer DVD instead of a single layer. This keeps Nero from having to reduce video quality in order to compress the movie and results in a higher-quality product.
• Avoid running other programs in the background that might consume system resources to ensure the best product. Depending on your system's capabilities, Nero can slow performance down quite a bit, and multitasking can result in a choppy copy or even a system crash.