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Hello,

I'm looking for software that I will be able to use to burn dvds. I do not have a dvd burner, however I do have dvd rom and a normal cd burner. Is there any software that I can use that will allow me to copy my dvds without buy a dvd burner. And if you know of where I could get this free that would be great too. Thank you very much!

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Quick, practical context and options tied to the replies from , and .

A CD-only optical drive cannot produce a standard DVD-format disc, so workarounds fall into a few clear paths depending on the actual goal (playback vs. physical DVD):

  • Rip-to-disk for playback or later burning — create an ISO or a VIDEO_TS folder from the DVD and keep it on the hard drive (plays in software players). This preserves quality and lets burning occur later from a machine that has a DVD writer.
  • Transcode for smaller media — re-encode the movie to a compressed MP4/MKV if the intent is to store or watch on a PC or portable device. Compression reduces size but costs image quality; CDs require heavy compression and are generally impractical for feature films.
  • Use another burner — transfer the ripped ISO or files over a local network or external disk to any computer with a DVD writer, or use an external USB DVD burner when convenient.

Common, practical tool roles: a ripping tool to copy the disc structure; a transcoder if size reduction is needed; a playback app for verification; and a burning tool for when a DVD writer is available. Troubleshooting tips: if a rip fails, check disc cleanliness and drive read errors; try making an ISO first (verifiable image) before re-encoding; verify playback of the ISO before attempting to burn.

A simple bitrate rule-of-thumb for target-size encoding:

target_video_kbps ≈ (target_size_MB * 8192 / duration_seconds) - audio_kbps

Final notes: ’s memory of legacy “one‑click” tools shows why relying on maintained utilities and known workflows is safer; and ’s hardware suggestions reflect the simplest route when a playable DVD disc is required. Legal and copy‑protection issues can affect what is technically possible; treat those as separate considerations.

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Member Avatar for server_crash

A while back a program called DVD-X copy was available. It was banned by the courts because people argued that is was being used for illegal copying. X copy would back up a dvd to a single cd-r without any dvd burner needed, but it's no longer available...at least I don't think it is.

Member Avatar for Catweazle

DVD burners are quite inexpensive. For making backups of your DVDs there is no suitable alternative. DVD movies won't fit on a CD without reducing quality beyond the point where it is worth watching.

Moved to Windows software. Tech questions in tech sections please!

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