Help with DVD problem, please.

I got a DVD, never used with cellophane intact, produced in 1993 on ebay. I thought maybe, since I didn't get a DRM warning, it predated DRM, and I could just copy it to my hard drive, so I did. Both the copy and the DVD are now corrupted and unplayable. I want to fix the DVD then rip it to my hard drive. Googling gives plenty of suggestions for ripping but none for fixing. Please help if you can. Thanks.

36 comments

Yeah, nah, that didn't happen.

39
DVDs were introduced in the western market in 1997 so it can't be produced in 1993.

If it's an audio cd or a cd-rom, maybe it was damaged from the beginning. I have many original disks from the early 90s that have "disc rot", the data layer decomposed and are now unreadable. Watch it with a light behind it, if you see many small dots, it has disc rot and it's now gone

If then it's actually a DVD from 1993, then it' a prototype that can't be read by modern drives because it predated the standard

26
- You're half right for the wrong reasons. Disc rot just doesn't happen to stamped original discs, only writable discs rot. Old cheap discs might degrade for other reasons of course (like scratches or labels delaminating and tearing away at a substandard construction), but the data layer of original stamped discs doesn't decompose because it's mechanically stamped into the data layer. Original discs would have been stamped foil pressed between two layers of plastic. Cheap discs sometimes just skipped the top layer of plastic so that the data layer was just under the painted label. Writable discs especially using this cost saving technique. Thus any damage to the top label would damage the data layer. Writable discs rot because the bits are burned into a different kind of data layer film that can fade or otherwise decompose, but I doubt you'd be able to actually see dots from rot. Using the wrong kind of pen or using sticker labels could easily damage the data layer. If you hold a disc up to a light source and see dots of light through it, the foil layer has been scratched and it will be unplayable, but this is physical damage not rot.
  
  1
  
  I have many original professional made audio CDs from the early 90s that if you listen them, there are a lot of skips. I watch them against a light and I can see many dots. Bought them in 1991, started to have this problem a decade ago. They're with a gold dye
  
  For audio CDs I never saw two layers of plastic, only saw that on DVDs. But I stopped buying audio CDs in the late 90s
  
  5
  
  Thanks. No dots present.
  
  1
- On closer examination, the performance is from 1993. Discogs shows a 2005 release, and Presto Music seems to be selling a version that says it was released 29th Jul 2013. The back cover of the container I have says copyright 1993. I played it before trying to copy it. VLC is the only app I have that recognized it. Pot Player and Windows Media did not.
  
  1
  
  You need to try an actual DVD player software like PowerDVD, or standalone home theater DVD player before you write the disc off as bad. Attempting to copy a DVD to your PC literally cannot damage the disc. The disc wasn't written by a laser, it was pressed by a mold, much like a vinyl record is made. Your reader can't possibly alter it.
  
  2
Problem solved by DVDShrink. Thanks, everyone.

9
- That’s a name I haven’t heard in a very long time.
  
  3
Unless the drive physically scratched the DVD, it's not corrupted. However, I've had a few discs that I've stored carefully for decades that just stopped working for no reason. The discs looked flawless with no signs of damage and they refused to work.

What region is the DVD and is your drive set to the same region?

Alternatively, download this DLL file and place it the same directory as your VLC installation. It will then be able to bypass simple region checks but not all.

7
- Everything is set to region 0. Tried the DLL file and got this, "Your input can't be opened: VLC is unable to open the MRL 'file:///D:/VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_1.VOB'. Check the log for details." Checked VLC using other files, and it's fine.
  
  2
Have you tried using MakeMKV to dump the video directly into an mkv file?

5
- Just tried it and got "Error 'Scsi error - ILLEGAL REQUEST:ILLEGAL MODE FOR THIS TRACK'..."
  
  2
  
  That can be solved by opening the disc using VLC when makemkv is scanning. VLC will free up the lock.
  
  I’ve been wrestling with something similar for a week lol.
  
  There’s a thread about the error on the makemkv forums. And I’ve personally salvaged discs this way only yesterday.
  
  Also, makemkv can open a DVD as a raw data file. Mine were old TV shows so I was able to pull the individual episodes avoiding the errors or at least getting some if one was corrupt. I saved an additional 3 discs this way.
  
  One last method if you can set the speed of the drive to 1x; rip slow and set lots of retries (5) to maybe give it a slightly better chance. 1x was always the most reliable. Any speed over and you have mixed results.
  
  Lastly, there’s a list on the net about best drives. If you really care and want to throw $100 at it, pick one up. The drives for $20 you find on Amazon won’t read anything a few years old. Theirs lasers are garbage compared to ones manufactured 10+ years ago.
  
  4
Did it play fine to begin with before you ripped it?

3
- Yes, although VLC was the only program able to play it.
  
  1
- It played fine before my attempt to copy it.
  
  1
  
  It sounds like a physical hardware problem, not software. If you played it once and there is no apparent physical damage to the disc it may be a problem with your disc drive. If you can, try playing it on another piece of hardware like a dedicated DVD player. Also, you could try playing a known good disc (that you don't mind losing) in your PC drive. This will help narrow down the cause to either the disc or the drive. I've had more drive failures over the years than disc failures. The discs that did fail were usually writable discs or obviously damaged. Most of the damage looked liked scratches of the read side or label damage.
  
  6
  
  Does it play on standard DVD players? Is it a pressed copy (silver) or burned (typically purple)?
  
  It sounds like the encryption section has degraded and can't be read reliably.
  
  3
  
  Did you just copy the files using Windows Explorer, or did you rip it? It probably had CSS encryption, which must be removed. VLC is smart enough to handle that for you when you directly play a disc.
  
  Since you established that VLC plays the disc itself fine, try to have it play the copied files. If they don't work, go back to the beginning and rip it/decrypt it. I use DVD Decrypter, or at least I did when DVDs were common. It probably still works. Failing that, there are other tools like AnyDVD
  
  1
I've been ripping DVDs for several years now and have never seen this issue. What program did you use? I thought most retail DVDs were read only once shipped, so I am not sure how you could corrupt it.

Have you tried playing it in another player (like a recent game console or a Blu Ray player)? It could be a corrupted driver for your PC's disc drive.

3
- Other discs work in same drive. This happened once before, and I used an app called BurnAware to fix and rip the DVD. Apparently it's part of DRM meanness. BurnAware isn't working on this one.
  
  2
  
  I typically use the beta version of MakeMKV on Windows, but I would have no clue what to use on my Debian machine. I hope you are able to resolve your issue, though.
  
  3
Maybe you can try DVDFab DVD Copy, which may recognize your corrupted DVDs and make a backup copy of it. This tool is good at decrypting and coping old DVD.

3
FWIW, the same thing happened a couple of years ago with a more contemporary DVD. At the time, I didn't know I couldn't just copy it. After using Windows copy function on it, I couldn't play it. I found a program called BurnAware that fixed and ripped it. BurnAware isn't able to recover this disc.

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