Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Backup your copyrighted DVDs

I usually get this request from upstairs about backing up encrypted or copyrighted DVDs. I know I have done it many times but it fails to remind just how to do it every time.

Tools

  1. So I always have this Daemon Tools Lite that allows me to mount .iso file as virtual CD/DVD drives.
  2. I always have the codecs from CCP-Project to use the classic media player instead of the new one
  3. I also have Infrarecorder  to do copying and writing tasks
  4. For those copyrighted and encrypted DVDs, i have DVD Decrypter
  5. For some instances I also have imgBurn. This however may conflict with DVD Decrypter or Infrarecorder if not installed properly
Steps:
  1. Firstly, make sure that the DVD is worthy -- meaning readable and functional, void of physical damage that may ruin the show. You cannot copy if you can't play it.
  2. Copy the DVD to an .iso using InfraRecorder. The read speed may have to be tweaked to use below the maximum.
  3. Try mounting the .iso file using DaemonTools and make sure that it plays just like the original. If problems exist, it's time to call on the other tools.
  4. From the mounted .iso or virtual drive, right click and see "Decrypt using DVDDecrypter". Just follow the next steps, find a nice target location and proceed to extract the content. If it is a DVD video disc, it will copy just the .vob files.
  5. Write the .vob files to a DVD using imgBurn. You might want to save DVDs by writing them to another .iso file
  6. If all is well with the decryption, iso and playing the mounted iso, you're ready to burn to a physical DVD or to another media.
Feel free to post on the comments if you need assistance.


Wednesday, July 22, 2015

To my audience from way back

Hi!
I am not sure if you can still remember me. I was one of the speakers in one of the Lorma-hosted seminar sometime ago and had promised to send you "something" for asking a question during the Q&A portion. You may remember me with the bitcoin idea. I had been thinking about what I could really send to you as a token of my appreciation.

I apologize for the great delay. 

As you may have known recently, a bitcoin database had been hacked. This is now the challenge of the security of bitcoin and how it is digitally saved within networks. But, like some of the techos say, if a bank is robbed, you can discount saving to a bank a bad idea. But then again, let that be challenged even further.

It's like wildfire now about privacy and intrusion -- with the Hacking Team hacked, leaking information about how dubious and challenging making worthy of the systems we are building -- we have to become experts in our own field and be guided by the principles of security.

Here, I am sharing you a goldmine of security ebooks. I suggest you download what you can and keep it somewhere you can refer to sometime later. Some are already outdated but the knowledge and awareness they bring are priceless. 

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B7jWflk4TmF3WEhqQVFmMHN3Q2s&usp=sharing

I hope these resources will be of help to you or the future generations under your ward.

Best wishes,