Needed programs:

- DVD Dectypter: direct link to exe
- Handbrake: Get the ‘Windows XP/Vista/7 – GUI’ one

Install both programs, using all the default options during setup is fine

I’m going to use my DVD “Shanghai Noon” for an example, so all references to files use this

Using DVD Decrypter:

- Run program

- Go to “Tools”/”Settings”/”Sounds” and uncheck both checkboxes, click “OK”

- Choose “Mode”/”ISO”/”Read”

- Insert DVD

- You *may* need to choose a Region if a window pops up, it will be already selected as “1″, just click “OK”

- Change the “Destination” field to something other than “C:\SHANGHAI_NOON.iso”, Win 7 and Win Vista won’t allow saving there, I use “C:\Temp\SHANGHAI_NOON.iso”

- Click the “DVD > Disk” button to continue

- When this process is complete (~ 20-30 minutes), you can close the program

Using Handbrake:

- Run program

- Choose “Regular”/”Normal” from the Presets on the Right Side:

- Choose “m4v” from the “Container” drop down on the left center of the screen

- Click the “Source”/”Video File” button on top left and choose the ISO file you just made, my example is “C:\Temp\SHANGHAI_NOON.iso” (ignore the “mds” file that Decrypter generated)

- If Handbrake didn’t do so already, fill out the “Destination/File” text box so it reads like “C:\Temp\Shanghai Noon.m4v”, this will be the final result of this process

- Hanbrake also should have chosen the largest time value in the “Source/Title” drop down

- Go to the “Video” tab, check the radio button “Target Size” and enter how big you want the file to be, I typically use 800 for movies 2 hours or less in length and the videos look/sound great.. if it’s a 2.5 hour long movie, it may make sense to use 1000 instead

- Here is a screen shot of all those selections (click image for full size):

- Click the “Start” icon along the top, a DOS window will open up showing it’s progress, it will take anywhere from 45 to 75 minutes (lot’s of factors go into how long it takes), when done, you’ll have “Shanghai Noon.m4v”, which is viewable with Quicktime, VLC Player, or Windows Media Player…. Although to note for Windows Media Player, it needs something called a “codec” to play, if you just install VLC PLayer, that will take care of the codec for Windows Media Player as well

The payoff, “Shanghai Noon.m4v” playing in Windows Media Player:

If you want to do multiple movies at once

- Go through the process for DVD Decrypter for the multiple disks, and in Handbrake, instead of choosing “Start” at the end there, choose “Add to Queue”… once all ISO files are added to Handbrake’s queue, choose “Process Queue” and it will do all movies consecutively.