Vista Windows Explorer doesn't find files on DVD-RW recorded in VR mode

[cholla]

My settop can record DVD-RW in VR mode.
When I put one of these discs in my Vista PC Windows Explorer doesn't show any files on the disc .
Sometimes Vista tries to lock down when I highlight the DVD drive.Ejecting the disc unlocks Vista.
Sometimes I manage to open it but all it shows is a desktop.ini file.

WMC or WMP or VLC won't play the disc on Vista.

I also have an older PC with Windows 98SE & it opens the disc with no problem.
The 98 shows these files & folders on the disc:
.Sys-Reserved-RW-Bitmap.GROW
.SysReservedFile
folder : DVD_RTAV with these files inside:
VR_MANGR.IFO
VR_MOVIE.VRO

The DVD drives on both PC's show to be able to use DVD-RW discs & have no problem when the discs are recorded in Video Mode.
I can use just the Video Mode on my settop but want to be able to use VR mode if I want or need to.

The only DVD player on my 98 PC is VLC it will play the VR_MOVIE.VRO file without sound.
If I change the file extension from .VRO to .mpg the 98 PC will play it with sound & video.

So does anyone know a fix for this for Vista ?
This has to be a Vista problem.

[jon333]

Was there any answer to this?

I have a DVD-rw in VR mode recorded on a Toshiba. XP shows it as INCDFS file system, but can’t explore the DVD_RTAV folder.

Vista just shows it as blank in Windows Explorer.

I tried installing Nero InCD to read it, but that crashed a large part of Vista (including system restore!).

Does anyone know what is needed to view such a DVD?

Thanks!

[mciahel]

Hi and Welcome!

you need special software to access VR discs. No idea what product is good for that task.

Michael

[jon333]

Thanks for the quick reply, and welcome.

To follow on - I’m only looking to view what files are on the DVD, at this stage.

Hopefully someone knows the right software…

Regards.

[cholla]

My 2 cents .I never got it to work with Vista.
I have a couple of other topics here where I posted some about this.
You can see the files & folders with ISOBuster but I was never able to do a successful rip with it .I only have the free version.
I don’t currently have a VR disc to test with ,
I can create one but I don’t have time today.
I think my older computer with XP can read this disc & I know the Windows 98 can.
I also ripped the files with my 98 to an external harddrive at one time. Vista could see & play them with VLC player from the external.
So it’s not that Vista can’t play this type files. It just can’t read them from a DVD -R VR disc

[cholla]

I thought I would try again so I recorded a VR mode DVD on my standalone.
Vista still sees nothing in Windows Explorer. XP on the older computer can read & play the .vro file fine.
I found a work around for Vista.
You need ISOBuster(the free version can do this).

1. With the DVD in your drive, Right click on Track 01 in ISOBuster.
2. Select “Extract Track 01” then "Extract User Data (*.tao , *.iso , *.wav )
3. It will ask where you want the file.Put it in a folder .
   The file should be an .iso
   4.Mount this file in a virtual drive. I use VirtualCloneDrive from Elby(Elaboratebytes).
   Open the virtual disc. Then the DVD_RTAV folder.
   The VR_MANGR.IFO & VR_MOVIE.VRO will show 0KB but this is not correct.
   You can play with the .ifo or .vro file in VLC .Media Player Classic or Media Player Classic -HC .
   If you copy & paste to your hard drive from the virtual drive the files will then show their size & also be playable. These might workbetter if you want to convert to DVD compliant format.

[tuffkatt]

@jon333,

I would try cholla’s methods first since all the programs he listed are free. If this doesn’t work well for you, you can try a program called DVD VR Extractor. DVD VR Extractor is a paid for program but they do offer a free trial. I have never used the free trial or the paid for version, so I can’t comment on its effectiveness Here is a link for it!

http://www.mediostream.com/Products/index_DVDVRextractor.html

Rusty

[cholla]

I couldn’t get the mediostream DVD VR Extractor to even see my drive.
So for my OS it was useless.
The way I found to view the files on a DVD disc is rip the disc as in post#6.
You can then take the track1.iso created with ISOBuster & burn it to another DVD disc with ImgBurn.
This is the odd part to me. The image or .iso burned back to a DVD the files can be viewed. They are the same files that would be mounted in the virtual drive.
I wish I knew why the image burned back to disc is viewable when the original wasn’t.

[tubebar]

[QUOTE=cholla;2560163] I wish I knew why the image burned back to disc is viewable when the original wasn’t.[/QUOTE]

Does the copy also play in your recorder? If not that would be the reason.

[cholla]

[QUOTE=tubebar;2560176]Does the copy also play in your recorder? If not that would be the reason.[/QUOTE]

The DVD recorder/player a standalone is the only one I have the can record to - VR mode. It of course plays the DVD.

It also plays the copy as described is post#8.
My other standalones will not play either .
Windows Explorer in Vista sees the original as being full but shows no folders or files when opening the disc.
When the copy is opened it shows the files & folders that should be there.
I just found this was possible Saturday & haven’t tried to convert the .vro file but I think I have software that can do that with no problem.

[cholla]

I decided to use this old thread I started.
I was PMing Wombler about this & thought
I would use this thread instead.
This is the media info of the .vro file from the DVD -RW -VR mode.
My old XP pro SP3 is able to view the disc in Windows Explorer.
I just copied & pasted it to my external HDD.
Then pluged that into my Vista PC .

General #0
Complete name                : J:\-VR\DVD_RTAV\VR_MOVIE.VRO
Format                       : MPEG-2 Program
Format/Family                : MPEG-2
File size                    : 488 MiB
PlayTime                     : 28mn 26s
Bit rate                     : 2400 Kbps

Video #0
Codec                        : MPEG-2 Video
Codec/Family                 : MPEG-V
Codec profile                : Main@Main
Codec settings, Matrix       : Standard
PlayTime                     : 28mn 26s
Bit rate mode                : CBR
Bit rate                     : 1978 Kbps
Nominal bit rate             : 3758 Kbps
Width                        : 352 pixels
Height                       : 480 pixels
Display Aspect ratio         : 4/3
Frame rate                   : 29.970 fps
Standard                     : NTSC
Chroma                       : 4:2:0
Interlacement                : Top Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)           : 0.742

Audio #0
Codec                        : AC3
PlayTime                     : 28mn 26s
Bit rate mode                : CBR
Bit rate                     : 256 Kbps
Channel(s)                   : 2 channels
Channel positions            : L R
Sampling rate                : 48.0 KHz
Video0 delay                 : -67ms

Menu #0
Codec                        : DVD-Video

Inside the .vro container it is a standard MPEG-2 with AC3 audio.
This is not problem for VLC .MPC-HC, even WMP could play the .vro file.

This is the media info after DVDFlick converted the .vro file to DVD compliant:

General #0
Complete name                : J:\-VR\Flick\dvd\VIDEO_TS\VTS_01_1.VOB
Format                       : MPEG-2 Program
Format/Family                : MPEG-2
File size                    : 1024 MiB
PlayTime                     : 15mn 22s
Bit rate                     : 9310 Kbps

Video #0
Codec                        : MPEG-2 Video
Codec/Family                 : MPEG-V
Codec profile                : Main@Main
Codec settings, Matrix       : Standard
PlayTime                     : 15mn 22s
Bit rate mode                : CBR
Bit rate                     : 8408 Kbps
Nominal bit rate             : 8894 Kbps
Width                        : 720 pixels
Height                       : 480 pixels
Display Aspect ratio         : 16/9
Frame rate                   : 29.970 fps
Standard                     : NTSC
Chroma                       : 4:2:0
Interlacement                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)           : 0.859

Audio #0
Codec                        : AC3
PlayTime                     : 15mn 22s
Bit rate mode                : CBR
Bit rate                     : 256 Kbps
Channel(s)                   : 2 channels
Channel positions            : L R
Sampling rate                : 48.0 KHz

Menu #0
Codec                        : DVD-Video

I didn’t burn it to a DVD but it worked in VLC from the HDD.

I even made an .iso with ImgBurn .
It didn’t recognize the :
.Sys-Reserved-RW-Bitmap.GROW
.SysReservedFile
These are just the DVD recorders menu & edit files .
DVD recorder menus are pretty basic so if I wanted one
I could easily create one just as good.
ImgBurn was able to put the DVD_RTAV folder with these files inside:
VR_MANGR.IFO
VR_MOVIE.VRO
Into an .iso .
I write this to another DVD -RW Verbatim just like the one that I used in the DVD recorder .
Vista can view this in Windows Explorer. So it has to be what the DVD recorder wrote the data to the disc in that Vista or Windows 7 can’t view.
They don’t have a problem with the files themselves .
Even on the ImgBurn written DVD.

I would like to know what XP pro & even Windows 98SE has that can view this DVD when the newer OS’s can’t.
It was also discussed in this thread:

Copying disks from set-top dvd recorder

I tried a lot of things & read on several forums but never found a solution.
At least not for Vista & more recently Windows 7.

[olyteddy]

It could pertain to the ‘Copy once’ flag. I’ve personally never encountered the problem with my Phillips 3575 but recall reading about it (in the manual? over at AVS Forum?) and for copy once programs it will only use RW and VRO mode.

[cholla]

Thanks for replying olyteddy . No I recorded this from just regular OTA to make sure it didn’t have any flags.
I think in -VR mode the DVD recorders that do this are supposed to remove the “Copy once” flag.
Even if a disc had this flag I think Vista should be able to view the files in Windows Explorer even if it couldn’t play them. But it is not the case with this recording.

[olyteddy]

Finalized? Tried ISOPuzzler? Don’t know. I record TV from a Hauppauge on this PC.

[cholla]

Finalized Yes & on the unit it was recorded with.
IsoPuzzler worked on the old computer with XP Pro .
I didn’t need to use it on that computer as a copy & paste worked fine with it.
When tried on the Vista computer IsoPuzzler worked over 10 hours & couldn’t complete.
The files it produced were empty.
I don’t record TV on my computer but I’ve thought about getting a Hauppauge card.

I can do what I need to with an old IBM computer I have with both Windows98SE & Windows XP Pro SP3 on it. At least until it fails.
I want my newer computer with Vista on it to work on this type recording if I need it to.
The disc when opened with Vista Windows Explorer is blank with a desktop.ini file showing that is not actually on this disc.
I have a borrowed laptop with Windows 7 on it & it has the same results as Vista.

[chef]

Your XP has drivers and softwares installed that made it able to “see” that data on the disc.

[cholla]

[QUOTE=chef;2629560]Your XP has drivers and softwares installed that made it able to “see” that data on the disc.[/QUOTE]
I don’t think it is any software on XP other than Windows itself that allows it to view this disc.
I will go along with it possibly being the drivers .
Windows 98SE must use the same ones .
Now if it is the drivers how to I add those to Vista & make it work ?

My real suspicion is it is caused by the DRM or other copy protection protocols MS added to Vista & later Windows 7 . I just haven’t been able to confirm that .
In other words since the -VR mode is designed to ignor broadcast flags.
(I haven’t tested it for that) . MS added something to Vista & later to prevent reading of -VR recorded discs.
This could have been done in the driver , an .inf file , or even another type file.

[Wombler]

Hi cholla,

I’ve been having a look at this for you since your last PM and came across this software which you might like to give a go.

I haven’t used it myself but it’s freeware, runs on all the recent Microsoft operating systems so you haven’t got anything to lose and it appears to do DVD-VR to DVD-VIDEO conversions.

As I said before though you’d be better using +RW discs from now on (if your recorder supports them) as +VR is much easier to work with.

HTH.

[B]Wombler[/B]

[cholla]

[QUOTE=Wombler;2629642]I’ve been having a look at this for you since your last PM and came across this software which you might like to give a go. [/QUOTE]

Hi Wombler , I’m going to download & test the software but I don’t think it is going to work with Vista . The reason is almost all the software I’ve tested can’t open the DVD & view the files because Windows Explorer can’t .
The only software that has been able to actually show the folder & files on Vista is IsoBuster . Even when using it Windows Explorer doesn’t.

[QUOTE=Wombler;2629642] As I said before though you’d be better using +RW discs from now on (if your recorder supports them) as +VR is much easier to work with[/QUOTE]
The standalone DVD recorder that does the -VR mode only has the capability to record on -R or -RW media . It will record in both
-VR & + VR modes .
I have other standalones that can use both + & - DVD media but none of those record in -VR mode . Only - RW or -R media can use that mode .

To make it clear you can record +VR mode (normal DVD compliant) that standalones use. These have an extra VIDEO_RM folder but this is for the menu . The VIDEO_TS folder they contain works like any other VIDEO_TS
folder. You can use -R or -RW media to record from this mode the same as you can use +R or +RW media.

The main reason for wanting to use -VR mode is its ability to record from a source that has broadcast flags.
When these are sent over a satellite receiver box or cable box the standalone won’t record in the +VR mode.
It will put up a message that it can’t record . That’s not exact but close.
If in -VR mode it will record.
So far I’ve just tested with a source I know doesn’t have the flags . I wanted to make sure I could work with that first.

Neither mode will copy another copyrighted disc but you get a similar message to this if you try .

[chef]

You have a clean XP, and when you install some softwares (for editing video etc) you probably install such drivers with it which allowing you to read and recognize -VR and similar formats which was not possible before…