Windows Mobile
How to Rip DVDs with ImgBurn.
Feb 11th
A previous article explains how to use the awesome VLC player to rip a DVD to an MPEG-1 file. Technically, it gets the job done, but there are other options. Storage is dirt cheap so why not retain the full image quality and size as well as all the menus, languages, subtitles and bonus material from the original DVD. Using ImgBurn you can rip the entire disc to an ISO file and then use the VLC player to watch the DVD just like you had the physical disc in your drive.
After downloading and installing ImgBurn, a wizard will offer a few choices.
Before we start ripping, we need to prevent ImgBurn from splitting the file into multiple parts since we want to end up with a single ISO file of the entire disc. Go to Tools > Settings and click on the Read tab. Under options, change the value of File Splitting from Auto to None. Click OK to go back to the main screen.
The main screen shows everything you would want to know about this disc. Under Destination, click the folder and navigate to a location where you want to store the image file. Be sure you have enough space. Look in the window on the right, the value for Size is how many bytes the disc contains (this disc is 4.6 Gigs).
When you are ready, click the button at the bottom with the green arrow. The ripping process will begin and the screen will give you a progress indicator including the estimated time remaining.
Go do something else while this runs, it’s going to take a while. A dual layer disc can hold more than 8 Gigs and you should rip at the lowest speed you can bear for best results.
When it’s done you will have a file called ‘Name of the disc’ .ISO.
Now, start VLC player and select Open > File. Navigate to the ISO file and select it. VLC player will start playing the file and the result will appear just like you were playing the physical disc.
Now you can enjoy the full quality and functionality of the DVD without having to lug around all those discs.
ImgBurn is a very powerful piece of software that does a lot of other things, including burning image files to disc, and it is completely FREE (I know the Admin loves free). It runs on all versions of Windows, including Vista and all 64-bit versions of Windows.
One thing ImgBurn will NOT do is rip encrypted discs (discs with CSS and/or Macrovision). For that task you need a tool called DVD Decrypter. The developer of DVD Decrypter is no longer working on the software due to issues with the Macrovision corporation and the obvious DMCA violations the product allows. It wouldn’t be proper to advise you on how to rip protected material or commit DMCA violations, but if you do happen to obtain a copy of DVD Decrypter, you will see that its interface and operation is very similar to that of ImgBurn.
Windows Mobile 6.1 will not send email. SMTP Issues?
Jan 23rd
I recently ditched my Dopod c730 for the HTC Fuze (AKA Raphael AKA Touch Pro Minus the Front Camera). I copped this guy from ATT and got my wife The HTC Diamond from Sprint. (More on this later…)
So I have been loving the new device in all its shinny shinny glory. I have beaten Teeter already and have made use of the Fuze’s functions to the best of my ability. When the device stopped sending ANY emails I was at a loss.
You see if my device does not send emails it really is more of a problem than anything else. Messages come in and I reply and then my message hangs out in my outbox indefinitely. NOT COOL. So now I have to call or text the person and first explain why I am not replying via email…
I hard resetted the device on the fly pulled my data back from my exchange server and was golden for another few days… When it happened again I was beyond myself.
I went’a Googling and surprise surprise other people were having the same damn issue! And Microsoft has released a patch in the form of a MSI or CAB file which you can grab here. I installed it, my device rebooted and all my messages flew out of the inbox.
I hate problems… But I love finding the solution!
Stay tuned for Diamond and Fuze applications, tricks and downloads coming soon. Anyone else have one of these guys? What have you loaded on it? Are you loving TouchFlo3D?
_TheDiamondAdmiN_
Tivo Scheduling on My Mobile Phone! For Real.
Nov 25th
I have been using my TiVo series 2 with on-line scheduling for years now but it was always cumbersome to say the least on my Windows Mobile. Now just in time to enjoy my HTC Fuze AkA The HTC Touch Pro… All you need to do is point your browswer to http://m.tivo.com , log-in and select your DVR.
That’s it – and in return it will let you search, schedule and set-up season passes! Sweet. Stay tuned for some Tivo + WHS Geeky Goodness!
And if you are into Satellite radio like XM check out this page chock full of deals!
Can I have my Windows Mobile device wipe its memory after failed logons
Aug 28th
Did you know you can wipe a lost or stolen Windows Mobile device if you configure it before hand? As an Administrator using Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 (SP2), you now have tools with which to set and enforce your mobile device security policies. You can also control some of the features on the mobile devices by using provisioning tools. Check this out:
Excessive failed logon attempts may signal that a wireless device has been lost or stolen — a serious security risk. Find out how to configure your Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices for local wiping, so they automatically destroy their data after a specified number of failed logons.
Most security policies for Windows Mobile devices are what I call “scorched-earth” policies. Essentially, an Exchange administrator remote wipes a mobile device to mitigate a specific security risk, such as a lost or stolen device. All Exchange Server data is completely erased when a wireless device is “wiped clean.”
You can trigger a remote wipe of a mobile device through Exchange Server 2007 and Outlook Web Access (OWA) 2007, but that presumes the wireless device will contact the Exchange server at some point.
It makes sense to allow mobile devices to wipe themselves when certain prerequisite conditions are met, such as a specified number of failed personal identification number (PIN) entries or incorrect password attempts. This mobile security feature is called a local wipe.
Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices have provisions for performing local wipes. However, this setting is not enabled by default, and for good reason. Discovering that your Windows Mobile device has committed digital suicide after you messed up your fifth attempt to punch in your PIN can be aggravating — especially if you didn’t know such a policy was in place to begin with.
But if your organization wants to implement this additional layer of security around Windows Mobile devices, it can be done — with a little work.
* First, the Password Required Policy (security policy ID 4131), a Windows Mobile security policy setting, must be enabled for the device in question.
* Next, a registry entry has to be set on the mobile device to enable this feature. In HKLM\Comm\Security\Policy\LASSD, create the decimal key DeviceWipeThreshold and set it to any positive number. This number will be the number of incorrect password logon attempts to allow before the device’s memory is wiped. This setting is also available in the Device Security Settings dialog box in the Exchange Management Console.
NOTE: In Windows Mobile 4, this function did not erase any external memory on the device, such as an SD card or other plug-in memory device. However, Windows Mobile 6 devices will erase external memory cards as well.
About the author: Serdar Yegulalp is editor of Windows Insight, a newsletter devoted to hints, tips, tricks, news and goodies for all flavors of Windows users.
[Via TechTargetl]
Recent Comments