How to Rip DVD to Computer

There can be several different reasons why you would want to rip a DVD to a computer. You might want to put the DVD data into the computer first, and then transfer it to your device or MP3 player for personal entertainment.

You may prefer not to use or handle the individual DVDs, every time you want to watch a movie. The files in the DVDs may be those which can add up to your music collection, and so you want to transfer the data from the discs to your hard drive, specially made for your collections.

DVDs have a substantial amount of memory and a different file format, and considering these facts; there are people who think that transferring data from a DVD to the hard drive is a very complex task. If you have the appropriate software application or know the correct method to copy the files, you can carry out this task with ease.

As the files in the DVDs are of larger memory, before trying to copy the DVD data to the computer, you need to make sure that there is sufficient memory space on the hard drive. You should also consider the copyright and piracy laws and regulations, if you are copying data from original DVDs.

Typically, there are two ways in which you can copy the data. One is simply copy-pasting the files from the DVD onto your computer's hard drive and the other is using a DVD ripper. Mentioned here are details about these processes.

Copy-Paste Files from DVDs
This is probably the best and easiest method of copying the DVD data onto the hard drive. Since a majority of DVDs have 'Autoplay' as the default feature, as soon as the user inserts the disc into the drive, the DVD starts to play.

Therefore, the user generally thinks that he will not be able to see the files for copying them onto the hard drive and will necessarily require a DVD ripping software. However, with some very simple steps, you can view the files and copy-paste them onto the computer.

If you are copying data from original DVDs, the data can even exceed 4.7 GB, and so you need to make sure that you have sufficient space on the hard drive for storing the files.

In order to view the files on the DVD to be copied, insert the DVD into the drive. Normally, the DVD will play itself, due to the autoplay function. Close the media player window, and locate the disc drive in 'My Computer'. If you double click or press 'Enter' on the DVD drive, the autoplay feature will start again.

So, right click the DVD drive and select 'Explore'. Doing so will show you all the contents and data of the disc. You can now to copy-paste the files in a folder on the hard drive. Remember that copy-pasting the files will not have effect on the size of the VOB files.

DVD Ripping Software
If you do not have enough space on your hard drive to store these huge VOB files, a good option is to utilize a DVD ripping software. The main advantage of DVD rippers is that you can not only copy the DVD files to the computer, but also make the file size smaller and in different formats, which can be easily run on the PC.

You can search for and buy a good DVD ripper at any computer shop in your locality. You can certainly download a DVD ripper from the Internet, but it may be a demo version or one which will not give you the exact results. If you use free-to-download video converters, you may need to compromise on the video quality.

In buying a DVD ripper from the store, it is suggested that you go in for one which allows you to convert DVD files into different video compression formats such as MP4, AVI, WMV, etc.

These are the procedures to be used if you want to rip a DVD to a computer. If you do not want to compromise on the video resolution of VOB files; it is recommended to copy-paste them, and that too on a separate external hard drive.