Originally posted on February 29, 2004 @ 10:02 pm

You paid a lot for your DVDs. Make sure you never need to buy another copy.

Step 1: Decrypt the DVD

Production companies encrypt DVDs, so you’ll need to decrypt the video files before you can do anything else. Insert the DVD into your DVD drive and run an application called DVD Decrypter. It will decrypt (go figure) and store the disc’s video object (VOB) files to your hard drive. You’re going to need at least 10GB of free hard-drive space per DVD.

Download DVD Decrypter (762KB)

Step 2: Shrink the DVD

Store-bought DVD movies use dual-layered discs to store twice as much information as home-burned DVDs. You’ll need to shrink the VOB files you just decrypted so they can fit on a single DVD-R or DVD+R disc. Using an application called DVD Shrink, select the features, scenes, and compression rate for your final DVD backup. Click the Backup button to begin the burn.

Download DVD Shrink (796KB)

Step 3: Burn your DVD

Assuming you have a DVD-burning application installed, the burning process should begin when you click the Backup button from Step 2. If you still need burning software, I recommend Nero and Pinnacle Instant Copy.

Originally posted on March 4, 2004 @ 9:18 am

Anyone who works in MS Word, Excel, or PowerPoint must absorb today’s tip, especially if you share your files with others. It’ll keep your secret collaborations under the radar.

Let’s say you send a document to a few people and add some hidden data you want to keep private. Only a few people can access your hidden comments and make changes to them, even though a larger group has access to the main file.

At some point you’ll want to remove that hidden info so nobody can uncover it. I don’t want to be sneaky or anything, but something tells me this could come in handy in sticky situations.

To do it you’ll need:

1. Windows XP
2. Excel, PowerPoint, and Word 2002/2003
3. Office 2003/XP Add-in: Remove Hidden Data

To use the add-in, install it, open the file you want to modify, and choose Remove Hidden Data from the File menu. You can also modify multiple files from the command line. You’ll find the instructions in the 1033 subdirectory of the removal tool’s folder.

For example:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Remove Hidden Data Tool\1033

I’ll admit I’ve never hidden anything inside a Word doc, Excel spreadsheet, or PowerPoint presentation, but if I ever do, it’s good to know I can get rid of the incriminating evidence, er, collaboration information, that nobody else needs to see.