When you have a DVD that contains precious files, how can you protect it from being lost? It will help if you create ISO from DVDs. It can save DVD contents as ISO images, and then you can easily copy them as backups. If you’ve decided to do that, you can keep reading this article to learn what ISO is and 2 ways to create ISO files from DVDs.
Part 1: Introduction to ISO and DVD
Let’s figure out the relation between ISO and DVD first. DVD is a compact disc that contains many types of data and files. It’s usually used to store audio, videos, and installation programs for an operating system. However, a DVD is fragile and easily broken, and you may have it lost sometimes. Therefore, a corresponding method is to copy the data from DVD to ISO.
What Is an ISO File/Image?
An ISO, also called an ISO file or ISO image, is a copy of optical discs, such as DVDs, CDs, Blu-rays, etc. It’s more a container than a format, for it contains many files of different formats. For example, when you create an ISO from a DVD or when you download an install program with an ISO extension, you can open it and view many kinds of files. You need to assemble them to run the setup program.
Why Is ISO?
So, why it’s ISO that is commonly used to rip a DVD? If a DVD contains only videos or songs, you can even directly copy them to your computer and play them. However, when it comes to OS installation programs, an ISO file is an excellent vessel for the grand number of OS files. Gradually, people increasingly create ISO images from a DVD that contains operation system files.
Part 2: 2 Ways to Create ISO Images from DVDs [Mac & Windows 10/11]
After you have a brief understanding of DVD and ISO, you should know that converting a DVD to an ISO image is not simply copying a DVD. Then, you should utilize a third-party program to rip a DVD to an ISO file. Those programs are generally called DVD ripper, ISO creator, etc. This article takes 2 programs as an example to create an ISO file or image from a DVD. You can choose either way after checking these best ISO creator.
1. Tipard DVD Ripper
Tipard DVD Ripper is a lightweight program to make an ISO of a DVD. It is an exclusive program to create ISO files from DVDs on Mac and Windows 10/11. This DVD ripper shows brief operating instructions, which is also why we take it as an easy example. Like many other DVD rippers, it can also convert the DVD content to other corresponding formats, including videos, audio, etc.
Step 1: Insert a DVD into the CD drive of your computer first. Then, launch Tipard DVD Ripper. Click the Load DVD button in the top left corner, then click the Load DVD Disc button to choose your DVD.
Step 2: Before you create an ISO file from your DVD, you can click the Rip All to button to change the format of the DVD contents. Finally, click the Rip All button to rip the DVD to an ISO image.
2. BurnAware
BurnAware Free is commonly used to copy digital files from DVD, CD, and Blu-ray discs. However, you can also use BurnAware Free to create ISO files from DVDs on your computer. It has multiple features for DVDs, so finding the proper function to convert DVD contents to ISO images may be difficult. However, this program can help you understand more about DVD and ISO images.
Step 1: Insert your DVD into the DVD driver in your computer, then click the Copy to ISO button on the BurnAware interface.
Step 2: You should choose the desired DVD to create ISO files. Click the dropdown menu button near the Copy button. Then, you can choose a DVD source.
Step 3: Click the Browse button to select a path to save the upcoming ISO file. Remember not to change the ISO image type.
Step 4: Everything is prepared; click the Copy button to create ISO from DVDs. You may need to wait for a while to finish the process.
Part 3. Important Alerts Before You Create ISO Images from DVDs
After checking the 2 examples, it could be easy for you to create an ISO file from a DVD. However, there are some vital warnings that you should pay great attention to.
Copy-Protection DVDs
Some DVDs have copyright protection, such as legitimate movies and albums. Many DVD rippers can easily break the protection, but it doesn’t mean that legal action is avoidable if you constantly make ISO files from DVDs with copyrights. Those DVD rippers can help you break through the protection you set when you burnt the DVD, but they never advocate to infringe the copyright of legitimate files.
Fair Use of Creating ISO from DVD
As it’s difficult to determine whether you infringe the copyright protection when creating ISO from DVD, the concept of fair use takes effect. It’s from US copyright law and means that you can use copyrighted materials without permission under some regulatory situations.
Generally speaking, you can rip a DVD to ISO, but you can’t use the copied content for commercial use. For example, you can use an operation system ISO image for research or tutorial purposes. You can also create an ISO file from a DVD to comment on or criticize the songs or movies within it. Fair use gives customers great room for a variety of usages of DVD and ISO files.
However, you’d better check the related laws in your country or region before you rip a DVD to ISO and show it in public.
Internal and External Driver
Today, many computers don’t contain a CD driver, which means that you need to buy an external driver and connect it to your computer with a USB cable. Therefore, if your computer doesn’t utilize a USB 3.0 port, it may take a while to recognize the DVD content, which is similar to a USB disk.
