LEGAL Disc Back-up Question

[Chasealicious]

So I have an iMac G5 and a PowerBook.

My PowerBook has a history of scratching discs inserted into it, at least two times rendering the disc unreadable. As such, I'm always paranoid about inserting valuable discs into it.

Question is, I have my legally purchased copy of iLife '06 that I would like to make a back-up of (for my own personal use, not to be shared with anyone else) in case the PowerBook eats it.

The iLife '06 disc is double layer, 6.x gigabytes. I have a dual-layer burner in the iMac and I'm using the correct DVD+R DL media. When I try to make a copy using Toast Titanium 6, it fails once it tries to start burning.

Anyone have any idea what I need to do to be able to make a back-up of this disc? Any other program I should use?

 

[frankblundt]

i thought macs liked -R more than +R.
Did you make a disk image of it first?

 

[grapes911]

I don't know why you can't make backup. But if your DVD drive messing up disk, I'd get it repaired. It it's out a warranty, I'd just put in a new DVD drive. No way I'd deal with it as is.

 

[iMeowbot]

Maybe you could try burning in a different way, i.e. drag the installers to a disc image and then burn that image? The installers aren't using tricky copy protection so you don't need to preserve the original disc structure.

 

[TLRedhawke]

Generally, making copies of discs you legally own is perfectly legitimate. Depending on the country you're in, there are differing rules for what you can do with the backups.

In the US, you can hang on to the backup. In the case of Audio CDs, you can put the audio on to your own media players.

In Canada, you can give your backup disc to anyone for them to use, provided you do not sell it to them, or provide them with any necessary licence keys. In the case of Audio CDs, you can put the audio on to your own media players, and anyone who has your backups can put them on to theirs. I should also note that you can copy, and lend out the copies of the original copy, provided you follow all the same rules.

As for why it isn't burning, it should be noted that Toast 6 doesn't like dual layer media. It claims to handle it, but in fact sucks. Disk Utility or Toast 7 will handle it much better.

 

[frankblundt]

As for why it isn't burning, it should be noted that Toast 6 doesn't like dual layer media. It claims to handle it, but in fact sucks. Disk Utility or Toast 7 will handle it much better.

indeed. i've had a number of issues with Toast 6 dropping stuff that worked perfectly in Disk Utility (Create Image from.. then Burn Image)

 

[iEdd]

Last I heard, in Australia and New Zealand it was completely illegal unless stated by the author of the medium. For example, in the back of a PS1 game book, it permits the copy of one backup/archive per actual copy. Meh.. Backup stuff that you use heaps anyway.. Lock up more serial killers and less software theives (which often aren't that as they already bought it for themselves and kept a backup for themselves).

 

[frankblundt]

Last I heard, in Australia and New Zealand it was completely illegal unless stated by the author of the medium. For example, in the back of a PS1 game book, it permits the copy of one backup/archive per actual copy.

yep. only "fair use" is permitted (which is generally only for excerpts, as reference material - not really applicable to software) or time-shifting (for tape shows on the TV to be viewed at a different time, but then deleted). Format-shifting (originally intended for LP > cassette, but now seen to cover cd > harddrive) is illegal. The recording industry is resisting updates to the legislation on the grounds that they promise they won't charge anyone for fair use, and they'll include provisions granting limited shifting rights in the media. I'm not 100% sure what the position is on backups, but i don't think there is any (unless specifically granted).

 

[iMeowbot]

It's legal in this case, everywhere. It's right there in the iLife license:

"You may make one copy of the Apple Software in machine-readable form for backup purposes only; provided that the backup copy must include all copyright or other proprietary notices contained on the original."

The copyright notices are built into the files, so you're fine.