Since AnyDVD is the launching pad for all your happiness in "fair using" your films, I think it's time to input some support tips here to help a little with problem determination. While we can and do work magic sometimes, we do not have a crystal ball when it comes to what YOU are seeing when you have a problem processing a DVD.
This really applies to all products, but the visibility is primarily here to AnyDVD, so I decided to put this stuff here. After 30 years+ of working with field support in one form or another, my aim is to help you, our customers, help us get you the quality support you deserve.
Initial input
Often we get support requests with first input like these items and not one thing more:
You can see such input is like calling your doctor and saying "I need a doctor". The fastest way to avoid initial "ping-pong" when you contact us is to state your problem with some pointers:
The AnyDVD "log" file:
We often get first input with no AnyDVD log zip file, a few words of text (see above) and that's it. Sometimes only the log file is sent to us without any commentary at all.
There is no substitute for supporting information along with the log file.
a) Ensure Anydvd is running.
b) Put that original disc in your optical drive/reader. Wait for Anydvd to scan the disc.
c) Right click the little red fox icon in the lower right system tray and select "Create Logfile"
e) Wait for Anydvd to create a log file, a pop-up screen will appear. In some cases this might need several minutes.
Take note of the location where Anydvd created the logfile and the logfile's name. Click "ok".
g) Go to your My Documents folder and there you will see a zip file called
"Anydvd_Info_<DVD TITLE>.zip" (or something similar)
Attach that ZIP file to your ticket, please.
"What happens" + "when it happens" are the best additional pieces of initial input to us along with the AnyDVD log file so add that info after right clicking the fox in the tray and using the "create logfile" option and attaching the zip to your ticket.
Error Messages
Modern software (sometimes even Windows
) tries to communicate to the user when a successful completion of a task is blocked or something internally terminates abnormally. While some programmers do a better job than others in this area, it is a rare program that simply shows you "FAILED".
While a helpful part of failure diagnosis is a symptom, a message from a program is like a road sign.
Taking a screen shot of such a message is the best way to get that info to us.
1. Press and hold the "CTRL" key, then press "PRINT"
2. Release the keys and open"All programs", "Accessories" and "Paint" or similar basic image tool/program
3. Click "Edit" and then "Paste". The image will be inserted from the Windows Clipboard.
4. Click "File" and "Save as..."
5. Select "File type" "JPG" (please!!) and give the image file a name like "error.jpg".
Simply attach the JPG to your ticket input or reply.
Note: Some users are clever enough to photograph their screen (yes, you read that right) and attach that image to their reply. We would appreciate the Windows screen shot much more as sometimes all we see is the reflection of the flash.
Environmental issues
If you are having trouble with normal DVDs, happen to open the "Status" panel in AnyDVD and notice your DVD drive region is "Not set!" and shows "0" you would do well to take care of that BEFORE asking for help with any possible decryption issues. Development will not analyse a log without a valid drive region setting.
Right mouse the task bar fox and click "exit" (NOTE: you can not change the drive region if AnyDVD is "latched" to it)
1. Click start. Right click on "My computer"--->select "properties".
2. Click on the 'Hardware' tab--->click the 'device manager' button.
3. Open the dvd/cdrom branch---> right click on your optical drive
4. Click "properties".
5. You should see a "Region" tab at the top. Open that and from there you can select a region.
6. Select the region that matches YOUR COUNTRY and save that. Exit the setting panel.
7. Start Anydvd
The "Guess what I'm using" ticket
When you send us a problem you want a fast answer.
We want you to have a fast answer too.
So, what can you do to help us get the right juices flowing?
The quality of our response to your initial contact with us hangs directly on the content of your problem description.
If you are having trouble copying a DVD then please tell us what you are using from the time you insert the DVD into the drive until your error occurs on the burning.
Don't be shy about telling us you're using Nero or 1Click or whatever with AnyDVD, for example.
A ticket with "Can't copy Yuma" is just a fog bank in my crystal ball.
If we know what you are using to copy a particular DVD we are a big step closer to a solution instead of replying to ask about that and then look into it. Some products other than CloneDVD require special handling with AnyDVD.
Many times there is a perfect fit to your environment + DVD + symptom in our forums and when we find it quickly you get your answer quickly.
This really applies to all products, but the visibility is primarily here to AnyDVD, so I decided to put this stuff here. After 30 years+ of working with field support in one form or another, my aim is to help you, our customers, help us get you the quality support you deserve.
Initial input
Often we get support requests with first input like these items and not one thing more:
- "won't work"
- "can't copy anything"
- "stopped working"
- "Help!!"
- I COULD NOT MAKE A BACK UP COPY
- "keeps stopping"
- "I'm getting errors when I copy"
- "All other DVDs work, just this one will not"
- "I am having problems copying my movies"
- Any idea what I can do about a DVD that won't copy?
You can see such input is like calling your doctor and saying "I need a doctor". The fastest way to avoid initial "ping-pong" when you contact us is to state your problem with some pointers:
- When does the failure occur, during the scan or the burning?
- Check off what media type this is. You can save us BOTH a lot of time if we know head of time if this is a DVD or a BluRay disc.
- Are you really sure when you mention "latest" version that this is true? Verify that on the "download" page at slysoft.com and give us the version number.
- Does any message appear? If so, share it with us. Some days later you may well have to. Best is: share it early.
- If just one DVD is failing then tell us its title. Often we have news on this and can give you a solution immediately or you can search that title in the forum. There is always a "first time" but popular movies get visibility rather quickly here if there are issues.
The AnyDVD "log" file:
We often get first input with no AnyDVD log zip file, a few words of text (see above) and that's it. Sometimes only the log file is sent to us without any commentary at all.
There is no substitute for supporting information along with the log file.
a) Ensure Anydvd is running.
b) Put that original disc in your optical drive/reader. Wait for Anydvd to scan the disc.
c) Right click the little red fox icon in the lower right system tray and select "Create Logfile"
e) Wait for Anydvd to create a log file, a pop-up screen will appear. In some cases this might need several minutes.
Take note of the location where Anydvd created the logfile and the logfile's name. Click "ok".
g) Go to your My Documents folder and there you will see a zip file called
"Anydvd_Info_<DVD TITLE>.zip" (or something similar)
Attach that ZIP file to your ticket, please.
"What happens" + "when it happens" are the best additional pieces of initial input to us along with the AnyDVD log file so add that info after right clicking the fox in the tray and using the "create logfile" option and attaching the zip to your ticket.
Error Messages
Modern software (sometimes even Windows
) tries to communicate to the user when a successful completion of a task is blocked or something internally terminates abnormally. While some programmers do a better job than others in this area, it is a rare program that simply shows you "FAILED".While a helpful part of failure diagnosis is a symptom, a message from a program is like a road sign.
Taking a screen shot of such a message is the best way to get that info to us.
1. Press and hold the "CTRL" key, then press "PRINT"
2. Release the keys and open"All programs", "Accessories" and "Paint" or similar basic image tool/program
3. Click "Edit" and then "Paste". The image will be inserted from the Windows Clipboard.
4. Click "File" and "Save as..."
5. Select "File type" "JPG" (please!!) and give the image file a name like "error.jpg".
Simply attach the JPG to your ticket input or reply.
Note: Some users are clever enough to photograph their screen (yes, you read that right) and attach that image to their reply. We would appreciate the Windows screen shot much more as sometimes all we see is the reflection of the flash.
Environmental issues
If you are having trouble with normal DVDs, happen to open the "Status" panel in AnyDVD and notice your DVD drive region is "Not set!" and shows "0" you would do well to take care of that BEFORE asking for help with any possible decryption issues. Development will not analyse a log without a valid drive region setting.
Right mouse the task bar fox and click "exit" (NOTE: you can not change the drive region if AnyDVD is "latched" to it)
1. Click start. Right click on "My computer"--->select "properties".
2. Click on the 'Hardware' tab--->click the 'device manager' button.
3. Open the dvd/cdrom branch---> right click on your optical drive
4. Click "properties".
5. You should see a "Region" tab at the top. Open that and from there you can select a region.
6. Select the region that matches YOUR COUNTRY and save that. Exit the setting panel.
7. Start Anydvd
The "Guess what I'm using" ticket
When you send us a problem you want a fast answer.
We want you to have a fast answer too.
So, what can you do to help us get the right juices flowing?
The quality of our response to your initial contact with us hangs directly on the content of your problem description.
If you are having trouble copying a DVD then please tell us what you are using from the time you insert the DVD into the drive until your error occurs on the burning.
Don't be shy about telling us you're using Nero or 1Click or whatever with AnyDVD, for example.
A ticket with "Can't copy Yuma" is just a fog bank in my crystal ball.
If we know what you are using to copy a particular DVD we are a big step closer to a solution instead of replying to ask about that and then look into it. Some products other than CloneDVD require special handling with AnyDVD.
Many times there is a perfect fit to your environment + DVD + symptom in our forums and when we find it quickly you get your answer quickly.
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