Ulead DVD Workshop 2 in Windows Vista and Win7
 

If Windows gives an error message when opening, running or closing Ulead DVD Workshop 2, then simply add the attached DLL file (unRAR it first!) to

1. Your Windows system32 folder, usually located at C:\Windows\system32
2. The Ulead DVDWS installed directory, usually
   • C:\Program Files (x86)\Ulead Systems\Ulead DVD Workshop 2, or
   • C:\Program Files\Ulead Systems\Ulead DVD Workshop 2

... and that's it!

The problem is due to the file d3drm.dll not being included with Windows Vista or Windows 7. It was part of Windows XP.

If you're not sure what to do with RAR files, then read this help post.

I am using Win 7 64 bit...followed your instructions placing d3drm.dll into 2 directories 'C:\Windows\System32' and 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Ulead Systems\Ulead DVD Workshop 2'...however, when I try to burn the project to disc I get an "Operation aborted' message and no further explanation. What do you suggest from here?

Let's troubleshoot by process of elimination.

Since Ulead DVDWS2 has so many options, step me through your use of it, including the type of files you import, any audio/sub options you're using, etc.

Most troubles with DVDWS2 come when you try to use it for more than just authoring. Like most other authoring programs, it's ability to encode audio/video is more of a secondary feature, and it doesn't always do well at those secondary tasks. Ideally, you want to give DVDWS DVD-ready MPEG-2 video files, with the corresponding audio (AC3, WAV or MP2).

Let me know your DVDWS workflow, and I'll see where any problems may have popped up.

I would not assume it to be a Win Vista, Win7 issue at this point in time.

Couple of notes to add to this. On my Windows 7 Ultimate x64 machine I had to do the following.

1. Make sure you install the full DirectX 9.0c runtime. Windows Vista/7 do not come with this installed by default. It has been known to fix problems with older DirectX apps. Link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/e...displaylang=en

2. Right click the DVDWS2 shortcut and click properties. Go to the compatibility tab and set compatibility mode to Windows XP SP3, and check off "Disable Desktop Composition" (aka Aero). Before doing this, preview would crash the program.

3. The DLL file only needs to go into the DVDWS2 program folder. By default, windows applications look in their running directory for DLL files before resorting to the system32 folder.

4. Make sure you download and install the 2.232 update found at Ulead's site here: http://www.ulead.com/tech/dws/dws_ftp.htm

hey ive been having a similar problem.. u see i instaled UDWS on my windows 7.. the thing is that has some incompabilies (specially with audio), i have to work my copilations deaf since its missing i guess a plugin for the audio (dunno if its this one here), how ever once the copilation finishes the DVD has full audio and stuff.. that happens to me with video editor SONY Vegas aswell.

now my big problem.. i have a DVDrip of 2hours in AVI, it was MKV and i converted it into AVI.. then i used that to work on my project.. the thing is that at first after a day of copilation it ended well (the first attempt), but i decided to edit few things from the project so when i tried to make the second new ISO, the program poped up with the ''operation aborted'' error, after 50% of convertion.. but it was especifically when it was encoding the MENU1 (my dvd has 1 root menu and 2 others). the first time when the copilation was completed i didnt have sub tracks but second time (when it gave me the error i had 3 sub tracks and all 3 had overlapping issues).. now in my third attempt i edited the sub files to fix the overlapping using ulead sub workshop.. so now im running the copilation for the third time.. hope i wont crash this time.. but if it does again what should i do?.. and please tell me if that DLL will give me back audio, like i use to have on XP.. thanks!

You have multiple issues going on here, most of which are NOT actually related to Ulead DVD Workshop

• Using DVDWS for non-authoring
• Using DVDWS as an encoder
• Lack of DirectShow codecs in Windows. You'll need to Gspot those videos, to see what audio codec you need.

You need to have the proper codecs installed in Windows. It's also advisable to use DVDWS only for it's high-end quality authoring -- not for capturing video, encoding video, editing video, etc. It's an authoring program that can ALSO do some other tasks, but it's primary function is just authoring.

Authoring = taking DVD-ready video and audio, DVD-menu sized-and-ready images, and putting them all together in the navigation and display format used by DVD-Video formatted video.

All of that sounds like you're putting MKV and AVI files into DVDWS, instead of feeding it DVD-ready MPEG-2 video files. That's really where the problem lies. You would do best to encode to MPEG first, and author second.

I also use a nifty "cheat" to encode AVI files --- legal downloads of something distributed primarily online, I want to add, and not some low-quality screener/DVD-rip crap.

1. I'll use ConvertXToDVD to encode a menu-less DVD. ConvertX can take AVI/MKV files and encode to pretty decent quality with minimal effort. I'll author to a folder.
2. Then use ImgBurn to create a quick ISO.
3. I'll open that ISO in something like Daemon Tools of GizmoDrive, loaded as a virtual DVD-ROM (drive V: for example).
4. Then I'll use DVD Decrypter to extract my perfect DVD-ready MPEG-2 VOB files. Rename the .vob to .mpg (this is one of the few times this is safe to do).
5. Then author in DVDWS with the advanced menus that simply are not possible in most other programs. I want something really nice, not generic or template-driven stuff you'll find in those "all-in-one" programs.

And that's it. :)

Remember that DVDWS is a professional program made for content producers (people who record their own video and makes DVDs). It was never intended for use as a "convert downloads to DVDs" tool. But with some quick tricks, you can certainly use it in that manner, for the final authoring step only.

Anything else is really outside the scope of the program. It might work, or it might crash, as you've seen.

Good luck!

well first thanks for the reply.
now, im still encoding the third time as i said before that takes forever.. so i must wait.. afterwards if it works ill leave it at that, but if it doesnt ill try what u say.. but you see now i also have another question...if i provide DVDWS with vob files (changing the extention to MPEG), it will have to start encoding aswell or not? i think not but not sure.. since it seems like the program generates 2 separate streams 1 for audio (.wav) and another for video (.MPEG), but im providing the program with a single file .MPEG that contains both audio and video.. so not sure what happens in that case.

well the videos are pretty good quality (actually is not DVDRIP its BRRIP, i thought it would be the same for this), but if i have to encode it else where can i use premiere for it? i also have totalvideoconverter which it pretty neat, and much more simple to use than premier and more if am only gonna use it for converting.

about the issue with the audio i think is only incompabilities with seven, cuz ive used this same program on XP and used the same codecs and nothing.. its not a problem of the video since a single mp3 for the menu background wont play either (on the program, when the DVD is done, it will have the music just fine), and just before i import them to the program, ulead gives me an error popup that cant play the file or something, put i use it anyway (i cant say what it says now cuz am encoding and cant stop the operation); and i know its something from windows cuz sony vegas has the same issue.. when i import a video to it, it will show me the video stream but on the audio section would be in gray, like if i cant add anything there, actually thats the reason i started using premiere, since i couldnt fix sony vegas' problem..

thanks again!

DVDWS2 will not re-encode DVD-Video compliant audio/video files. At least not if you don't specifically override it with a forced re-encode option selected.

DVDWS2 also accepted multiplex (muxed) "program stream" sources. This means an MPEG file with both audio and video in the .mpg/.mpeg will be fine. You can also give it "elementary streams" such as M2V (MPEG-2 video-only file), AC3 (Dolby Digital audio), MP2 (MPEG Layer II audio), etc. But again, it has to be DVD-Video compliant to not be re-encoded.

Adobe Premiere includes the professional MainConcept SDK encoder, which is the industry's current top-quality de facto software encoder. It's hard to beat, outside of using MainConcept's own MainConcept Reference application.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 really "broke" audio/video workflows, especially when it comes to codecs and video capturing. It was done in the name of progress, but most of that was simply for turning computers into integrated "PVR" devices for televisions. As such, we find ourselves taking extra steps to install something as simple as HuffYUV, or using our favorite authoring programs like DVDWS2. In some cases, like ATI All In Wonder cards, the hardware/software simply does not work. It's not really "obsolete" technology as much as new Windows versions dropped support and changed methodology. It's why you see so many video users sticking with Windows XP systems. Mac users had similar issues, between certain versions of OS X, as well as the CPU changeover from Motorola to Intel. I skipped a couple generations, so I wasn't as affected on the Mac front, having gone from G4 OS9 to a Mac Mini OS X 10.6. My use of between versions was somewhat sparse. I still can't get Vista to preview AC3 audio in VirtualDub, which isn't a problem in XP.

thanks for clearing this up
and yeah i had some problems with audio in many editting encoding and autorhing programs that just worked fine on XP.. so there's not any way to solve the audio issue i presume! so what with this DLL file? if it is for instalation propouses.. i installed the program and the update without any of that..
thanks again!

Another program on your computer may have already installed that DLL file for you, as it does not come with Windows Vista or Win7, and will give an error message upon closing DVDWS2. Not that it matters, it's just a message. But the DLL makes the message go away for good.

The audio issue is mostly one of installing the proper codecs. Hopefully you've not installed a "codec pack" as those are known to screw up Windows audio/video decoding, sometimes to a severity that requires a full format and reinstall of the operating system. "Codec packs" are dangerous crap that should not be used for any reason. Install codecs one by one, as needed, when needed, period.

thanks again, well i do have a codec pack installed but only because i need to play some video files that wont be played correctly without them, i also use VLC but that program doesnt infect the OS..
the thing is that ive always used codecs and the program ran fine on XP thats my concern... but u say that if i format the HD and reinstall DVDWS without previous instalation of codecs and will work, i should give it a try... but then again how ill deal with the codec issue..

-- merged --

thanks well it copilated well after all but now ive got another issue and is about subtitles.. for some reason when i add them to the project the change their timings and screw everything up..
i wonder how can i repair the subs since even if i use ulead sub workshop when i add it to UDWS i changes it back.. and i think its due to some FPS problem. but dont get it... acording to this the sub is 29,97 and the video is too plus if i add the sub to VLC with the video they just work fine.. so im clueless!

I wish I had an answer for your subtitles issue, but I just cannot think of anything. :(

Thanks for all the advice. I've done all these, and while the eventual DVD produces audio on the disc, I still can't get audio within the program itself, so I'm working without hearing what I'm chaptering.

I'm using a Windows 7 PC and I did install a codec pack recently (K-lite Full v.6.6.6) but don't know what's causing this particular issue with this program. Can anyone help, please? Thanks.

Uninstall the codec pack. You should never use a codec pack, for any reason. Those are poorly put together by people who marginally understand digital audio/video, and more often cause problems than anything else. It's easy to create a codec conflict, when too many are installed. For the past several years now, codec-less players have handled codecs internally. You only need the system-wide installed codecs for decoding/encoding video in editors and related production applications (such as authoring software). And in those cases, you only want to install the codecs you need, one by one, from the official distributor of that codec -- not a pack. Know that in some of the worst cases, computers have had to be completely reformatted, and Windows reinstalled, to remove the damage done by codec packs.

In what format is the source audio that you cannot hear?

• MPEG Layer II
• Dolby Digital AC3 (stereo)
• Dolby Digital AC3 (surround 5.1)
• PCM uncompressed WAV

Based on that info, I'll be able to further trace your issue, and advise you on what you'll need to hear the audio.

NOTE: On my own Windows Vista x64 systems, I am unable to preview AC3 audio in certain programs that rely on vfw/DirectShow as the audio codecs. This is a flaw in how Vista/Win7 changed the nature of audio/video in the OS. Only in certain programs that internally handle the audio, such as Womble editors or Sound Forge 9, can I listen to audio previews. Hopefully this will not affect you, but it's potential.

I also wonder why you need to hear the audio on preview in Ulead DVDWS2, anyway? In my workflows, I have already edited, restored and proofed the audio before it's ingested into DVDWS2 for authoring.

Thanks for your reply. Will uninstall it shortly.

It's an .mpg2 video files so I presume the audio is the same.

Well, I load a TV show episode into DVDWS2, for example, and then can't hear it when I'm putting chapters in. I want to be able to get them spot-on (as best as I can in that program, and I've found nothing else that I like that would replace it, even if it is an old and outdated one). I can only really do that with the audio in place.

You'll need to Gspot the video file to see what format the audio is in: http://www.digitalFAQ.com/forum/show...ysis-2305.html
MPEG-2 refers only to the video.
I would also note that ".mpg2" is not a valid file extension -- only .mpg and .mpeg are valid MPEG-2 program stream extensions.

My bad. I meant .mpg

But it's an MPEG-2 video.

Using Gspot, it states it's MPEG-1 Layer 2.

In all likelihood, installing a codec pack messed up your ability to play MPEG Layer II audio. No special codecs are required for MP2 audio -- Windows should natively play it, as Windows comes with MPEG-1 playback embedded in the OS (and it includes the Layer 2 audio). Only a latter addition (in essence, a codec override) would have altered this. You should try to render the audio in Gspot, and see what codec it defaults to using. Press the little (1) under the "Aud" text in the lower left part of the Gspot window.

Only the '1' is clickable, so it just defaults to MPEG-1 Layer 2.

A google shows that lots of others are also having the same problem as me. I think, in this case, the problem is that the program was written for XP, and while it didn't function at all in Vista, it works-ish in 7. If anyone has managed to get audio in it, please tell me.

me, 2.
 

I'm silent when authoring a disc menu, too...
GSpot Audio Codec analysis says, "AC3", "Codec(s) Installed".
I won't author a project utilizing chapters without being able to have an audio preview, either. If it's material that came off-air (modern broadcast) with, like STUPID 2 frame fades, your chapters will certainly be off/sloppy if you can't hear...I feel your pain!

I found the fix for Windows 7. :)

(Okay, well, not exactly. Site Staff member JMP discovered it this morning, as we ran some tests together at his place. But I'll be the one writing it up. He won't write more than one post a year, if even that. More of a site janitor and tester than anything else.)

It's a non-obvious yet easy fix -- but I need some time.

It does NOT work in Vista, but I may have an alternative to the Win7 method that will work. Not as easy of a fix, but still not all that difficult. No worse than editing video or authoring, to be honest.

You'll need a Dual Core or better, and I'd suggest 3GB RAM minimum.

More later this week... :)

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. :)

The required specs make me curious as to what this workaround entails.

Hello everyone,

I had the "no audio during authoring" problem myself (using Windows 7), didn't like the thought of cutting up the audio track mid-sentence with a chapter, did a ton of searching to discover a possible work-around for it, and stumbled on this message board in the process. So far I like what I've seen and read - keep up the good work.

The following details my attempts at getting DVDWS 2.x to work properly on Windows 7:

I had read a lot of different things about the AC3 status in the DVDWS.ini file and checked that the AC3 stuff =1. It was already set at 1 by DVDWS.
I had tried running DVDWS in compatibility mode for Windows XP SP2 and SP3, but that didn't work at all.
I kept searching message boards for possible solutions to the problem.

While waiting for admin to show us his solution (I'm not trying to say you're slow, but it has been longer than "later this week" - no offence intended either), I continued surfing and found a reference to using Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC.

The write-up claimed that the use of these programs could give your Legacy software life again.

I thought ... "What have I got to lose?" - and tried it.

Success!

Here are the steps I used to get ULead DVD Workshop 2.x up and running with both audio and video in Windows 7:

1. Uninstall DVDWS from Windows 7 completely.

2. Download Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC from Microsoft here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/

3. Install XP Mode and Virtual PC.

4. Open XP Mode.

5. Install DVDWS, and all updates, while working in XP Mode.

6. Restart XP Mode from the Action\Restart button.

7. Begin using DVDWS.

While working in XP Mode, I noticed that when it was time to burn the disc DVDWS could not find a disc burner. What the???

After more searching and reading, I read that this happens because it's a virtual drive, not a physical one. All this = no burner drivers. Makes sense to me.

No big deal - create an image of the DVD on the HD with DVDWS and burn it to a disc using a program like ImgBurn (through Windows 7 now - it won't find any drivers through XP Mode for the same reason listed above) - it's free and does a good job. It can be found here:

http://www.imgburn.com/

I had a problem with one video that I wanted to burn to disc - it had perfect audio, but no video. I installed the ffdshow driver (while in XP Mode) and haven't had any grief since. It can be found here:

http://ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net/

Good luck and hopefully this helps.

Rick

Have you ever watched Pawn Stars on the History Channel? One of my favorite lines is from Rick, the owner. "You never know what's going to come through those doors." The same applies to our field, too -- you never know what studio exec, crime lab, TV station, etc, will contact you needing something done. And alas, that always chews up the site's time table. But work is work...

And that was precisely what our fix was. :)

Exactly. My plan was to create a guide with images. Not many people are familiar with virtualization, which was finally included native in an OS for the first time that I'm aware of (not sure that I count OS9 Rosetta for OS X).

For Windows Vista, you have no "XP mode" available, and it gets more complicated. Not impossible, but not a one-click installer/fix. You'll have to download VirtualPC, install Windows XP inside of it (using a disc you already have bought or acquired), then install all of DVDWS.

Beyond all this, virtual environments pull on the CPU and RAM, as you're essentially running a computer inside a computer. The main "host" Windows install creates fake hardware with the virtualizer, and the "virtual" Windows is installed into this fake/virtual environment. That means you'll do best to have 4GB of RAM (2GB left to host, 2GB used by virtual session), and then you get a lousy experience with anything less than a decent dual-core processor. So that all had to be considered, too.

Surely somebody, somewhere, has Windows Vista or Windows 7 running on some ancient computer, and I can just see them trying to install all of this, wasting time and making a mess. Yet another reason I planned on a long guide, to preface it with all of those warnings.

Honestly, it's for the best anyway. DVDWS2 is an excellent authoring tool, but it's secondary abilities (editing, encoding, burning) are all rather disappointing. It's an authoring tool anyway, so that's almost to be expected. The "me too" features rarely work well in a program. Just think of all the "me too" tools that come with Windows or Mac OS X -- most of them very pale shadows of better apps.

DVDWS2 has never burned single-layer media properly, with 32k gapping of IFO and BUP, which is required for compliance when pressing discs. And then it does not set layer breaks, so it's useless for DVD+R DL burning. ImgBurn is the best tool. Just author out to an ISO file or a VIDEO_TS folder set, and then move on to the next app in your workflow -- the burning software ImgBurn.

It sounds like you may be using DVDWS2 for encoding, too. As per above, you're often best served by encoding in other programs first. Then feed DVDWS your encoded video. Also note that trying to encode a video in a virtual environment is going to be slow, and possibly unstable, as it cannot access 100% of the hardware in true hardware fashion -- and some encoders really need full hardware access to work properly and/or efficiently. The only real attraction to DVDWS encoding is that it uses the MainConcept SDK encoder, which is one of the best encoders. Unfortunately, the ability to custom set the encoding parameters is limited and weak -- Ulead chose to hide pretty much everything.

Indeed, it has! Thanks so much for posting your tip. If nothing else, it saved me some time, and will help others that were having to wait --- and I was able to "flesh it out" with the warnings and other tidbits (in this very post) that I wanted to include in a guide. Now only to find time to expand on it more, and with images.

Thanks. :)

Good morning all,

admin

Thanks for adding your comments and "fleshing out the details" - it'll really help others better understand the computing needs of the Virtual PC idea.

When I built my machine for video authoring I went whole hog on it - 3.06ghz P4 processor, 4GB RAM, etc, etc.
It made everything tick along a lot more reliably and quicker.

As for the one video that wouldn't play properly (excellent audio, no video) - it was a PAL .avi file, a relative had made in the Netherlands from an old tape, and it wouldn't play on anything that I had on my machine. I would have wound up installing ffdshow regardless if I was using Windows 7 or Windows XP Mode. Either way - I was able to convert this file to the NTSC format, author a disc and distribute copies of it to the family like they requested (even though it's been a year in the making - oh well ... patience is a virtue).

Thanks for the suggestion about encoding the video prior to loading it in DVDWS - I just let DVDWS handle it all because it seemed like the right thing to do (according to ULead).

I look forward to seeing your guide when you finally get it made, because I'm sure there will be other points that I can use to streamline my own DVD creations.

Regards,

Rick

(And yes ... I do watch Pawnstars regularly - I've gotta have a laugh every now an then too)

Be sure to watch this site guide, too, when you get a chance: How to Author with Ulead DVD Workshop 2 [VIDEO GUIDE]
There's some good tips in there, if you watch closely.

Expanding that one, and to written form, is another thing on the to-do list. :o

anyone happens to have this patch 2 232 for dvd workshop they don't provide it anymore

This should be it. :)

thank you very much