I've got a DVD (Old version of "Railway Children (1970)/Swallows and Amazons", R2 PAL) which generates a message when I insert it into the drive that "AnyDVD is unable to crack all the CSS keys on the disc". It tells me to check the Key Archive, which I guess means putting a check mark in the box in the CSS Keys tab, and tells me to match the disc and the hardware/software Region Codes. I though one point of AnyDVD was to flummox Region Coding...but anyway, what do I do now that I've check the box? The message keeps coming back, even when I just try to watch the disc.

It copies fine with DVDshrink+DVDdecrypter.

Open AnyDVD settings, click on css keys in the left window, then right click on "css keys" in the right window and choose "what's this?" That will open a window explaining the function of css keys..

Yeah, it's using the "Best Guess" approach, all right.

Thanks for the insight!

Does now work?

It worked before, but it still gives me the warning every time. I guess what I was wondering was whether I should be sending info of some sort to SlySoft for update purposes, or just let it ride.

Just let it in that way, I receive the same message with some PAL movies but they copied without problems

i don't use it at all, if anydvd reads it wrong the first time and you try again it will take it from the archive, so the best thing to do is not to use the CSS archive.

I'm sure i read a post from Olli many moons ago say this, or something like this.

If indeed Olli said it, I would take his advice. That said, I use the CSS archive and have never had a problem. I only check it when I have a problem, my archive is full.

Hi
CSS is enabled by default. However in some instances it is advisable to disable. Mine has been disabled for over 2 years now. No problems have arisen in this time.

[OT]

Where've you been?! Good to see you

[/OT]

Hi ya zebadee and Merry Christmas.

I have to say i've never had CSS enabled by default ever by a new install even after a fresh install of windowz Maybe really old versions did this? I have used it but never did i have any use for it.

To get rid of the warning enable the CSS archive, insert the disc. Acknowledge the warning. Now open the CSS archive and examine the keys. One was "guessed". Mark the key as ok. Leave the archive enabled.

The archive is only useful, if you want to watch / copy movies from different regions. If your drive is region free or matches the region of your discs, you can forget about it. On region mismatch AnyDVD must "brute force attack" (like DVDDecrypter) and sometimes this takes a long time, and sometimes it doesn't work (key must be "guessed").
In these situations the archive is very useful (you can even export / import the keys from other computers, e.g. if they have region free drives or drives which match the disc region).

What a useful resource the AnyDVD revision history is:

5.4.1.1, 2005 08 01

[...]
- Change: CSS Key Archive is now disabled by default.
[...]