WTF is up with all this free software?

[les bean]

Serious question-is free software always garbage?I had never found any free software that actually worked.I had searched for a lot of conversion to Ipod software,DVD downloading software etc and it had never worked.Until I stumbled upon Videora.I downloaded it,tried and voila it worked!AND simple to use.Tried to download DVD shrink with no success but was content with videora so left it for the time being.Transfered 2 vids to my pod and watched them during the day.Came home,deleted them and tried to convert others only to get the same error message time and time again.Even tried the same 2 original vids with no success.Sigh....frustration.
Can anyone tell me what went wrong/what I am doing wrong?
Thanks in advance.

[msopnet]

You'll have to post in the other forum (see the "Sticky"), include a copy of your console as instructed below.

You'd be surprised that this software works better than most (if not all) the costly software.