WhO-HO-HO- !
One question at a time !
First relax though ! Propper ripping is not something you will learn in a few hours or 2 attempts....I know I'm still learning !
Really it's a combination of knowledge , experience and....the RIGHT TOOLS ( very important that last one!)
If that wasn't bad enough,each step of the conversion requires a different tool(programm)....that dvd2avi you mentioned is excellent for sound, but an utter turkey when it comes to video compression/decompression...
I suggest Gordian knot rippack , wich you should be able to find at doom9 ..that is basically a graphical interface AND coordinator for & of all those little partial programms I mentioned above..It installs all the tools you need...
Seek here for a Very good guide for gordian knot :
http://www.divx-digest.com/articles/dvd ... nknot.html
It has pics and all ...it really talks you thru it except subs I believe(I'm not sure -it seems the guide is updated)
One Important hthing though ! You need to install Gordian knot's CODEC pack FIRST & also !You can find both at
http://www.doom9.org
It'll be daunting... print the guide ...stay calm.....
At least something will go wrong your first attempt !
So cheer up