www.makemkv.com

I've posted here before, so apologies for my repeat; I've also posted on the MakeMKV forums without any luck.

MakeMKV has worked flawlessly for me for the last four years. In the last couple of months, it fails almost as often as it works. I can open discs fine, but when it rips the main title/feature, it will get a third or halfway through and then hold. The "remaining" time will start to increase and eventually it stops and says the title failed.

Most recently, I bought Dances with Wolves at a used store and it's failed. I checked out a copy from the library (same edition) and it also failed, so it's not my specific disc.

I've tried making an ISO copy; that failed.

I downgraded v.1.17.1 to 1.16.4 and was able to successfully backup the disc, but now I've tried to open the BDMV file and it's spent nearly five hours--and with three and a half to go currently--opening it (haven't even selected the title to rip.)

I just cannot figure out why it worked perfectly for years and now it fails so often.

sure somebody else will chip in. But on the basis that it worked before and now doesn't. Is failing where before it succeeded. Then surely, it's hardware? I don't know how long these drives last but if you take one apart they are not exactly robust!!
I had a similar issue and after accepting I needed a new drive I pulled (literally) the old one apart. Cleaned the lenses with alcohol and cotton bud .. and it's worked ever since.
But I've ripped say 400 movies so it cant have long to go.
Stuff does not last for ever!

Yeah, you can try a cleaning CD to try to clean the laser lens. It might help but it can also be that you laser is degrading and loses power. In that case you have to buy a new drive.