Recovering data from a damaged cd 2

[marshall]

Is there any software that will recover data from a damaged cd-r.I know there are over 1000 files on the cd but my drive thinks the cd is empty.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[hotfusion]

Sounds like the contents list is damaged. You could try reading it in another drive as read capabilities vary and if you succeed copy it to their hard disk ASAP! As for data recovery, I would say not as the data is stored as pigment changes rather than magnetic fluctuations and without going into detail, the normal form of data recovery only works on magnetic media. How was the damage caused? Scratches or heat? My suggestions are what I would try myself. If incorrect, I welcome corrections to my rather limited knowledge. Andy.

 

[dakota81]

Yes, as the last replier suggested, try reading the cdr in another drive. I've had numerous different CDRom's through the years, switching from ide to scsi a few years back, now I've gone back to ide again. I've also had a CD writer practically since they first came out. The thing I've figured out is that not all CDRoms read all CDR's. Scsi drives seem to do a much better job reading the various cd media's, so if you've got one, try it out. Also, as I've seen CDRoms start showing their age by first stopping to read CDR's that they previously could - then it's just a short time before the drive stops reading pressed CDs.

And then there's always the possibility that the cdr has gone bad. But atleast see if it is your drive first.

 

[mcvpjd3]

There is some software that may help. I've used it before. Unfortunately I can't remember what it was called. I found it in

http://www.winfiles.com

(which has now changed to download.com??).

Try searching in there to see if you can find it. Patrick

 

[txtxcowboy]

Load DirectCD and I bet you are surprised at the results....

 

[hotfusion]

Interesting reply from dakota81. I've had unreadable CD-R's on occasions myself but have always been able to read them in my CD writer which is also a SCSI device. Wonder why this is? One small point about the media - don't consider them to be permanent storage. Although performance and claims vary, they all degrade with time, which is accelerated by exposure to intense sunlight or heat. Also always burn at the slowest speed you can tolerate to increase the chances of an error-free disc to start with. My suggestions are what I would try myself. If incorrect, I welcome corrections to my rather limited knowledge. Andy.

 

[txtxcowboy]

Like I said... load DirectCD and I bet you will like the results.

 

[hotfusion]

Err......what is DirectCD exactly and where would I find it? My suggestions are what I would try myself. If incorrect, I welcome corrections to my rather limited knowledge. Andy.