Data Lost

[Khun Jean]

As i understood (maybe wrong) is that on the cd there is a TOC. Table of content, a directory like on your harddisk. It is a file with all the filenames, locations on disc. When you are writing a multi session CD the complete TOC is invalidated and replace by a new one. If somewhere in the process between invalidating and creating a new TOC something goes wrong your screwed.

Hopefully there is a utility that can read this invalidated TOC. But maybe even that is impossible when the data is overwritten. (Yes you can overwrite a cd with "full" zeroes or ones.)

If you want to use cd's as a backup medium you should be aware that the data will become unreadable after a while. With cheap disks that can be even in a few months! Good disks should hold your data at least 10 years.

To be sure you reach those advertised limits it is wise to burn your CD SINGLE speed, and definately not higher than 4x, forget about 54x speed.

The reason is that the laser can "burn" deeper holes in the media between the two outer layers. And don't use more than 640 MB. Those outer "tracks" can be deficult to read with other equipment than the one you used to burn the cd.

[Khun Jean]

I'm a guru with computers, but I've got enough good sense to understand that the vast majority of people are NOT gurus, and maybe appreciate some good old plain-English, step-by-step advice

I am afraid that in this case there is only a 3 step approach.

1 get disc.

2 open garbage container

3 insert disc.

I have been there too. Use it as a lesson. Next time you DO make backups and don't trust that everything will go good.

[Sunny Valentine]

There is one fine program on the Internet that has previously helped me in similar situations: ISOBUSTER.

Check it out here!

Sunny

Thanks, Sunny, been looking for one of these for a while. The closest I came was with a small program called ddump which was aptly named - a dump.

Do you know what features you get when you pay for it? Or is the free version good enough for most day to day jobs?

If it's as good as they claim, it might even be worth paying for the darn thing. I have a lot of currently useless CDs that I would like to fix.

Thanks again.

P.S. And thanks for posting a very helpful reply without the need to express your "amazement" at the other replies just to stroke your own ego.

So far I used it once (the free version, but an older one) to recover Data on the first session of a multi-session CD-R, where an error occured during writing the second session. This worked well with the free session.

Just try it out; as this utility makes no attempts to write on the CD, there is no harm possible.

Check out the Menu options in the free version (sorry, I did not use it over some time now and don't remember details), see if you can solve your problem, and if not check the Manual to see what the paid Version can do for you!

Sunny

[rss]

Just try it out; as this utility makes no attempts to write on the CD, there is no harm possible.

Thanks again, Sunny, I like that part the most.

I will definitely try it out. And I will tell you how it goes.

You showed once again politeness is cheap to give and precious to receive. You are a credit to your race - the human race.

[rss]

Just try it out; as this utility makes no attempts to write on the CD, there is no harm possible.

I did and on a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a 15 and that's only because I have only tried it on a couple of bad CDs so far. There are over a dozen other CDs I want to salvage and I have a feeling I will rate it a lot higher by the time I'm done.

It took all of 5 minutes to download, install and do the first CD!

I am patting myself as I type for saving all the bad CDs that Roxio and my old second hand CD writer created over the last year and half. This has got to be one of those must-have programs for anyone with a CD or DVD recorder.

I have no idea what the registered version has that the free version doesn't. I haven't come across any crippled function or option yet.

Thank you, Sunny. This is an incredible little program. Here is a high five!!!

P.S. Noodles - you should try this if you're still looking to fix that CD. It's a very simple program to use and I am sure you will find it handy.

[Sunny Valentine]

Thanks for the good vibe, rss, I am happy you found this program useful.

I am in this forum now a little over a Year, and have had some Questions answered by fellow Boardmembers, so I am glad I can return some favors once in a while!

Sunny

[Noodles]

Just try it out; as this utility makes no attempts to write on the CD, there is no harm possible.

I did and on a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a 15 and that's only because I have only tried it on a couple of bad CDs so far. There are over a dozen other CDs I want to salvage and I have a feeling I will rate it a lot higher by the time I'm done.

It took all of 5 minutes to download, install and do the first CD!

I am patting myself as I type for saving all the bad CDs that Roxio and my old second hand CD writer created over the last year and half. This has got to be one of those must-have programs for anyone with a CD or DVD recorder.

I have no idea what the registered version has that the free version doesn't. I haven't come across any crippled function or option yet.

Thank you, Sunny. This is an incredible little program. Here is a high five!!!

P.S. Noodles - you should try this if you're still looking to fix that CD. It's a very simple program to use and I am sure you will find it handy.

Thanks I will try this out....have had no luck with roxio.

Thanks again

[rss]

Thanks I will try this out....have had no luck with roxio.

You should thank Sunny - not me. But this should work. I am using it right now. Send me a PM if you have a question. I would be glad to help you out by phone if necessary.

Good luck.

[Noodles]

Thanks I will try this out....have had no luck with roxio.

You should thank Sunny - not me. But this should work. I am using it right now. Send me a PM if you have a question. I would be glad to help you out by phone if necessary.

Good luck.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Its been some time since i started this thread regarding the lost data

on my cd. I would like to thank Sunny for recommending this brilliant

brilliant bit of freeware.

I managed to recover 95% of the disc and it only took 25 mins.

I recommend ISOBUSTER to everyone its the dogs bo**ox.

Some said it wouldn't work and to throw the disc away!!!!!

Thanks again

[Dod_Duei]

A related question.

I have an internal 60meg HD which was in a computer that fell off a truck. Don't ask how PLEASE!!!! It appers to be undamaged but does not spin up when put in a different computer. It has valuable info I need on it. In the states I know of several companies that can retrieve data from frozen HardDrives at a large cost.

But I now live in Pattaya. Does anyone know of such a company here in Thailand?

Doesn't matter what it costs.

And don't mention backing up in thre future. I know! I know!

[Richard-BKK]

Hello Noodles,

There is only one software title what can help you......

http://www.stellarinfo.com/cd-data-recovery.htm

I bought it not to long ago in Fortune IT Mall (Ratchada) but probably if you have the name of the software it is much easier to find.

With kind regards,

Richard