Scratched CD/DVD disc? Not readable by drive? Why are you so careless about storing it? We will restore the disk, or rather the data from it.
Surprised? Carrying the disc already in the trash can? Stop! You can return most of the information from it. How to repair a scratched unreadable disk?
There are many ways. I'll tell you about some now. We will be helped by a wonderful program for recovering data from damaged disks - AnyReader. She is one of the best in the field.
The first thing I advise is to lower the read speed of the drive. Sometimes it helps. If the CD / DVD disc is still not readable, then we proceed to harsh actions.
He brought back to life more than one given carrier of information, simply polishing with ordinary toothpaste and a handkerchief. A little water and paste, plus patience for 30-40 minutes and the result is amazing.
The only important thing is that the movements should not be too fast, always from the center of the disk to the outer edge and back. Otherwise, only lengthen scratches. After all, the drive reads discs in a circle. An even surface under the suffering round plastic product is important. At the end of the torture - abundant rinsing under running water and wiping dry.
When preparing the material, I saw several ways to restore damaged, worn out disks. Who, what is much ...
USEFUL VIDEO
Some polish with jeans, no paste. Others rub scratches with teaspoons and process with felt. Thirdly, the damaged areas are covered with green paint so that the laser does not go astray. What they don’t go to just to save the data.
We use a utility specially designed for this mission - to repair a scratched unreadable CD / DVD disc.
Download AnyReader
You can download the program from manufacturer's official website. Or using the search.
Unzip archive and copy the file...
...to a pre-created folder (don't move it anywhere). We click on the shortcut and another folder appears in the new folder ...
Don't worry - that's how it should be. You can look into it, but there is nothing interesting. The AnyReader program has started...
Choose the appropriate option and press the button indicated by your finger ...
We mark the file that you want to pull out from the damaged media (I show on the example of the first paragraph) ...
Specify the location - where to save the recovered file ...
... you chose the wrong location in the previous step - it doesn't matter ...
Now you know how to recover a scratched unreadable CD / DVD disc (data from it).
In order not to bother the window, go to ...
As you know, the service life of optical discs is short. A disc can stop being read for a variety of reasons - this is the appearance of scratches, and physical wear, and poor-quality material from which the disc was made, etc. The data on such a disk is operating system it is no longer possible to read and copy, although the files and folders on it are faithfully displayed in Windows Explorer. It is clear that you need to think about such situations in advance and worry about having a certain number of backups in a timely manner. But in practice, often everything turns out to be completely different, because many of the users postpone the backup operation until the last moment (in the secret hope that everything will work out anyway). And in the end, at one fine moment, they face the fact that super-valuable pictures, videos, music videos, and sometimes even important documents and distributions are completely inaccessible. At the same time, it is quite possible that the data can still be read using special utilities. The fact is that the OS, if it is not able to correctly read the information from the damaged section of the disk, interrupts copying and deletes the already copied part of the file. And specialized utilities, using other mechanisms for reading data, can eventually read such files and copy them (although, of course, they do not guarantee 100% recovery of all files). These utilities read information from CD/DVDs by direct access to them, bypassing standard Windows tools. They make repeated attempts to read the damaged area of the disk, and at the same time they can continue reading / copying information after reading errors have occurred, which often allows them to "pull" the treasured information from disks in its original form. If this number does not pass, then most of these programs, without further ado, simply replace unreadable sectors with zeros - it is natural that some kind of defect will eventually appear in this place in the file. It is clear that in practice not all files recovered in this way will be suitable for further use. For example, in the case of text documents, after such a recovery, a couple of paragraphs will disappear, but this is undoubtedly better than the complete loss of an important document that you composed for a whole month. In the case of audio and video data, everything can also get along quite decently - it’s unpleasant, of course, if at some point while listening to your favorite tune or watching a video you hear some strange sound or see strange phantoms on the screen, but again, it will better than completely losing treasured materials. It’s more difficult with software, but it still makes sense to try to recover data, because the ill-fated bad sectors may also be on some auxiliary file that you don’t need at all during installation.
CDCheck 3.1.14.0
Developer: Mitja PerkoDistribution size: 1.48 MB
Spreading: Shareware CDCheck is a popular utility designed to diagnose and recover information from damaged CD/DVDs (almost all formats are supported), ZIP drives, USB devices and other media. When creating this program, the developers were guided by the principle that it is better to take timely measures to save data, without waiting for a critical line. Therefore, the first of the tasks performed by CDCheck is a detailed check of disks and detection of corrupted files, if any, and the program can usually even name the reasons that led to such a sad state of the disk. In the case of optical discs, the utility also provides comprehensive information about the manufacturer, type, speed characteristics, etc. The second task is to recover data from failed disks, which CDCheck also successfully copes with. In addition, the program can be used to compare the original disc with its copy on the hard drive by comparing files bit by bit. In general, the utility is easy to use and does its job well, but it processes information more slowly than the other solutions discussed here - perhaps this is due to a more careful examination of the data. The program (there is a Russian-language localization) can be used completely free of charge by home users, provided they receive a Free-license on the developer's website. The cost of a license for commercial users is $75. CDCheck's interface is simple - at the top there are buttons for performing basic operations, on the left - a tree of disks, on the right - statistical information. First, let's try to test one of the disk folders, which, according to our information, has bad sectors. To do this, select the folder, click on the "Check" button and, if necessary, correct the scan settings.
When processing data by the program, you can monitor the detailed statistics of the process: the average speed of reading data, the estimated time of their processing, the number of scanned files and folders. In addition, when a broken file is detected, its name with an error code is displayed in the lower window.
To restore the files of a specific folder or the entire disk as a whole, select the appropriate object, click the "Check" button and specify the folder for copying data. Recovery options are customizable - in particular, you can specify the number of retries for reading bad sectors and set the level of statistical correctness that you want to achieve when recovering data.
The execution of this operation is also extremely clear - the progress of the restoration is displayed, the files are listed, during the restoration of which there were problems, and the final status of their restoration is indicated.
Bad CopyPro 4.10
Developer: JufsoftDistribution size: 869 kb
Spreading: shareware BadCopy Pro is a world-renowned solution for recovering damaged and lost data from poorly readable or unreadable floppy disks, CD/DVDs (including CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R/W and DVD-R/W), cards memory, ZIP-disks, flash-drives, hard drives, etc. The program supports the recovery of all types of files and provides recovery of files from scratched or damaged CD / DVD-ROMs, deleted or lost photos in digital cameras, documents from damaged ZIP-discs and etc. It can help read data from problematic multi-session CDs, revitalize files on quick-formatted discs, and recover deleted data from floppy disks. The demo version of the program (no Russian localization) with locked saving is not limited in testing time. The commercial version costs $39.50. Data recovery in BadCopy Pro does not require any advanced settings and is produced under the guidance of masters, and therefore does not represent anything particularly complicated. The program window is two-panel - through the left panel, access to the desired type of media is provided, on the right, data recovery parameters are configured. There are five groups of media in the left panel: "Floppy Disk" (floppy disks), "CD and DVD" (CD / DVD-disks), "Memory Card" (memory cards used in digital cameras and mobile devices), "Flash Drive and Zip Disk" (Flash drives and ZIP drives) and "Other Media and Storage" (here the developers included hard drives and other media). Since we are interested in recovering data from a CD / DVD, the first step is to select the "CD and DVD" option on this panel, and then specify the desired disk (if there are several) and the recovery mode. The choice of the correct recovery mode depends on the problem being solved. In the case of recovering corrupted data (that is, our case, when it is assumed that the files are displayed in Windows Explorer, but cannot be read by the OS), the "Rescue Corrupted Files" mode is selected. The two remaining modes ("Rescue Lost Files - Mode#1" and "Rescue Lost Files - Mode#2") are designed to recover lost data - that is, data that is invisible in the operating system.
After that, they indicate the data that needs to be copied from a disk that is not normally readable - this is not implemented in the most user-friendly way, since it is impossible to select a list of folders along with their attachments and other folders, but only single files are allowed. As a result, you will have to restore information in each folder separately - long and hard. At the same step, it is easy to adjust the depth and speed of scanning through the "Recovery Option" switch. It can be set in one of three positions: "Max Data", "Normal" and "Max Speed" - in the first position, the maximum scanning depth is achieved, and in the third - the maximum speed. The second option is intermediate, is selected by default and is considered optimal for most cases.
The recovery process starts immediately after clicking on the "Next" button, and the program informs about its effectiveness by displaying the copied files, their final status (that is, whether the file was restored or not) and the progress of the operation.
At the end, the program will ask you in which folder on your hard drive to save the read files.
In the same window, you can view the recovered text files (TXT, BAT, INF, LOG) and images (BMP, JPG, GIF, PNG, etc.) by selecting the file of interest and clicking the "Preview" button. Other files are viewed only in hexadecimal format.
ISOBuster 2.6
Developer: ISO BusterDistribution size: 5.14 MB
Spreading: Shareware IsoBuster is a comprehensive solution that provides tools for working with disk images and recovering data from broken CD/DVDs. It supports all standard image formats and allows you to extract data from them, as well as directly run files. The utility can also be used to recover information from broken optical media of any format, including Blu-ray and HD DVDs, and to recover data from DVD+RW discs that have been treated with Quick Erase or Quick Format. At the same time, it is very easy to use. The program (there is a Russian-language localization) is presented in several editions - for a wide user, the following editions may be of interest: Free and Pro. The first is free and has a basic set of features, which, however, are sufficient to solve the problems considered in this article. The second has extended functionality and is offered on a commercial basis. A detailed comparison of editions is available at the following link. The Free edition can be downloaded and used completely free of charge, the Pro edition costs $ 29.95. During the installation process, in addition to the traditional questions, IsoBuster will ask you about the choice of file associations - if it is assumed that the utility will be used only to recover data from damaged CD / DVD discs, then it makes no sense to establish associations. Otherwise, you should check the boxes next to those extensions with the images of which you work in practice. The main window of IsoBuster has two panels - in the left panel there is a window for selecting images, sessions, disks and folders, and in the right panel there is a file tree. It is not difficult to figure out how to use the program to recover data from a broken disk. Run the program and insert a CD / DVD disk into the drive, make sure that this disk was selected in IsoBuster. After that, the layout of the disc (tracks and sessions) will appear in the left panel, and folders and files, if any, can be found on the right panel. If there are no files or they are not shown in full, the developers recommend starting the process of searching for such data by selecting the "Search for missing files and folders" command from the context menu on the track icon in the left panel.
After that, to start data recovery, which can be done both for the entire disk as a whole and for individual folders and files, you need to select the object to be restored and call the "Extract" command from the context menu, and then specify the folder to save this data.
In the process of data recovery, the program reports only about the file being read at a particular moment in time and the overall progress of the operation.
If it hits a bad sector, which the utility finds for some reason less than other analog programs tested for this review, it stops and asks whether to try to read this sector again or skip it. Attempts to re-read initially unreadable sectors, as in other programs, often turn out to be successful. At the same time, at the first hit on a bad sector, it is possible to configure the utility to skip all such sectors in the future. In our opinion, such obsession is tiresome - the developers of other solutions acted much more wisely, in which the user is initially asked to determine in one way or another (through the number of attempts to read bad sectors, the choice of recovery method, etc.) the ratio of data quality and the speed of the operation. Although in comparison with the fact that in general the program recovers data quite successfully, these are just trifles.
CDRoller 8.60
Developer: CDRoller Soft Co Ltd.Distribution size: 7.07 MB
Spreading: Shareware CDRoller is an efficient and easy-to-use program for recovering data from unreadable Windows OS CD/DVD discs of various formats, including Blu-ray and HD DVD, as well as flash memory cards (SmartMedia, Memory Stick, CompactFlash, etc.) .). The utility can also be used to partially restore video files with bad sectors by cutting out fragments with similar defects, for which the program first analyzes the specified VOB file, then divides it into separate fragments and allows you to exclude the scene that ended up on the bad section of the disk. , and burn a new disc with the surviving data. In addition, it can be used to test suspicious CD/DVDs. As you can see from all of the above, the data recovery capabilities (especially video) in CDRoller are impressive. But there is one "but" - during the testing process, the program behaved rather capriciously - either it normally recognized the disks and performed the required operations, then it hung tightly, and often just when repeating the actions it had just performed normally. So our impression of this release is not the best - apparently, the developers were clearly in a hurry to put it up for download. The demo version of the program (there is no Russian-language localization) is functional for 14 days, but data saving is blocked in it and it is impossible to use the function of cutting out fragments that fell on bad sectors ("Split Video" function). The cost of the commercial version is $29.50. The CDRoller's working window is divided into three panels: one vertical and two horizontal. The left vertical panel Side Bar provides access to the basic modules of the program. The upper horizontal panel displays a list of devices, and the lower one shows the results of the analysis of performed operations. At the top of the working window are buttons for basic operations. The utility analyzes the inserted CD/DVD-ROM disc immediately upon opening and displays it automatically.
Any questionable data disc can be easily tested using the "Tools" > "Test Disc" command. To restore data from the entire disk as a whole, the "Recover All" operation is selected, in the case of restoring a specific data folder, this folder is selected and the "Recover Selected" operation is clicked on the Side Bar.
After that, you will need to specify the folder for saving the recovered information ("Save Recovered" button), and you can adjust the data recovery settings ("Setting" button) - specify what to do with unreadable sectors (leave unchanged or fill with zeros), increase or decrease the number of attempts to read bad sectors (Retries) and change the scan depth (Force).
During the scanning process, the utility displays the files being viewed and the progress of the operation, and based on the results, it displays a list of files with a final verdict (that is, whether each of them was able to be read).
In the case of DVDs, recovery options depend on whether they are files from correctly finalized discs or not. If the disk was completed correctly, then you can try to copy it using the ISO image. To do this, after inserting the disc into the DVD drive and the disc name appears in the program window indicating the UDF 1.02 file system, click on the "Preferences" button and select the "Read only ISO 9660 data track" option in the window that opens.
After that, click on the "Refresh" button to update the data (now it will already be indicated file system ISO/Joliet) and select "Extract ISO Image File" from the "Tools" menu. As a result, an ISO image will be created, which after that can be immediately burned to disc using the built-in DVD burning tools. To recover data from unfinished DVDs recorded by digital DVD video cameras, the developers have provided another option - through a wizard launched by the "File" > "Recover DVD Video" command. There are no special settings here - you just need to conscientiously answer the wizard's questions, but you need to act strictly with the instructions (otherwise, in our case, the utility began to freeze stably). In the first step, specify the desired DVD-ROM, in the second, insert the disc into the drive and click on the "Next" button. Then indicate the DVD-camera, which was used to create the video, and a specific track, then activate the scanning process ("Start a new scan…"). In the final, they try to restore the detected video (that is, the file or files in VOB format) using the "Recover All" or "Recover Selected" commands, respectively. Similar operations are carried out for other tracks.
AnyReader 3.0
Developer: Regall LLCDistribution size: 1.92 MB
Spreading: Shareware AnyReader is a convenient and efficient program for copying data from hard-to-read or unreadable CD/DVD discs of any format, including Blu-ray and HD DVD, ZIP discs, flash memory cards and other media. In addition, the utility can be used to copy files over unstable LAN and Wireless LAN networks, as it allows you to continue recording after the connection is broken. And also for repairing valuable files that it can collect from two or more bad copies available, finding bad sectors in one copy and replacing them with good ones from the other. The demo version of the program (there is a Russian-language localization) is almost fully functional, but allows you to copy and restore only 700 MB, and is operational for 30 days. The cost of the commercial version is 840 rubles. The program is easy to use, since the process of copying files in it is completely controlled by the wizard, and the user only needs to follow his instructions. At the first step, you need to choose what is supposed to be done with the files - due to the specifics of this article, select the option "Copying information from damaged CD / DVD / Blue-ray / HD DVD". Then we activate the option "Copy files".
After that, we directly specify everything, or only specific files from an unreadable disk that we would like to copy, set the folder for saving files and determine the copy settings. In the settings plan, you can change the number of retries to read bad sectors and the length of the pause between retries, as well as specify the number of sectors to skip when hitting a bad one. By manipulating these settings (first of all, the number of attempts to read files and the ability to continue reading / copying information after reading errors have occurred), you can read files from media with varying degrees of damage.
The process of reading damaged media is informative - the program displays readable files, the presence / absence of bad sectors in them and the result of copying each of the files in percent. It also shows the total number of files on the disk, the number of bad sectors detected, the percentage of the operation completed, and the approximate time to completion of the process. During the recovery process, it is possible to skip files that are not important to you if, when trying to read them repeatedly, the program obviously stalls.
At the end of copying, the program will prompt you to view a report on the operation, open the folder with the copied files in Windows Explorer, or start a new task.
Max Data Recovery 1.65
Developer: Softeza.comDistribution size: 1.34 MB
Spreading: Shareware Max Data Recovery (previously known as CopyRator) is a simple program for recovering data from damaged and unstable hard drives, CD/DVDs, floppy disks, etc. It allows you to recover all types of files (documents, movies, clips, music, pictures, etc.), and recovered text files, images and media files can be viewed directly from the program. The program is extremely easy to use and quite effective. The demo version of the program (there is a Russian-language localization) with blocked saving is not limited in testing time. The cost of the commercial version for Russian-speaking users is 250 rubles. To start the process of copying data from damaged media, first select the disk and objects for recovery, and then the folder for saving data and the recovery method. You can choose one of two recovery methods: "Quick" or "Quality", the developers are modestly silent about the differences between them - we believe that the methods differ in the number of attempts to read files with bad sectors.
After that, Max Data Recovery automatically starts file recovery and during this process provides detailed statistics for each of the processed files, showing the level of damage, the degree of recovery and the final status (whether the file is considered recovered and by what percentage or not recovered). In addition, the program shows the overall percentage of the operation completed.
Recovered text files (TXT, RTF, INF, LOG, etc.), images (JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG, ICO, etc.) and media files (MP3, AVI, MPEG, WAV, etc.) can be viewed through the built-in viewer. To do this, you need to select the file, press the "Enter" key and open the bookmark corresponding to the type of the recovered file ("Text", "Image" or "Media file").
Conclusion
Alas, the "almighty" has not yet invented scratch-resistant optical discs with an unlimited service life. Therefore, you should treat them as carefully as possible, and always have a couple of backup copies of your most expensive "lasers" in reserve. Well, if the troubles still didn’t pass you by - that is, the files in Windows no longer want to be read (but are still visible), then it’s time to arm yourself with one of the above utilities, the functionality and ease of use of which we tried to evaluate (see table. ). Which of the utilities will provide the best result in this particular case is a difficult question, and we did not even compare them on this score, because as many situations as possible, there will be so many opinions. It all depends on many parameters - the files that got into bad sectors, and the degree of their damage, as well as how important these files are, and what level of data recovery you need. One thing is certain - such utilities will be able to read all the files that did not fall on the bad sectors without any problems. And this is already very good! With regard to other files, everything is more complicated - most often, to one degree or another, they will also be restored, but the value of these files will be in question, and it all depends on the initial degree of data damage and the type of information.Table. Functionality of programs for recovering data from damaged CD/DVDs
| Packages / Features | CDCheck | Bad Copy Pro | ISOBuster | CDRoller | AnyReader | Max Data Recovery |
| Blu-ray and HD DVD support | - | - | + | + | + | - |
| Copying the entire disk or selected folders with full preservation of their structure. | + | - (only selected files) |
+ | + | + | + |
| Possibility to control reading level of bad sectors | + (directly, through the number of attempts to read bad sectors and the level of statistical correctness) |
+ (indirectly - through the depth and speed of scanning) |
+ (but in manual mode and separately for each sector) |
+ (directly through the number of attempts to read bad sectors and the scan depth) |
+ (directly, through the number of attempts to read bad sectors) |
+ (indirectly - through the recovery method) |
| Viewing recovered files from the utility | - | + | - | - | - | + |
| Additional functionality | Detailed testing of disks and detection of damaged files | Recovery of deleted and lost data | Opening images and extracting data from them; data recovery from DVD+RW discs after Quick Erase or Quick Format operations | Disk testing; exclusion from VOB-files of scenes with defective fragments | Copying files over unstable LAN and Wireless LAN networks; repairing valuable files based on two or more existing bad copies | - |
In this article, I briefly described the steps that can help recover data in the most common cases of loss on CDs and DVDs.
So, suppose - you have recorded photos from your summer vacation in the Maldives on a DVD disc, put it on the shelf and after half a year/year decided to refresh this wonderful event in your memory by reviewing the pictures with your friends. You insert the disc into the DVD-ROM, the light blinks, the disc picks up and slows down, but you can’t open its contents in the explorer. Or the contents are visible, but the necessary files cannot be copied.
What could have led to this situation, and what options are possible?
Zero option, nothing to do with the carrier
It could be the drive itself, the operating system, or viruses. DVD drives differ among themselves in the quality of optics and the capabilities of corrective algorithms. In addition, dust and dirt could settle on the lens, which prevents the disc from being read. Different drives may differ in the range of supported rotation speeds, and the lower the rotation speed the drive is able to create when trying to read the TOC of a blank (disc table of contents recorded in the Lead-in area), the root directory and the data area, the higher the probability of successful correction of media reading errors .
Therefore, the first thing to try to do with an unreadable or poorly readable CD or DVD disc is to try to read it on another accessible computer or laptop. For the purity of the experiment, it is better not on one. There is a non-zero chance that a disk that refused to be read on your computer will be recognized and read on another.
You can also try special utilities that take on the function of determining the speed of the disc in the drive. It happens that the standard firmware does not handle this quite correctly, and manual speed control can improve unstable or poor disk reading. And not always the smallest rotation speed will be the best for reading - here you need to experiment with the values. In each case, the approach to choosing the optimal reading speed may vary. The most common and easy to use utility for this purpose is CDSlow.
CDSlow program window
Option one, it is also the most common, surface contamination
Dirt, dust and fingerprints on the disc surface are easy to deal with. With a special damp cloth for cleaning office equipment, carefully remove dirt, paying attention not to scratch the coating. Then carefully wipe the disc with a dry cloth and you can insert it into the drive and try to read.
Wipe should be from the center to the edge, in no case in a circular motion. If suddenly a grain of sand gets under the napkin and scratches the disc, a radial scratch will do much less harm than a concentric one.
Do not use acetone, nail polish thinner, kerosene, gasoline, or other petroleum-based solvents. If you need to use some kind of solvent to remove dirt from the disc, it is better to use alcohol-based solvents.
Option two, scratches
This also includes various forms of thermal damage.
Two ways of classifying scratches come to mind:
- By the integrity of the reflective layer:
- The scratch did not affect the reflective coating, only the polycarbonate substrate was damaged.
- The reflective coating is damaged.
- Width and Location:
- Narrow scratches. Due to the redundancy of the stored information, and the use of various corrective algorithms by the drive, they are not very dangerous.
- Wide scratches. In addition to more corrupted data, additional problems are added, for example, a drive in this place can "lose" a track and continue to read the next one. Successful reading in such cases depends largely on the perfection of the drive.
- Concentric scratches are the worst type of damage. Not only that, in this case, corrective algorithms no longer help, because the entire sector is damaged, along with redundant information, so they still confuse the positioning system.
Particularly severe damage is clearly visible through the light of the CD, as in this picture:
Scratches on the polycarbonate coating interfere with the drive laser beam reading data from the work surface, due to the fact that they introduce distortion into focus. As a result, the laser beam either hits the wrong place, or after reflection does not return to the reading element of the head.
Such damage can be repaired by polishing.
There is different ways polishing. Starting from filling scratches with special pastes, with a refractive index close to that of polycarbonate, and ending with the removal or smoothing by heating the damaged top layer. The methods used in polishing lenses and other optics are quite applicable.
Polishing can be done by hand, or you can use homemade polishing devices made from a linear drive electric razor, or use specialized tools that are offered in a variety of e-bay.
The successful implementation of the above activities, in addition to the availability of special tools and materials, requires considerable experience. Therefore, if the information on the problematic media is important to you, I advise you to entrust this work to data recovery specialists. Or use the tips below, limiting yourself to wiping the disc.
On the Internet, you can find descriptions of various "shamanistic" methods, such as boiling a disc, freezing it, warming it over gas burner or incandescent lamp. All methods are designed to melt polycarbonate so that scratches are smoothed out or eliminated. Since these techniques have a high risk of having a destructive, irreversible effect on the host, I do not recommend them.
So, if after dealing with scratches using the methods available to you, the data is still not readable, go to
Option three, a crack on the disk
Cracks are of two types - going from the center of the disk to the edge, and vice versa, from the edges to the center. Cracks from the center are formed from microdamages that occur on the inner radius of the disk due to careless handling or due to defects in the blanks, and then transform into cracks at high rotation speeds. Edge cracks are usually caused by careless handling, but get worse, especially on poorly balanced discs.
To recover data from a medium damaged in this way, first of all, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the crack from growing, which can lead to irreversible data loss and even to a rupture of the disk in the drive. As a minimum, you should reduce the disk rotation speed to the minimum.
Methods for counteracting crack growth are similar to those used in auto glass repair. To begin with, the crack needs to be “drilled”. It is best to use a thin needle heated over a fire for this purpose. Using a magnifying glass, see the end of the crack and make a puncture in the plastic a fraction of a millimeter further. It is best to do this not on one side, piercing the disc through, but on both sides, inserting the needle into the plastic about half the thickness of the disc.
After that, it is desirable to glue the crack along the maximum length. To do this, you can slightly spread the edges of the crack, gently coat with a thin layer of superglue, in its minimum amount, so that there is no excess on the surface. Then bring the edges together and press them together. Make sure that the surface of the seam is even, without protrusions that can damage the optics of the drive.
Further actions are similar to working with scratched discs - if it is not readable,
Option four, damage to the substrate due to the poor quality of the media chosen for storing information or non-compliance with the storage conditions of the DVD or CD
According to GOST R 7.0.2-2006 for the conservation of documents on compact discs, each disc must be stored in a separate box at a temperature of 10-20 degrees Celsius, humidity 20-65% and diffused light without ultraviolet radiation. If you believe this regulatory document, then, adhering to the above rules, CDs will live happily ever after. However, the choice of blanks as the future carrier of your important data is no less important. Many reviews have been written on this topic. I just want to highlight the most important points.
High-quality discs from the ends should be varnished, unlike their low-quality counterparts. If the end of the CD is not treated with varnish, moisture will eventually get between the polycarbonate coating and the substrate, which will lead to oxidation of the layer that carries information, and data in such damaged places will be irretrievably lost.
The same effect can also occur if the protective coating of a CD or DVD has been severely damaged. Atmospheric moisture that has fallen on the substrate will corrode everything around the damage site in the same way.
Methods and approaches to data recovery in case of such damages also do not differ in originality, the same
Option five, write failure or unsuccessful attempt to write to RW disk
In this case, problems with reading user data are of a logical nature. It is difficult to give general recommendations, because failures caused by software errors or user actions lead to a wide variety of consequences. The most versatile method is to trick the drive's microprocessor.
If the error is related to attempts to add a session to multi-session media or an error writing the current session, then you can try to access previous sessions using a program that can list previous sessions and extract the contents of the selected disk session and write it to an ISO image. This feature is also available in the "folk" Nero Burning Rom and in many other DVD burning managers, for example, in Roxio Easy CD DVD Creator.
Option six, rewritable disc erased or overwritten
If a so-called quick erase has been performed, an analogue of a quick format on a hard drive, when only the TOC - the file system of the disk is deleted, then the data can be recovered. Need with
If a quick erase was applied to the disc and then the top portion was written new information, you can restore only what has not been overwritten. We remove a full dump of all available maximum capacity, then cut off the excess and restore according to the specified file headers in the rest.
If a hard erase has been applied to the drive, data recovery is not possible. In this case, a high-power laser pulse passed over the entire surface of the disk and heated the amorphous substance (recording material) to a temperature below the melting temperature, but above the crystallization temperature. The change of amorphous and crystalline areas, which were recognized by the drive as logical 0 and 1, has disappeared. The entire layer, after complete erasure, crystallizes and is ready for re-recording.
The last option, nothing is written on the disk at all
Oddly enough, data recovery specialists encounter this situation quite regularly. For example, many users, especially inexperienced ones, use not specialized software, but operating system tools (read Windows) to write information to DVD or CD discs. They select the necessary files and folders with the mouse, right-click on the item send to the drive, they see a window on which the files “fly” to their destination and calm down on this. In fact, after such an operation, the files are not copied to the disk, but to a special temporary folder, and after this operation, you need to call an additional Windows wizard, which will carry out the last stage during which, in fact, the recording will take place on the media.
Here, perhaps, are all the most common options for losing data on CDs and DVDs that users face. In conclusion, I want to once again advise the following - if the lost information is of high value, leave experiments until better times, entrust data recovery to professionals.
Zero application. Copy and reconstruction methods
The following options are possible:
- Damage allows the drive to read the TOC and the directory tree (the contents of the disk are visible), but the necessary folders and files cannot be read. To copy them, you can use programs that allow you to read the disk sector by sector, ignoring or intelligently processing read errors uncorrected by the drive. The most useful of and programs are described in the respective appendices.
- The disk is recognized by the drive, but an attempt to view the contents using OS means results in a hang or an error message. I am not aware of any free software that can effectively recover data in such situations, so refer to using
- The drive is not recognized by the drive. The drive tries to read the disc at different speeds, the activity indicator flashes, after a number of unsuccessful attempts to read the table of contents at different speeds, the spindle stops. A preliminary removal of a sector-by-sector copy is required on a drive specially prepared for this. Then we analyze the resulting image
Application one. Hot swap
If the damage is such that the TOC cannot be read and the disk is not recognized by the drive, one must resort to a "hot-swap" procedure for the disk, the so-called "hot-swap" method. The thing is that the drive really needs only three main TOC fields: the address of the output area of the disc (analogous to MAX LBA on the HDD), the starting address of the first track (0 LBA) and the address of the next disc session (if a multisession disc was recorded). The start address for all disks is the same - 00:02:00 (which corresponds to the zero LBA address). Lead-Out depends on the size of the disc (typical CD is about 700 Mb, typical DVD is 4.4 Gb).
The trick is to take a blank disc of the same type and size, CD or DVD, and write one file on it for the entire logical volume - either a movie, or an image file (unpacked), or some kind of archive. Further, the case is prepared in a special way, the body is disassembled or the eject signal, the drive is blocked.
For a hot-swap CD operation, the drive must use the same type of donor disk as the unreadable one. Those. if you need to recover information from a DVD-RW disc, then to prepare a donor disc, whose TOC will be written to the drive's RAM, you need to take a similar DVD-RW blank. If the disc is DVD + R, then the disc should not be a "backing track" or RW, but a "plus" one. The same applies to mini-discs, for "hot-swap" it is better not to use a full-size disk here.
The front panel is removed from the drive selected for the “hot-swap” operation, the screws holding the top cover are unscrewed. In general, all conditions are being prepared for replacing a disk without extending the tray. You need to understand that if your drive is under warranty, then after this procedure the warranty conditions will be violated.
Hot swappable compact drive
Hot-swappable drive
In the picture, the top cover of the drive contains a plastic clamping ring with a magnet, which must necessarily fix the CD in the reader. Therefore, after replacing the media with the required one, the cover must be returned to its place.
We insert a new disk with a recorded file for the entire volume into the drive, wait until the disk is recognized and the TOC is read and placed in the cache, after which we either wait for the disk to stop due to a timeout, or we spin down programmatically and change the new disk to unreadable. Now you can run and subtract the entire available LBA volume into a dump. Then we parse the contents of the dump using the same programs. With a large number of errors, the process can take quite a long time.
Some experts use drives with modified firmware to recover data from disks that have problems with TOC, which allows you to bypass TOC initialization and gain direct access to the user area. In addition, proprietary software is used that allows you to change the reading direction (from the beginning of the disk, from the end, from any LBA) and intelligently handle situations with a read error (read repetitions, skipping specified areas, etc.), which can significantly improve results on recovering information from disks containing multiple read errors.
Application two. Commercial programs for data recovery from DVD, CD discs
How to use ISOBuster
- popular and wealthy available opportunities a utility for working with disk images and recovering information on CD/DVD media. The program allows you to view and extract files, tracks and sessions from CD-i, CD-Text, VCD, SVCD, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, DVD and DVCD discs.
ISOBuster supports ISO9660, Joliet, Romeo, Little Endian and Big Endian, all kinds of UDF (UDF 2.01/UDF 1.02, UDF 1.5), Rock Ridge (Commodore), short and long filenames. To recover data from damaged media, the program has a valuable option - the ability to repeatedly reread bad sectors, which increases the chance to correctly subtract one or another problem sector.
The start window consists of two panels - on the left is the window for selecting images, sessions, disks and folders, and on the right is Explorer. After launching the program, the tracks and sessions that the utility was able to identify will appear in the left panel, and the files and directories found as a result of a quick preliminary scan will appear in the right panel. If necessary, you can run an advanced scan, the so-called. "Search for missing files and folders."
Data recovery can be performed for the entire disk as a whole, or for individual folders and files. To do this, you should select what needs to be read from the damaged media and use the "Extract" command.
If a bad sector is found on the media during copying, the user is presented with a window prompting them to try to read this sector again or skip it. Re-reading of a bad sector sometimes turns out to be successful and its contents are read successfully.
When you start and finish scanning the contents of optical drives, the program displays in the drop-down menu all the available sessions that were recorded on the disc. In the event that a failure occurred in one of the last sessions, ISO Buster allows you to work with a separately selected session and extract its contents as a RAW data array (as an image for subsequent parsing by headers), or work with the selected session in explorer mode.
ISO Buster allows you to generate a variety of reports on the directory tree, including taking into account unreadable content (data containing unread sectors).
If you are working with a disk using the hot-swapping method, when the TOC in the drive memory does not match the original one, you can specify copying the range from the selected LBA to the selected one.
At the stage of reading data into an image file, you can specify the use of intelligent filtering if the type of data on the medium being recovered is known in advance (Video CD, Audio CD). In this case, ISOBuster will filter out sectors that meet the selected criteria.
Further parsing of the image file and restoring data from it is carried out in the same way as working with an ordinary damaged CD. To do this, you must first open the image file File->open image file.
How to use WinHex
- a popular multifunctional program for working with various media. It can work with CDs both at the logical (in the understanding of the OS) and at the physical (in the same sense) level.
WinHEX program window
With Winhex, you can remove a sector-by-sector image from a damaged disk, save the resulting dump to a file, and then parse it into its components, or use the data recovery function using file signatures. Unlike hard drives, CDs and DVDs do not have fragmentation, which makes such recovery methods much more difficult.
Through the menu item Tools->Open Disk, the user gets to a window with options for choosing a physical or logical disk for work. If the drive did not recognize the presence of a disk in the tray (before the operation on ), then when you try to access the item in the list of logical disks, an error message "device is not ready" will be displayed,
and when you try to access a physical disk, the program will display an error message "there is no access to the device."
After correctly conducted, access to the LBA of the disk becomes available and you can proceed to the sector-by-sector copy operation: Tools->Disk Tools->Clone Disk. Here you can choose the options of cloning to a separate medium or to a file the entire available surface or any area, choosing the initial sector for the source disk and for the destination disk (if copying is not done to a file), choosing a filler pattern for unread sectors and the size of the jump when an unread is detected. sectors (if there is a desire to speed up copying on a disk with numerous uncorrectable read errors).
In our case, you need to select copy to file and specify the path where to save it. We set zero as the initial sector, specifying some other number makes sense only if we can assume the number of unreadable sectors at the beginning of the disk. Having put all the necessary marks, you can start copying. The program saves the report on unread sectors in a separate log-file.
From the image obtained after subtraction, it is now necessary to restore the necessary data. To do this, you will have to use the so-called RAW Recovery function or file signature recovery. What does it mean? The vast majority of file types have unique character sequences, so-called. signatures that can uniquely determine the file type. As a rule, it is convenient to take a few characters at the beginning of the file as a signature. By setting the desired signature as a selection criterion, you can restore all files of one type or another (extension) from the resulting image.
File header using JPEG example
The following algorithm is used in the search process: the software finds the selected file header and saves the entire data array up to the next found similar header, considering that this is a single file, or the found header saves the data array of the volume specified in the settings (you can specify "with a margin") .
Of course, in this case, the file names and directory structure will not be preserved, but it is better to receive the data in this form than not to receive it at all. The main problem that may arise when restoring information using the RAW recovery method is fragmented data, when part of the file is located in one place, and the other part (s) is in another. But in the case of restoring files from an image read from a CD\DVD, this does not happen, since the data is written linearly.
Recovery in the WinHex program of files by titles is available from the Tools->Disk Tools->File recovery by type menu. First, open the resulting image File-> Open, select "recovery by file type". The program displays a window with a reminder that the data needs to be saved not where everything is being restored, but in another place (in the case of working with an image file, you don’t have to worry about this) and reminds you that this option will give good results for unfragmented data.
The signature recovery settings window offers you to select the type of files that you plan to extract from the image, the maximum expected file size, the directory in which to save everything, and the search algorithm: Extensive byte-level search (the slowest and most advanced, I recommend using it), Search at sector boundaries (search from sector boundaries) and Search at cluster boundaries, if possible (search from cluster boundaries, if possible).
If files of rare types that are not described in the “Select file type (s)” reference book were recorded on the disk, then by clicking on the Signatures button, you will launch a system spreadsheet editor (such as Microsoft Excel), in which you can add the desired header manually.
After all the manipulations done, it remains only to click on the "OK" button and wait for the result. All files that meet the specified conditions will be saved to the selected directory.
Application three. Free programs for data recovery from DVD, CD discs
- the most functional, from my point of view, of the free programs. It is positioned as software that can also work with flash drives and hard drives. During the installation process, it installs its own libraries into the system, which help the program to better handle emergency situations with problematic storage media. After installation, a system reboot is required.
The program window is divided into two parts: from where to copy (top) and where to copy (bottom). To start copying, you need to drag the files from above with the mouse or go to the folder that you want to copy completely and click "Copy". The copying algorithm can be configured by selecting the "Settings" sub-item of the "View" main menu. I will not dwell on the configuration issues in more detail, since the program contains fairly detailed reference information.
Separately, I want to draw your attention to the fact that the utility has an EXTRA mode, which should start automatically when errors are detected when reading CD or DVD discs.
Recovery Toolbox for CD Free
Recovery Toolbox for CD Free is a utility from the well-known company Recovery Toolbox, which specializes in creating utilities for recovering data from damaged files of various types, from doc and xls to registry files and exotic databases. The only one of the free programs mentioned here that does not have a Russian interface. The copying algorithm is not configurable.
When you start the program, you are prompted to select the drive from which the recovery will be performed, as well as the path where you want to save the deducted. After reading the TOC, the utility prompts you to mark the necessary directories and files, and the saving process begins. If unreadable sectors are encountered during the copying process, the user is prompted to reread or skip the sector (file). At the end of the process, you can save a report on the work performed.
DeadDiscDoctor
DeadDiscDoctor- has a minimalistic interface with beautiful pictures. Uses the original copying algorithm, the settings of which cannot be changed. Choose what to copy, choose where to copy, start the process.
Non Stop Copy
Non Stop Copy- interface similar to DeadDiscDoctor. The downside is that there is no way to choose to copy more than one file at a time. There are minimal algorithm settings.
Reprinting or quoting is allowed, provided that the direct link to DVD CD data recovery is maintained on our website.
Hi all! It's a shame when the necessary files are not read from the disk, but they are not on the computer! How to be? It will not help here, only the physical will help here disk recovery, and then software. There are many devices for polishing the disc, and if they are not at hand? Therefore, today we will look at how to repair a scratched cd/dvd disc .
How to repair a scratched disc
For the sake of experiment, I took a scratched dvd disc.
To restore cd or dvd you need to dilute the toothpaste with plain water in a ratio of 50-50. We interfere qualitatively. I have green pasta with herbs, expensive infection, but what can I do)))
Now we take a napkin (preferably of course from a soft cloth) and polish the disk from the center to the edge.
ATTENTION! Movements as in the figure from the inside to the outside.
It is impossible to polish with movements in a circle! You can make the disk even worse. We polish the disc for 20 minutes, dipping a napkin into the water, thereby restoring cd drive. Press as if you were erasing a pencil with an eraser from a sheet. Watch carefully so that new dents do not appear.
Over time, we try to put less pressure on the disk and check the reading of data on our disk. This is how you can restore a completely dead disk within two hours. To avoid this in the future, use special bags and sachets so as not to remember the procedure again. disk recovery! Well, then, it's up to the programs, it's not a fact that the disk has fully recovered, so we read on!
How to restore a disk from scratches using the program
Of all the programs, I chose CD Recovery Toolbox. This program is free and simple. Downloading:
We start, select the dvd-rom in which the disk is and click next.
Choose where we will save files from the scratched disk.
Select the files or folders you want to recover. And click save.
The recovery process will begin. We are waiting for all files to be restored to the selected folder.
When all files are restored, the folder where the files were restored will open. And a recovery log will appear in the program, in which there will be a video, which files were recovered and which were not.
Now we look at which files have been recovered and which have not. If something was not restored, then we repeat the process from the beginning, only already restoring unrecovered files. This is how you can restore a scratched disk.
You can also try to repair a scratched disk with a more rigid method:
Many people prefer to save their important information (photos, work files and other documents) on DVDs. As such, they do not have an expiration date, but, nevertheless, due to any mechanical damage, they fail. The reasons can be the most banal:
the formation of scratches;physical deterioration;poor quality of the material from which the disk was made.
Reading and copying information in such cases is impossible, but there are ways and programs to help deal with this problem.
Two main types of possible problems should be distinguished: logical faults and surface damage, as a result of which the corrupted DVD finally stops working, if the damage is really large-scale, then it is quite difficult to do anything.
Logic Faults
This method is implemented with the support of specific software, not only in manual, but also in automated mode.
In the process of using the software, the entire information layer contained on the media is first scanned. According to the results of the scan, based on the detected service information, the so-called "map" of the location of information is formed. The "map" contains information about which particular cluster belongs to which file or directory, dimensions, names and all other characteristics of the elements of the scanned file system.
After that, the information is restored - the selected data is transferred to another medium. Recording to the original media when restoring information is not carried out.
Surface restoration
Before applying any software, preferably:
restore the damaged surface as far as possible;
after polishing to neutralize scratches on standard or specific equipment, a full-fledged copy is made.
Then, depending on the state of the final copy and the method of obtaining it (for example, preliminary decoding may be necessary), all the most necessary information is fetched directly.
Special programs
The utilities available today, using special mechanisms for reading information, are ultimately able to either read files or copy them (although they cannot guarantee the absolute recovery of each of them). These programs have the ability to read information from disks of any format, using direct access and bypassing the standard, inefficient in this case, tools that are typical of the Windows system.
They make many attempts to read the “corrupted” disk segment, and at the same time are able to continue reading or copying data after errors appear during the reading process. This quite often makes it possible to "pull out" the information in its primary form. In the event that such a method does not work, then the vast majority of the presented utilities are simply able to replace the “non-working” sections with zeros. Of course, in this place of the document, as a result, some kind of defect is formed. Among the utilities capable of recovering a DVD disc, one should designate:
CDCheck;
BadCopyPro;
isobuster;
recovery toolbox.
The last of them performs a full scan of failed drives and reserves the maximum possible amount of data. When recovering, Recovery ToolBox uses a significant number of various operations, and this greatly increases not only the quantity, but also the quality of the information being recovered. Thus, it will be indispensable in situations such as:
damage to the carrier of the physical plane (namely, scratches, contact with liquids);
changing the disk format with data writing utilities;
operating system error in the process of reading and accessing the media.
Some of the categories of files should have their peculiarity taken into account. For example, if we talk about a video file, then the program should be able to correctly restore the index of this file, while marking its damaged sections. This is done so that later the player can play this video file, and the lost frames are painted with a certain shade.
In addition, recovery processes are also different for different programs, and therefore, if it turned out to be impossible to restore something in one application, then most likely it will work out using another.
other methods
If the disk is not too badly damaged, you can try a method such as reducing the read speed of the disk drive. This can be effective, because at high speed the PC may simply not perceive the information that is not corrupted. You can also read a damaged disk in various drives from various manufacturers, each of which, accordingly, has its own speed.
With minimal damage, the use of a special polishing gel, which will restore the coating, can also help. It is advisable to do all this using a microfibre cloth.
Some of the drives use hardware methods to increase the efficiency of reading data not only from CDs, but also from DVDs that turn out to be damaged. These funds may include:
modified laser-type diode focusing;
disc ellipsoid compensation and much more.
If such hardware is available in the drive, in such a case, you can try to use them using the drivers or the software that was delivered with the drive.
Thus, there are methods for recovering and reading information from DVDs, however, one or another of them turns out to be more or less effective depending on the degree of damage to the file and on what kind of information was stored on it.
