All of my DCD backed-up files lost? Please help!

[caffeinated]

Before I upgraded to my new hard drive, I used direct CD to copy all my important files - about 1.5 GB of text and data files - onto Direct CD formated memorex 700 MB CDs. This was under Win XP Pro (SP1) using the ECDC software that came with my LG GCE8320B. Depending on whether they were close to full, I left them either "as is", so that I could more data to them later, or "formated so that any CD reader could read them"; none were closed.

Now that I've installed my new motherboard and hard disk, the same windows OS and ECDC configurations will recognize the folders on the disks but will not open and read the contents of those folders. Under disk properties I can see that the disk is full - or close to full - but the drive won't read the contents and I cannot copy the contents to my new hard disk. I've tried it again on a friends system (with the same OS and ECDC setup) but I get the same result.

I have updated ECDC, too, but the problem persists. Is the data lost (unreadable) for keeps?

[cfitz]

To see if this is a configuration issue or a media issue, you might want to try downloading and running CD Speed and running the ScanDisc and CD Quality Checks:

www.cdspeed2000.com

To attempt recovery, try one or more of the following:

CD/DVD Diagnostic from Arrowkey:
http://www.arrowkey.com/cddvddiagnostic.html

ISO Buster:
http://www.smart-projects.net/isobuster/

CD Roller:
http://www.cdroller.com/

CD Check:
http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/

Unfortunately, I don't know that any of these recovery programs will work on packet-written discs. Give them a try and see.

This adds yet another notch to my "I distrust CD-RW and packet writing software" post. Dodecahedron and KCK, can you help?

cfitz

[dodecahedron]

hi caffeinated.

first, please clarify the following:

Depending on whether they were close to full, I left them either "as is", so that I could more data to them later, or "formated so that any CD reader could read them"; none were closed.

i can't understand from this exactly what state the discs are.

to the best of my knowledge, when writing to a disc using DCD, it is "open" (i really don't think this is the right terminology) all the time. you can choose to "close" it to UDF or to "close" it to ISO, and then you can't add more data to it (of course you can always erase the disc and then reformat it with DCD are rewrite info...).

i'm assuming your discs were not "closed", that is you just left them as they were when you finished dragNdropping your data files to them.

the best suggestion is to try to find another computer that can read the discs properly. i would suggest trying first a computer on which DCD is not installed! neither InCD or any packet-writing software. WinXP should be able to read the files. perhaps the new installation of DCD is somewhat corrupt and interferes. if not winXP, maybe an older windows will be able to read the discs, download the UDF Reader driver from www.roxio.com , to be able to read UDF discs.
http://www.roxio.com/en/support/roxio_s ... esv4.jhtml, go to the bottom of that page.

if you do find such a computer (that has a burner installed in it), QUICKLY copy the data off to the hard drive and back up onto other CDs - i would suggest regular CDRs, and definitely not packet-written but regular burns (Nero, Easy CD Creator etc.).

i was rather hoping Inertia would see this thread and help, i'm sure he will be of much more assistance than i.

@cfitz:
i hit the submit button instead of the preview button, you saw an unfinished verison of the post...

[cfitz]

if you do find such a computer (that has a burner installed in it), QUICKLY copy the data off to the hard drive and back up onto other CDs - i would suggest regular CDRs, and definitely not packet-written but regular burns (Nero, Easy CD Creator etc.).

What?? Is this really dodecahedron, or some nefarious imposter??? Are you giving up on packet writing and CD-RW?

cfitz

[dodecahedron]

if you do find such a computer (that has a burner installed in it), QUICKLY copy the data off to the hard drive and back up onto other CDs - i would suggest regular CDRs, and definitely not packet-written but regular burns (Nero, Easy CD Creator etc.).

What?? Is this really dodecahedron, or some nefarious imposter??? Are you giving up on packet writing and CD-RW?

cfitz

hmm...i haven't been doing packet writing in a long time...alas...
lookie here: http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic. ... 7421#47421

[caffeinated]

Thanks for the quick response, folks!

While I was waiting for a response, I downloaded the arrowkey diagnostic software. It was unable to recognize a number of file structures, so I think this does not look hopeful. Sigh.

To answer your question, oh great polyhedral one , you are correct in your inference: the disks were not closed to further writing. Something about the way the disks appear to have been written seems invalid - or at least extremely problematic, to say the least.

Please, if anyone knows of any decent software backup (especially titles that have incremental backup features) then please do let me know what they are. I'm moving away from my former method of backing up my data. Too bad, too, because it worked very well prior to my WinXP installation and the necessary upgrading of Direct CD.

[cfitz]

oh great polyhedral one

I love it! I'll have to use it from here on out...

hmm...i haven't been doing packet writing in a long time...alas...
lookie here: http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic. ... 7421#47421

I had seen that and knew that you were temporarily out of the packet-writing business, but I thought you were still a believer.

cfitz

[dodecahedron]

oh great polyhedral one

I love it! I'll have to use it from here on out...

yeah, i liked it too!

I had seen that and knew that you were temporarily out of the packet-writing business, but I thought you were still a believer.

and still am...as can be seen from that link.

the funniest thing just happend.
just like when i wrote my response to caffeinated, and while editing it you saw the unfinished version and replied while i was still finishing up, i just now hit the "quote" button and got different text than what was in your post on the screen - i too replied before you fininshed your posting...LOL...twice within 10 minutes...that is neat! an unusual coincidence!

[cfitz]

while i was still finishing up, i just now hit the "quote" button and got different text than what was in your post on the screen - i too replied before you fininshed your posting...LOL...twice within 10 minutes...that is neat! an unusual coincidence!

I have a bad habit of editing my posts right after I submit them. I use the preview button liberally, but there always seems to be something I can't see until it is officially posted. Saving me from the embarrassment of having 90% of my posts marked as being edited 2,3 or 4 times is the fact that the edits aren't marked for posterity until someone replies to the post.

cfitz

[dodecahedron]

I have a bad habit of editing my posts right after I submit them.

ditto!

Saving me from the embarrassment of having 90% of my posts marked as being edited 2,3 or 4 times is the fact that the edits aren't marked for posterity until someone replies to the post.

WOW!
i really never understood why sometimes the text "Last edited by dodecahedron on Fri Jan 03, 2003 22:51, edited 5 times in total" appeared on posts i edited and sometimes not! thanks for the tip, i was very curious about that!

[dodecahedron]

I'm moving away from my former method of backing up my data. Too bad, too, because it worked very well prior to my WinXP installation and the necessary upgrading of Direct CD.

yes, smart move.
although i like packet writing, and it has worked for me well for some time, it does appear to be rather problematic, unstable and unpredictable. so backing up important data is no go, gotta stick with regular (data mastering) burning.

[dodecahedron]

caffeinated, seems that cfitz and i have hijacked your thread for our merry repartee, sorry about that
but i do hope someone else comes along and has a suggestion to help you out.
but rather like you said, i suspect something got messed up when they were burned, and i don't know how likely it is that the data can be recovered.

another possibility occurred to me. if DCD lets you , you can try to close these CDs (to ISO). maybe once they're closed they will be readable. however i would save this to the very last resort, since trying anyting of the kind could potentially mess up the CDs irrevocably. so first try my previous suggestion.

[cfitz]

caffeinated, seems that cfitz and i have hijacked your thread for our merry repartee, sorry about that

Mea Culpa. I started the hijacking. If you are bothered, I apologize also.

cfitz

[caffeinated]

np

[KCK]

Talk about luck! I don't normally visit the Adaptec/Roxio forum, but I saw cfitz as the last contributor... I'm glad I didn't miss all the fun (well, not much fun for caffeinated)!

I have stopped using DirectCD a while ago, and I've never used it for CDRs, so I can only add to dodecahedron's suggestion: before trying to use DirectCD on the original discs, make copies, and then run DirectCD on the copied discs so that you don't loose your data if something goes wrong. I'm not sure which program to use for making 1:1 copies in this case, but cfitz and dodecahedron should know.

[caffeinated]

Talk about luck! I don't normally visit the Adaptec/Roxio forum, but I saw cfitz as the last contributor... I'm glad I didn't miss all the fun (well, not much fun for caffeinated)!

I have stopped using DirectCD a while ago, and I've never used it for CDRs, so I can only add to dodecahedron's suggestion: before trying to use DirectCD on the original discs, make copies, and then run DirectCD on the copied discs so that you don't loose your data if something goes wrong. I'm not sure which program to use for making 1:1 copies in this case, but cfitz and dodecahedron should know.

Thanks for the encouragement, KCK, but I don't intend to start backing up original disks with DirectCD; I've only ever used it to save files to disk as one might to, say, a zip disk.

Again, guys, I am very interested in hearing about software that allows for incremental backups of individual files.

[KCK]

caffeinated:

Apparently we are talking about two different things, so let's try to clarify a couple of previous suggestions.

1. Can you access another XP SP1 box on which neither DirectCD nor InCD nor any other packet writing software is installed? The box need only have a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, not necessarily a burner. SP1 provides native support for UDF 1.50, so maybe it could read your discs. Otherwise, you could try another box, but for earlier versions of Windows you would need to install Roxio's UDF Reader.

2. dodecahedron's second suggestion was to try to close your discs to ISO, using DirectCD. Since this could mess up your discs, I suggested that for safety you should first make copies of your discs. Obviously DirectCD can't copy your discs (it can't even read them), so you would need another program for making 1:1 copies.

All the preceding advices were aimed only at recovering data from your discs.

As for your second question on future backups, I find it easiest to use FileSync from www.fileware.com to copy my personal files to other networked computers. If you have one box only, you may consider putting a fast HDD in an external enclosure. The better enclosures connect via both USB 2.0 and FireWire (IEEE 1394), and new motherboards usually have either USB2 or FireWire (and there are fairly cheap PCI interfaces for older mobos). And don't forget rule number one: Never keep the original data and backups in the same place! (Think about fire, burglars, etc.) I'm using packet writing for third-layer backups only. A couple of discs are easy to carry when I travel; the probability that my files get corrupted both on my notebook and the discs is small, and I can access my networked backup anyway.

[cfitz]

Again, guys, I am very interested in hearing about software that allows for incremental backups of individual files.

Is it safe to assume you are looking for something more sophisticated than simply burning multi-session CD-R's?

For simple backup I keep all my user data files (documents, email, etc.) in one directory tree, separate from all files that I don't care to backup (program files, system files, etc.). Then I follow one of two strategies:

1. CD-R's are cheap strategy - just burn a new disk with the complete directory tree periodically (the actual period depending on the frequency of changes in the files) and file them away. This is very simple, and has the additional advantage of letting me recover any and all versions of changed files, not just the latest version before a disaster.

2. Multi-session incremental strategy - start out by burning a multi-session CD-R of the complete directory tree. Then, as I make changes to the files, continue the multi-session disc. Nero has a nice little interface for doing this, allowing several choices for determining when to replace an existing file on the CD-R with the new version from the hard disk, and also allowing you to add new files from the hard disk to the CD-R. With this strategy I normally keep several (N) copies of the CD-R backup discs and rotate through them sequentially, backing up to only one at a time. This gives me the ability to easily retrieve the most recent N versions of a given file. It also protects against inadvertent disaster while updating a single backup CD-R. If I were extra prudent (as KCK suggests and as I keep telling myself I will do but haven’t yet), I would store a third of the backup CD-R’s offsite at any one time.

Both of these strategies can be adapted to larger data sets by simply breaking up your files into multiple subdirectories and applying the strategy individually to each of those subdirectories.

Anyway, those are my simple-minded backup strategies, with no expensive backup/recovery program required, and all the data safely stored on ISO9660 CD-R discs.

cfitz

[caffeinated]

Again, guys, I am very interested in hearing about software that allows for incremental backups of individual files.

[...]
Anyway, those are my simple-minded backup strategies, with no expensive backup/recovery program required, and all the data safely stored on ISO9660 CD-R discs.

cfitz

Thanks for the suggestions - particularly the Nero feature... I may have to check that one out. As for storing a third disk offsite, I have been considering this for some time - even planning at one time to go so far as to stash it in a safety deposit box!

Anyway, thanks again for being thoughtful.

Best regards and happy 2003 to you!

[cfitz]

Thanks for the suggestions - particularly the Nero feature... I may have to check that one out.

Yes, a lot of people aren't aware of the power and flexibility of multi-session discs, and think that files can't be added to, erased from, or changed on a CD-R. Of course sections of a CD-R that have been burned can't be changed, but by adding to unburned sections of the CD-R and replacing the CD-R's table of contents (TOC), the effect of adding, changing or erasing files can be accomplished. I don't know whether or not you were aware of this, but figured I would suggest it just in case you weren't (and also for anyone else who might be following along and isn't aware of the capabilities of multi-session CD-R's).

As for storing a third disk offsite, I have been considering this for some time - even planning at one time to go so far as to stash it in a safety deposit box!

I've got a safety deposit box but don't take full advantage of it like I should...

Best regards and happy 2003 to you!

To you too, and don't be a stranger!

cfitz

[dodecahedron]

Talk about luck! I don't normally visit the Adaptec/Roxio forum, but I saw cfitz as the last contributor... I'm glad I didn't miss all the fun (well, not much fun for caffeinated)!

@cfitz: your name works magic! ...

@KCK: glad you dropped in.

before trying to use DirectCD on the original discs, make copies, and then run DirectCD on the copied discs so that you don't loose your data if something goes wrong.

@caffeinated:

we are still taking about recovering the data from your messed up DCD discs.
yes, i hadn't thought of this but this is a very good idea!
if my suggestion #1 (finding a computer that manages to read the data from the CDs) fails, to try to close the DCD discs to ISO, but do it on a backup first! obviously this backup cannot be made by DCD, i would suggest a CD-copying program, such as CloneCD. i would suggest Nero and Easy CD Creator too for trying to copy these discs to make a backup on which to experiment, but if there really is something wrong with the discs as we suspect, Nero and Easy CD Creator would probably not manage to copy the discs anyway, but it'w worth a try.

[cfitz]

@cfitz: your name works magic! ...

He just wanted to amuse himself by seeing what ridiculous blather I was spouting off over in Roxio land...

cfitz

[Action Jackson]

caffeinated,

I remember reading somewhere [I believe it MIGHT have been HP's webby] that leaving a CDRW in a burner and booting up/shutdown might risk corrupting the disc. It has happened to myself and my cousin using DCD. I haven't left a CDRW any burner since my HP 2/2/6 "incident".

I also have corrupted data on InCD discs. I would recommend:

- Installing a UDF reader

- Installing ISOBUSTER 1.0 [although the newest 1.2 version might work for you], or Active File Recovery. There are other programs that you can download. www.fdepot.com has a pretty decent collection and I think www.tucows.com has some software for XP. I'll try out some of cfitz's recommendations too.

- Install a program called RoadKill's Unstoppable Copier [ http://download.com.com/3000-2248-10155419.html ]

- Put the CDRW in another drive other than a burner [I'm paranoid at this point and it might not actually affect the disc itself].

At this point you have to decide if you want to pay for recovery software. If you're lucky and the files are smaller than 37kb in size, then Active Recovery Software will recovery them for free, otherwise you'll have to pay for it, ISOBUSTER or other to recover your data.

BUT

If under Windows, you use ISOBUSTER or AFR or other to READ the lost contents of the CDRW, then you can use Unstoppable Copier to try to recover as much of the data as possible. It worked for me, but may not for you. You cannot use Unstoppable Copier to search for lost files on it's own.

I'm still going to try out some more recovery software to find a "free" or low cost solution, but I'm tempted to pay for it as it's a nice piece of insurance to have.

Good Luck and please let us know how this works out for you.

[KCK]

Action Jackson:

Apparently you missed the fact that caffeinated's discs are "un-closed" DirectCD CD-Rs, not CD-RWs. Yet your suggestions for CD-RW packet writing recovery may help others. Note that some programs may be better for recovering classical UDF 1.50, whereas others may work better for CD-MRW (Mt. Rainier). I would be very interested in the results of your search for recovery software.

[Action Jackson]

KCK,

DOH! Yeah I missed that one.

I simply used Google with "InCD file recovery" in the search and it turned up a lot of stuff.

Most of what I found said/stated/referred to that Isobuster and Active File Recovery were the two best ones, and from using the demos, they seemed to list every file that I couldn't see normally in InCD.

I accidentally stumbled on the Unstoppable Copier being able to recover some of those files after being read by Isobuster.

I might suggest caffinated do everything possible to recover his data. I'm not sure that I would even consider finalizing/closing the CDR. I remember from using DCD that CDR's can only be read in the burner unless it's finalized.