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Topic: cd/dvd scratch repair systems (Read 5317 times) previous topic - next topic
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cd/dvd scratch repair systems

I'm looking for a cd/dvd scratch repair system. I have used those "skip doctor systems" in the past, and they have worked, but I think they're a bit expensive. Anyways, what are some good alternatives, or simply, what's the best cd/dvd scratch repair system that can be found online from under $25 shipped?

cd/dvd scratch repair systems

Reply #1 –
You need H2cdimage (freeware) from c't magazine. It's the most advanced data rescue software for these cases. Command-line tool, only available in german for now, but it's not so hard to understand (maybe run "liesmich.txt" through babelfish before using it).

It works differently than the normally used Isobuster et al: It doesn't try to read the first defective sector forever, but instead, after a while it goes on to the biggest consecutive area of sectors that it hasn't tried to read before. This algorithm proved to be successful in recovering as much as possible in the least amount of time, usually within 1 hour, beneath that point there won't be many more intact sectors. Also, it remembers in a seperate file which sectors it could restore, so you can run it on several different drives, combining the intact sectors that could be read from them!

It works like this: Put the image (that the first run of H2cdimage created) on the network or on an external drive, and go to every PC that you can get a hold of, starting H2cdimage on each one. It will try to read out the missing sectors from the image right away, this way you can see very quickly if the drive you're trying it on can help or not.

If you have a complete image, burn it to CD or DVD. If it's not complete, mount it in Daemon Tools and recover files manually. Bad sectors are marked with a ° character within the files. You can now even try Isobuster on the image, for instance if the file system is damaged.

Only if this fails, you should try to repair the medium mechanically, with this kinda stuff (around 6 or 7 bucks) and then try H2cdimage again. This is because there's a risk you damage it further, so always try H2cdimage first. As for Skip Doctor and such, i wouldn't use those at all.

cd/dvd scratch repair systems

Reply #2 –
There is an extensive thread on physical disc recovery methods here.

cd/dvd scratch repair systems

Reply #3 –
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There is an extensive thread on physical disc recovery methods here.
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It's important that you try everything you can via software first, cause all these methods (as some people already point out there) can cause further damage to the media. The best approach is to use that H2cdimage tool with several different drives (different capabilities of reading damaged media), then try to physically repair the medium, then do more runs with H2cdimage until (hopefully) the image is complete and the entire content could be rescued.