Hi, I wanted to know if there is a par generation tool that you can input a root directory to & will create PAR recovery volumes for each subdirectory contained.
How about searching for all files inside the root direcory and then dropping all found items in QuickPar?
How about searching for all files inside the root direcory and then dropping all found items in QuickPar?
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The problem with that is that the par files are created in the root directory, I want each sub folder to have it's own par files.
I work with like 50 folders, & 12 files in each folder each time I back-up so it's inconvenient to have to go folder by folder with QuickPar.
Could you do this with Sweep (http://www.saunalahti.fi/cse/files/Sweep.zip)? You feed it a command line and it executes it recursively on the directory tree.
The problem with that is that the par files are created in the root directory, I want each sub folder to have it's own par files.
I work with like 50 folders, & 12 files in each folder each time I back-up so it's inconvenient to have to go folder by folder with QuickPar.
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That's true. However, creating a single par for all files results in higher efficiency.
I forgot to mention par2cmdline (http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=30568&package_id=82331&release_id=233051)
Yes, use sweep with par2cmdline.
I use that method with my music backups...
Yes, use sweep with par2cmdline.
I use that method with my music backups...
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Could anyone suggest which parameters to use with par2cmdline?
& yes this is a muisc back-up to DVD-R, each folder is an album & the files are in mpc format (about 5MB per file) but I also have extraction logs, encoding logs, & CUE sheets (about 2KB per file) for each album.
sweep par2 c -r<redundancy percentage> -s<block size> *
I think this is kinda self-explanatory... This will create par2 files of all files in the directory. If you want more options to configure recovery file sizes and such, check the usage of par2.exe
This has some strange naming effects. For example, with a directory containing:
Air - Talkie Walkie.cue
Air - Talkie Walkie.log
Air - Talkie Walkie.wv
the command line generates files called "Air - Talkie Walkie.cue.par2" etc. So it most likely bases the file name off the first file in the directory list.
Wouldnt you be better off making an ISO of your completed disc and making PAR files of that? If the Disc becomes damaged, you can just rip the entire thing using ISO Buster and fix the broken parts, in theory...
Wouldnt you be better off making an ISO of your completed disc and making PAR files of that? If the Disc becomes damaged, you can just rip the entire thing using ISO Buster and fix the broken parts, in theory...
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That's a pretty good idea, I'll give that a try.
par generation tool that you can input a root directory to & will create PAR recovery volumes
I'm wrestling with the same issue . I'd like to have 1 set of PARs for the entire DVD (redundancy a lot more effective). I want the PARs to be based on files, not ISO, because the ISO might not extract: see this thread (http://www.quickpar.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php4?t=418) (also read tgh's post on the 2nd page).
However I still want the
option of using ISO (as a last alternative). Quickpar allows this: it finds PARs within an ISO (although only one set).
However since Quickpar doesn't have directory support yet, these wishes don't go together, unless I avoid directories and store all files in the root...
Westgroveg, in your situation I'd store each album folder in a ZIP file (without compression), store the ZIPs in the DVD root, together with a PAR set based on all these ZIPs. Make sure you create more PAR data than a typical ZIP file size (preferably a multiple).
To me this method is not an option because my (lossless album) folders are too large to be safe.
EDIT: rewrote post, it was not clear enough
I read it on the QuickPar forums, you might be able to find more useful information there. http://www.quickpar.org.uk/forum/ (http://www.quickpar.org.uk/forum/)
par generation tool that you can input a root directory to & will create PAR recovery volumes
I'm wrestling with the same issue . I'd like to have one set of PARs for the entire DVD (redundancy a lot more effective) while keeping the possibility of repair from within a damaged ISO of the DVD.
However since Quickpar doesn't have directory support yet, these 2 don't go together, unless I avoid directories and store all files in the root...
BTW, it's good to know that in case the 'TOC' is damaged, PAR repair is still possible, but Quickpar will only use 1 set of PARs (so you're screwed if you have a set in each album folder).
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I think Ollie’s idea is a good one, recovery would probably work a lot faster if the corrupt source file is on hard disk.
After reading the thread (see link in my previous post) I no longer dare to rely on ISO only. Maybe my concern is unjustified (I hope so) but I don't bet on a horse that might be handicapped.
That thread seems to conclude that you can’t extract corrupt files from a DVD which is wrong. Also most of it has to do with corrupt PAR files.
I would extract with DVD decrypter in ISO mode, set hardware read retries to 1 & tick ignore errors. This would allow me to extract the corrupt ISO file, then I would grab my PAR files (which I would store on CD-R), copy them to the same folder as the corrupt ISO file & begin recovery.
Zipping each folder is out of the question, it’s too inconvenient
That thread seems to conclude that you can’t extract corrupt files from a DVD which is wrong.
I would extract with DVD decrypter in ISO mode, set hardware read retries to 1 & tick ignore errors.
It says that extraction is impossible in case an entire sector is unreadable. Has anyone experience with extracting an ISO from a damaged DVD or CD?
That thread seems to conclude that you can’t extract corrupt files from a DVD which is wrong.
I would extract with DVD decrypter in ISO mode, set hardware read retries to 1 & tick ignore errors.
It says that extraction is impossible in case an entire sector is unreadable. Has anyone experience with extracting an ISO from a damaged DVD or CD?
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This is not the case with DVD decrypter.
The sweep par2 method with parameter examples is described at www.high-quality.ch.vu - users's Audio High Quality Tutorials & Guides (http://www.high-quality.ch.vu)
Though I changed my method some time ago to create ca. 10% recovery data from all files of the entire DVD, 4.5 GB,
reason is the higher probability to restore corrupt files on the DVD.
I started writing a security article/rewrite of the par2 chapter for high-quality.ch.vu pages:
1st draw:
Security strategies against data failures, dead HDs, corrupted files on DVD.
Heat is main factor, which lets HD die.
My strategy, to avoid temperatures over 30°C, like 40°C, which are way to high:
I have big tower, and have 1 slot over and 1 slot below the HD free.
This allows natural air flow and cooling, enough for silent mode
If HD is stressed by replaygaining a lot of albums, or moving around a lot of data,
I switch on manually a fan blowing air from outside over the HD.
Recovery par2 data on HD or DVD media:
I changed my par2 way described at http://www.high-quality.ch.vu (http://www.high-quality.ch.vu) a little bit:
Now I create par2 data for all files on 1 DVD !
I copy all files to 1 direcotry, or add them in Quickpar gui,
so I have 4.5 GB data.
practical setting for slow pc, like P3-800 MHz:
block size ca. 1.5 MB,
results to ca. 3300 source blocks (of the 4.35 GB data)
redundancy, recovery data files: 10%, ca. 450 MB for each DVD,
split par2 files to 10 eg.
this will result to a computing time of 4-5 hours for P3-800.
This new way offers clearly higher probability to restore files on a damaged DVD.
Music backup strategy:
backup of the album !
1. Lossless album rip, stored on DVD 1.
2. MPC (1.14, 1.15t) --quality (7 --ms 15, 7.5 --ms 15 or best 8 --ms 15) --xlevel same album, on DVD 2.
probability, that both DVDs have errors at same music files ?
low.
MPC at those high qualities offers a nearly transparent backup, at least without annoying artefacts, even with possibility to transcode eg. to good mp3, with warranty to not get annoying or listenable transcoding artefacts, at least for casual listening, ABXing may be different.
And this at very low costs regarding media or space.
btw., any medium will die sooner or later, but big HDs sooner..
magnetical devices suffer from heat and a lot of usage.
DVDs with music are not in use so often, only when u really need it, opposite to big HD with all-in-one usage.
optical devices don't last till eternity, too, but there are cheap new developments over years, see:
CD 0.7 GB
DVD 4.35 GB
.
DVD+DL 8.5 GB
.
.
Blue-Ray ca. 30 GB ?
So, after some time re-copying will be cheap and make the data safer.
I would extract with DVD decrypter in ISO mode, set hardware read retries to 1 & tick ignore errors. This would allow me to extract the corrupt ISO file, then I would grab my PAR files (which I would store on CD-R), copy them to the same folder as the corrupt ISO file & begin recovery.
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I believe this won't work since AFAIK DVDDecrypter skips bad sectors whereas we need to be replaced with dummy data instead.
I personally transfer all my files in a single drivecrypt(http://www.securstar.com/) volume and then create a single par for this. In case of damage, i copy the drivecrypt volume to my hard disk with a special program i've written that replaces bad sectors with zeros and then do the repair. I think this method provides the higher redudancy of all. More over it overcomes the fact that QuickPar does not support directories. Finally i can backup this way my files without worrying about limitations in filename lengths of cd filesystems and the lack of unicode support of cd burning software. The only drawback of this method is drivecrypt not being free.
p.s. If drivecrypt volume is damaged it can be still mounted.
I personally transfer all my files in a single drivecrypt(http://www.securstar.com/) volume and then create a single par for this.
I think that encrypting my back-up's is a little overkill & it would also be a little inconvenient for my purposes.
In case of damage, i copy the drivecrypt volume to my hard disk with a special program i've written that replaces bad sectors with zeros and then do the repair.
It's a shame DVD Decreptor can't do this
The only drawback of this method is drivecrypt not being free.
There is an open source disk encryption program: TrueCrypt.
http://truecrypt.sourceforge.net/ (http://truecrypt.sourceforge.net/)
Isn't this good for you?
When you create the virtual drive, do you use encryption or compression, or the files are uncompressed and not encypted?
p.s. If drivecrypt volume is damaged it can be still mounted.
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Yes, I feel this a key point! For ISO, is the same true? If we can extract a corrupted ISO, can it be mounted by Daemon Tools always, and can we see the file system (folders)?
I believe this won't work since AFAIK DVDDecrypter skips bad sectors whereas we need to be replaced with dummy data instead.
I thought so too. But Peter Clements (the Quickpar author) contradicted that (cfr. again the link I gave earlier). This is actually good news and I think will go with the method of ISO + PARs based on the ISO.
I believe this won't work since AFAIK DVDDecrypter skips bad sectors whereas we need to be replaced with dummy data instead.
I thought so too. But Peter Clements (the Quickpar author) contradicted that (cfr. again the link I gave earlier). This is actually good news and I think will go with the method of ISO + PARs based on the ISO.
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@geopoul
I am just starting to learn about computer hardware so have very little knowledge about how data communication in a computer works but do you think that if the corrupt bits are removed from the file instead of replaced with null data the file becomes shorter & when recovery is attempted it will think starting at the first error everything in the file is corrupt?
I am just starting to learn about computer hardware so have very little knowledge about how data communication in a computer works but do you think that if the corrupt bits are removed from the file instead of replaced with null data the file becomes shorter & when recovery is attempted it will think starting at the first error everything in the file is corrupt?
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That's correct.
As for DVDDecrypter there is still the problem that it supports only dvd video discs, isn't it?
edit: read my next post
As for DVDDecrypter there is still the problem that it supports only dvd video discs, isn't it?
No, DVD Decrypter can read any type of DVD in ISO mode not just DVD video's.
No! No! No! I was wrong! I just rechecked the link that liekloo mentioned and it seems that QuickPar can handle damaged files even if some bytes are missing! I am really impressed! I tested that myself and it works.
No! No! No! I was wrong! I just rechecked the link that liekloo mentioned and it seems that QuickPar can handle damaged files even if some bytes are missing! I am really impressed! I tested that myself and it works.
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Well that's good to know. Then here is the final method I plan on using for creating & recovering a DVD back-up with PAR:
- Create an ISO file containing files to be backed-up
- Create PAR recovery files based on the ISO
- Burn the ISO
- Burn the PAR files
- If corruption occurs extract the corrupt ISO with DVD Decrypter
- Copy PAR files to same directory & begin recovery
Well that's good to know. Then here is the final method I plan on using for creating & recovering a DVD back-up with PAR:- Create an ISO file containing files to be backed-up
- Create PAR recovery files based on the ISO
- Burn the ISO
- Burn the PAR files
- If corruption occurs extract the corrupt ISO with DVD Decrypter
- Copy PAR files to same directory & begin recovery
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It's ok, but be sure if the first ISO to burn, and the extracted ISO is same format. It's seems for me that Nero ISO format has some difference with ISObuster ISO format. I checked, and MD5 checksums was different.
Yes, I read on the QuickPAR forums that not all programs make identical ISO files.
So we will have to first burn, then extract ISO, then create PAR2s.
using burnatonce to compile and burn the ISO and isobuster to extract it you get identical MD5s... at least with CD-Rs I get this results...
Be sure you use the extract user data option in isobuster.
Don't know if this is the case for DVDs...
If we discuss Isobuster, what's the difference between "Extract CD Content" and "Extract CD Image"?
Also, what is the .tao format (Isobuster always wants to save image into that format)? It seems for me it is same as .iso, because if I simply rename .tao to .iso, that MD5 is same with ISO of DVDDecrypter.
Just a note.. Given the limitations of QuickPar, here's how I'd do it:
1. Take all the files you want to burn.
2. Run QuickPar or whatever to create a single PAR2 file from *all* of the files you're going to burn, with a whole lot of blocks in it. As many as you feel safe with.
3. Burn those files plus the single PAR2 file to the disk.
If the disk fails, then:
a) Copy off as many of the files as you can still read, and if you can get partial files then so much the better.
b) Make as good of an ISO of the disc as you can (doesn't matter if you drop data or zero it, QuickPar can cope with either), and rename the ISO to PAR2.
c) Run Quickpar and feed it that "PAR2" to recover the set.
Seems like it should work fine to me. Unless I'm missing something.
If the disk fails, then:
a) Copy off as many of the files as you can still read, and if you can get partial files then so much the better.
b) Make as good of an ISO of the disc as you can (doesn't matter if you drop data or zero it, QuickPar can cope with either), and rename the ISO to PAR2.
c) Run Quickpar and feed it that "PAR2" to recover the set.
Seems like it should work fine to me. Unless I'm missing something.
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I can't see why doing both a & b? Only one of them is necessary. And why renaming iso to par2?
If i followed your scheme then in case of disc failure i would just make an iso and try to copy from the damaged disc any of par2 files. Then i would open the par2 file and feed the iso to QuickPar.
If the disk fails, then:
a) Copy off as many of the files as you can still read, and if you can get partial files then so much the better.
b) Make as good of an ISO of the disc as you can (doesn't matter if you drop data or zero it, QuickPar can cope with either), and rename the ISO to PAR2.
c) Run Quickpar and feed it that "PAR2" to recover the set.
Seems like it should work fine to me. Unless I'm missing something.
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I can't see why doing both a & b? Only one of them is necessary. And why renaming iso to par2?
If i followed your scheme then in case of disc failure i would just make an iso and try to copy from the damaged disc any of par2 files. Then i would open the par2 file and feed the iso to QuickPar.
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I think we now have the definitive method which I listed above, only with the modification of extracting in ISO mode with DVD Decrypter (or the program you plan on restoring the ISO with) & creating PAR files based on that, maybe even burn the PAR files with a copy of the program.
Anyone now see any potential problems with this method?
I think we now have the definitive method which I listed above, only with the modification of extracting in ISO mode with DVD Decrypter (or the program you plan on restoring the ISO with) & creating PAR files based on that.
Anyone now see any potential problems with this method?
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It's fine and I've started using it.
However your original idea (create ISO
before burning) is worth further investigation:
* Create an ISO file containing files to be backed-up
* Create PAR recovery files based on the ISO
* Burn the ISO
Which would avoid ripping the DVD to ISO. I didn't even know this possibility existed.
here's how I'd do it:
1. Take all the files you want to burn.
2. Run QuickPar or whatever to create a single PAR2 file from *all* of the files you're going to burn, with a whole lot of blocks in it. As many as you feel safe with.
3. Burn those files plus the single PAR2 file to the disk.
Seems like it should work fine to me. Unless I'm missing something.
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Directories. Quickpar doesn't support subdirectories (yet), so you'll have to place all files in the root of the CD (DVD). If that's not a problem, this method is ideal.
If the disk fails, then:
a) Copy off as many of the files as you can still read, and if you can get partial files then so much the better.
b) Make as good of an ISO of the disc as you can (doesn't matter if you drop data or zero it, QuickPar can cope with either), and rename the ISO to PAR2.
c) Run Quickpar and feed it that "PAR2" to recover the set.
Seems like it should work fine to me. Unless I'm missing something.
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I can't see why doing both a & b? Only one of them is necessary. And why renaming iso to par2?
a is easiest; if a fails you do b. That's what he means.
Renaming a duplicate of the ISO to *.par2 will make Quickpar consider this file as a par2 file and it will find the real par2 recovery set in it (limitation: it will find only one set).
Directories. Quickpar doesn't support subdirectories (yet), so you'll have to place all files in the root of the CD (DVD). If that's not a problem, this method is ideal.
Yes quickpar doesn't support subdirectories but this is not a problem. You can create your own directory structure any way you like it. The you do a *.* search and drag all the results into quickpar. You create the par2 files and burn them in whatever directory you like with the rest of the files. In case of disc failure you copy any of the par2 files to your hard disk and then make an iso. Double-click the par2 file, select 'Add' button to add the iso and you're done! The lack of subdirectories support is no problem.
I remember reading once in the QuickPar forums (one (http://www.quickpar.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php4?t=407) of the threads) that instead of creating Par2 files per album one should RAR the entire album together (or use matroska etc.) and then PAR2 them.
If someone could shed some light on this issue I'd be delighted: Is it better to PAR2 10 times for 10 albums or PAR2 once the 10 RAR files corresponding to each album? I think the more the amount of data that is PARred the better it becomes in recovery.
Also is there any known tools for MFT (master file table) backup? I recently had to go through a lot of trouble to recover the data from an almost full 300GB drive whose MFT is corrupted.
If someone could shed some light on this issue I'd be delighted: Is it better to PAR2 10 times for 10 albums or PAR2 once the 10 RAR files corresponding to each album? I think the more the amount of data that is PARred the better it becomes in recovery.
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Assume that you have two files, A and B, 10 MB each and you create a 2 MB par2 file for each. Then if 3 MB of A are damaged you won't be able to do the recovery since you won't have enough recovery data (you need 3 MB but you have 2 MB). On the contrary, if you had created a 4 MB par2 file for A+B then you would have been able to perform the recovery process.
So the answer to your question is: par2 once.
Hi, I wanted to know if there is a par generation tool that you can input a root directory to & will create PAR recovery volumes for each subdirectory contained.
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I use a program created by member "bodhy" a year ago. Go to this thread for details.....I'm not sure if this program can be found anywhere, but I use it all the time and it does exactly what you're asking.
[a href="http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=18456&hl=]Thread 18456[/url]
Here's my method of backing up CD's to DVD-R. I'm sure it's outdated, but I don't really care:
1. Rip CD's and convert to FLAC files.
2. Sort CD's in folders based on my personal preferrence.
3. Create a single par2 recovery file for each CD using a 10% redundancy.
4. WinRAR the FLAC and PAR2 files using "store" compression method and 1% recovery data.
5. Burn *.rar files on DVD-R.
In all my years of burning CD-R and DVD-R, I've never had one go bad, nor have I ever had the need to use par2 files to recovery anything. The only time par2 files seem to be of any use is when I'm in the newgroups and a downloaded binary is corrupt or incomplete. This whole process of adding par2 files to DVD-R is probably non-sense and a waste of space in the long-run. The liklihood of ever needing them is probably not worth the time, effort, and space. JMHO.
Daffy
Hi, I wanted to know if there is a par generation tool that you can input a root directory to & will create PAR recovery volumes for each subdirectory contained.
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I use a program created by member "bodhy" a year ago. Go to this thread for details.....I'm not sure if this program can be found anywhere, but I use it all the time and it does exactly what you're asking.
[a href="http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=18456&hl=]Thread 18456[/url]
Here's my method of backing up CD's to DVD-R. I'm sure it's outdated, but I don't really care:
1. Rip CD's and convert to FLAC files.
2. Sort CD's in folders based on my personal preferrence.
3. Create a single par2 recovery file for each CD using a 10% redundancy.
4. WinRAR the FLAC and PAR2 files using "store" compression method and 1% recovery data.
5. Burn *.rar files on DVD-R.
In all my years of burning CD-R and DVD-R, I've never had one go bad, nor have I ever had the need to use par2 files to recovery anything. The only time par2 files seem to be of any use is when I'm in the newgroups and a downloaded binary is corrupt or incomplete. This whole process of adding par2 files to DVD-R is probably non-sense and a waste of space in the long-run. The liklihood of ever needing them is probably not worth the time, effort, and space. JMHO.
Daffy
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That's great Daffy, exactly what I originally asked for but I am now convinced that the method Ollie originally suggested in this thread would offer better protection because the PAR files would be stored on a different medium it's less likely they will also become corrupt. Also you only ever have to extract & recover 1 file which seems more convenient to me.
I think Liekloo, geopoul, & myself can all agree that if you want to create PAR files based on an ISO you should go thorugh the steps listed below:
- Burn the data to be backed-up on DVD-R
- Extract the data with DVD Decrypter in ISO mode
- Create PAR recovery files based on the ISO
- Burn the PAR files with a copy of DVD Decrypter on CD-R
- If corruption occurs extract the corrupt ISO with DVD Decrypter
- Copy PAR files to same directory & begin recovery
can somebody explain in easy words, why an ISO (or the work for it) is necessary for the process of creatring par2-recevery data at the begin ?
What is exactly the advantage of creating isos ?
Let's go through the process, if a dvd should fail:
you need to extract as much files & data as possible from the damaged dvd, even damaged files partly.
DVDdecryptor was mentioned,
can that program extract directories and (damaged) files
(and fill up damaged data with zeros, if that should be necessary ?) ?
So, if u have the iso, or all files extracted, the re-creating of damaged files should be the same ?
1 thing is unclear to me about quickpar-gui proggie for creating par2 recovery data:
imagine, you make the effort, and add each single sub-directory content of the dvd to the quickpar-gui (instead of the iso).
are the pathes of the files of any meaning ?
or would the result be the same, like you would copy all single files (assuming all files have different name) to 1 huge directory, and add this 1 directory to quickpar-gui ?
I think Liekloo, geopoul, & myself can all agree that if you want to create PAR files based on an ISO you should go thorugh the steps listed below:- Burn the data to be backed-up on DVD-R
- Extract the data with DVD Decrypter in ISO mode
- Create PAR recovery files based on the ISO
- Burn the PAR files with a copy of DVD Decrypter on CD-R
- If corruption occurs extract the corrupt ISO with DVD Decrypter
- Copy PAR files to same directory & begin recovery
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I also begin to agree, that this is the best method to archive.
I've re-read that thread what Daffy suggested:
[a href="http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=18456&hl=]http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....topic=18456&hl=[/url]
What is interesting: PeterBClements created a utility, which could extract several PAR2 sets from an ISO! If that is true, it would be possible to store several PAR2 sets on one disc, perhaps on DVD (not CD). And if that PAR2 disc get damaged, we could extract not only one PAR2 set, but all!
As far as I know, that utility is not published yet. I think it's time to ask Peter at Quickpar Forum. That posts was a year ago.
can somebody explain in easy words, why an ISO (or the work for it) is necessary ?
What is exactly the advantage of creating isos ?
Well, there are some advantages:
- If there is only one par2 set for a DVD, the effect of the par2 set is distributed on the disk.
- If the Disc Layout (same as TOC in CDs) get damaged, you can only extract to ISO, not folders and files.
- Currently Quickpar doesn't support directories, but when using ISO method, it doesn't matter.
DVDdecryptor was mentioned,
can that program extract directories and (damaged) files
(and fill up damaged data with zeros, if that should be necessary ?) ?
No, DVD Decrypter is not able to extract directories and files (if not DVD-Video). It only can extract to ISO. And it can't fill data with zeros, but is not necessary.
So, if u have the iso, or all files extracted, the re-creating of damaged files should be the same ?
If you can recover the whole ISO, you get everything back.
1 thing is unclear to me about quickpar-gui proggie for creating par2 recovery data:
imagine, you make the effort, and add each single sub-directory content of the dvd to the quickpar-gui (instead of the iso).
are the pathes of the files of any meaning ?
or would the result be the same, like you would copy all single files (assuming all files have different name) to 1 huge directory, and add this 1 directory to quickpar-gui ?
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271315"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
It's good question, it's also unclear to me.
can somebody explain in easy words, why an ISO (or the work for it) is necessary ?
What is exactly the advantage of creating isos ?
Well, there are some advantages:
- If there is only one par2 set for a DVD, the effect of the par2 set is distributed on the disk.
- If the Disc Layout (same as TOC in CDs) get damaged, you can only extract to ISO, not folders and files.
- Currently Quickpar doesn't support directories, but when using ISO method, it doesn't matter.
DVDdecryptor was mentioned,
can that program extract directories and (damaged) files
(and fill up damaged data with zeros, if that should be necessary ?) ?
No, DVD Decrypter is not able to extract directories and files (if not DVD-Video). It only can extract to ISO. And it can't fill data with zeros, but is not necessary.
So, if u have the iso, or all files extracted, the re-creating of damaged files should be the same ?
If you can recover the whole ISO, you get everything back.
1 thing is unclear to me about quickpar-gui proggie for creating par2 recovery data:
imagine, you make the effort, and add each single sub-directory content of the dvd to the quickpar-gui (instead of the iso).
are the pathes of the files of any meaning ?
or would the result be the same, like you would copy all single files (assuming all files have different name) to 1 huge directory, and add this 1 directory to quickpar-gui ?
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271315"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
It's good question, it's also unclear to me.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271326"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
thanks your your reply, it helps to sort things
1.
of course, it is very clear, that we all want to create only 1 set of par2 data for the whole medium, eg. DVD 4.35 GB.
2.1 easy method, if all files in various subdirectories have different names:
extract all files by search for *.* and move them to a temp directory, which you could add to Quickpar gui, and you are done.
2.1.2 eg., in each subdirectory, there are files with same file name.
Possibility: add each subdirectory in quickpar gui manually.
well, for ca. 10-15 Loslsess albums on 1 DVD, this could be still be possible, but not very convenient, imagine, you don't want to backup audio, but hundred small directories with various data files.
2.2: alternative: make an iso file, burn it, make the pa2 data for the iso file
3. bad case, you need the par2 data, as dvd is corrupted, maybe even the TOC.
3.1 extract the iso of the dvd, eg. by DVDdecryptor.
3.2: Can you then copy all directories and files from the extracted and mounted (Daemon tool) iso to your HD eg., so that you could start par2-recovery,
even if you created the par2 data for all *.* files (2.1) of the dvd or for all files by subdirectories of the entire dvd (2.1.2) ?
I would want to avoid the iso creation at the beginning, as that seems an extra step (even with a lot HD stress/time for copying/moving 4.35 GB data), which could be unnecessary, if 2.1/2.1.2 work.
Directories. Quickpar doesn't support subdirectories (yet), so you'll have to place all files in the root of the CD (DVD). If that's not a problem, this method is ideal.
Yes quickpar doesn't support subdirectories but this is not a problem. You can create your own directory structure any way you like it. The you do a *.* search and drag all the results into quickpar. You create the par2 files and burn them in whatever directory you like with the rest of the files. In case of disc failure you copy any of the par2 files to your hard disk and then make an iso. Double-click the par2 file, select 'Add' button to add the iso and you're done! The lack of subdirectories support is no problem.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271242"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I tried it and it works! A bit unexpected, because I expected the paths would make recovery impossible, but that worry appears to be unjustified). Thanks for pointing this out, geopaul.
This makes it a good alternative to Westgroveg's method above. Pro: no ISO extraction needed (initially). Con: during recovery, only files are recovered (no directories).
What is exactly the advantage of creating isos ?
The main advantage is being able to extract partially damaged files. Windows explorer refuses to copy damaged files, so that there is a lot more data missing (you need much more recovery data).
imagine, you make the effort, and add each single sub-directory content of the dvd to the quickpar-gui (instead of the iso).
are the pathes of the files of any meaning ?
or would the result be the same, like you would copy all single files (assuming all files have different name) to 1 huge directory, and add this 1 directory to quickpar-gui ?
yes the results would be the same (the current quickpar doesn't use paths).
2.1 easy method, if all files in various subdirectories have different names:
extract all files by search for *.* and move them to a temp directory, which you could add to Quickpar gui, and you are done.
No need to move, just search, rightclick, run Quickpar. See for yourself
Directories. Quickpar doesn't support subdirectories (yet), so you'll have to place all files in the root of the CD (DVD). If that's not a problem, this method is ideal.
Yes quickpar doesn't support subdirectories but this is not a problem. You can create your own directory structure any way you like it. The you do a *.* search and drag all the results into quickpar. You create the par2 files and burn them in whatever directory you like with the rest of the files. In case of disc failure you copy any of the par2 files to your hard disk and then make an iso. Double-click the par2 file, select 'Add' button to add the iso and you're done! The lack of subdirectories support is no problem.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271242"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I tried it and it works! A bit unexpected, because I expected the paths would make recovery impossible, but that worry appears to be unjustified). Thanks for pointing this out, geopaul.
This makes it a good alternative to Westgroveg's method above. Pro: no ISO extraction needed (initially). Con: during recovery, only files are recovered (no directories).
imagine, you make the effort, and add each single sub-directory content of the dvd to the quickpar-gui (instead of the iso).
are the pathes of the files of any meaning ?
or would the result be the same, like you would copy all single files (assuming all files have different name) to 1 huge directory, and add this 1 directory to quickpar-gui ?
yes the results would be the same (the current quickpar doesn't use paths).
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271332"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
yes, this sounds very good, no iso creation needed for creation par2 creation.What is exactly the advantage of creating isos ?
Liekloo:
The main advantage is being able to extract partially damaged files. Windows explorer refuses to copy damaged files, so that there is a lot more data missing (you need much more recovery data).sorry, misunderstanding,
I asked about iso creation at the very begin before par2 data creation.
That it is better in worst case, to extract an iso of the damaged DVD, that should be clear now.
But now, it seems to be clear also, that for the creation of the par2 data set for the entire DVD, no iso is needed.
(either you make 2.1, or 2.1.2)
I tried it and it works! A bit unexpected, because I expected the paths would make recovery impossible, but that worry appears to be unjustified). Thanks for pointing this out, geopaul.
This makes it a good alternative to Westgroveg's method above. Pro: no ISO extraction needed (initially). Con: during recovery, only files are recovered (no directories).
Wait a minute! Are you saying, that when par2 set is created from files themself (from all files on DVD), and then you extract DVD to an ISO, and feed Quickpar with that ISO, does Quickpar recover files?
Hi, I wanted to know if there is a par generation tool that you can input a root directory to & will create PAR recovery volumes for each subdirectory contained.
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=269880")
I use a program created by member "bodhy" a year ago. Go to this thread for details.....I'm not sure if this program can be found anywhere, but I use it all the time and it does exactly what you're asking.
[a href="http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=18456&hl=]Thread 18456[/url]
Here's my method of backing up CD's to DVD-R. I'm sure it's outdated, but I don't really care:
1. Rip CD's and convert to FLAC files.
2. Sort CD's in folders based on my personal preferrence.
3. Create a single par2 recovery file for each CD using a 10% redundancy.
4. WinRAR the FLAC and PAR2 files using "store" compression method and 1% recovery data.
5. Burn *.rar files on DVD-R.
In all my years of burning CD-R and DVD-R, I've never had one go bad, nor have I ever had the need to use par2 files to recovery anything. The only time par2 files seem to be of any use is when I'm in the newgroups and a downloaded binary is corrupt or incomplete. This whole process of adding par2 files to DVD-R is probably non-sense and a waste of space in the long-run. The liklihood of ever needing them is probably not worth the time, effort, and space. JMHO.
Daffy
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271267"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
That's great Daffy, exactly what I originally asked for but I am now convinced that the method Ollie originally suggested in this thread would offer better protection because the PAR files would be stored on a different medium it's less likely they will also become corrupt. Also you only ever have to extract & recover 1 file which seems more convenient to me.
I think Liekloo, geopoul, & myself can all agree that if you want to create PAR files based on an ISO you should go thorugh the steps listed below:- Burn the data to be backed-up on DVD-R
- Extract the data with DVD Decrypter in ISO mode
- Create PAR recovery files based on the ISO
- Burn the PAR files with a copy of DVD Decrypter on CD-R
- If corruption occurs extract the corrupt ISO with DVD Decrypter
- Copy PAR files to same directory & begin recovery
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271276"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
This seems like a lot of work and use of media just to store data/audio on DVD-R. I would think that technology changes would render this process obsolete before you would ever need to use the PAR recovery files. That assumes, however, you use high quality DVD-R and protect your media from the elements of danger (dogs, kids, harsh weather conditions, excessive handling, etc.).
However, contrary to my opinion, if this level of protection is necessary and desired I like this approach. What settings would you use for the creation of the PAR file? I would think the block size would be a very large multiple of 2048 since you plan on using the entire CD-R to burn the PAR file and your source file is a ~ 4.5mb *.iso file. Also, if you use 700mb CD-R a 15% redundancy level can be used (700/4500). Finally, for extra protection you can buy dual DVD cases (or dual CD cases if you need the space) and keep both the DVD-R back-up and CD-R recovery disc together. All you would have to do then is wait for some type of corruption to set in to see if it was worth the effort.....oops, there I go again.
I tried it and it works! A bit unexpected, because I expected the paths would make recovery impossible, but that worry appears to be unjustified). Thanks for pointing this out, geopaul.
This makes it a good alternative to Westgroveg's method above. Pro: no ISO extraction needed (initially). Con: during recovery, only files are recovered (no directories).
Wait a minute! Are you saying, that when par2 set is created from files themself (from all files on DVD), and then you extract DVD to an ISO, and feed Quickpar with that ISO, does Quickpar recover files?
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271346"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Well, I tried this. My block size setting was 524288 bytes (512 kbyte) in Quickpar. The files were not audio files, they were random size and random type files. I created 10 % redundancy par2s. Then I generated a corrupt ISO (extracted 92% segment of the ISO with Isobuster.). Then I put this Iso segment and par2 files to one folders, and run Quickpar.
The result is interesting: only about half of the files were restored, however there was enough par2 data. The reason: there were many small files in the original files, which were smaller than block size (512 kbyte). So this method works, but it's important to set Quickpar options according to the files. If files are bigger files (for example flac images), then there is more chance to recover with this method.
However ISO based PAR2 creation seems to more safe to me.
That is a good remark.
To make sure everyone follows:
When PAR2 data is made from separate files, the files are padded with zeros untill they are an exact multiple of the blocksize. In other words: the efficiency drops (efficiency is displayed in Quickpar) to for example 70% which means that with 100MB of PAR2 data you can restore only 70MB of files. In other words your PARs are worth less than you might think. This explains the previous post.
Solution: for small files you should set either the blocksize low (ideally a fraction of the smallest filesize) but this is often not practical (PAR2 computation takes ages).
Alternative: avoid the number of small files or include them in a ZIP archive.
... or in an ISO
Another remark on same method referred to in the previous post: I suppose it will not work for files carrying the same filename (because recovery outputs them into the same folder = overwriting I suppose).
I like this approach. What settings would you use for the creation of the PAR file? I would think the block size would be a very large multiple of 2048 since you plan on using the entire CD-R to burn the PAR file and your source file is a ~ 4.5gb *.iso file. Also, if you use 700mb CD-R a 15% redundancy level can be used (700/4500).
blocksize: The smaller the better, but the more computation time (for PAR creation). In practice you'd play around with the blocksize in Quickpar untill you get an acceptable computation time. Very probably you would end up with blocksize ~ MB. The more PAR data the more time so the bigger your blocksize. In practice people use anything from 512kB to 16MB.
% redundancy: a figure I hear a lot is 10%. IMHO what you need depends on your method. In the best case (=restore via ISO extraction), I think this is overkill (e.g. I plan to use about 2%). In the worst case (= restore without ISO extraction AND one PAR set per folder) 10% might be not enough since this would allow you to restore only 10% of a folder, while a scratch can do much more harm I'd guess.
Let's take this topic into a new interesting direction:
Some of us would like to create PARs right away, without ISO extraction.
using burnatonce to compile and burn the ISO and isobuster to extract it, you get identical MD5s... at least with CD-Rs...
Don't know if this is the case for DVDs...
ISO
compilation is probably faster than ISO
extraction (at least I hope so - I have never compiled an ISO so far). So, with a little luck we can speed up our procedure.
When PAR2 data is made from separate files, the files are padded with zeros untill they are an exact multiple of the blocksize. In other words: the efficiency drops (efficiency is displayed in Quickpar) to for example 70% which means that with 100MB of PAR2 data you can restore only 70MB of files. In other words your PARs are worth less than you might think. This explains the previous post.
Yeah. When I created par2 based on ISO, efficiency was 99%, but when I created par2 based on files themself with same redundancy, the efficiency was only 80%. That's why I couldn't restore all the files.
If the disk fails, then:
a) Copy off as many of the files as you can still read, and if you can get partial files then so much the better.
b) Make as good of an ISO of the disc as you can (doesn't matter if you drop data or zero it, QuickPar can cope with either), and rename the ISO to PAR2.
c) Run Quickpar and feed it that "PAR2" to recover the set.
Seems like it should work fine to me. Unless I'm missing something.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=270995"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I can't see why doing both a & b? Only one of them is necessary. And why renaming iso to par2?
Because a) is to get as many good files as you can, and b) is to recover the rest of them.
The idea here is that a PAR2 file comes in sets. So by ripping the ISO, you get as many PAR2 blocks from the single set you've created as you can get, and then rebuild all the missing files you couldn't get from step a) by using the PAR2 blocks you got in step b).
If i followed your scheme then in case of disc failure i would just make an iso and try to copy from the damaged disc any of par2 files. Then i would open the par2 file and feed the iso to QuickPar.[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271033"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
But that's unnecessary, if you only have one big PAR2 file on the disc. QuickPAR works based on sets. By feeding the ISO to it as a PAR2 file, it'll get every possible PAR2 block out of the disk that it can, but only if you have one, and only one, PAR2 set in that ISO. Then this can be used to recover all the files you couldn't get from a).
blocksize: The smaller the better, but the more computation time (for PAR creation). In practice you'd play around with the blocksize in Quickpar untill you get an acceptable computation time. Very probably you would end up with blocksize ~ MB. The more PAR data the more time so the bigger your blocksize. In practice people use anything from 512kB to 16MB.
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271398"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Further more, if you select smaller block size then there would be a bigger overhead in the par2 files. If it hadn't been for the overhead, the ideal choice of block size would be 1 byte.
If the disk fails, then:
a) Copy off as many of the files as you can still read, and if you can get partial files then so much the better.
b) Make as good of an ISO of the disc as you can (doesn't matter if you drop data or zero it, QuickPar can cope with either), and rename the ISO to PAR2.
c) Run Quickpar and feed it that "PAR2" to recover the set.
Seems like it should work fine to me. Unless I'm missing something.
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I can't see why doing both a & b? Only one of them is necessary. And why renaming iso to par2?
Because a) is to get as many good files as you can, and b) is to recover the rest of them.
The idea here is that a PAR2 file comes in sets. So by ripping the ISO, you get as many PAR2 blocks from the single set you've created as you can get, and then rebuild all the missing files you couldn't get from step a) by using the PAR2 blocks you got in step b).
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If you extract the iso (as good as you can) then it will contain both good files and good PAR2 blocks. So there's no need to perform both a) and b). Just create 2 copies of the iso and rename then one of them to PAR2. Then open open this "PAR2" and feed to QuickPar the ISO.
[span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%']To sum up:[/span]
Method A(for those who like to keep the par2 set together with the files):
A1) Create the directory structure in whatever way you like
A2) Search for *.* and throw all files to QuickPar
A3) Create as much recovery blocks as you can
A4) Burn all the files and PAR2 sets in the same disc
In case of disc failure:
a1) Read the (possibly damaged) iso image of the disc with DVDDecrypter or IsoBuster
a2) Create a copy of this iso and rename it to *.PAR2
a3) Double-click this "PAR2" and feed to QuickPar the ISO
Alternative recovery process:
a'1) Copy as many files you can either with explorer or with isobuster
a'2) Double-click any of the par2 files
a'3) Click "Add" button in quickpar and add all the files copied both the actual files and the par2, even the damaged ones.
I recomend the a? recovery method since explorer cannot do partial copying.
Method B(for those who like to keep the par2 set separately from the files):
B1) Burn a cd/dvd with whatever data you like
B2) Read the iso with DVDDecrypter or IsoBuster and create for that iso a par2 set
or
B'1) Create an iso of whatever data you like
B'2) Burn the iso to a cd/dvd
B'3) Read the iso with DVDDecrypter or IsoBuster and create for that iso a par2 set
Remark: if you notice that iso's in B1 and B3 are identical (you can check that with fc /b command in the Command Prompt) then omit the reading of the iso in step B3.
In case of disc failure:
b1) Read the iso with DVDDecrypter or IsoBuster and try to repair using the separately stored par2 sets
Method CC1) Put all source files inside a truecrypt (http://truecrypt.sourceforge.net/) container
C2) Create as much recovery blocks as you can for this truecrypt container
C3) Burn both par2 set & truecrypt container in the same disc
In case of disc failure:
either a? or a'?
Method C*Same as above except that you put all source files in an iso and burn it as a file along with the par2 set in a single cd/dvd.
Short comparison of the 3 methodsQuickPar pads all files in order to make their sizes an exact multiple of the block size. Hence, if you use method A and there are many small files then "source data" will be much more than the "actual data" resulting in lower recovery efficiency. Thus method B is more effective than A. C is somehow between A and B since everything is burned in a single disc and still all source files are treated as a single file. Moreover there are no problems with filename lengths.
General remarks- The more recovery block the more time needed for par2 creation
- The smaller the recovery block the more time needed for par2 creation
- The more recovery block the greatest the recovery efficiency
- The smaller the recovery block the greatest the recovery efficiency
- Don't forget to set the following option:
Preferred block size -> Exact: 2048
and check always the "restict block size to multiples..." checkbox in quickpar's main window.
Method D ("Advanved method") This method is still in beta version! don't use it!
D1) Create an iso of whatever data you like and name it "1.iso"
D2) Create a par2 set for "1.iso"
D3) Create an iso containg solely the par2 files and name it "2.iso"
D4) Create the following cue-sheet
FILE "1.ISO" BINARY
TRACK 01 MODE1/2048
INDEX 01 00:00:00
POSTGAP 00:02:00
FILE "2.ISO" BINARY
TRACK 02 MODE1/2048
INDEX 01 00:00:00
POSTGAP 00:02:00
and store it in the same directory as "1.iso" and "2.iso"
D5) Burn the cue sheet
In case of disc failure:
d1) Open isobuster and save each of the two tracks in a separate iso (named: "1.iso", "2.iso")
d2) Rename "2.iso" to "2.par2"
d3) Double-click "2.iso" and feed "1.iso" to QuickPar
I tag this method as a beta one because it seems it's not iso compliant. Windows will not read the second track (which is not necessarily bad) of the disc produced and nero cannot extract track 2 either. However, in all other respects (including recovery) this method is fine.
If you extract the iso (as good as you can) then it will contain both good files and good PAR2 blocks. So there's no need to perform both a) and b). Just create 2 copies of the iso and rename then one of them to PAR2. Then open open this "PAR2" and feed to QuickPar the ISO.
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For a lot of reasons:
1) Processing time. If your PAR2 is of the files in the ISO, then it has to rebuild the files from blocks it finds in the ISO. Whereas copying off what you can means that is less that the PAR program has to do.
2) If you're making a PAR of the ISO itself as a lot of people are talking about, then that's kinda putting the cart before the horse, isn't it? How can you make a PAR2 of an ISO when the PAR2 will be inside the ISO itself? If you put all your files on a disc and then make that into an ISO and then make a PAR2 of that and then burn the PAR2 to disk with the ISO, then the ISO has now changed, hasn't it?
However, the important bits here is to stick to one big PAR2 set. This allows you to get maximum value out of the broken ISO later, because of limitations in QuickPAR that only allow one set per "PAR2" file it reads.
For a lot of reasons:
1) Processing time. If your PAR2 is of the files in the ISO, then it has to rebuild the files from blocks it finds in the ISO. Whereas copying off what you can means that is less that the PAR program has to do.
2) If you're making a PAR of the ISO itself as a lot of people are talking about, then that's kinda putting the cart before the horse, isn't it? How can you make a PAR2 of an ISO when the PAR2 will be inside the ISO itself? If you put all your files on a disc and then make that into an ISO and then make a PAR2 of that and then burn the PAR2 to disk with the ISO, then the ISO has now changed, hasn't it?
[a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=271484"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
In case of damaged disc, reading from this disc is propably the most time-consuming procedure so i try to avoid doing it twice.
I was not talking about the case 2.
[span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%']To sum up:[/span]
Method A
...
Thanks for your summing up geopaul.
However a remark about method A: what if the same filename occurs in more than one folder? Only one will be restored I suppose. EDIT: no problem, i tested it and Quickpar makes sure every file has a different name.
General remarks
...
You might want to add the factor 'how many par
files'. The more files, the lower the efficiency. When recovering via simple windows explorer drag & drop, more par files on the DVD seems safer (in case you lose any), but it is not safer when recovering by ISO extraction (since damaged files can be extracted & used).
2) If you're making a PAR of the ISO itself as a lot of people are talking about, then that's kinda putting the cart before the horse, isn't it? How can you make a PAR2 of an ISO when the PAR2 will be inside the ISO itself? If you put all your files on a disc and then make that into an ISO and then make a PAR2 of that and then burn the PAR2 to disk with the ISO, then the ISO has now changed, hasn't it?
No, we are not talking about put par2 files INTO the ISO. We are saying create par2 based on ISO, and store par2 ON ANOTHER MEDIUM. (However it's also possible to store on the same medium, as geopoul pointed out in his Method D.)
I would like to see some comments on method D. Can someone propose a modification that will make it behave better with various programs? Is POSTGAP 00:02:00 really necessary?
I'm currently using an alternative to geopoul's method C:
1) Create .tar files from all top-level directories to go on the disc
2) Create .par files to fill up the rest of the space on the disc
3) Burn the .tar and .par files to the same disc
The advantage is that .par files are made from all files, directory structure is preserved, and you can use large blocksizes without losing much efficiency (I'm currently using 30MB blocks, efficiency is usually around 97%). It's also easy to check what's on the disc without needing extra software like TrueCrypt.
The disadvantage, of course, is that you have to unarchive the .tar files before you can get at the contents, so you can't play music files straight from the disc, for instance. As I'm using this for backup purposes and play music from the original CDs most of the time these days this doesn't bother me.