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  1. Member
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    I have a data DVD with 3 TS files on it which I can not access. I've used a number of freeware data recovery apps and actually purchased IsoBuster for one last chance at gaining access. None of the freeware apps would go any further than telling me, within moments, that nothing could be done. IsoBuster on the other hand wanted to scour the disk for info.

    IsoBuster took nearly 5 days of continual disk reading to complete that portion of the process by way of transferring the data to an image file on my HDD. At this point IsoBuster advised there were gaps in the data and would like to reread those portions in an attempt to recover the still missing data. I ran that option but had no luck recovering any of the 131 missing chunks. What I did at this point was copy the recovered image file to another computer to attempt finishing recovery using a different optical drive. Unfortunately this ended with the same results of 0/131 recovered missing chunks.

    So, right now I have the IsoBuster recovered image file on disk (4.21 GB) but the application does not allow me to recover or even view any of the available data. Does anyone know if there might be a way with IsoBuster or any other program to save (or view) any parts or pieces of these files? I was looking at IsoPuzzle as a possibility but it looks to have not been supported since 2008 so was hoping to hear of something (or some idea) more likely to work.

    Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
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  2. Dinosaur Supervisor KarMa's Avatar
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    5 days, wow. Assuming this is a video file, then it should still be decodable even if damaged. I would try dvd decrypter as it allows you to set how many times it will try and read the data until it gives up on it and just accepts the small chunk of errored data. I had a DVD-R that a dog got a hold of, and scratched it all over the ground a decade ago. A few weeks ago I took that DVD-R and after 2 days managed to get it fully ripped. It had a lot of damage to the video but still fully playable. So you probably won't get a perfect copy.

    http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/dvddec-options.htm
    Last edited by KarMa; 1st Jan 2016 at 02:03.
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  3. Member
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    Much appreciate the reply!

    Yeah, 5 days was a test of patience...then a real let down when I could proceed no further. You are correct in that they are transport stream video files (3).

    I've begun giving DVD Decrypter a try. The first run was with default settings and after 20 minutes it returned a "Parsing Failed" error. I immediately retried, changing only the "Ignore Read Errors" to YES, and 15 minutes later it returned another "Parsing Failed" error. I'll set it up one additional time with a much larger than default of 20 retries and see if I can't finally wear out my BRD-Writer.

    It just seems so odd that I can't extract any of these files (good or bad) to disk in order to give me some chance at recovering anything (if even only small slivers of content). I'm trying to understand how an optical disk differs from a HDD which over the years I've been able to always recover the vast majority of data after a MFT or Partition Table (or the like) corruption. It would be hard for me to believe the entire disk is trashed. While it is a few years I do do verification after every burn so it was a viable disk at one time along with being stored safely in the meantime.
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  4. This may almost sound too simple but it really does make a difference. Have you tried different DVD drives on computers you have access to. Some just do a superior job reading damaged discs. If you only have one at home I am sure you know someone with a computer with a DVD drive. This applies for both discs with visible damage and those that do not. I have seen this many times with machines in my own home. Newer does not always mean better. Even if it does not eliminate all errors, it may reduce them. Is the problem with scratches or some other source of damage. Polishing may help deep scratches.
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  5. Member
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    Appreciate your input svcdmaker!

    As it happens I have had opportunity to use multiple drives on two different computers. These included 2 BRD drives, one relatively new the other about a year old. Then, for old-school, I have also attempted recovery using two different DVD drives which have been around a while. Mind you, this was with IsoBuster but I'll definitely be taking your advice and do the same while using DVD Decrypter.

    Viewing the disk, as expected, the read surface is in near-mint condition while close inspection of the dye layer exhibits none of the tell-tale imperfections of a definitely failed disk.

    I'll continue to plod along and gladly accept any additional suggestions.
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  6. Well, your data just may be corrupted. In that case recovering it could be easy as making a bin/cue, which is an "image" of the CD. A .bin file contains all the data of the cd in one file, which you can mount as a drive or just view contents just like looking at a cd in your cdrom drive. The cue file lists the tracks and if you put the two together, you can reburn the exact same cd from the image.

    Programs like Alcohol 120% are awesome. It lets you create images, mount them as a virtual cdrom drive (eg D and burn cd images to a real cd of any type. Will work for DVD's too. Just remember making an image takes up as much space on your harddrive as the DVD itself is.

    The reason why i would say choose to make an image as raw data and store to bin/cue is because you can hide the list of tracks and then view the contents of the bin file, if one file is corrupt than you lose that file but not others, and you may be able to recover other data or even the corrupt file.

    Now if your data isn't corrupt try viewing the cd in another DVD-R or DVD-RW drive that is fairly new. Sometimes it may only work on its type of drives.
    Last edited by acheter; 27th May 2016 at 07:55.
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  7. If all methods fail, can you play the DVD in a DVD Player and capture the stream using a capture card? I guess set-top DVD Players are more forgiving than computer DVD drives.
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