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  1. Does anyone know if there's any way to recover files on a DVD that is struggling to play?. I have a number of DVD discs with videos on them that I burned on my DVD writer years ago (some where recorded on my Panasonic DVD recorder), and despite most of them being stored in cases and cake tubs, the majority of them have scratches and lines underneath, and quite a few won't read/play or struggle to play certain files within the DVD structure. I have tried ISO Buster to try and recover the unreadable files, but even that fails and only manages to recover part of the file or the files that havent been damaged which can be easily copied to an HDD.

    Why do so many discs end up like this when they have been stored and haven't been subjected to dust?. Is this down to the type of storage cases, laser/disc rot or something else?. To think I have Beta tapes that are 40 years old and they will still play. The DVD has never been a reliable media, more so blank media.
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    It wouldn't hurt to give Isobuster a try.
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  3. Originally Posted by mail2tom View Post
    It wouldn't hurt to give Isobuster a try.
    I tried it but it couldn't retrieved the bad sectors of the DVD
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  4. I'm a Super Moderator johns0's Avatar
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    Since you said the majority of discs have scratches and lines means they were subject to damage by maybe a faulty burner,dust would not produce scratches or lines unless it was contaminated.If non the programs can extract anything then you are out of luck.
    I think,therefore i am a hamster.
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  5. Originally Posted by johns0 View Post
    Since you said the majority of discs have scratches and lines means they were subject to damage by maybe a faulty burner,dust would not produce scratches or lines unless it was contaminated.If non the programs can extract anything then you are out of luck.
    When I burn a DVD using my Freecom external DVD writer the disc is always nice and shiny on the underside. The scratches and lines seem to appear over time whether or not I keep them stored unplayed for a long time or play them regularly, and the majority of the discs go back into their cases or in the cake tubs. I have never noticed a burned DVD with scratches or marks on them immediately after a burn, unless they already had them prior to burning. It maybe that the scratches occur when the discs are stored and maybe contact and rubbing together with other discs .

    Admittedly though, I do tend to see this more when they are stored on top of each other in a cake tubs rather than when they are in single or dual cases, though I still have many single stored discs that have scratches, some maybe very minor. Or it could be dust or small particles on the plastic case gets onto the discs and creates scratch marks and lines, or likely because the discs have been spinning around in the tub when the tub has been carried and moved about and it's put scratches and lines on them. The only discs that seem to be less prone to this are my retail DVDs that are stored in those hard plastic Amaray cases. I think blank media discs are far inferior to the media that the film companies use for commercial DVDs and Blurays.
    Last edited by techmot; 14th Jan 2025 at 16:10.
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  6. I'm a Super Moderator johns0's Avatar
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    I have dvd/cd that still play after 20+years.i have never heard of properly stored dvds getting scratches and lines.
    I think,therefore i am a hamster.
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  7. Originally Posted by johns0 View Post
    I have dvd/cd that still play after 20+years.i have never heard of properly stored dvds getting scratches and lines.
    Well I have, sadly. I do get scratch marks on retail DVDs, but that's down to them not being put back in cases or put marks on them by touching them.
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