Salvaging a CD-R

[Mike Rivers[_2_]]

I remember doing this once, years ago, but don't remember what i used or
even what the problem was. I have a CD-R that won't read that I'd like
to try to salvage. Yeah, I know about backups. I think a copy is still
at the "other place," but it's 500 miles away so I'd like to try to
resurrect it here.

The disk has two WAV files (parts of a concert recording from 2005). It
will read the table of contents (the file names) and one will start to
load, but quits after about 30 seconds. The drive stops, then re-starts,
it tries again, then stops again etc. There's no visible damage on the
disk surface

Seems when I had this problem before, I used a program (Windows) that
grabbed what it could and saved it to a file that I could then use, with
not much loss. It might have been EAC (Exact Audio Copy) or CD
Extractor. I haven't looked for current versions of either yet but I
will. Just looking for any experience with later CD rescues.


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For a good time, visit http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com

[polymod]

"Mike Rivers" > wrote in message
...
>I remember doing this once, years ago, but don't remember what i used or
>even what the problem was. I have a CD-R that won't read that I'd like to
>try to salvage. Yeah, I know about backups. I think a copy is still at the
>"other place," but it's 500 miles away so I'd like to try to resurrect it
>here.
>
> The disk has two WAV files (parts of a concert recording from 2005). It
> will read the table of contents (the file names) and one will start to
> load, but quits after about 30 seconds. The drive stops, then re-starts,
> it tries again, then stops again etc. There's no visible damage on the
> disk surface
>
> Seems when I had this problem before, I used a program (Windows) that
> grabbed what it could and saved it to a file that I could then use, with
> not much loss. It might have been EAC (Exact Audio Copy) or CD Extractor.
> I haven't looked for current versions of either yet but I will. Just
> looking for any experience with later CD rescues.

Recovery Toolbox for CD free should work. I had two DVDs that became
unreadable with all my computers. Had the same stop-go problem you
described.
The program is slooooooooow. Might even take a few hours to grab the data,
but it's worked for me every time.
http://tinyurl.com/m5lpgm5

Poly

[Mike Rivers[_2_]]

On 12/30/2013 8:47 AM, polymod wrote:

> Recovery Toolbox for CD free should work. I had two DVDs that became
> unreadable with all my computers. Had the same stop-go problem you
> described.

Thanks for the tip. I'll add that one to my toolbox just in case. My
memory kicked in and I remembered that the program I'd used for this job
in the past was Isobuster. I ran it on the CD and it reported an
unreadable sector, and another one after I told it to ignore it and go
on. After a few, I checked the Ignore All box, went off to look at the
newspaper, and came back to find my recovered file. Same thing on the
second file on the disk.

I didn't listen critically but a modest check didn't reveal any big
pieces missing. I suppose on close listen I might find some clicks where
there should have been a sample, but at this point it's not critical.
There's one song where it speeds up for a bit and then comes back to
normal speed - could be a whole bunch of missing samples, or it could be
that the band actually played it that way. It's musical, anyway.

So, this time, a success.




--
For a good time, visit http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com

[Tom McCreadie]

Mike Rivers wrote:
>
>The disk has two WAV files (parts of a concert recording from 2005). It
>will read the table of contents (the file names) and one will start to
>load, but quits after about 30 seconds. The drive stops, then re-starts,
>it tries again, then stops again etc. There's no visible damage on the
>disk surface
>
>Seems when I had this problem before, I used a program (Windows) that
>grabbed what it could and saved it to a file that I could then use, with
>not much loss. It might have been EAC (Exact Audio Copy) or CD
>Extractor. I haven't looked for current versions of either yet but I
>will. Just looking for any experience with later CD rescues.

Mike, please clarify, for I'm unsure whether you have:

a) an 'audio CD' (built from two wav files; plays in a conventional cd player)
or
b) a 'data CD' (filename1.wav & filename2.wav copied to the cd; not directly
playable on a conventional CD player, but playable via pc software or media
players)

From your mention of EAC and your terminology: "table of contents", it seems
that you had 'a'? For long-term archiving on optical discs, though, option 'b'
is more suitable, as its extra bit redundancy allows more powerful error
correction.

Check out Isobuster -I've had some luck there...with data cd recovery
__
Tom McCreadie

[PStamler]

When I had similar problems, I passed the disc on to a friend who has a Linux machine, which read the dubious file accurately and quickly. The same friend was able to read a hard drive that Windows refused to recognize, and copy it to a new one. If you run into the problem again, you might try that.

Peace,
Paul

[Frank Stearns]

Mike Rivers > writes:

>I remember doing this once, years ago, but don't remember what i used or
>even what the problem was. I have a CD-R that won't read that I'd like
>to try to salvage. Yeah, I know about backups. I think a copy is still
>at the "other place," but it's 500 miles away so I'd like to try to
>resurrect it here.

>The disk has two WAV files (parts of a concert recording from 2005). It
>will read the table of contents (the file names) and one will start to
>load, but quits after about 30 seconds. The drive stops, then re-starts,
>it tries again, then stops again etc. There's no visible damage on the
>disk surface

>Seems when I had this problem before, I used a program (Windows) that
>grabbed what it could and saved it to a file that I could then use, with
>not much loss. It might have been EAC (Exact Audio Copy) or CD
>Extractor. I haven't looked for current versions of either yet but I
>will. Just looking for any experience with later CD rescues.

Any idea what might be causing the errors? Scratches (or other mechanical damage)
or chemistry failure (surface looks okay but still produces the errors)?

If the former, mechanical damage, there are some relatively benign treatments you
can try. A shop in my old area, Portland, OR, invented something called "Clarity"
which came in a spritz bottle. Mist the CD or CDR, wipe gently with a lint-free
cloth, and that was it. (I believe they're long out of business, but a web search
might turn up something similar.)

Stuff has worked time and again to recover damaged CDs, CDrs, and DVDs.

I think it was mostly glass cleaner and that photo-flow stuff used in photography.
Seems that it "smoothed" some of the optic disruptions from mechanical damage just
enough to recover a more usable amount of data.

Of course, it couldn't fix everything, but more than once I'd been surprised how
well it did work, especially with mistreated Cds and DVDs from the library.

Good luck with it,

Frank
Mobile Audio

--

[Tom McCreadie]

Frank Stearns wrote:

>Any idea what might be causing the errors? Scratches (or other mechanical damage)
>or chemistry failure (surface looks okay but still produces the errors)?
>
>If the former, mechanical damage, there are some relatively benign treatments you
>can try. A shop in my old area, Portland, OR, invented something called "Clarity"
>which came in a spritz bottle. Mist the CD or CDR, wipe gently with a lint-free
>cloth, and that was it. (I believe they're long out of business, but a web search
>might turn up something similar.)
>
>Stuff has worked time and again to recover damaged CDs, CDrs, and DVDs.
>
>I think it was mostly glass cleaner and that photo-flow stuff used in photography.
>Seems that it "smoothed" some of the optic disruptions from mechanical damage just
>enough to recover a more usable amount of data.
>

I suspect it was more a case of removing opaque grease blotches than of
reworking structural imperfections. For I've managed to coax many a reluctant cd
back into life by a routine akin to how I clean my spectacles:
wet the surfaces; add a tiny drop of mild dishwash detergent; massage between
thumb and forefinger; rinse under lukewarm running water; shake; dab dry with
shirt tail :-)

And then there are guys who swear by toothpaste & soft toothbrush.

[Mike Rivers[_2_]]

On 12/30/2013 12:22 PM, Tom McCreadie wrote:
> Mike, please clarify, for I'm unsure whether you have:
>
> a) an 'audio CD' (built from two wav files; plays in a conventional cd player)
> or
> b) a 'data CD' (filename1.wav & filename2.wav copied to the cd;

Sorry about not being clear here. It's a data CD, plain WAV files copied
to the CD-R, not a playable audio CD. Backup of the recording, not a
real people CD. Probably my use of "table of contents" was incorrect, as
I know that has a special meaning for an audio CD. What I meant was that
Windows could display the file names but would fail to copy either one
or open it in Sound Forge. There was no error messages displayed, only
that the drive would stop spinning, then restart, then stop, then
restart, and I finally got tired of it trying.

> Check out Isobuster -I've had some luck there...with data cd recovery

I remembered Isobuster from a previous time when I had a problem with a
CD-R that didn't work. Isobuster at least told me that it couldn't read
a sector, and then another one, and then another one, so I told it to
ignore all and it I ended up with two usable files. There are probably a
few missing samples here and there, but I expect that what it left me
with is no worse for wear than a phonograph recordd that had been played
for 50 years. ;)


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For a good time, visit http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com

[Mike Rivers[_2_]]

On 12/30/2013 1:20 PM, Nil wrote:

> It might be due to the different optical drives rather than an OS
> thing. I've had plenty of discs that couldn't be read on one drive but
> did OK on another.

I had hoped that would be the case, but I got the same results with
every drive in the house.


--
For a good time, visit http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com

[Mike Rivers[_2_]]

On 12/30/2013 1:04 PM, Frank Stearns wrote:

> Any idea what might be causing the errors? Scratches (or other mechanical damage)
> or chemistry failure (surface looks okay but still produces the errors)?

Nope. No obvious surface damage. Could be chemistry failure, or it could
be that it was never good from the beginning. I don't check these
things. I never worried about backing up analog tape, so it's a big step
for me to make, store, and keep track of another copy of a recording
just for backup. At least I do it some time, but I consider it more like
insurance in that I'm counting on never having to need it. I could be
more rigorous with backups, of course, but it's not my nature.

At least one other person has an audio CD made from the recording, but
then HE has to find it.

> If the former, mechanical damage, there are some relatively benign treatments you
> can try.

A green Magic Marker? When CDs were new, I remember a story from our
Sony rep (back when he was a good person to know) about when he was
giving demos in a hotel suite at a trade show and challenged visitors to
do something to a CD to make it not play. People scratched it with keys
and scribbled on it will a ball point pen and it still played. Then
someone took a handful of sand out of one of those ash trays that hotels
used to have in the elevator lobby and rubbed that on the surface.
Finally, the CD didn't play. So my friend took it into the bathroom, put
a dab of toothpaste on it, polished it with his thumb, and the CD
played. If there was surface damage, it was far more subtle than that.

Isobuster was willing to ignore what it couldn't read and re-assemble a
playable file.


--
For a good time, visit http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com

[Nomen Nescio]

Mike,

Infra-Recorder saved my ass numerous times.
Infra-Recorder (free updated utility)
http://infrarecorder.org

a. copy the file in question with the above. Has an error checking dooly
wah. b. Copy the new file into your digital editor and
edit out the glitches. Kind of like picking off fleas.

Tougher problems coupled with the above if you have the acumen and
patience?
A good old hex editor.
Frhed 1.7.1 (2009-07-30) (free) http://frhed.sourceforge.net

b. re-assemble the wave file, if you know how with the above.
the errors will look like ........................... but
not like the one pictured in the screen shot below.
http://frhed.sourceforge.net/en/screenshots

The errors will be longer and simpler to edit.

Good luck.

[Adrian Tuddenham[_2_]]

Mike Rivers > wrote:

> On 12/30/2013 1:04 PM, Frank Stearns wrote:
>
> > Any idea what might be causing the errors? Scratches (or other
> > mechanical damage) or chemistry failure (surface looks okay but still
> > produces the errors)?
>
> Nope. No obvious surface damage.

A thin film of grease or oil would be invisible to the eye but opaque to
infra-red.

Some friends found that none of their CDRs would play after they had a
frying pan fire in their house; although no contamination was visible,
the lenses in the players had become coated with a film of grease. They
were perfectly OK again after cleaning with Isopropanol.

Perhaps something similar is coating your disc. (Cigarette smoke film,
fingerprints, vapourising perfume oil, candle vapour?)



--
~ Adrian Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk

[Mike Rivers[_2_]]

On 12/31/2013 5:29 AM, Adrian Tuddenham wrote:
> Some friends found that none of their CDRs would play after they had a
> frying pan fire in their house; although no contamination was visible,
> the lenses in the players had become coated with a film of grease. They
> were perfectly OK again after cleaning with Isopropanol.
>
> Perhaps something similar is coating your disc. (Cigarette smoke film,
> fingerprints, vapourising perfume oil, candle vapour?)

Not likely. The CD, after it was burned, went directly into a "cake box"
along with other CDs from this 3-times-a-year event. I suspect that it
was faulty when it went into storage and I just never knew it.

I suppose I should set the default to "verify after burning" so I don't
forget.

I was looking around the web for a CD analysis program, something that
would tell me the same thing, maybe more, that Isobuster did - that
there were unreadable sectors, how many, and maybe even what file the
contents of those sectors was part of. I found one program called
CDCheck that wasn't very informative. It only told me that the two files
were unreadable. I already knew that.


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For a good time, visit http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com

[Tom McCreadie]

Mike Rivers wrote:
>
>I was looking around the web for a CD analysis program, something that
>would tell me the same thing, maybe more, that Isobuster did - that
>there were unreadable sectors, how many, and maybe even what file the
>contents of those sectors was part of. I found one program called
>CDCheck that wasn't very informative. It only told me that the two files
>were unreadable. I already knew that.

Check out 'CD/DVD Diagnostic' from InfinaDyne. There's a free evaluation version
that should give a thorough report of missing files, unreadable sectors - but
the paid version is required for any subsequent extraction or repair of such.

I only had its predecessor: 'CD-R Diagnostic'. N.B. many CD diagnostic programs
appear to be hung when they are merely engaged in multiple read retries
(sometimes complicated by CD reader timeouts). The intensity of the disk
examination is often configurable, though.

[Mike Rivers[_2_]]

On 12/31/2013 11:27 AM, Tom McCreadie wrote:

> Check out 'CD/DVD Diagnostic' from InfinaDyne. There's a free evaluation version
> that should give a thorough report of missing files, unreadable sectors - but
> the paid version is required for any subsequent extraction or repair of such.

> I only had its predecessor: 'CD-R Diagnostic'.

Looks interesting, but when I tried to run the evaluation version it
said the free license had expired. I downloaded it from the InfinaDyne
web site figuring that was the legitimate version. Google showed a bunch
of "torrent" downloads but I don't even know how to download them. I
assume they're bootlegs.


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For a good time, visit http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com