I am hoping you can help me. I am trying to restore files my daughter created with Roxio 6. She backed up files onto 4 DVDs. I can view them in Windows explorer and even copy them individually back onto her hard drive. However, a few of the files she backed up are larger than 4 gig (some of her home movies) and spanned two disks. These appear as .tmp files on the disks. The "Retrieve" application (6.1.1.42) was located on the discs, and although the autorun doesn't open it, manually opening it brings it up, noting that some files were split and Retrieve is the only way to restore them properly.

It shows the source disk and that it is a 4 disk set. It lists this disk in the lower left window and allows me to "check" it. When I do, the "click to copy selected files" button in the lower right turns blue. Problem is, there are no files in the right pane. If I manually go through the process by right clicking and selecting either copy or retrieve, the process asks for a location and then appears to complete acknowledging that it was successful. There just are never any files appearing in "Retrieve" for any of the four disks, and nothing ever goes to the directory it "thinks" it copied to. I also have Roxio 10, but it looks for an index file during the restore process, not the inf files that are on these discs.

Each disk has the Retrieve application and ini, along with the $OVRSPN$.INF and autorun.inf files. I do have to manually run Retrieve from the Windows Explorer. I loaded the older Roxio Version 6 to see if there was a problem with the Retrieve application on the disks she created, but with the same result.

The disk structure appears intact and all files are accessible, I just can't get the spanned files together without Retrieve "seeing" them. Use Kaspersky Internet Security 2009, but have tried with it off also. No change.

Running a Dell 745 PC, Windows XP Professional SP3, Samsung TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-S203N DVD reader/writer.

I'm sure there is something simple I am missing, but have run out of ideas so thought I would ask the experts. Any help is appreciated.

*********
Additional Information: Okay, maybe it isn't something simple... On digging into the difference between two different sets, the problem one doesn't have "PathTable" or "Layout" Information in the $OVRSPN$.INF file. I'm guessing that is not a good thing My next question is what if anything can be done. Is there another copy embedded in the disk (fingers crossed) similiar to a MFT on a hard drive? What about combining the tmp files manually? Is it possible that these files are identical in structure to "bin" files and that they could be combined from DOS? Any suggestions appreciated at this point..

Out of town for a few days and my PC w/V6 didn’t come with me

Auto Start is a function of your PC, not the disc. Manual starting is quite normal and does not indicate any problem.

Working from old memory, you must expand the tree to see any files, just like you do in Explorer.

Did you double click the root directory to see what is inside???

As I recall each disc contains a full set of info showing what is on the backup SET. Not just what is on the disc… But use Disc 1 in case I am wrong – locate the spanned file and recover it. Follow the prompts at that point.

I know of no way to recover split files without using the program, which is why none of us recommend it.

Thanks for the fast reply. Hope your trip is pleasure and not business. I appreciate you taking the time to help me. However, I am starting the see the letters TITANIC on the side of the ship I am in and I don't think that is a good thing.

Bad news... After delving fully into this, it is apparent that for whatever reason, when the disks were created, the file structure did not make it's way into the INF and ini files that are placed on each disk.

That probably means it will become a "challenge" to see what, if any I can retrieve of the spanned files.

Good news... The other files are all fine and can be pulled off with Explorer. No disk problems so at least I have good files to work with. Probably better off than some who have "garbage" to try and retrieve.

To fully answer your response:

"Working from old memory, you must expand the tree to see any files, just like you do in Explorer.

Did you double click the root directory to see what is inside???"

Your old memory is working just fine. Unfortunately, there is no "tree". Just the disk number. That must be the result of missing info in those files. It has nothing to show. Again, good news is program works fully, it just can't figure out what is on the disks or where.

As I recall each disc contains a full set of info showing what is on the backup SET. Not just what is on the disc… But use Disc 1 in case I am wrong – locate the spanned file and recover it. Follow the prompts at that point.

Unfortunately, the info is the same for all disks. It provides information relative to that disk and its place in the set along with the information concerning the entire set. In my case, the file looks fine but just "dead stops" before listing the "path and files" contained in the set. Hex editor shows it to be just blanked out with zeros. Again, good news is that it is a text file and the syntax seems simple within the file. I have a concern that all parts of the spanned files aren't going to be sequentially written. If that is the case, pulling it off and reburning just the spanned files seems to be the only possibility.


I know of no way to recover split files without using the program, which is why none of us recommend it.

Understand fully. (I have since bought my daughter a much larger hard drive and a backup drive to prevent having to use disks.) Since all the files themselves seem to be intact, just no listing to point the program to them, I hoped that similiar to the File Allocation Tables or MFTs on drives, this program might make more than one copy of the info set and place it somewhere on the disk as a backup. (May have given the original design too much credit.)

If none is found, your pinned info led me to another possible approach.

My strategy is to copy all the files on a hard drive, pull out just the spanned ones, and then re-burn them along with my redesigned info file set and hopefully trick the program into putting them back together thinking they were the only parts of a backup set. That should ensure that locations aren't that complicated for the file rebuilding. I hope to do all this on a "virtual drive" to simplify the process and reduce the time for changes.

If interested, will let you know any results.

I appreciate you guys (and ladies) taking the time to help people like me. The fact that you are willing to share your experience means a lot , and again, thanks for the quick response.

Yes that was going to be my next suggestion.

a Watch that the Volume number matches – in fact pay strict attention to the file structure.

I would also use an RW pair of discs.