8 replies to this topic

[jvm]

I have sonic record now version 7.  I had a DVD that I used for backing up data.  I was adding some data when it got almost it stopped and gave me some type of error message (something about unable to write all files).  I shut it down and tried restarting it but now it is like there is nothing on the disk.  Did it erase everything?

[Brendon]

If you can't see anything on the disc the directory or contents list may have been munted.

It might be worth your while to try a Non-ISO scanning program such as CDRoller (from www.cdroller.com) or ISOBuster (from www.isobuster.com). These programs don't rely on an ISO-compliant Table of Contents, but can scan and recover files independent of the TOC.

It has been a while since I visited those sites, but I believe they both offer a trial download which will let you see the names and numbers of files they can recover, so you can see if it's worth it to buy a full version to actually recover the files. It's certainly worth trying.

Regards,
Brendon

[jvm]

If you can't see anything on the disc the directory or contents list may have been munted.

It might be worth your while to try a Non-ISO scanning program such as CDRoller (from www.cdroller.com) or ISOBuster (from www.isobuster.com). These programs don't rely on an ISO-compliant Table of Contents, but can scan and recover files independent of the TOC.

It has been a while since I visited those sites, but I believe they both offer a trial download which will let you see the names and numbers of files they can recover, so you can see if it's worth it to buy a full version to actually recover the files. It's certainly worth trying.

Regards,
Brendon

i have a few of those programs and tried them with no luck.  i downloaded cdroller and the same thing, no files found.  it is just like it erased everything in an instant.  

jim

[lynn98109]

I might be wrong, but it sounds like you were using a formatted DVD/RW.

Neither Packet-Writing (which involves formatting a disc - and the formatting is different/incompatible with Roxio's Drag2Disc, Sonic's DLA, Nero's InCD, etc) nor RW media is stable.

RW media is "burned" by having an aluminum alloy melted and recrystalized, and it promptly starts to decrystalize which causes it to blank out eventually - usually months but can be days or weeks or years.

Packet-Writing can be fussy at best (demanding the exact same Operating System and program Version that wrote it), and can fail for any reason or none at all.

(more detail here - http://forums.support.roxio.com/index.php?showtopic=12382)

They say experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first and the lesson afterward.  You now have had the lesson on why to use Sessions-based writing (such as Roxio's Classic Creator, Sonic's Data Disc or the built-in WinXP burning), and R media if the data is something you want to KEEP.

Lynn

[jvm]

I know DVD's and CD's are temporary.  i used a DVD+RW and add a few dozen smaller files every week then every 3 or 4 months transfer those on to a new DVD.  this last one was only 3 months old and i can't belive it went away so fast.  like during that one session.  

Jim

[lynn98109]

Digital Guru James Hardin uses RW media, and has some last for years and some last for days.

But he backs up multiple ways.

Lynn

[jvm]

i used sonic record now version 7 and data disk from the quick start menu just like i always do.

[lynn98109]

If no recovery program can find anything, I'd say the RW disc has blanked out.  It may be possible to erase it and reuse it, but what was on it is gone.

If the message was there was no space remaining (and for a multi-session disc there is an "overhead" of several MB for the first set-up, and several MB per session after that), it is possible there was no space remaining.

Had you been using R media, the odds of one of the recovery programs having been able to recover at least some of it would've been a lot better.

I think at this point, you can chalk it up to "learning experience".

And you might consider getting a Flash drive (aka Pen / Thumb / Keychain / Jump drive) to usie like a "great-big floppy-disc".

There is more info on RW vs R media here, and some links toward the bottom you might find of interest.

Lynn

[jvm]

lucky for me it was nothing critical.  just personal stuff.  i knew DVD/CD's were temporary but i didn't know they could flame out so quick like that.  i will be more careful in the future.  thanks for your help.  jim