Need To Recover DVD Data

[SiliconJon]

A DVD+R burned to play as a standard DVD Video has lost its data. It is no longer recognized as a DVD-Video in a computer drive - shows up as blank and even prompts to format or write when autoplayed on systems configured to do such with a blank disc.

It is likely the disc was erased or formatted with a tool such as Nero, again this being a DVD+R not RW.

Any suggestions on recovering the data from this DVD before I delve into it tonight? Paid program suggestions welcome - recovery of this data is a priority. If I fail I will be taking it to a data recovery service.

[Keymaker]

...Are you serious?

Let me clarify. You can not erase data on a DVD+R

There are two possible problems here.

One- The computer's optical drive is shot or there is some kind of software/driver/ codec screw up.

or

Two- The disk has a deep scratch or is scratched.

If it has been formated as DVD video, dose it not play in a DVD player?

[SiliconJon]

Originally Posted by Keymaker

...Are you serious?
Let me clarify. You can not erase data on a DVD+R
There are two possible problems here.
One- The computer's optical drive is shot or there is some kind of software/driver/ codec screw up.
or
Two- The disk has a deep scratch or is scratched.
If it has been formated as DVD video, dose it not play in a DVD player?

Let me clarify. A blank optical media starts off without any pits, or with all bit segments being lands. When "burning" the laser creates pits. The transition between pits and lands are read as 1's, the lack of a transition is read as a 0. The clock of the data cycle determines at what interval the data reading, or interpretation, takes place. After burning data to a disc there are still lands than can be burned into pits.

Data erasure can be done on various levels, usually either in the disc's TOC or at the data level, the latter of which actually wipes the data by creating pits across the entire medium (requiring much more complicated recovery methods), the former only fools basic reading methods into believing the medium is actually blank or unusable by pitting the table of contents data in a certain manner. With only a TOC erasure or modification the primary data on the medium still remains, and thus can be read, and with the appropriate software recovered by rebuilding its structure.

[SiliconJon]

So far I have found the following software to try:

ISO Buster
CD Mage
CD Roller
Bad Copy Pro
Multi Data Rescue

[osprey4]

You cannot erase a DVD+R. No burning program will see a burned disc as blank. However, a disc can become damaged by exposure to various environments.

Your best shot is to try a different computer to see if you can view the data.

What is the brand and speed (just so I know to avoid those)?

[SiliconJon]

Originally Posted by osprey4

You cannot erase a DVD+R. No burning program will see a burned disc as blank. However, a disc can become damaged by exposure to various environments.

Your best shot is to try a different computer to see if you can view the data.

What is the brand and speed (just so I know to avoid those)?

Four different Windows systems all show it to be blank, and three different DVD players fail to ever load it (as though it were a blank disc still). Prior to the sabotage the disc was fully playable and recognizable as a DVD video in many players and systems (exact count not known). It is possible the disc was microwaved as the exact method of attack is unknown, though the attacker is known.

To reiterate, any writable optical media can be fully erased by the very means in which it was originally written (laser pitting) because there is no mechanical protection implemented on burnable media that prevents remaining lands from being turned into pits, else the media would not be writable to begin with. A program does not have to see written media as blank in order to write to it or "erase" it [1]. Why are you two so assertive of your incorrect assumptions?

[SiliconJon]

OK, so my technical break down may not be the most accurate - burnable media uses more complicated methods than just pits and lands found in stamped media - but they're designed to work in a similar fashion when created, in a sense emulating the original operational parameters of stamped media. This emulation is not perfect or identical, thus the reason some burned media (either because of the media, the burner, the software, or any combination thereof in pursuit of the creation of the final product) doesn't always work in every device.

Perhaps this is an accurate piece of information on the matter - I only perused it, but I'm not an engineer on the subject so I'm not sure about some of the differences I noticed such as whether the pits and lands are the data, or whether it's the transitions...etc, etc. Until I read an article today I always thought it was the pits and lands themselves - and it seems such a method would be far easier to read given their longer duration. Though electronic components tend to read the transition edge for such values...so maybe I'll figure that one out for sure later.

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/cd-burner.htm

[osprey4]

Sorry about your disc.

You didn't tell me what kind of media.

[SiliconJon]

Originally Posted by SiliconJon

So far I have found the following software to try:

ISO Buster
CD Mage
CD Roller
Bad Copy Pro
Multi Data Rescue

CD Mage was a no-go, it may work for repairing corrupt files, but I did not quickly find a method to recover lost files. I was unable to effectively find the desired recovery methods in either Bad Copy Pro or Multi Data Resuce.

However...not even making it to ISO buster, I quickly discovered a well described method in CDRoller that was exactly what I was looking for : DVD Video Recovery. After running it on "session 2" I discovered the lost .VOB file. Now to shell out $50 smackers and hope it's actually found, and can restore, what it claims, as the demo version just lets you see what it claims to have found - no way to test the finding without paying for the software. They gotta make their money somewhere.

Originally Posted by osprey4

You didn't tell me what kind of media.

Originally Posted by osprey4

You cannot erase a DVD+R.

Originally Posted by SiliconJon

A DVD+R burned to play as a standard DVD Video has lost its data.

It's called an error, and you admit to it, not continue to blame someone else for your own error.

[osprey4]

Sorry, I'll type more slowly.

Brand and speed of the media, if you would please indulge my curiosity.