Re: good tool to recover scratched CD's/DVD's?
* Tyler MacDonald <tyler@yi.org> [071003 13:56]:
> I'm currently using dd_rescue to attempt to recover as much as I can from
> some scratched DVD's. Thankfully, everything is burned with SHA1 sums, so
> i'll know exactly what i managed to recover and what is definately lost.
>
> dd_rescue works okay, but is there something that tries "harder" to recover
> a dvd/cd?
>
> - seeks back to failed blocks and retries them later?
>
> - tries reading random ranges of a cd/dvd instead of reading the whole
> thing in sequence?
>
> - ejects and re-loads a cd/dvd if it seems "stuck" reading back blocks?
>
> - etc...
>
> Is there a tool available that does stuff like that?
Tyler,
There is a mechanical device which is able to restore a scratched CD
by polishing it with a mild abrasive.
The polishing wheel is a drum, and on the periphery of the drum are
mounted a dozen or so polishing pads. To visualize the device, draw a
circle about four inches in diameter and then draw a dozen radial
lines, regularly spaced about the circumference, each about an inch
long. The device is powered either by batteries or by a hand crank.
The cost is in the range of US$ 20 to 40.
Such a mechanical solution is more likely to recover data without error.
But be extremely careful not to damage the label side of the CD. If
you scratch the reflective layer on the label side, no recovery is
possible. Regrettably, there often is no protection for the label side.
RLH
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