CDRW DATA...Gone?

[budhisetiawan]

Oh yah...need some help...

My parents were trying to upgrade their finances from a 3.5 to a CD....but when things started getting set to READONLY they backed up and punted by ERASING THE CDRW....but they had moved all their files over to that disk...I caught it before it finished the process but its not there!

Since they started the process is it too late? Is their data all gone? I yelled cancel but it took them a few seconds to catch on!


What do I need to do to help them try to recover this stuff?

TIA

[Cyclonite]

OMG, CD-RW's are the epitome of evil. I've lost so much data to them, even when I knew what I was doing. They're so hit-or-miss with the different companies alternate methods of packet-writing.

[budhisetiawan]

not giving me a whole lot of home for them...LOL

[kryyst]

Did it cancel during the erasing process or during the re-writing process? I think your screwed in either case but if it was during the re-writing your definitely screwed.

The only thing you can really do is put the disk in and see if it'll read it. You could maybe - and this is a damn long shot find files on it with undelete software but I doubt it'll work. An erase on a cd-rw is the same as a write it just keeps putting the new tracks on either a blank track or a track of data in either case it just keeps going over top of the data.

[budhisetiawan]

erasing! I put the disk in and its as if it were never formatted...just blank

[kryyst]

Uggh... COuld be that the disk wasn't closed. I would suggest starting a new R/W project and see if it'll recognize that there is data still on the disk and have it pull that data into the new project. They key is to start a R/W project and not just a write-only one.

[budhisetiawan]

they were using windows writing tool so not real familiar w/ it...I am away on business again and wont see them for the week....check then...TIA

[Zuntar]

OMG, CD-RW's are the epitome of evil. I've lost so much data to them, even when I knew what I was doing. They're so hit-or-miss with the different companies alternate methods of packet-writing.

Ditto!


I would suggest using a flash drive.:cool:

[budhisetiawan]

lol...he is just getting to CD's ...lol...from 3.5's...you know how long it would take to get him up to Flash...LOL...

But I agree....

[Zuntar]

Flash drives are WAY easier then cds.

[budhisetiawan]

I know but...it took him this long to just try CD...lol

[Cyclonite]

If he's used to floppies, then he'll have an easier time with flash media than CDs. Get him a thumb drive. :)

[kryyst]

I have to throw my $.02 in here as well flash drive will be infinitely more simple for him to use. Plus they are so cheap now it's hard to find a reasonable argument against having one.

[Cyclonite]

Shoot. Staples has 32/64 MB flash drives in a little bin at all their registers. They're a couple dollars max. It's like they're candy. Haha.

[Your Amish Daddy]

Altex down here has 1gb ones for 11 dollars by the register, right next to the laser pointers.

[budhisetiawan]

Ouch...dont have them here...LOL