Corrupt data on a cd

[erichblas2005]

I need help guys. I backed up files on a xp machine and even confirmed the files were in order. I reformat the system to win me only they didn't tell me before I started they no longer had the xp cd. Now to make a long story short I tried almost all the freeware on the web to recover the data. The software will only read hard drives.

Please help.

[kryyst]

How did you backup the files, was this through the windows xp system backup software or some other method?

[erichblas2005]

How did you backup the files, was this through the windows xp system backup software or some other method?

My friend forgot his password to xp. So I offer to back up the data on cd by putting it in a hot swappable HDD tray in ms vista.

[kryyst]

Ok so just to clarify.

Your friend was running XP and forgot his password and couldn't log on. So you pulled out his harddrive. Put it in your computer and copied some data from that harddrive to a cd. I'm assuming you are talking documents, pics, music, game saves that sorta thing. But you just did a data copy. You didn't run it through any kind of system backup software.

Then you pulled your friends harddrive out. Put it back into his machine, formated it and installed Windows ME on it with plans on upgrading to XP or something?

Anyway the system now is running windows ME. You then put the cd back into the machine with the intent to copy the data from the cd back to the machine.

Is that pretty much it?

First things first. If you forget a system password there are ways of recovering or reseting that password. Not so helpful now, but that would have saved you a lot of grief.

On to the problem. Since you used Vista to make the cd I'm guessing you made the cd with the option to be able to add data to it later, I think the option when the cd burning comes up says something along the lines of 'Make a cd like a USB drive or Make a CD for a CD/DVD Player'. If you went with the first option the CD isn't closed and it's in a semi-odd format. Windows ME won't be able to read it, regardless of what kind of software you throw at it.

However you should be able to put it back into your Vista machine and read the data. What you'll need to do is copy the data off that cd and onto your machine. Then put in another blank CD. This time though when the options come up you want to make a real data cd by choosing the 2nd set of options. That will make a closed CD that is readable in any computer.

[erichblas2005]

Ok so just to clarify.

Your friend was running XP and forgot his password and couldn't log on. So you pulled out his harddrive. Put it in your computer and copied some data from that harddrive to a cd. I'm assuming you are talking documents, pics, music, game saves that sorta thing. But you just did a data copy. You didn't run it through any kind of system backup software.

Then you pulled your friends harddrive out. Put it back into his machine, formated it and installed Windows ME on it with plans on upgrading to XP or something?

Anyway the system now is running windows ME. You then put the cd back into the machine with the intent to copy the data from the cd back to the machine.

Is that pretty much it?

First things first. If you forget a system password there are ways of recovering or reseting that password. Not so helpful now, but that would have saved you a lot of grief.

On to the problem. Since you used Vista to make the cd I'm guessing you made the cd with the option to be able to add data to it later, I think the option when the cd burning comes up says something along the lines of 'Make a cd like a USB drive or Make a CD for a CD/DVD Player'. If you went with the first option the CD isn't closed and it's in a semi-odd format. Windows ME won't be able to read it, regardless of what kind of software you throw at it.

However you should be able to put it back into your Vista machine and read the data. What you'll need to do is copy the data off that cd and onto your machine. Then put in another blank CD. This time though when the options come up you want to make a real data cd by choosing the 2nd set of options. That will make a closed CD that is readable in any computer.

This is the problem no machine can read this including mine.

[kryyst]

Ok, then what happens when you put the cd in the drive? Can it not read the disk at all or what's happening?

[erichblas2005]

Ok, then what happens when you put the cd in the drive? Can it not read the disk at all or what's happening?

One of two things happen. My system will read the cd for several minutes then it'll show nothing just how much space is being used. Some times the system will not respond at all.

[kryyst]

Sounds like your cd is screwed. Not much you can do to retrieve data off a cd that a drive can't read.

You may want to try and burn another disk with some data on it. Could be your burner is dying.

[foolkiller]

"Recover My Files" I believe will help you with a CD recovery problem. I've used it to recover bad burns from a guy that did a bunch of underwater photography and didn't test his backups first. You will need to shell out some cash for it unfortunately.