File recovery from DVD

I keep offline backups on DVD and find the last six months of 2009 "missing" for unknown reasons. The DVD used has a UDF file system, shows June's 250 MB of files accessible as expected, but the rest of the disk is shown full, apparently of nothing. Disk is updated monthly (typically a 600MB parcel of files that arrived or changed since last backup) until full, normally checked after the write to verify contents; I can't guarantee this was done after the 7th write, but that check must have been done several times in the full compilation period of this DVD.

I use Sonic MyDVD+ for writing, work under XP and do scrap the occasional DVD that cannot be written. The troublesome DVD is Verbatim brand. Have tried ADRC image backup/restore, got a 4 GB .img file, but this re-burnt as the original, 250 MB data on a "full" DVD. All the file recovery software I can find does not appear to deal with UDF systems.

That's a bad hole in my records. I'd really like most of those files back. Can anyone suggest a software or manhours approach I could try to recover the data?

If the problem is with a CD or DVD, keep it in a cool, dark place since heat and sunlight can accelerate data loss. Sometimes a CD can work in another drive without problem, or a gentle clean with a proper CD cleaning kit may dislodge dirty and grit. You can also try a simple repair and polishing kit, such as the Dr. Classic Disc Repair System. These type of polishers can work well, provided the scratch hasn't damaged the data layer. If the data layer is damaged, you will need a file recovery program. So i would suggest you to google a file recovery program and i am sure there are so many out there.

Wish you luck

If the data layer is damaged, this CD/DVD Recovery program might be worth a try.

http://www.isobuster.com/

Edited by marktreg, 10 November 2010 - 05:28 AM.

Many thanks, saradalton, for your suggestions; I’d reached your bottom line (Google et several al), checked dozens of recovery programs that did not deal with CD/DVDs, actually had to try out eight packages to clarify what they did/didn’t cover. Really appreciate your contribution.

Hey, marktreg, Isobuster is exactly what I was looking for. More important, it worked. I’ve recovered five months of last year's backup, and find only one 650 MB sector group on the DVD quite unreadable. Huge relief, very grateful.

Excellent news Geoffc.