Is it possible to retrieve data from a scratched disk?

Hi

Am having a right panic as the disc that I saved ALL my photos of Brunster and my holidays onto - when I changed my computer last November, doesnt seem to want to read in my machine and have just looked at it and its quite scratched - is it salvagable ?

I really will be most upset if I have lost these photos as needless to say I havent backed them up !!!!

help - can it be saved?

thanks in advance
dani

Don't panic!!!
When you say disk i understand this to be a CD and not harddrive.
It could be a easy answer that your cd drive can not see the disk have you tried it in another system?

If you can see it on the other system then save it to a new disk, if not then it will proberly the CD thats at fault if the scratch is deep then you will of proberly lost all the pictures on that disk.
You could try and wash the CD see if that makes any difference.
There are bits of kit that actually will try and polish out the scratches out of the disk.
(If all else fails send it to me and i'll see if i can use some of the stuff i got here to get the pics off for you.)

oohh thankyou- will try it on my moms computer tommorow just in case its my drive. its actually a DVD disk too.

The pc just crashes when trying to open it so will take it to mum and see if that works first.

Thanks leo - will be so upset if I have lost all my bruno and holiday pics - although stupid me for havign them ALL on the one disk !!!

There is some software that gives you the option of saving to the CD as if it were a hard drive or saving it in order to share with others, if you saved it as if the CD were a part of the PC you used to burn the disk in the first place then you should be able to read the disk on the old system and then resave it to a new disk as a CD to be shared with others. It needs really bad scratches to render the whole disk useless so don't panic yet. We kicked a DVD across a stone floor yesterday and it look K*ackered but it playes OK

lol @ jackie some times that will do it ..........not reccomended thought.

Please note - I've only tried this with scratched audio CDs, not photo DVDs (whilst my Macs will read DVDs, none of them will write them without a "stand-alone" DVD rewriter).

BIB CD-restore polish will work wonders: I was lent a CD of Jimi Hendrix once: it looked as though my pal's three-year-old daughter had used it as a skating rink! However, a quick buff-up with the polisher at least got it to a state where Apple iTunes was able to chew through the damage and give me a copy that would play adequately.

I have used the same polish to clean muck of the occasional commercial DVD (my beloved Star Wars!*) to good effect. The stuff costs about £4 and I got it from my local record shop.


* the one now known as "Episode 4" - the original and best

Snorri


P.S. - if anyone can save the day, it's probably Leo. If, by any chance, she can't (which I doubt) send it to me and I'll see if my new Mac can do it. Its excessive processing power must have some uses! And, if the G5 can't oblige, I'm sure that my "little Mac friend" will have a solution - it's the sort of problem he revels in!

Now, here's a thought! I know that DVDs will store more info (thus more pics), but as CD-RWs will do it too, isn't it possible that DVDs are a false economy? Just a question!

S

Hi Snorri

I should have updated this thread - i got all my pics back which I was obvioously delighted about. i used a programme called isobuster- a free download from the net - it was smashing and easy to use - now have all the pics saved on to the pc with the view to saving them on to numerous disks asap