A no-doubt rudimentary computer question.

[Racing Truth]

OK, got this new Vista PC (HP) 'bout a month ago. I had been saving Word files on a plain CD, which was working swimmingly.... until now. Whole thing (CD) started making noise, took it out, put it back in (x2), and it seems to have reformatted as if it is blank. Am I SOL, or is there any way I can retrieve my old stuff?

Thanks.

EDIT: PMs also welcome.

[Cam]

OK, got this new Vista PC (HP) 'bout a month ago. I had been saving Word files on a plain CD, which was working swimmingly.... until now. Whole thing (CD) started making noise, took it out, put it back in (x2), and it seems to have reformatted as if it is blank. Am I SOL, or is there any way I can retrieve my old stuff?

Thanks.

EDIT: PMs also welcome.

Off a RW/CD? ummmm..... Good luck! :(

[Racing Truth]

Off a RW/CD? ummmm..... Good luck! :(

Yep, fraid so. I was afraid you'd say that. What should one do to avoid this in the future?

[Insomniac]

OK, got this new Vista PC (HP) 'bout a month ago. I had been saving Word files on a plain CD, which was working swimmingly.... until now. Whole thing (CD) started making noise, took it out, put it back in (x2), and it seems to have reformatted as if it is blank. Am I SOL, or is there any way I can retrieve my old stuff?

Thanks.

EDIT: PMs also welcome.

Maybe your drive is going bad?

[cameraman]

Yep, fraid so. I was afraid you'd say that. What should one do to avoid this in the future?

Don't use a cd rw.
For ~$40 you can get a 2 GB USB flash drive
It is probably faster than a CD/RW and it is a hell of a lot more stable.
You can always back it up to cd/dvd whenever the mood strikes.

[dando]

Yep, fraid so. I was afraid you'd say that. What should one do to avoid this in the future?

Get a flash drive. 1 GB USB drives are dirt cheap. Deals can usually be found for <$20.

-Kevin

[pfc_m_drake]

1) How were you saving the files to the CD? E.G. just by dragging and dropping, or were you actually using an actual CD authoring program?

2) Assuming that it's the former rather than the latter, I'm guessing that Microsoft for Vista (like XP) has licensed a bastardized version of DirectCD from Adaptec or Roxio or whatever the hell they call themselves these days. The take-home point is that you were creating the CD via a method known as packet-writing rather than individual sessions.

2a) Unfortunately with packet-writing, results from discs gone 'bad' run the range from being 100% ok to being 100% screwed. It may be possible to finalize the disc into ISO-9660 format so that it can be read on all drives. More on this in a minute.

3) When you look at the underside of the disc, starting at the center and working outwards, does it look like any portion of the disc has been written to? (you may have to tilt it in the light to get just the right angle)

4) If it does look like some of the disc is still written to, then it may be possible to finalize it using mastering software so that you can read it. However, why don't you comment on the above before we go further.

[ChampcarShark]

2 Gig for $23.99 flash drive.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1193613&sku=P56-9115


I paid twice as much for a 1 Gig one year ago.

[WickerBill]

Flash drives go bad too. Always have two backups. Save to your hard drive, then to a USB key, then to other media.

I would suggest Mozy online backup as the "other media"... files are safely stored online even if you lose everything, and it just runs in your system tray and backs up at regular intervals, no intervention necessary.

2gb free... https://mozy.com/mozy/overview

[Racing Truth]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll be gettin' a flash drive and that Mozy looks interesting.:thumbup:

[dando]

I would suggest Mozy online backup as the "other media"... files are safely stored online even if you lose everything, and it just runs in your system tray and backs up at regular intervals, no intervention necessary.

2gb free... https://mozy.com/mozy/overview

XDrive has 5GB free. :)

-Kevin

[Wabbit]

Don't just backup, put the backups somewhere else. In my case, I leave a set of my DVD backups at work. If I lose the house, my data is safe. Too many people leave their backups next to the computer. When the house goes up in flames, so do the backups. Also keep in mind that most home fire safes are not rated for data protection. CD's melt at a lot lower temp then paper burns.

[pfc_m_drake]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll be gettin' a flash drive and that Mozy looks interesting.:thumbup:

Well, I'm not at all convinced that your data on the CD are gone, but you seem rather jovial about the situation, so cheers. :)

[TravelGal]

Isn't this what the Back up Box was supposed to do? Remember *someone's* sponsor, wasn't it RHR for about 2 races? Of course, it cost a fortune and was, IIRC, usually kept right near the main computer.