How to recover files from a scratched or unreadable CD or DVD

How to recover files from a damaged disc

1. Clean the disc carefully

   Hold the disc by its edges. Wipe the shiny side with a soft, lint-free cloth in straight lines from the centre to the edge, never in circles, since a circular scratch follows the data track. For greasy marks, a little water with a drop of mild soap is usually enough; dry it fully before inserting.

2. Select the disc

   Insert the disc, open FileFix Ultimate and choose Deleted file recovery. The disc appears as Optical disc (CD/DVD/BD). Select it; nothing is written to the disc or the drive at any point.

3. Scan the disc

   Start the scan. The app reads the disc's file directory in ISO 9660 form, including Joliet and Rock Ridge names, or in UDF from version 1.02 to 2.60, which covers most DVDs and Blu-ray data discs. On multisession discs it also reads the earlier sessions.

4. Watch for unreadable areas

   When a sector cannot be read, the app retries it a limited number of times and then moves on instead of grinding forever. Files that sit on such sectors get a warning that part of the file is on sectors that could not be read, so you know before saving which copies may have gaps.

5. Save to a hard drive

   Select the files and save them to a folder on a hard drive or SSD. A file that could only be read in part is still saved, with the unreadable sectors filled with zeros, and it is labelled partial instead of verified.

6. Retry failed files in another drive

   Drives differ in how well they read marginal discs. If important files came out partial, move the disc to another drive, for example an external USB drive or an older burner, scan again and save only those files under a new folder. Compare the results and keep the best copy.

Why files vanish from discs that were never erased

A CD-R or DVD-R cannot be overwritten. When files were added in several sessions, each session writes a new directory, and a later directory can simply leave older files out. The data of those files is still on the disc, but Windows shows only the newest session. The app reads every session and marks files that appear only in an earlier session as removed from the current view.

Rewritable and packet-written discs behave a little differently. On UDF discs a deleted file may keep its record, and some discs keep an earlier version of the directory. When that information is intact, the app can list such files with their original names; when it is not, the files cannot be pieced back together.

Scratches, disc rot and which damage matters

On a CD, the data sits just under the label, protected below by about a millimetre of clear plastic. Scratches on the shiny underside are slightly out of focus for the laser, so light ones are often readable. Damage on the label side is more serious: a scratch there can remove the reflective layer itself, and that part of the data is gone. DVDs and Blu-ray discs keep the data layer in the middle or close to the surface, so deep scratches matter more on Blu-ray.

Old recordable discs can also fade or develop small spots, often called disc rot, especially after years in heat or sunlight. That damage usually starts at the outer edge, where the last data was written, and no amount of cleaning brings it back. In those cases reading the disc as soon as possible in a good drive gives the best chance.

Common mistakes

Do not let Windows add files to the disc, burn a new session or finalise it while you are trying to recover data; that writes to the disc and can hide the earlier sessions further. Avoid abrasive home remedies such as toothpaste, which can replace one deep scratch with many fine ones. Running many full scans in a row on a struggling drive also adds wear without adding data; save what reads, then try another drive.

When a disc cannot be recovered

• If the reflective layer is scratched through, peeling or cracked, the data in that area no longer exists.
• Audio CDs store tracks without a file system, so they are not handled as data discs; use a CD ripping program instead.
• A rewritable disc that was fully erased or reformatted usually has nothing left to find.
• If no drive detects the disc at all, software cannot read it.
• The app does not remove copy protection from commercial video discs.

How FileFix Ultimate helps

• Reads ISO 9660 with Joliet and Rock Ridge, and UDF 1.02 to 2.60, on CD, DVD and Blu-ray, always read-only.
• Lists files that exist only in an earlier session of a multisession disc.
• Retries unreadable sectors a limited number of times, reports them, and saves partly read files with zero-filled gaps labelled as partial.
• Opens .iso image files with the same engine, so an image made earlier can be recovered the same way.
• Free for personal use, offline and with no recovery limit.

Frequently asked questions