How to Recover your photos & videos from damaged CD/ DVD
Are you struggling to recover an old music collection from a CD?
Has your wedding CD or DVD developed scratches and became unreadable?
Now no need to fret.
Here we present the best methods to recover your lost photos, videos, and music from old, unreadable, damaged, or scratched CD and DVDs.
Although optical media are overtaken by other portable high capacity external storage media, such as USB flash drives, pen drives, SD cards, they are continued to be used to archive and save movies, music, and photos. It is considered an inexpensive and easy storage option.
However, they are vulnerable to physical damage caused due to moisture, dust, scratches, smudges, markings, etc. Such physically affected CDs becomes inaccessible and unreadable, finally causing data loss.
How to recover photos and videos from a damaged CD/ DVD
Here are simple 5 ways to recover photos, videos and music from damaged CDs and DVDs to relieve you from the data loss situation:
- Check CD drive
If your CD is unreadable, it may be due to fault in disc drive. So before you think, the CD is damaged, check the drive with different CDs or DVD to know the real problem.
- Clean CD/ DVD
If any CD is inaccessible, cleaning may make it workable. Clean dust and dirt by gently washing the CD in warm water using your fingers and let it air dry. You can also clean with alcohol using soft cotton cloth.
- Polish CD/ DVD
It may sound weird, but polishing your CD may help. Take little amount of toothpaste or butter and with a soft cloth gently wipe from inner part of the CD towards the outer edges till it is completely removed. This needs to be done delicately without scrubbing. Disc repair solutions are also available in stores to do same job. Once done, insert your CD in CD drive. If you see the stored photos, videos etc., immediately take backup.
- Mask CD with a tape
If there are holes or scratches in CD indicating the missing foil, mark these holes with a whiteboard marker pen. Next use small strips of masking tape and put them on the area marked with pen on the CD. Now insert this CD in the drive to see if it is working. Immediately save the data visible on it in your system or an external drive. Remember, the holes on a CD cannot be repaired even by professionals. But you can at least recover the remaining data of your damaged CD by using tape masking method.
- Use CD and DVD recovery software
If above hacks are unable to recover photos, videos, or movies from your CD or DVD, go for a recovery software. The software is also recommended when you receive any error message while trying to access its files.
You can find several recovery solutions online. However, it is advisable to choose the one that gives easy and safe recovery from damaged or unreadable optical media.
Stellar Photo Recovery is one of the popular software that retrieves photos, videos, and audio recordings from aging, damaged, scratched, or unreadable CDs and DVDs. It also works on Blue-ray Discs and HD DVDs. The software is easy to use and available for both Windows and Mac OS.
Here’s how to recoup CD/ DVD videos or photos with software:
- Connect your CD or DVD with computer.
- Download and launch Stellar Photo Recovery.
- Select your CD/ DVD and scan it through the software interface.
- Preview the found photos, videos, music etc.
- Save them at your chosen location.
Tips to take care of CDs and DVDs
- Store in CD cases
- Do not use adhesive to label
- Keep away from moisture
- Keep away from chemicals, smudges, and dust
- Do not expose to direct sunlight or heat
- Protect from extreme temperatures
- Take backup of old CDs or those having minor scratches
Conclusion
Even when CD is damaged, scratched, or unreadable, there are chances to recover your precious videos, music or photos from it.
Unreadable CD and DVDs can be accessed by using cleaning, polishing, or masking methods. If it shows as empty media or gives some error, go for an optical media recovery software such as Stellar Photo Recovery. The software is simple, which even a novice can use. Finally, protect your CDs and DVDs by keeping them in an environment free from moisture, dust and chemicals to avoid photo or video loss situation.