ImgBurn Anomaly - Imgburn finds errors, Windows Explorer copies files without errors.

[TymerTopCat]

It seems that sometimes (rarely), when using ImgBurn to image a DVD movie, it finds hundreds of errors. Normally, I have ImgBurn set to ignore errors, and this usually indicates that the disc is scratched or damaged in some way.

However, what's interesting is this: On one particular disc (slightly scratched), I can copy the files directly from the DVD to the hard disk (which is not copy-protected) using Windows Explorer, with zero errors, and no errors are logged in the event viewer. I did this three times in a row. Yet, ImgBurn could not copy the files without encountering hundreds of errors.

This is strange, as I have used ImgBurn many times to create an ISO file, even when there are issues with the disc and Windows also fails to copy.

Clearly, there is a difference between these two methods, but perhaps someone knows what is going on here?

[dbminter]

I don't know this, but there could be a factor in Windows/File Explorer that copies the files but due to the read errors does not copy them correctly.

 

Another factor may be in the difference between sector copies and file operation copies.  Sectors would be more sensitive to read errors as opposed to an attempt to perform a copy operation.  Plus, the commands issued to an optical drive to read sectors versus a file read operation copy may be more sensitive to error correction.

[TymerTopCat]

In my recent case, the .VOB file causing ImgBurn to fail with read errors (mostly a .mpg video) played perfectly after being copied using Windows Explorer on Windows 7.

This highlights a significant difference between ImgBurn's sector-based copying and Windows Explorer's file copy operation. My guess is that Windows Explorer likely communicates with the DVD drive in a way that allows the drive to perform its own error correction. ImgBurn, on the other hand, seems to rely on SPTI commands and may bypass the drive's built-in error correction. (Just a theory!)

Interestingly, out of my 15 DVD drives, only one—a Pioneer USB external large-format drive (BDR-X13)—was able to read the disc. Strangely, I have two of these drives, but the other one couldn’t read the disc. Perhaps their firmware versions are different. This underscores the importance of having a variety of DVD drives if you’re trying to recover data from optical discs, especially as they approach disc rot. Unfortunately, such drives are becoming harder to find as the world moves away from physical media.

For those using ImgBurn to archive DVDs as .ISO files: If ImgBurn encounters errors (sometimes thousands), try using Windows Explorer to copy the files, provided the disc isn’t copy-protected. Copy all the files to your hard drive and see if it works, using different DVD drives if necessary. Once the files are copied successfully, you can use ImgBurn again to create an .ISO file from the files on your hard drive.

ImgBurn is excellent for recovering data from scratched discs, but sometimes good old Windows file copy can read all the files without any issues. Also, in my experience, if Windows Explorer successfully copies a file, the copy is always correct—period. If the disc has unrecoverable errors, Windows will fail to copy the file rather than save a truncated version. In those cases, ImgBurn’s "Ignore Errors" option can still save the day.

-R