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My windows 2000 disc is scratched !


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Hello folks. I have had my windows 2000 disk for years. I use it for a couple of older personal systems I have. Recently I tried to do a fresh install and certain files could not be read. I tried all the home remedies such as the tooth paste, the car polish and I even bought a disc "resurfacing" machine for $20. None worked. Now I see that there are companies that will professionaly resurface the disc. Has anyone used this type of service ? Did it work ?

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Why don't you try software solution yourself?

There are many programs for software data recovery, but two out of those I have tried stand out from the others: IsoBuster (shareware) and IsoPuzzle (freeware). They can be used on multiple computers, reading parts of the disc that can be read on that CD/DVD drive and later continuing trying to read the unreadable parts on another computer. I have often seen discs that are completely unreadable in one CD/DVD drive, but read fine in another! This also applies to scratched parts, different drives read differently and if you combine their power, there is (almost) nothing you couldn't recover. I have had 100 % success (with enough drives) on all scratched disks I have bothered recovering (of course, if the disc is totally destroyed in some area, nothing can recover it), that is - with 'normally' scratched disks from heavy usage, not broken or bent or punched... But, another disadvantage of this method is that the process is time consuming.

GL

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Thanks for the quick replys guys. Is windows 2000 server the same as windows 2000 except with more features ? Also Grofluigi, I have tried about 3 different drives and several programs that were supposed to read the dammaged disk, but they still came back with errors. I will try the programms you mentioned though. At one time In the past I tried to make a backup copy of my win 2000 pro disc, but for whatever reason its not bootable (apparently). I am not too great at making copies I guess, but I will give it a try !

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At one time In the past I tried to make a backup copy of my win 2000 pro disc, but for whatever reason its not bootable (apparently). I am not too great at making copies I guess, but I will give it a try !

If you still have that disk, and it has a "readable" \I386 directory, it's easy to make a bootable CD out of it, possibly also slipstrreaming to it latest service pack

You can extract the boot image from your "scratched" disk, or get one searching around.

Tool to extract boot image:

http://www.nu2.nu/bbie/

Tutorials:

http://web.archive.org/web/20050318033100/bink.nu/bootcd/

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894950/en-us

jaclaz

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Hello jaclaz. Yes I do still have that disc. If I put in my drive while another version of windows is running it will start the setup procedure. (it will still fail) Yet if I try to boot off it no dice. Thanks for the links, looks like I have a lot to learn !

Here is what isopuzzle did for me :

isopuzzlexx8.th.png

I dont know if it recovered enough data, What do you guys think ?

Edited by zzrich
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Here is what isopuzzle did for me :

isopuzzlexx8.th.png

I dont know if it recovered enough data, What do you guys think ?

I think it did, but 'errors' puzzles :) me. If you have the YRMPFPP_EN.iso on your hard disk, burn it to CD (any burning program will do, just open the iso file with the program, don't put it a new compilation). It will be bootable.

GL

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Well...no dice yet. I wonder if Microsoft would send me another disc if I mail them the old one with the original sleeve with the code ? It really bugs me to have to pay for something more than once. I kinda don't they will do it, but I can try right ?

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What I would try to do:

1) use ycopy:

http://www.ruahine.com/ycopy-file-copy-utility.html

or Roadkol's Unstoppable Copier:

http://www.roadkil.net/program.php?ProgramID=29

to copy contents of first cd (the original one) to a directory on hard disk, say C:\1stcd

2) save the log

3) repeat the copy with contents of second cd (the non-scratched copy) to another directory on hard disk, say C:\2ndcd

4) save the log

5) compare the the two logs and see if you have in one of the two created directories the "copied OK" files, and add them from one to the other, as to try and create a "complete" \i386 directory

6) try slipstreaming to the most complete \i386 directory you have latest service pack

jaclaz

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Well...no dice yet. I wonder if Microsoft would send me another disc if I mail them the old one with the original sleeve with the code ? It really bugs me to have to pay for something more than once. I kinda don't they will do it, but I can try right ?

I doubt you'll get a Windows 2000 disc. XP or 2003 scratched, maybe (since it's still available at retail), but a W2K CD is probably not an option unless you can get it through a premier / select agreement. If you or your company doesn't have one with Microsoft, you're better off finding one on ebay or trying to copy \i386 off the disc and creating your own.

Another good reason to make copies and never use the original :).

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I always save away my disks and make copies of them. So people always look at me funny when I'm using a CD-R that has "Windows 2000 Professional - (xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx)" scribbled on it. "Is that LEGAL??!"

So basically, make copies of your disks for backup or use the backup and save the original. Alternatively, make an iso of the disk and save it somewhere safe so you can make another copy if you ever need to. Just don't let other people get it. As for your issue at hand... if you work in IT or with people in IT, they can probably find you one - most techs will have an old win2k disk sitting around somewhere that they can make you a copy of.

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I did copy the disc years ago, but its not bootable. Anyways, right now I am a stay at home Dad !lol :rolleyes: So I have alot of time on my hands. Tonight I tried reinstalling with my original w2k disc and many files could not be copied. So what I did was to tape down the Esc key so it would just bypass files that could not be read. When i tried to boot 2000 for the first time it said I was missing part of the Dll library. So I did a repair install several times (with the taped down Esc key) and appariently it re copied enough files to complete the install. I just installed sp4 with no problems. Wish me luck ! (oh and I am on the web now)

Edited by zzrich
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Have you done what cluberti suggested previusly i.e. to check if your unbootable backup copy contains an I386 folder ?

If it does, then just make a bootable ISO out of the I386 folder + ident files with cdimage.exe; the instructions + boot-image is in MSFN's unattended guide...

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  • 2 weeks later...
Hello folks. I have had my windows 2000 disk for years. I use it for a couple of older personal systems I have. Recently I tried to do a fresh install and certain files could not be read. I tried all the home remedies such as the tooth paste, the car polish and I even bought a disc "resurfacing" machine for $20. None worked. Now I see that there are companies that will professionaly resurface the disc. Has anyone used this type of service ? Did it work ?

The only polishing system I've had work consistently is the Skip Dr(http://digitalinnovations.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=DI&Category_Code=SkipDr).

Make sure what you get is a repair device, not just a cleaner. And if the CD is scratched on top, there's no hope. I've had maybe 1 disk out of a hundred that wasn't correctable enough that I couldn't get a rip off of it. Sometimes takes multiple passes through the polisher if the scratch is deep. And sometimes you only get one pass, make sure your rip is good!

Alternative, find somebody that has an MSDN subscription and download the W2K+SP4 disk image. That should be a commercial image, with a proper retail key you should be in business.

Stan

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