Disk erased while transferring?

[lweintraub]

Hey folks. This is my first post on the minidisc boards, and unfortunately I'm here with a problem! I spent a little time searching for similar posts, but wasn't able to find one that has exactly my specifications. Feel free to point it out to me if this has already been addressed. (I have a Sony mz-rh10 and am using Sonicstage 3.0.)

Here's what happened:

I had a live recording I had made via mic-in on a brand new Hi-MD minidisc that I wanted to upload into Sonicstage to convert and burn to CD. Everything seemed to be working fine -- the files appeared in the "transfer" window on SS and I was able to title them. I started the transfer process but after only four tracks were transferred a box popped up that said that an error had occurred while transferring. I tried starting the transfer again, but errors kept popping up. I unplugged everything, took the minidisc out and reinserted it, closed and restarted SS. After I put the disc back into the MD player, though, I got a message on the screen that says "format error disc," and it seems to be asking me whether I want to format the disc "to record or play." When I connect the MD to SS again, the titles of all the tracks appear in the "transfer" window, but there doesn't appear to be any information in them -- they won't play or transfer. I have transferred a bunch of other live recordings to my PC in the past and have never had this problem before, or anything like it.

Here's what I'd like to know:

1) Is my disc completely erased?

2) Is the information on the disc lost forever? Is there any way to get it back?

3) Has this happened to anyone else? Is it my fault?

4) Could this happen again? Am I risking losing my (original) recordings every time I try to transfer them to my PC?

5) Would getting a newer version of SS help with this problem?

Again, feel free to point me in the right direction if these questions are answered elsewhere... I couldn't find 'em!

Thanks again for any help anyone can offer...

--lmw

[dex Otaku]

Before I say anything else: if you have the means to do so [i.e. internet connection], upgrade your SS to 3.4 immediately.

Before you do ANYTHING with that disc, eject it from the recorder, unplug the recorder from USB or AC power, and remove the battery. Leave it that way for about 30 secs, then put the battery back in, and re-insert the disc. See if it still comes up with the error. If it doesn't, great. If it does, your recording is gone and reformatting is your only choice to reuse the disc.

Here's what I'd like to know:

1) Is my disc completely erased?

If the disc were damaged by SS crashing during a write operation, then it's not completely erased, but the structure is damaged. See next answer.

2) Is the information on the disc lost forever? Is there any way to get it back?

Well. This depends on a number of things. I personally doubt there's any actual damage to the disc at all, but we'll get to that in a minute.

Generally speaking, since HiMD's audio functions use a closed [proprietary] system, and since Sony has not released any data-recovery tools, there is no way to recover any data from even minorly "damaged" [data-wise, not physically] HiMD-formatted discs.

Anyone wishing to write recovery software will have to liscence the info from Sony, and given the size of the HiMD market, I sincerely doubt the likelihood of that ever happening.

3) Has this happened to anyone else? Is it my fault?

No, it's not your fault. Or, well, that could be debatable in a certain sense: if you had lots of other programs, USB utilities, &c. running while SS was, then you can kind o expect reliability to take a nosedive at some point. The same applies for almost any software, mind you. I wouldn't call that the user's fault, though.

Yes, it's happened to other people. The exact symptoms you've described actually sound most like the issues surrounding uploading tracks with known write errors in SS 3.3 and earlier [which I have experienced myself; SS 3.4 appears to handle this issue vastly better than previous versions, btw].

4) Could this happen again? Am I risking losing my (original) recordings every time I try to transfer them to my PC?

Yes, it could happen again. Upgrade your SS. The improvements regarding uploads and DRM alone are worth it. SS 3.2 introduced unlimited transfers of self-made recordings, for instance; with SS 3.0 you only get one chance to upload your recordings. After that, attempting to do so again will simply erase the tracks.

5) Would getting a newer version of SS help with this problem?

It's likely that yes, it will. There's a small chance that the problem you experienced is related to something else completely, though, such as SS interacting poorly with another program running in the background.

[The Low Volta]

hi and welcome to MDCF lmw,

1. no... the T(able)O(f)C(ontents) is probably messed up... but the data most likely is still there... not that you can do anything with it of course sorry

2. unless you can play it back through the recorder or SS it could be... but read on!

3. yes it has happened before... mainly with edited discs (trackmarks erased/added using the recorder) and it happens significantly less with the latest SS

4. yes, technically it could... still it happens rarely with the latest software. really essential recording can always be backed up in realtime first before transfering (with TotalRecorder) but this does take some time

5. it surely helps 'preventing' the issue (though technically it still can happen) and perhaps an upgrade to SS3.4 (which I urge you to do anyhow) might even let you play these tracks again (a bit of a long shot though)

so upgrade (from the Sony site or the download pages here)... but make sure to use the SS backup tool or you risk to loose your previously uploaded recordings

PS: dex beat me to it... take his word, he is very knowledgable when it comes to MD

[dex Otaku]

PS: dex beat me to it... take his word, he is very knowledgable when it comes to MD

I honestly think most of us regulars are on a par in this regard. You pointed out, for instance, the bit about tracks already edited on the unit, which despite my being aware of I didn't equate to this [as I've never experienced that particular problem, myself]. I'd say either of our suggestions is equally likely.

Still, the whole "cold reboot" thing is probably the most important thing, IMO. It has saved my discs more than once.

[The Low Volta]

thanks... coming from you this still is a big compliment (seeing I learned most of MD-things from you) and that MD-reset trick actually completely slipped my mind!... sure it's the first thing lmw should try

[lweintraub]

Thanks so much for all the advice! It's so great to have this resource to turn to. Unfortunately the "cold reboot" didn't work, so I guess I'll get SS 3.4 and just cross my fingers that things will go back to working.