Blank DVD?

I've got a DVD with a programme in .ISO format that I've used reliably for re-installs a number of times, but when I came to use it this time it's "empty".
Nothing I've tried says there are, or were ever, any files at all on it.
Anyone got any ideas/ help to offer?

 

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Make sure you are set to look for an image file when you load it.
http://techie-buzz.com/tips-and-tricks/how-to-open-iso-file.html

 

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Well duh!

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I had PowerISO running when I inserted the disc, but everything I do comes up with the disc being empty.
I.e. the space remaining is the same figure as the total size of the disc itself.
It gets treated as a completely blank disc ("do you want to burn files to it" pops up when I insert it into the drive) and a supposed recovery programme says there's nothing on it to recover at all.
Which is also strange because I would have thought that if I'd somehow moved the file (rather than copied it) the last time I used it I'd have expected a recovery programme to find traces of the only files that were ever on it...

 

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perhaps the wrong dvd?
also..you cant move shit from dvd's
dvd-rw however can be formatted to a blank state

 

Unless aliens came and replaced the labelled one in the usual case with a physically identical one, but blank, I'm guessing no.

That's what I thought.

Which requires an actual "format" process, not a simple "drag & drop", yes?
I'm fairly sure I'd have remembered formatting my only copy.

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Tried a different drive, or maybe cleaning the disk? Sounds like it's not reading it correctly, so it's assuming it's a blank. I'm sure the data is still there, it just can't be pulled up by that drive for some reason.

 

Only the one drive (although I could womble round and borrow my brother-in-law's PC to check if it works on his - then nick one of his blanks and burn a new copy), and yes I've cleaned the disc.
No, different operating system BUT the last two/ three installs were with my current OS.
It's Win 7.

 

Having used the copy before on the same OS, I'd say it almost has to be a physical reason then. Check the drive to see if it's dusty...maybe there's a scratch on the disk that's hard to see.

I will say that I've never had a big success with burning CDs (I know yours is DVD, but same difference). Don't know if it's just the drives I've had or what, but I've run through many, many disks before getting good copies, and I've also lost data from them as well for no apparent reason. The way the data is written is a lot less forgiving than production CDs/DVDs are made, so a good copy can degrade just enough to make data not readable...sometimes you can read it with one type of drive while another can't see it.

 

Hard luck budy

 

Have you checked whether it works on other computers?

I think it's retarded one way or the other that people have to make their own copies of the system now. Back in the days receiving a DVD/CD with the new PC was practical. It's a cheap way to get computer analphabets to buy a new install DVD, or to get it "repaired" at some PC shop. Awfully lame. Nicest are those netbooks that don't even have a drive, hmm.

Does Microsoft even offer the option to get the install version online? Does it? I failed to find it. If anyone knows the answer, I'd be glad to hear it.

 

Strange... Have you looked at the underside of the DVD? Usually you can kind of see where data has been written. Have you tried putting the DVD into another computer?

Have you formatted and/or reinstalled power ISO since you last used the disk? Have you tried any other ISO reading programs?

 

Have your tried with any Linux O.S.
For ISO Images I use "AcetoneISO".

 

I think you can just "delete" from a RW DVD/CD as if it were a drive, but it may depend on how exactly it was burned (ie you can leave them 'open' or 'finalise' them) been a while since I did that though. But you may have accidently removed the file, or someone else did.
As others have said, it's possible that for some reason it's failing to read the CD and is showing it as blank. Not sure if data corruption can cause this but usually it's a defective CD.
I think if you check the properties and look at the disk size and "used" space it should display the size of the CD incorrectly.
May be wrong, as I say, been a long time since I did this!

EDIT: should also say skaught has a good point, try another ISO program, just in case.

 

I'm computer challenged, so no sound advice to offer, only empathy for your frustration and a sincere wish that the problem is resolvable. I certainly hope it is not the drive itself that is getting ready to calve on you. I recently had an older portable sound system in which the CD player decided it was going to 'retire' without advance notice. Never was used much, but possibly a victim of our frequent power supply issues in the north.

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you dont need a program to see iso files on an optical disk
windows can do that natively

 

may you didn't burned dvd properly

 

Uh, did you actually read the OP?

Hmm, okay. I tried another drive - my brother-in-law's. His read it fine, so I copied the entire disk to a fresh DVD. And it runs into problems half way through the install.
Which leads me suspect that
A) my drive is possibly dying (but it's only on this DVD that I have problems - even after cleaning the drive lens AND getting a "disc repair" kit, so maybe not) and/ or
B) the disc itself is corrupted/ damaged (also strange, because it's stored in a case and properly looked after).

I guess that it's gremlins/ pixies/ wiffle radiation from the Moon that's done it.

 

You mean the new copy dies on your PC halfway now, instead of not starting at all?

This would be my guess. Possibly the combination of the brand of DVD, the tolerances that it's failing at, and maybe even the location of the data might be factors.

Unlikely. You made a copy, meaning the other PC read all the data. It's digital, it wouldn't have copied all the way had it gotten a bad read somewhere.[/QUOTE]

 

Don't laugh...those damn gremlins don't play around. They've been causing shit to fuck up for no reason since the begin of time.

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It's actually true about radiation...CDs will slowly degrade in sunlight, so I'm always amused at everyone that has theirs stored in the sunvisor of their car.