Bad Copy Pro - Printer Friendly version

1. Introduction

Bad Copy Pro - Page 1

INTRODUCTION

Bad Copy Pro, is a data recovery utility from Jufsoft. It helps user to rescue lost data from lapse erase command or damaged CDs, Floppy, memory cards, etc. From the picture below we can see that our tested version is 3.72 Build 1012. At this review we going to demonstrate and at the same time test the basics of the software.

Bad Copy Pro Features

1. Advanced and intelligent floppy recovery or CD recovery ability.
2. Fully automatic data recovery process without your manual work.
3. Supports recovering all types of files like documents, images, applications etc.
4. Supports most kinds of media recovery like floppy disk, CDROM, CDR, CDRW etc.
5. Supports floppy disk, CD-ROM/CD-R/CD-RW lost files rescue and recovery.
6. Recovered files post-process and smart data filling technology.
7. Supports digital media recovery like SmartMedia, CompactFlash (CF) card and ZIP.
8. Supports UDF CD data recovery (includes most packet-writing burner program)

Usage

When the main window pop-ups, user can read the five steps that he has to follow, in order to recover the files.

There is also a note under recovery steps, warning the user that the whole process will not affect source disk.

Bad Copy Pro, claims to supports almost every storage device. It looks easy to use, windows interfaced and has three available rescue modes.

1. Rescue Corrupted Files Mode.

User has to use this mode, if he can see the files under Windows environment, but they do not work. Also underneath rescue corrupted files mode, there is three recovery options

a) Max Data: This option is recommended for small and important data files, because takes long time to recover data, but has better results. It makes more attempts to the lost data and with this option the program try to rescue the max data.

b) Normal (default): This option is the default for any recovery.

c) Max Speed: This option is recommended for large data files. Making only one attempt to recover data, is faster even from the normal mode.

2. Rescue Lost Files Mode #1 (only available for floppy or CD recovery).

User has to use this mode, if he can not see the files under Windows environment or Windows prompts him to format the media or the files was deleted.

3. Rescue Lost Files Mode #2 (only available for floppy or CD recovery).

User has to use this mode, if he do not get the desired results from Mode #1, which suggested to use first.
Mode #2 use different recovery and restoration methods to maximize access to the lost files.

About Test

This test was based to the thought, that the most common lost data problems happens to damaged CDs, floppies or lapse delete command.

Thus made some damaged media for this test:

a) One CDR, which has two random lines (0,5 cm) with felt-tipped pen across it and is full of images (Data error - cyclic redundancy check)

b) One CDRW full of images (for quick erase recovery test)

c) One damaged floppy disk with a dip line, made from pen across it and about the middle of the magnetic area having length 0.5cm (Data error - cyclic redundancy check)

Our original photo we used for our tests is the following :

2. CD-R Recovery Test - page 1

Bad Copy Pro - Page 2

CDR TEST

Starting the first test, with our CDR, we choose from recovery source board on the left,CD-ROM/CD-R/CD-RW source, for CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW discs.

Notice that under Windows we can see the media and corrupted files, but we can not have access to them, us we can`t see the images or write them to hard disk.

Bad Copy Pro features for CDs

1. Damaged or defective CD-ROM/CD-R/CD-RW data recovery

2. Inaccessible data on CD, CDR, CDRW recovery, CD Data Rescue

3. Lost files or folders from CD-ROM/CD-R/CD-RW rescue

4. CD-R or CD-RW burning problems and data loss recovery

5. Corrupted and unopenable, unreadable files recovery

6. Session selector to retrieve the data from multisession CDs

7. Recovers data created by all disc writing software including:

Ahead Nero Burning Rom or FileCD, Roxio Easy CD Creator or DirectCD etc.

The Test

The first step is to select the device were our media used and the recovery mode. For our test we select rescue corrupted files, us we can see the file icons under Windows.

Second step, call the user to choose corrupted files. Hence, we choose our corrupted photos using the default recovery option and after that we click next button to continue.

Now Bad copy attempts to recover the files, but first has to read and analyze them. User have also the option to skip a file or to stop recovery, as we can see from the picture below.

During the recovery process we could see recovery status at the status bar and also the bytes that the software has managed to recover until that point. At the status bar, program notifies that the corrupted data replaced by other random valid bytes with Auto Fill Function, which fill any missing (corrupted) bytes to reach the appropriate 2048 bytes per scrambled frame (Main data Bytes).

Doing this step, Windows environment become slow to any response (about 10 sec. to open internet explorer).

3. CD-R Recovery Test - page 2

Bad Copy Pro - Page 3

CDR TEST - 2

After three hours, Bad copy finishes his recovery process.

Since we press next button it displays a report and user now have to specify folder to save the recovered files. Also there is the preview option, giving opportunity to determine whether the files were recovered.

Some common file types can be previewed with internal viewer, like "JPG", "BMP", "GIF", "PNG", "WMF", "TXT" etc. For advanced users, you can also verify the results by previewing the recovered data in HEX mode.

As long as we select the save folder and continue to step five, we have our lost files back, safe to our hard drive.

The duration of the recovery process, as well as, the quality (validity) of the recovered files, mainly depends on the recovery mode we used and of course it related with the condition of damaged discs. Opening the recovered files folder, we can have finally access to our damaged files. Here is our optical demonstration of the recovered files.

Notice the first picture, which reported without any lost, gave back some errors.

BadCopyPro_Recovered (137)

BadCopyPro_Recovered (138)

BadCopyPro_Recovered (666)

BadCopyPro_Recovered (667)

4. CD-RW Recovery Test

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CDRW TEST

Starting the second test with our CDRW, we select from recovery source board on the left,

CD-ROM/CD-R/CD-RW source, for CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW discs.

Notice that the CDRW, quick erased with Nero burning rom program.

The Test

Starting, we select "Rescue Lost Files - Mode #1" as we can`t see our files under Windows.

The window below appears and we click on Scan Disk button.

No more than one second a pop - up window appears to report that the scan process finish.

Following the advice from pop - up window, we select the track, but unfortunately no files found to recover. Hence, we decided to give a final try with Rescue Lost Files - Mode #2.

Starting again from the begin and selecting "Rescue Lost Files - Mode #2, we give our second try to recover our files from the erased CDRW.

A note appears, giving us information about what will happen.

Here all we had to do, was to press the start.

After pressing start, a window pop-ups to select scan options. We choose full scan and retrieve all supported file types. During the data reading process we notice that all sectors which had been read was bad sectors for the recovery program and data loss was 100% at the end. Thus, we did not get any file back, as you can see from the two pictures below.

5. Hard Disk Recovery Test

Bad Copy Pro - Page 5

HARD DISK

Starting the Hard Disk test, we choose from recovery source board on the left,

Other Media or Storage.

Notice that we delete our image file from the hard drive C.

The first step asks to define the drive.

After that we must see our lost file. In our case is inside the folder "HD Test BAD COPY". Thus, we double click on it.

Unfortunately we can`t see our file in there, thus we can`t have selection for recovery.

Pressing only the next button, the message below appears, asking to define a file, which we could not find.

6. Floppy Recovery Test - page 1

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FLOPPY TEST

Starting the first test with our Floppy, we choose from recovery source board on the left,

Floppy Disk 3.5/5" Disk source.

Notice that under Windows we can not open Floppy disk from My Computer, because a message asking to format drive A appears any time we double click the floppy icon.

Bad Copy Pro features for Floppy disks.

1. Corrupt and unopenable files on floppy disk

2. Disk is inaccessible and Windows prompt you to format

3. FAT (File Allocation Table) or BOOT area of the disk were damaged

4. ROOT area of the disk was damaged and files can not be listed

5. Floppy disk contains bad sectors or clusters

6. Accidentally deleted files on floppy disk (floppy disk undelete)

7. Virus attack or other lost files on diskette

Note: The "File Allocation Table" itself is actually one of the structures inside the FAT file system as seen on-disk. The purpose of this table is to keep track of which areas of the disk are available and which areas are in use.

The Test

Starting first step, the only thing we have to do, is to select the recovery mode where we select "Rescue Lost Files - Mode #1", as we can`t see our files under Windows.

After that we press the scan disk button, starting the process.

The window below appears, advice us to wait for data read.

When data read finish, we could see our files real time using the preview button, as you can see from the two pictures below.

Selecting all of the files and pressing the recover button, we saved our files back to our hard disk.

7. Floppy Recovery Test - page 2

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FLOPPY TEST - 2

Above we demonstrate our recovered files.

BadCopyPro_Recovered_Mode_1_Floppy_1.BMP

BadCopyPro_Recovered_Mode_1_Floppy_2.GIF

BadCopyPro_Recovered_Mode_1_Floppy_3.JPG

BadCopyPro_Recovered_Mode_1_Floppy_4.TIF

The results are not really satisfactory for us, so we will try the "Rescue Lost Files - Mode #2" recovery mode for any better result.

This note pop-ups just to inform us.

Closing the note above we show the main window to start the recovery process. When we press start, a scan options window appears for selections. There, user can select the range of the scan and the kind of the files would like to have back from this process.

As soon as we select the options of our taste, the process starts.

When the process finish, we could see that our floppy disk has 105 bad sectors and a data loss 3,6%.

We press next button and a report window appears, giving us information for our files and the ability to preview our results and save them.

8. Floppy Recovery Test - page 3

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FLOPPY DISK

Above we demonstrate our recovered files, rescued with Mode #2 option.

BadCopyPro_Recovered_Mode_2_Floppy_1.BMP

BadCopyPro_Recovered_Mode_2_Floppy_2.GIF

BadCopyPro_Recovered_Mode_2_Floppy_3.JPG

BadCopyPro_Recovered_Mode_2_Floppy_4.TIF

Comparing these photos with the first recovered using "Rescue Lost Files - Mode #1", we do not have any better results but i can say, they are worst!

9. Conlusion

Bad Copy Pro - Page 9

CONCLUSION

The test of Bad Copy Pro was done to show program’s abilities, stability and compatibility, under Windows. For our test we thought these kinds of media, because those media ruin more frequently than a digital media like SmartMedia and CompactFlash (CF) cards.

Other supporting media are:

ZIP Disk Recovery:

Iomega ZIP disk, JAZ or MO DisK. It supports recovery on a single 100MB, 250MB and 750MB Zip disk.

DigitalMedia Recovery:

Supported Media are CompactFlash, SmartMedia, SD, MMC cards, Floppy Disk, ZIP, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, Sony Memory Stick.
Supported Readers are USB, Serial Port, LPT, FireWire, Floppy Drive, CD-ROM Drive, CD-R/W Drive, PCMCIA.

Bad Copy Pro is a useful recovery utility from Jufsoft. User can have back important lost data from damaged media or devices with bad sectors or even from lapse erase command. Supports common file types, many media devices and helps the novice user with the automatic data recovery feature.

It has preview option to determine whether the files were recovered and supports HEX mode preview for the advanced users.

Unfortunately, when this program is working Windows environment become slow to any response and to redraws. Also there is a problem with the reports accuracy, as the program reports data without errors, but there are errors when we check our image, as well as, with the % error report, where the final result hasn’t relation with the reports measure.

The duration of the recovery process, as well as, the quality of the recovered files is related with the condition of damaged media.

The CD-R test shows us, that from a damaged CD we going to to have loss to our data. Under Windows we can see the media and corrupted files, but we cannot have access to them. Finally we get our files back but with a small or large loss to any of our corrupted files.

For an erased CDRW, there is no change to get your deleted data back, so be careful with your RW.

Searching for our deleted file to our hard disk, drive us to dead end. Unfortunately, Bad Copy Pro can`t help the user, when he is doing lapse erase commands to his Hard Disk Drive. Maybe there is better results with Floppy.

The test with our damaged floppy disk gave us back strange results. Comparing the results using “Rescue Lost Files - Mode #1” with those of “Rescue Lost Files - Mode #2” we show worst results from the second option, making us wonder. It suppose that the second option appears for better results, according the maiden company.

Unfortunately the odds to have data back as was before from damaged media are very small. In all cases, user has to accept a loss, except if the TOC for CDs has corruption or the boot area of a disk were damaged . At this case, the data isn’t affected. The user can’t see the media under Windows environment, so has to run to a recovery program if he want his data back.

Prevention is the best way for data protection. The user could have one or two different back ups with his important data than waiting from a recovery program, to give him lost data back without any loss, especially from a damaged or effected media.

BadCopy Pro single-user license is US$ 39.50. That price is cheaper than most data recovery services will charge you.