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I am a radio producer and have many years worth of shows backed up as data on DVD. One that I now need does not mount or even show up in the Finder. I have a USB DVD player/recorder that works fine otherwise and another similar disc from the same era works fine. I'm guessing that there must be an issue with the old DVD disc itself and I'm wondering if there's any way to look at and/or recover the data that's on it.
iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 12.0
I'd suggest trying other computers, even Windows as the file's formats are generally not OS specific. Maybe clean the disk with a soft cloth and gentle motion. Being plastic, they can even be washed in warm soapy water. Use a mild detergent, rinse well, and get all water off before inserting.
One thing you might be facing is the fact that CDs and DVDs are not forever. Most everyday optical disks are not archive quality and they do degrade over time. Often faster than you might think.
I'd suggest trying other computers, even Windows as the file's formats are generally not OS specific. Maybe clean the disk with a soft cloth and gentle motion. Being plastic, they can even be washed in warm soapy water. Use a mild detergent, rinse well, and get all water off before inserting.
One thing you might be facing is the fact that CDs and DVDs are not forever. Most everyday optical disks are not archive quality and they do degrade over time. Often faster than you might think.
Many thanks. I'd about given up one ever recovering this information. After reading your post I located a "Radial Cleaning Kit" that I'd bought a million years ago. I gave it a shot and ... voila! The disc appeared in my Sidebar when I inserted it.
Recover data from an old DVD
