There is always a bundle of scratched CDs or DVDs sitting in your computer cabinet, CDs which contains backups ^[1] and files which Windows does not allow you to copy to your PC.

Quite recently we had talked about several copy paste enhancements and replacements for windows ^[2], one of the things we missed adding to the list was Copy Cat, a real helpful and free solution for recovering data from scratched CDs and DVDs.

Copy Cat is a smart copier since unlike windows it allows you to skip the unreadable bytes and proceed with copying the rest of the data. Windows on the other hand, simply quits even if it comes across a single bad byte. This approach allows Copy Cat to at-least recover the readable data from the scratched CD or DVD.

Copy Cat Features

• Copies your oldest collection of CDs and DVDs
• It even tries to copy a highly damaged media byte by byte
• It gives you the option to skip the bytes if bad area found
• It is a very fast data recovery tool
• It also tries to copy damaged files on your hard disk
• Unlike Windows copy operation it does not stop the copy if bad area found

Copy Cat is a freeware, so you do not have to worry about paying a hefty amount to the local tech guy who can recover data from your scratched CD or DVD. Get that stack of scratched CDs and DVDs out and let Copy Cat recover the lost memories, you thought you could never get back. While installation the software will ask you to install a IE toolbar, so please uncheck it if you do not want any add-ons to be installed.

Download Copy Cat ^[3] [via Tech Spikes ^[4]]

Image Credit ^[5]