Software update: IsoBuster 4.9

Smart Projects has released IsoBuster version 4.9. This program specializes in reading bad or damaged CDs and DVDs, and in many cases can recover files that are no longer recognized by Windows. Another strong point of IsoBuster is that it can read almost any CD or DVD image format imaginable, including *.iso, *.bin, *.img, *.ccd, and *.nrg. The program is largely free, only a few advanced features are only accessible to paying users. Which exactly those are, is up this page to find. Since version 3.0, the program can also handle all other internal and external storage media, such as hard drives, USB sticks and memory cards. The changelog for this release shows the following changes and improvements:

Changes / New:

• Windows 11 tested, improved, ready
• Support for ReplayTV 1000, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 3000, 3020, 3030, 3060, 4000, 4040, 4080, 4160, 4320, 4500, 4504, 4508, 4516, 4532, 5000, 5040, 5060, 5080 , 5160, 5320, 5500, 5504, 5508, 5516 and 5532 DVR/PVR Standalone Video Recorders
• Support for ShowStopper PV-HS1000, ShowStopper PV-HS2000 and ShowStopper PV-HS3000 DVR/PVR Standalone Video Recorders
• Support for Thomson DTH7000 / RCA DRS7000 “Scenium” and Thomson DTH7500 / RCA DRC7005 DVR/PVR Standalone Video Recorders
• Roxio, Prassi, Sonic *.gi image file CD-Text support
• Ability to keep certain attributes (‘Read Only’, ‘System’, ‘Hidden’ and/or ‘Archive’) when extracting files
• Ability to auto-complete a managed IBP/IBQ image file in a loop, until stopped or completed. Look for a checkbox on the various dialogs, before creating, when opening an incomplete image, after first creation or completion etc. The check box is pre-checked if this has been set in Options
• Read Error dialog‘s [Retry] button will now automatically be clicked, again and again, with a 10 second interval, so that after an error the process can continue automatically if the sector could be read afterall
• the [Retry] button (and hence automatic execution) is not the default button on the RETRY-SELECT-ABORT error dialog, but it can be via a setting in Options

Improvements:

• Find orphaned/deleted PS2 MC card folders (if the PS2-MC-FAT is still OK)
• Also scan for PS2 APA partitions when a GPT partition scheme has already been found
• app”[Deleted]” to the filename of deleted files and folders in the PS2 MC file system (if the deleted files/folders are located in a not-deleted folder)
• Detect PS2 APA boot.kelf files even if they’re not referenced from the header
• Show what is selected in the Options (left pane) TreeView, even when the control is not in focus
• Updated a number of icons
• Improved algorithm to Extract while filtering only mpeg frames on DVD
• Improved finding all VOB files via the DVD-VFR IFO files
• Improved the /ef: command to incorporate wildcard search functionality to find a particular file before extracting it
• Improvement to make sure CUE files of CD-i discs, as created with IsoBuster, are still recognized as CD-i discs
• Always write out CD-Text data to the *.CUE, even if a *.CDT could be created. This way the CD-Text data is also easily readable via a text file (the *.cue)
• Improved detecting generic split image files based on their extension (Added *.00 and *_00.pdi variants)
• Added *.00 to Open Image file filter
• Improved *.gi parsing to deal with certain variants
• Improved showing file icons in the (right pane) ListView when the OS is super slow to respond
• Sector View now also ‘understands’ “start”, “end”, “first”, “last” and “mid” to read the first, last or middle sector of the selected object
• Sector View “start”, “end”, “first”, “last” and “mid” can be followed by a + or – value, which is then taken in account (eg “last-32” will show the 32nd sector before the Last LBA or the selected object)
• Improved GPT partition table parsing, making use of its backup, to still find partitions on a HDD/SSD or USB stick
• Use the GPT Partition Entry name/label to name partitions found via the GPT
• Improved ability to interrupt building a report
• don’t display edit window if building a report was cancelled
• The Pause dialog that can be called on several functions now has a checkbox to auto-resume the process again in 60 seconds
• Improved Progress bar behaviour
• Various GUI tweaks were made for best compatibility with Windows 11
• Checking for errors (Surface Scan, Check if all files are physically readable) defaults to normal generic reading again instead of mostly raw reading. This makes for a more accurate real life test.
• Improved detecting exceptional CD media (CD-i, VCD) that needs to be read and verified raw
• Improved High Contrast mode (for the visually impaired), especially on Window 10 and higher
• Plenty of other improvements, a few changes and re-writes in the core code / engine, as this is a living project and to deal with the ever growing new functionality
• Various other GUI improvements

Fixes:

• Fix when extracting Raw2User. In certain rare occasions there could be slightly more data in the file
• Fixed GUI issue when doing a manual retry while reading from a managed (*.ibp/ibq) image file. A new dialog would be created on every manual retry.
• Fixed issues that, under certain conditions, prevented a DVD IFO -VFR ​​folder to be expanded