IsoBuster
Recovers files and disc images from CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray, hard drives, and USB media
isobuster.com — this link takes you to the developer's own website.
- Version
- 5.8
- License
- Freemium
- Platforms
- Windows
- Publisher
- Smart Projects
IsoBuster is a data recovery tool built around reading and repairing damaged or unusual storage media. Its original focus was optical discs (CD, DVD, HD DVD, Blu-ray), where it can read multiple sessions and tracks, extract individual files, and create or mount disc images even when a disc is scratched or partially unreadable. It has since expanded to cover hard drives, SSDs, USB flash drives, and memory cards.
The program understands a broad set of file systems, including ISO9660, Joliet, Rock Ridge, UDF, HFS, NTFS, FAT, and El Torito, and it also offers signature-based scanning to find files that are missing from a damaged or reformatted file system's directory structure. Recovered items can be saved to a new location or exported as disc images.
It is aimed at people who need to recover specific files from failing or already-damaged media, from home users trying to rescue family photos off a scratched DVD to IT staff and forensic examiners who need low-level access to a disc or drive's raw structure. It is less suited to routine backup or as a general file manager, since its interface is built around browsing and extracting from damaged sources rather than everyday file operations.