When opening a cd, the files are deleted.

Question

When I try to open some cds, the opening is automatic and the files have been deleted. Is there a way to protect to files?

Answer 1

Hi Wendy F

If simply opening a CD causes files to disappear, that is not normal behavior. CDs that are finalized (CD-ROM, audio CDs, most software discs) are generally read-only, so viewing them should not delete files.

A few things to check:

1. Are the files actually deleted or just hidden?
   • Open File Explorer.
   • Select View > Show > Hidden items.
   • Check whether the files reappear.
2. Try the CD on another computer
   • If the files are visible there, the issue may be related to Windows, a CD-writing application, or the optical drive on the first PC.
3. Protect important files
   • Copy the files from the CD to your computer or another storage device as soon as possible.
   • If the disc is a CD-RW and you want it preserved, avoid using software that can write to the disc.

Feel free to update here if anything comes up!

---

If this answer was helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and vote for it. If you have additional questions regarding this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps outlined in our documentation to enable email notifications if you wish to receive notifications regarding this discussion.

Answer 2

If it's a commercially-made CD, the contents cannot be deleted from the disc.

If it's a homemade CD, the disc might not have been correctly created.

What makes you say that the files have been deleted?