Comments

Jonathan Neal wrote on 2/1/2008, 8:10 PM
Spot, try VirtualDub, VirtualDubMod, VCDEasy, or VCDgear, and see if this page, or this page is of any help.

Also, according to fileext.com, Nero considers *.dat files Nero CD Speed Results. However, from what I've been reading, *.dat files are often found on VCD discs, perhaps as MPG files.
blink3times wrote on 2/1/2008, 9:13 PM
dat's are on vcd's. The problem with dat files is that XP gets them confused with it's own dat files (data files) which xp often tries to protect. It's kind of funny because Nero will also confuse the XP data files as vcd dat files and as a result, all of your xp dat files will be changed to a nero icon If you do a default nero install.

If you have a linux system, or an older dos system you SHOULD be able to copy/paste the dat file (assuming of course the disk is in good condition and not protected in some fashion).
Spot|DSE wrote on 2/1/2008, 9:45 PM
mpeg streamclip wouldn't open it, QTPro wouldn't open it, nothing but Nero would open it. Ultimately, the easiest thing to do was to simply play it in the Nero system and use a screencapture tool to record it.
PITA, and never seen a file like this that wouldn't allow copy/paste on either a Mac or PC.
John_Cline wrote on 2/1/2008, 10:17 PM
I'm sure you did, but did you try simply renaming the .DAT file to .MPG? I believe that a VCD .DAT is a simple MPG1 file.
Spot|DSE wrote on 2/1/2008, 11:21 PM
Can't rename a file on a DVD...and this file would not let me Xfer it. It would get to 98% and tell me it was corrupt.
Various DVD ripping tools reported corrupt files as well.
Never seen a file like this before, so I simply recorded it from the screen using a screen capture app. Looks as good as this very old VHS footage can look.
It's a DVD, although it appears authored as a VCD.
craftech wrote on 2/2/2008, 5:26 AM
Doug,

Try first transfering the file to the Windows XP desktop or to a folder.

First make sure under Folder Options/View, you don't have the box checked that says Hide extensions for known file types.

Remove the .dat at the end and make it .mpg

See if that works.

If you can't transfer it using VCD Gear using the DAT to MPEG option and you have to use Nero try this:

Select "Image Recorder/copy cd" and "Read Options," "Ignore Illegal TOC Type," "Force raw reading" on Data mode 1 and 2, use the drop down "On errors..." select "try to correct data" and under Audio tracks, select all the boxes. Then select the "copy" button.
When you get the image file download Daemon Tools. It will allow you to make a DAT file from the image file by mounting a CD drive from which you can copy the DAT out of the image file.
OR: (In Program Files\Ahead\Nero\Misc Folder. Install. Run Image Drive. Load the Image that you have created. It will be available as a additional CDROM drive.)


John
Kennymusicman wrote on 2/2/2008, 5:29 AM
I've come across dat files seveal times (as blink mentioed on VCD).

IIRC Tmpeg was happy to open and convert them

[edit: try this:. Create a fake VCD, with nero or whatever, then change the .dat file for the one you have - it may then be seen as a regular VCD that you should be able to import in a more standard method - I think that's how I may have got round a corrupted vcd .dat before - been a while, so details are a little hazy]