Fixing a Scratched CD?

Addy wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I thought we discussed this topic before, but darned if I can find it. Anyhoo...

I just popped in my Candlemass Nightfall cd and it started skipping. I took it out and it's got a big scratch coming right out from the center hole. I know it wasn't purchased that way, so I'm guessing one of my kids did it when they knocked some cd's out of the rack. The center spindle of the cd tray most likely caused the scratch.

Does anyone have a tried & true method to fix a scratched & skipping cd? I've hear/read about using toothpaste to buff it out, but never tried it myself.

Any suggestions? And no, my microwave does not have a "repair CD" button.

http://www.heartofmetal.net/fun-and-games-f12/fixing-scratched-cds-t8482.htm?highlight=fixing+a+scratched+cd

If you got a place nearby that does cd/dvd repair I will tell you its worth it, I had a movie that was badly scratched and i couldnt find a new copy anywhere I found this place that fixed it perfectly. In fact I need to go back with a few cds I got that need repair

I did inquire at 2 different GameStops and they both told me to insert the cd up my rectum (in so many words). Maybe I'll try the toothpaste method. The cd is pretty much f**ked the way it is now, so I don't have anything to lose.

For $150 the JFJ easy pro. Does everything the nerds at the cd warehouse can do.
But you can do them on your own time. It takes a few times to learn, but I fix every used cd.


http://jfjeasypro.com/

Also check YouTube for a how to video

Just for sh*ts & giggles, I stopped into another Game Stop at a different mall last weekend and asked about fixing a scratched cd.

The resident game-geek behind the counter said they did not do it anymore, but recommended the toothpaste method. He started going into a lengthy explaination about how it worked and the mechanics of the coding of a disc. I had to cut him off with a "Ok, cool. Thanks anyway".

So I had to do the ol' "toothpaste treatment" on two badly scratched used CDs that I got on the cheap from Hastings last week (Ramones Greatest Hits Live and Firehouse Hold Your Fire)... I was able to salvage the Ramones disc, but the Firehouse album was still a clusterf*ck of skips/jams when I tried to play it afterwards. So the toothpaste trick isn't totally infallible.

On a whim, I even tried ripping the two discs to my computer after they were all nice and dry and minty-fresh, thinking that at least I might be able to burn a fresh copy of each album to CD-Rs and throw away the crapped-out originals. The Ramones disc ripped fine, so I already made a CD-R copy just to be on the safe side.... but my Windows Media Player couldn't even complete the ripping on the Firehouse album. So that's on the way to the trash heap. Oh well, I tried... and it was only $1.49 down the drain.

I've saved many a cd with this thing: http://www.amazon.com/DVD-Classic-Disc-Repair-System/dp/B0015ACUNO

I was skeptical when I got it years ago, but it does work great.

I had one of those damn things. I don't know how much it made it worse than it already was. I think I still have the cd even tho it doesn't play. I'll never get one again.

Fat Freddy wrote:

So I had to do the ol' "toothpaste treatment" on two badly scratched used CDs that I got on the cheap from Hastings last week (Ramones Greatest Hits Live and Firehouse Hold Your Fire)... I was able to salvage the Ramones disc, but the Firehouse album was still a clusterf*ck of skips/jams when I tried to play it afterwards. So the toothpaste trick isn't totally infallible.

On a whim, I even tried ripping the two discs to my computer after they were all nice and dry and minty-fresh, thinking that at least I might be able to burn a fresh copy of each album to CD-Rs and throw away the crapped-out originals. The Ramones disc ripped fine, so I already made a CD-R copy just to be on the safe side.... but my Windows Media Player couldn't even complete the ripping on the Firehouse album. So that's on the way to the trash heap. Oh well, I tried... and it was only $1.49 down the drain.

Don't throw away the inserts for the Firehouse disc. I can hook you up with the tunes.

kmorg wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

So I had to do the ol' "toothpaste treatment" on two badly scratched used CDs that I got on the cheap from Hastings last week (Ramones Greatest Hits Live and Firehouse Hold Your Fire)... I was able to salvage the Ramones disc, but the Firehouse album was still a clusterf*ck of skips/jams when I tried to play it afterwards. So the toothpaste trick isn't totally infallible.

On a whim, I even tried ripping the two discs to my computer after they were all nice and dry and minty-fresh, thinking that at least I might be able to burn a fresh copy of each album to CD-Rs and throw away the crapped-out originals. The Ramones disc ripped fine, so I already made a CD-R copy just to be on the safe side.... but my Windows Media Player couldn't even complete the ripping on the Firehouse album. So that's on the way to the trash heap. Oh well, I tried... and it was only $1.49 down the drain.

Don't throw away the inserts for the Firehouse disc. I can hook you up with the tunes.

Cool, boss... thanx

Make sure you send a complaint to customer service. Usually on the cheaper stuff they'll just refund without making you send it back. No excuse if the thing won't play right for you not to get a refund. What is interesting is that all Hastings stores seem to use the re-surfacing machines on every cd they get. Personally, every time I've taken in a scratched disc to be "repaired" the machine did nothing to stop the skipping.

jstate wrote:

Make sure you send a complaint to customer service. Usually on the cheaper stuff they'll just refund without making you send it back. No excuse if the thing won't play right for you not to get a refund.

Already done and done. Called'em yesterday and got the $$ I paid (about three bucks total) for the two scratched-up CDs credited. They were very nice about it and I didn't have to send the bum discs back either.

Anybody tried one of these "Disc Genie" doohickeys to repair scratched CDs? Hey, they're "As Seen On TV," they gotta be legit right?



Saw a box of these on the counter at my local Walgreens' the other day and it was only a buck, so I figured "Ehh, what the hell" and picked one up. I have a couple of CDs that I ordered used from Hastings over the past few years that were a little banged up (and I hadn't gotten around to trying the "toothpaste fix" method seen earlier in this thread on them).

When you open the package it's simply a little cardboard square, slightly bigger than a CD. One side has a kind of felt material covering it. The idea is you place your CD on there, rotate it around a bunch of times clockwise and then another bunch of times counter-clockwise and it'll supposedly buff the scratches out of the disc.

The jury's still out on whether or not it works, I ran a couple of CDs across it this morning and I'll be playing them throughout the day to see if playback has improved. I'm about halfway thru the first one and... so far, so good. Stay tuned.

Follow up: yeah, you guys can ignore these things. Of the four discs I "treated" with the Disc Genie, only one of them showed any improvement. The other three remained the same scratched, skipping clusterf*cks that they've always been. I even "treated" each of 'em twice just to be sure, aaaaaand...pfffft.

Oh well. (shrugs) Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If only everyone treated their CDs with the same tender loving care that I do, then it wouldn't be necessary to try such fly by night "fixes." (SIGH)

As soon as I get a chance, I will probably write a HubPage entry bashing these things...
(Comic Book Guy voice) "I was registering my dissatisfaction via the Internet within MOMENTS!"

Fat Freddy wrote:

As soon as I get a chance, I will probably write a HubPage entry bashing these things...
(Comic Book Guy voice) "I was registering my dissatisfaction via the Internet within MOMENTS!"

  

Witchfinder wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

As soon as I get a chance, I will probably write a HubPage entry bashing these things...
(Comic Book Guy voice) "I was registering my dissatisfaction via the Internet within MOMENTS!"

  

Hey, it's a slow week @ work, I got the time.

...aaaaand POOF! It is done:


http://fatfreddyscat.hubpages.com/hub/Does-The-Disc-Genie-CDDVD-Repair-Kit-Really-Work

Disc repair is something of an arcane art - not helped at all by the fact that you have modern discs, bootlegs, etc. with mastering errors that sound like skips caused by scratches.

The grinding wheel with buffing discs as mentioned earlier sounds like a pretty solid plan, actually. I may have to keep my eyes peeled for that.

I worked at a library for a few years and we used one of those "Disc Doctor" hand-held wheel things to repair really bad discs. It seemed to extend the lifespan of our discs by a bit, but we didn't exactly keep empirical statistics on how much better they played in various pieces of hardware, so I can't offer more than that with any certainty.