If your precious CD is scratched and won't play in your CD player, here are five ways to get it to read, at least once, so you can make a copy.
CDs (Compact Discs) sometimes decide not to work anymore. And unfortunately this happens to CDs that contain personal moments, such as your wedding, your child's baptism, your school trip, etc. Or it could be the CD with your favorite music album, or an old backup. Whatever it is, your data is valuable.
Do you really want to re-read that scratched CD? You can! Below are five ways to fix a scratched CD or DVD, make it play on any device, and what to do next.
Of course, we are not talking about if your CD or DVD is broken or missing a piece. In this case, nothing can be done. The usual damage to these discs is that they are scratched or dirty. So, in most cases, the problem with a disc is its outer surface. The actual data on the disc is stored on a material that is placed between two layers of polycarbonate. This transparent plastic of the disc, its surface, is susceptible to scratches.
Taking care of your discs is definitely a good idea. You should take a moment every time you finish working with them to make sure that both the disc and the inside of the case are clean. A hair can scratch your disc and put it out of operation. You should also be careful how you remove or insert a disc into the DVD drive. This is another common way that optical discs can get scratched or damaged. Even worse is if the CD player gets stuck and you start screwing it in instead of pressing the special switch with a pin.
So if you have a disc that won't play or has playback issues, it's usually due to scratches on the outer layer, and you can fix it. There are several repair methods. None of them require any special materials or skills, and all of them can be done with household items. Let's take a look at 5 ways you can (temporarily) repair a CD, DVD, or even a Blu-ray disc.
1. Simply clean it.
Many times, records that we think are scratched and won't play are simply dirty.
Surface stains work in the same way as scratches. They refract the laser beam and do not direct it to the correct spot on the disc, making it unable to read the encoded data on the metal layer.
Visually inspect your disc for dirt, but even if you can't see any, clean the surface of your disc with a soft, lint-free cloth, like the ones you use to clean your glasses. You can use a mild detergent (or even better, alcohol) if there are traces of grease. Make sure there are no fingerprints or dust particles. Don't rub too hard as this can cause more damage. Your movements should be spiral (circular in the shape of the disc), tending to start from the center and end outside it.
Avoid the usual cleaning of the irrelevant... rubbing the disc hard on your pants!!!. With a little luck, your disc will work once cleaned properly.
If the CD player doesn't play any discs, or if it plays selectively whenever it is loaded, then gently clean the glass of the laser itself. Dust can cause a lot of damage, especially on older machines.
2. Repair scratches on damaged CDs with toothpaste
It sounds unbelievable, but it works. Using toothpaste or some eyeglass cleaner (especially those used by opticians) or even Brasso (silver polish), you can repair a damaged disc.
But how does toothpaste clean scratches on your CDs? The principle is simple: the toothpaste fills the gap caused by the scratch on the outer surface. The laser is then focused correctly so that it can accurately read the data on the disc. Follow these steps:
- Clean the disc as described above.
- Place a small amount of toothpaste on a plate. Using a wooden toothpick or something similar, place a small portion of the toothpaste along the scratch (not as much as the photo above shows).
- Rub gently with a suitable cloth, from the center of the scratch outwards.
After a few minutes you will see the scratch smooth out. Maybe it will even disappear. Try playing the disc. If it works, make a copy of it immediately.
3. Can a light bulb repair a scratched DVD?
Another technique is to use an incandescent light bulb, around 60W.
Place your index finger in the hole of the disc, shiny side up, and hold the laser reading side over an incandescent light bulb, about 10 cm away. Spin the disc for a maximum of 20 seconds and remove it. Note that excessive heat exposure can damage the disc.
Play the disc while it is still warm, and if it works, copy the data to your computer immediately.
If you haven't succeeded with the first few methods, it might be worth trying the lamp.
4. Repair a scratched disc with wax
Unbelievable, but scratches on the surface of a CD or DVD can be fixed with a soft wax!
As with toothpaste, you can use clear shoe polish, lip balm, furniture polish, or even petroleum jelly. Again, rub it into the surface of the disc to fill the scratch. With a lint-free cloth, wipe away the excess wax in a circular motion.
Once you're done, try playing the disc. If it works, copy the data to your computer.
5. Cover the holes in the disc with tape
Most problems with a disc are limited to the plastic layer. In some cases, holes can appear in the aluminum layer. Since this is where the data is stored, such a hole can prove disastrous. If the laser finds a hole, it will simply stop reading.
The answer is to cover the holes, thus prompting the laser to continue reading. Hold the disc up with the laser reading side facing up and find the holes. Then, turn it over and smudge the gaps with a marker. Finish by placing two small strips of tape over each hole you find.
This will allow the disc to play, allowing you to recover most of your data. Of course, any data stored where the holes are will be lost forever.
What to do next with your scratched CD
So, what have we learned? There's no need to throw away your scratched CDs and DVDs. Instead of using them as coasters or hanging them for pigeons, use one of the methods above to overcome the scratches and recover the data.
These solutions are temporary. Don't rest on your laurels that you've succeeded. Instead, immediately copy the data to another disk, hard drive, or any preferred storage solution.
