CD/DVD discs are an important medium for data storage. You can store your favorite movies, songs, or even some important work projects on them. Discs must be stored in special packaging and not in bulk in any box. But even if you handle the discs with the utmost care and in the appropriate way, scratches on the surface of the discs cannot be ruled out.
This article will tell you about some simple ways get rid of scratches on CD. There are even special devices for polishing and “repairing” a scratched disc, however, these devices are quite expensive, so we will make do with “folk” means available in everyday life.
First you need to thoroughly clean the disk. This is necessary because sometimes dust and other contaminants can interfere with the normal reading of data from the disc. In order to clean the CD of contaminants, you need to wash it in warm soapy water. It can also be cleaned with liquid soap, detergents or even alcohol.
Disk needed clean away from the center of the disc to the periphery (i.e. to the edges of the disk). Necessary use a soft, lint-free cloth. After you wash the disc, it must be dried. Do not dry the disc in the sun or under a lamp, and do not use a towel to dry it.
If the CD does not work properly even after cleaning, then try turning it on in another player or drive. Often the cause of the problem is not at all the disc, but the laser of the "low" power of the player or drive.
If you begin to notice problems with reading data from a disk, and you value the data recorded on it, then you urgently need to make a copy of it or save its contents on your computer.
Note, How are the scratches on the disc?. Their location directly affects the degree of disk damage. Scratches that are perpendicular to the center of the disc affect the functionality of the CD/DVD to a much lesser extent than scratches that are located along the spiral of the disc.
Proven and reliable way polishing the disc that improves the playback quality of a scratched disc. For this you can use such tools, like soda, toothpaste, alcohol, anti-freeze (glass cleaner). These funds must be applied to the surface of the scratched disc and wipe it in a circular motion. As a rag Use a soft, lint-free cloth or wipes to clean your glasses. The CD should then be washed and allowed to dry.
For polishing disc you can also use polish for the car or neutral shoe polish.
After polishing the CD, check its surface. If you notice that the surface of the CD has become much more shiny (although some small scratches may still remain on the surface), then this means that the polishing has given positive result. If you did not notice any difference, even after polishing the disc, then the scratches on its surface are large and deep, and in this case, regular polishing will no longer help.
If everything worked out for you, then you can safely turn on your favorite CD player and go to
Despite the emergence of a number of portable media used to store large amounts of information, CDs are still considered one of the most persistent and reliable in the designated group. They are less prone to causeless breakdowns, however, they are not protected from physical influences and, as a result, mechanical damage. A couple of scratches on the surface of a CD are enough to stop the media from working correctly or being read at all, "burying" a significant part of the data that is important to the user.
But do not despair: there is still a chance to repair the equipment. To do this, there are special commercial kits for sale and a lot of tips on the Web to help restore the original state of the disk.
CD/DVD preparation
Before removing scratches from a disk, its surface should be cleaned of dust and prints, since it was dirt that could be the root cause of the breakdown.
This can be done in several ways:
- With non-abrasive products.
- Carefully wipe heavily soiled media with a soft cloth.
- Hold under running lukewarm water.
After shaking off the water from the CD, it must be dried by laying it on a paper towel without getting wet. This is done in order to understand the extent of the damage: if the depth of damage reaches the metal layer, the carrier cannot be saved on its own.
Removing defects on the surface of CD / DVD
It is possible to cope with this task at home, the main thing is to know how. Removing scratches from a disc is easy; various household products are used for this - from petroleum jelly to toothpaste.
Waxing with a polish, car wax, or other creamy texture works well when the polycarbonate finish shows signs of heavy wear. In this case, the media is covered with one of the listed products, the excess of which is then removed with a lint-free cloth. This method will help temporarily, since it does not contribute to the removal of defects, but only fills in scuffs. After its successful use, you should do backup information from a damaged CD, the further use of which will remain in question.
The following technique (how to remove scratches from a disc with toothpaste) is very simple. It consists in polishing the upper layer of the CD, thinning it and thereby reducing the depth of damage. It is worth resorting to it at the very last moment, if more gentle options have not worked.
It is advisable to use a paste based on baking soda as the most effective. The substance is applied to a smooth cloth (glass cloth is suitable) and with its help is distributed over the scratch perpendicular to the digital tracks. This will protect the media from the appearance of new, more dangerous flaws.
It will take about 2-5 minutes to polish the disc in this way, then carefully rinse the paste under warm water and allow the CD to dry in the open air on its own.
Both methods are equally effective in dealing with the described task (how to remove scratches from an Xbox disk).
Xbox CD damage
If a defect is found on a disc for game console it is worth making sure that she was not the culprit of the problem. Xbox sometimes has a similar flaw, and if it was bought recently, there is a chance that the unusable media will be replaced with a new one in tech support.
If the exchange and compensation of damage is not possible, then the main methods of how to remove scratches from the Xbox 360 disc are those already described earlier using toothpaste or polish.
Portable media care
The best way to solve a problem is to prevent it from occurring. To delay the collision with the question of how to remove scratches from the disk, you should provide it with proper operating conditions:
- It is necessary to clean strong dirt with specialized means, with gentle movements in the direction from the central hole to the edge of the CD. In no case should you wipe the surface of the disk in a circle - this creates a risk of data loss.
- Media should be stored away from direct sunlight in a CD/DVD folder. This method will provide fragile disks with the proper level of security and take up a minimum of space.
- Remove the media from the optical drive by holding it by the edges or the inner ring.
By following these instructions, the user will protect themselves from unexpected loss of information and may never face the problem of how to remove scratches from the disk.
Hi all! It's embarrassing when required files are not read from the disk, but they are not on the computer! How to be? It will not help here, only the physical will help here disk recovery, and then software. There are many devices for polishing the disc, and if they are not at hand? Therefore, today we will look at how to repair a scratched cd/dvd disc .
How to repair a scratched disc
For the sake of experiment, I took a scratched dvd disk.
To restore cd or dvd you need to dilute the toothpaste with plain water in a ratio of 50-50. We interfere qualitatively. I have green pasta with herbs, expensive infection, but what can I do)))
Now we take a napkin (preferably of course from a soft cloth) and polish the disk from the center to the edge.
ATTENTION! Movements as in the figure from the inside to the outside.
It is impossible to polish with movements in a circle! You can make the disk even worse. We polish the disc for 20 minutes, dipping a napkin into the water, thereby restoring cd drive. Press as if you were erasing a pencil with an eraser from a sheet. Watch carefully so that new dents do not appear.
Over time, we try to put less pressure on the disk and check the reading of data on our disk. This is how you can restore a completely dead disk within two hours. To avoid this in the future, use special bags and sachets so as not to remember the procedure again. disk recovery! Well, then, it's up to the programs, it's not a fact that the disk has fully recovered, so we read on!
How to restore a disk from scratches using the program
Of all the programs, I chose CD Recovery Toolbox. This program is free and simple. Downloading:
We start, select the dvd-rom in which the disk is and click next.
Choose where we will save files from the scratched disk.
Select the files or folders you want to recover. And click save.
The recovery process will begin. We are waiting for all files to be restored to the selected folder.
When all files are restored, the folder where the files were restored will open. And a recovery log will appear in the program, in which there will be a video, which files were recovered and which were not.
Now we look at which files have been recovered and which have not. If something was not restored, then we repeat the process from the beginning, only already restoring unrecovered files. This is how you can restore a scratched disk.
You can also try to repair a scratched disk with a more rigid method:
Despite the fact that the discs are extremely reliable and resistant, it is almost impossible to avoid the periodic appearance of scratches and scuffs on them. This corruption could end up missing your favorite music track, or in the case of a data disc, losing a datasheet you've been working on for two weeks. Do not despair, there is a chance to fix the disk. There are commercial scratch repair kits and machines for repairing damaged discs (which are definitely worth looking into if you deal with scratched discs all the time), but you may be able to fix everything at home.
First of all, clean your disk. Even if the disc isn't actually scratched or scuffed, or the scratches aren't causing a readability problem, dust, grease, and other surface dirt could be. So in any case, cleaning is the first step.
Use a commercially available set of non-abrasive cloth and special disc cleaning fluid, or:
If you find stubborn dirt or fingerprints on the surface, rub the area very gently with your fingers (not nails!; but it is better to buy a special non-abrasive cloth for discs) or even use liquid soap (with water); or use rubbing alcohol instead of water. Whenever you rub or wipe a disc, start at the center of the disc and work straight up towards the edge to avoid new scratches.
- Shake the disc to remove any water droplets and allow the disc to air dry (do not wipe the disc with a towel or tissue).
Try to count the disk. If it doesn't work - try counting on other equipment: some players cope with scratches better than others; in this case, computer CD / DVD drives and car stereos are optimal. If you can read it on a computer, immediately make a copy of the disk.
Those that run from the center to the edge of the disc, perpendicular to the circular spirals, may not have any effect on readability at all. Dangerous are those that go in the direction of the disk spirals. It is they who are responsible for the loss of many consecutive bits of data, due to which the algorithm of data recovery programs may not be able to cope with the task.
If there are several scratches, but the disc does not read / skips only some files / tracks, you can probably figure out which specific scratches are causing problems. The first track on a music disc starts near the center of the disc and the direction of play is outward towards the edge of the disc.
Many disc burning programs can be set to continue reading after an error is detected (such as when the data cannot be read due to a scratch). If the program is unable to read the data at all, it will fill it with random information. Also, the program may try to read the damaged section many times at a very low speed. Plus, this technique does not carry the risk of damaging the drive even more, so before trying anything else, first use the program (but even if you later damage the drive even more, this method can still be applied) .
For Windows, try Nero in this case; for Linux - Ddrescue. These programs often do the job well, and they are especially effective with audio CDs (where accuracy is less important). Remember that due to long reading and numerous attempts to read the damaged section, these programs may take a long time to work (in Windows XP, disk recovery takes about 2 hours).
Disc polishing
WARNING: THIS CAN DAMAGE THE DISK EVEN MORE! USE THIS METHOD ONLY AS A LAST REMEDY AND READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY!
Despite the seemingly counterintuitive action, polishing a disc can remove scratches by removing the outer plastic coating and, thanks to this, making existing scratches not so deep. A number of household products can be used for polishing, but toothpaste (especially baking soda-based paste) and Brasso polish are the most commonly used and effective products. You can also use fine-grained polishing compounds, which are used for cars or tool processing.
Apply a small amount of paste (it should be a paste, not a gel) or Brasso on a soft, clean, lint-free cloth (an old undershirt, for example); either buy a special disk wipe or use a glasses wipe;
Gently rub with a cleaning cloth over the scratch or work your way around the radius (start in the center and move forward to the outer edge of the disc, like the spokes on a bicycle wheel). Repeat 10-12 times throughout the disc. Rubbing in a circular motion can cause small scratches that will completely knock out the laser system in any player. Try to focus your efforts strictly on the scratch or scratches you find (see search method above), if possible.
Polish in this way for a couple of minutes, adding the agent (Brasso or paste) to the cloth as needed. Be careful not to push too hard. However, you will still feel the napkin gently, and yet rub the disc.
Remove the polish from the disc. If you used a paste, rinse the disc thoroughly with warm water and let it dry -!completely! - on air. Make sure all the paste is washed off. If Brasso polish is applied, wipe off the remaining product with a work cloth and allow the rest to dry properly. Then, using a clean, non-abrasive cloth, gently wipe the disc again.
Try playing the disc again. If the problem persists, repeat polishing, but now extend the process to 15 minutes or until the scratch is completely smoothed out. The surface around the scratch should be shiny and covered with many tiny, superficial scratches. If you don't notice any difference after polishing for a few minutes, the scratch may be too deep, or you may be polishing the wrong scratch.
If the disk is still out of order, try taking it to the pros from the computer toy store - they often face a similar problem.
Waxing
Then wipe off excess product from the surface using a clean, soft, lint-free cloth - again, from the center straight up, along the radius. Follow the product manufacturer's instructions (some products must dry before you wipe them off, others must be removed before they dry).
Test the disk. If the disc was read, make a copy immediately. This method- it's just a temporary solution.
Light bulb method
Note: This method doesn't always work, but it's very simple and worth trying.
Turn on the lamp on the desktop (or any available) - the bulb needs 60 watts. Insert your index finger into the center hole of the disk and turn the working area of the disk towards the lamp. The distance to the lamp should be about 10 cm (keep an eye on this while holding). Continue "solar procedures" for about 20 seconds, slowly rotating the disc around your finger. Then - while the disk is still hot - try to read the data. It turns out - immediately make a copy.
A disk recovery device can cost as much as 750 rubles, but high-performance machines will cost 9000-180000 rubles.
Removing scratches on silver layer disk
Look at the working surface of the disc in the light - for areas with no silver coating. If you find one, turn the disc over with the side with the logo / design up and mark on it with a marker the place with the found (the one that you saw on the other side) problem. Cut two pieces of masking tape, put them on top of each other and stick the resulting one directly on the drawn mark. In this case, the music disc will probably start playing a little louder, but 70% is due to the fact that small areas that have lost their silver coating will be restored.
Additions and warnings:
Deep scratches that reach the disc's silver finish can render it completely inoperable;
Disk scratch removers are often sold in gaming stores. They do a good job with small and shallow scratches;
Poorly calibrated lasers in players and disc drives cause such devices to be unable to read anything other than brand new, smooth and unscratched discs. It may simply be a property of the hardware;
Practice restoring scratched discs that are not too important for you first to fill your hand;
Remember to make 2 copies of important materials. Moreover, if the disc is scratched, but still readable, immediately make a copy of it;
Really deep marks on the disc can no longer be repaired. But due to the nature of the structure, when data is distributed along a spiral track on disks, such a scratch along the radius of the disk may not cause you any special problems, and you can recover data quickly and easily. But a number of small defects along the tracks / paths are much more dangerous than one large and perpendicular to them;
The polycarbonate bottom layer of the disk acts as a lens that focuses the larger laser beam to the small size required to see the track on the data layer of the disk. This allows the laser to ignore small imperfections on the plastic surface of the disc that are much larger than the track on the data layer. If you remove a lot of plastic, this can affect the refractive power of the lens, making the data no longer readable. This means that even with visible wear or a network of scratches, the disc can be played normally, because through the coating defects visible to your eye, the laser looks through or reads next to them. That's why the waxing method helps a lot. After it, the disk does not have to look perfectly polished so that the data can be read;
It is better to give a disk with important data into the hands of professionals immediately;
Expensive specialized wheel polishing products do not work better than that same Brasso, so the choice is yours;
If the disc is an Xbox 360 game, try exchanging the disc at the store. Disc mileage may vary, but Microsoft saves 25 cents on the production cost of Xbox 360 discs by not including disc security measures that would help avoid many scratches. Such disks will show themselves as deep scratches along the radius, but sometimes not over the entire surface of the disk;
Do not keep the disc in the sun for a long time (looking at scratches) and near the lamp;
If you polish poorly (for example, apply too much pressure and/or rub in a circular motion), you can shorten the life of this disc;
In order not to damage the equipment, make sure that after the procedures the disc is completely cleaned of funds and absolutely dry;
Do not inhale disc polishing products - wear a mask and work in a well-ventilated area;
The data on the discs is stored under a thin colored layer on top, which is much thinner than the polycarbonate layer on the work surface. Therefore, be careful not to place the disc with the picture on a surface that is too rough, hard and/or uneven during operation. The thin top layer of paint is very easy to damage, if this happens, the data will be lost forever. If the surface is too soft, by pressing on the disc, you can leave a crack in it or cause delamination;
Solvents should not be applied to discs, they will change the formula of the polycarbonate base, due to which it will become opaque and the disc unreadable;
Be aware that the paste can scratch the disc even more;
If you decide to try these methods with a licensed DVD (the last 3), be extremely careful not to start rubbing the side with the name of the DVD with a rag. If you do this, you will completely kill the drive. So just clean its shiny working side.
How to fix scratched discs?
Master's response:
Any CD, DVD disc is a round shape with a transparent base made of a substance called polycarbonate. The entire "stuffing" of the disc depends on its type, absolutely all discs have a protective layer, which completely wears out over time, and scratches appear on it.
For work you will need: toothpaste; disk.
All these scratches completely prevent the drive laser beam from processing data from the damaged area. The thickness of such a protective layer is 1.2 mm for CD and 0.6 mm for DVD. When restoring a CD or DVD, a light sanding of the clear surface can help. Grab your drive with toothpaste, preferably Colgate, tissues and water. By itself, the toothpaste will be a grinding tool, with its help you can remove a thin top layer along with all the scratches.
Apply the paste to the surface of the disc. Spread it completely over the surface of the disc using a tissue or with your fingers. Let the disc dry for a while, leaving it for a few minutes. After that, rinse the disc with water or in a specially prepared basin. Rinse off all the paste so that there is not even a trace. Wipe the disc dry with paper towels or a towel. Start wiping gently at all ends of the disc so as not to damage the surface and completely clean it of water.
Check the disk on your computer. If the recovery process did not help, then try to do the procedure again, but do not forget about the thickness of the protective layer, depending on the disk model. Almost 90 percent of all scratched discs will be able to recover, for a while with the help of this method. If the computer reads the contents of your media, then you need to completely transfer all data from the device to local drives computer.
If the disc has light scratches, then wipe its surface with a napkin or swab dipped in alcohol. All scratches will not disappear, but it will help wash dirt off the disc, which will improve access to the reflective layer.