Damaged Music CDs

[TallPaul]

I buy used music CDs at garage sales, library sales, etc. Sometimes they won't play all the tracks in my CD player, but if I rip them I often can get a clean copy to burn a new disk. Then it depends on the computer, some do better than others. Not sure why the CD players are not as good at it as the computer but am glad there is a way to save some of these CDs.

 

[brelandt]

A good friend owned a video store. He had a disc magic on the table behind the counter. It was the size of a desk top PC. Put the disc in and it would sand down the disc. Came out looking like new.
Forgot what he paid for it but sure you can find one now a days for cheap.

 

[SLCraig]

If you use non baking soda (anything with grit in it for that matter) toothpaste and wipe it really good with a SOFT cloth into the surface of the CD, it can save them too. I have had that work on more than 1 occasion. You may think I am crazy but it works.

 

[Jeffy_D]

Pc's and standalone players read cds essentially the same way. Its when the pc copies the data sector by sector that it can use instructions such as error correction, this cant be done in real time when the data is being read.quality and speed if the burners can affect quality as well.

 

[TallPaul]

I don't think my problem is from the read surface being scratched, although that can affect the reading. But I have had CDs with the label scratched and since the music is immediately below the thin label layer, it really hurts when that side is scratched, no amount of baking soda or what will help.

I once bought a disk repair product and it made the disk look worse than it was to begin with, guess it was only meant for deep scratches.

Nice to know the computer does some error correction, that explains my experience. Am enjoying one of the CDs that had a scratched label. About 9 of 14 tracks were messed up, smoe would not even play. Home computer still had two that would not play, but office computer seems to have fixed everything, perhaps because we just got new computers a couple months ago so they are the latest and greatest.

 

[sleddriver]

A label scratch deep enough to remove the label is bad news and does remove information.

To remove scratches on both CD's & DVD's I use a 6" diameter cloth buffing wheel that I've removed the stitches from to make it very compliant (soft). I attach an arbor to it and chuck it in the drill press. Spin it about 1800rpm and apply a bit of polishing compound made for acrylic & polycarbonate.

Press the optical disk into the spinning cloth disk so the later contacts the former between the hub and the outer edge. Slowly rotate the disk & reposition until the surface is free from scratches. Clean off with non-ammonia glass cleaner and a soft, cotton cloth.

Works great on movie rentals that have been carelessly handled from my local library.