How to Repair Optical Disc

CDs and DVDs are surprisingly tolerant of abuse, but there comes a time when your game, audio or movie discs simply won't play at all due to dirt or scratches. Here's how to repair minor glitches




In many cases discs can't be read simply due to an accumulation of dirt, grease and scuff marks caused by careless handling, as in the image above This stops the laser in the CD/DVD player being able to read the data through the transparent plastic layer that's on the data side of the disc. Luckily. light scratches and abrasions on the data side of a disc can usually be repaired. However, scratches on the label side of a disc (see picture above right) are irreparable.



The first thing to try when you're having disc problems - even if you think they're caused by a scratch or scuff mark - is a simple clean. Cleaning and lightly polishing the play side of a disc is often all that's
needed Inexpensive kits, such as Maplin's CD & DVD Cleaner & Restorer Polish (L4.99 from www.maplin.co.uk), work well, but there are plenty of others. Don't be tempted to wash the disc with detergent or tap water as you could make the problem worse, or even damage the label side.




The Maplin kit contains a cleaning spray of ispropyl alcohol that you spray onto the play side of the disc You should never use household cleaners or abrasives After 30 seconds or so the alcohol dissolves grease and grime, and you then simply wipe it off with the circular chamois pad. Alternatively, you can use a clean, dry lint-free cloth. It's very important to wipe the disc from the centre to the outside - don't wipe it in a circular motion as this can make matters worse.




If cleaning doesn't fix the problems, polishing is the next stage. The Maplin kit contains polish plus an application cloth and chamois Apply a few drops of the special polish and rub it in radially with the cloth, let it dry and then buff the disc with the chamois. This will restore most light scuffs and abrasions. For deeper scratches you might need to resort to a cleaner such as the Skip Dr (around £14). This is a contraption that uses distilled water and a special resurfacing wheel that rubs the disc radially.




After spraying the disc with the cleaning fluid, pop it into the Skip Dr and turn the handle clockwise until the disc has turned through a complete revolution. Take it out, spray it again and repeat the process. Afterwards take the disc out and dry it with the microfibre cloth provided. You need to use the small buffing pad supplied to polish the disc. When buffing, make sure the disc is resting on a clean, soft surface. If the disc is badly scuffed you might need to repeat this process.



If none of these tips works, it's time for desperate measures. Brasso metal polish has been used for polishing plastic for many years, and it does work although it's a bit smelly. Using either the wadding version or liquid with a soft cloth, rub the offending scratches with Brasso in a radial direction from the centre of the disc until they smooth out. Let the Brasso dry before polishing it off with a microfibre cloth. If you can feel a scratch with your nail, then you probably won't be able to fix it.

Personal Computer World Febuary 2009

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