How to safety store & repair CD's, CDR's and DVD's
CDs and DVDs can give you many years of enjoyment unless they are scratched,
abused or heat-damaged. Safe storage can help prevent those problems. If you
have an important CD games or data CD you should back it up.
Use cases with thumb-cut pockets make it easy to slide discs in
and out safely. Try to avoid scratching discs on CD drawers, jewel boxes,
zippers or hard cases. Remember: Some CDs come in cheap thick plastic pouches
that will stick to the disc when heated or compacted excessively.
Repair a Scratched CD: First, you should know what to expect.
Most scratches deep enough to make a CD skip won't disappear completely. The
scratches visible on the CD may not even be the source of the skipping--dust and
fingerprints can cause skipping as well. It's important to keep your CDs clean:
handling a CD with specks of dust on it can lead to scratches, which lead to
repair jobs that might have been avoided. So before you try repairing any
scratches, clean your CD thoroughly and test it for skipping.
Steps: Store CDs:
1. Store CDs and DVDs in jewel boxes or cases with soft,
protective backings.
2. Remember to remove CD-ROMs from cardboard or thick plastic
pouches and store them in jewel boxes or cases. Remember to handle a CD and DVDs
only by its edges and centre hole.
3. Writing on CDR's won't cause any immediate problems provided
you don't write on the side with the music on it. Some people hypothesize that
the ink will over time bleed through the CD and cause damage to it. The best way
to be certain your CDR's won't be damaged is to write on the clear plastic ring
in the centre of the CD where no data is stored.
4. Remember to store jewel boxes away from direct sunlight,
particularly in automobiles. Additionally, CDR's should be kept away from
extreme temperatures, and especially away from sunlight. It only takes less than
10 minutes of direct sunlight to fry a CDR.
5. One of the biggest advantages CD's have over tapes, records,
and even DAT's is that they last much longer, and do not easily deteriorate.
Because of this many people see CDR as a great media for archival purposes
because they last so long. However, CDR's are not constructed the same way as
CD's, and this has caused some speculation on the issue. Some studies say CDR's
will last 100 years. Some say 500 years, and some say only 10 years. Will CDR's
last until the next century? Really the only way to know is to wait 100 years.
The only thing that is known for sure is that CDR's will not last long if they
are not properly adequately cared for.
How to Repair a Scratched CD:
First, you should know what to expect. Most scratches deep enough to make a
CD skip won't disappear completely. You want to polish the CD enough to keep the
laser from misreading the pits on the CD. Remember to polish lightly at first,
and test your work before rubbing harder, don't rub the CD surface any more than
necessary.
The CD track is laid out in one continuous spiral, like an LP,
although the CD track starts at the centre and winds out toward the edge (the
opposite of an LP). Instead of a stylus, CD players use a laser, located below
the disc inside the CD player. The laser sends a beam of light which reflects
off the shiny side, and thus reads the tiny pits in the track. Since the laser
follows the track, a scratch can reflect the laser in just the wrong way, and
send it repeatedly to another part of the track. For this reason, scratches that
run parallel to the track (or the edge of the CD) are likely to make a CD skip.
You need to hold the CD by the edge and clean it with mild soap and water Dry
it with a clean, lint-free cloth from the centre straight out to the edge.
Always polish in this direction; polishing in a circular motion can create more
scratch that can't be polished away. Note: some cleaning solvents can damage the
surface of the CD.
First on your list is locating the scratches. Scratches on the top (label)
side that are deep enough to make the CD skip are usually too deep to fix. But
many scratches on the bottom (shiny) side can be repaired. Hold the CD under a
light, bottom side up at about a 60° angle. Scratches will appear as whitish
lines that reflect off the silvery surface below.
A CD plays from the centre to its edge, so if your CD skips mostly toward the
beginning, look for scratches near the centre of the CD. Scratches toward the
outside edge will affect the end of the CD. Thick scratches and those that run
parallel to the edge of the disc are those most likely to make it skip.
Dampen a section of your cloth slightly with water, and apply a small amount
of the abrasive to the cloth. Use whatever abrasive is easiest for you to get a
hold of: plain white toothpaste, metal polish, or plastic cleaner all work well.
Rub the abrasive on lightly, working from the centre of the disc straight out
toward the edge, not in a circular motion.
You may need to rub a few times, depending on the depth of the scratch.
Remember, the scratches may not disappear completely. You're mainly trying to
smooth out the sides of the scratch until it won't affect CD playback. It's
important to do this with a gentle touch, as you don't want to damage the CD
further. Focus on the biggest scratches, and work gently at first, using more
pressure later as needed.
Rinse the abrasive off with water and wipe the disc dry with a dry section of
the cloth. Play your CD, listening to the tracks where you noted skipping
before. If it doesn't skip anymore, congratulations!
If it still skips, don't worry. Try to rub a little harder this time. Note:
Not every scratch can be repaired, but some can be with a little effort. Try to
prevent further scratching! Take care of your CDs! They often cost a lot of
money, but they'll last 10,000 plays if you treat them well.
