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Safely Store and Repair CDs, CDRs and DVDs
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By Raymond Garcia
Web Tech Geek.com
Safely Store & Repair CDs, CDRs and DVDs. CDs and DVD's 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, see burning
CDR page for more help on making CD backups. A link to see the video on how to repair DVD/CDs at the bottom of the page.
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. See repair steps below. Remember to come back
to WebTechGeek.com for more How To tips!
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Steps: Safely Store & Repair CDs, CDRs and DVDs:
1. Store CDs and DVD's 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. Try to handle a CD's and DVD's only by its
edges and center 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 center 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. Remember to
come back to WebTechGeek.com for more How To.
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
center 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 center 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 center to its edge, so if your CD
skips mostly toward the beginning, look for scratches
near the center 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 center 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.
See The Video Here! - Web Tech Support: Repair CD's and DVD's Video with Coke and Toothpaste.
