tricks for making old cds playable?

[hot milk]

i am slowly going through old boxes of tapes and cds i used to trade for back in the 90s and recently came upon a couple of cds that i would love to hear, but i've tried 3 players and it's not reading anymore. i can look through the cd to the top cover design, so the ink has obviously faded away.

anyone know of any tips to restore the ink, even if it's temporary so i can at least make a quick copy?

cheers

[Mick Sleeper]

Actually, it's the top of the CD that has the music on it. A CD is a clear plastic disc, and the information/music is on a very thin layer of aluminum (I think) on top of the disc, which is then read by a laser underneath. So if that top layer has become transparent, it's likely that the CD is gone for good. You might try covering it with a CD label and then attempt to rip the tracks to your computer.

[Herm-one]

Some video game stores have a machine that polishes compact disc.

[Funky Punk]

Some video game stores have a machine that polishes compact disc.

I've seen hand-operated scratch removers for sale on eBay (they work by grinding/polishing the polycarbonate layer). Don't know if they're any good or not. I'd imagine that you can probably goose your discs if you're not careful...

[davek]

I've fixed scratches by applying a thin layer of toothpaste to the bottom surface, rubbing it across the scratched area very gently. Let it dry, and then gently polish the layer of toothpaste off with a non-abrasive cloth.

This fixes the skips, but I still usually immediately rip it to my PC to re-burn. This method has worked on severely scratched discs that would skip in any player you tried it in.

Good luck.

[babylonbwoy]

It depends on how your cd is damaged, there's a soft named isobuster to recover data on damaged cd/dvd.

[Rocky VIII]

What i do is rip the cd and burn it to a cd-r. Often the cd-r plays the track without trouble.

[hot milk]

thanks all.

Rocky, the problem is that the cd isn't being read, so i can't rip it. it's as if there's a blank cd in the drive.

babylonbwoy, do you know if isobuster would work with the scenario i mention? the cds aren't damaged, per se, they're just aged and the ink on the bottom surface has thinned/faded away.

Mick, thanks for the label tip. i'll give that a shot and see what i get.

cheers!

[Mark]

If you post the titles you might find people on the forum willing to burn a cd-r of their copy and mail it to you. Not sure whether it fits in forum politics but you can try.

[Blazin Assassin]

As mentioned, the very top of the CD(where the label is) is where the actual data is embedded, if that is damaged the CD is completely ruined. The CD is read through the underside with a laser...if the CD is scratched well enough, the laser beam is thrown off by the scratch making it unreadable. What you have to do is polish out the scratch(or scratches). That is what toothpaste does. Toothpaste is actually a fine abrasive...the abrasive is what polishes your teeth while you brush. If the scratch is very deep, you can also try "wet sanding" the CD. Which involves water(can use a little bit of soap) and very fine sandpaper(1500 to 2000 grit). After you went sand you will notice the CD will now have very fine(but not deep) scratches...the wet sanding takes a layer off the disc. Next, you must then use a paste that is a fine abrasive, which can be found at most automotive stores. Novus comes to mind, which is a plastic lens polish. This will polish out the fine scratches left by the wet sanding. Afterwords, the result should look like polished glass.

As mentioned earlier to, computer disc drives are usually more robust than your average stereo player. If your computer can not read it at that point, the CD is pretty much toast.