Scratched DVDs?

[MasterBlaster76]

Hi guys.

Just got GTA IV 2nd hand (traded in some games to get it), but disk one is fairly badly marked up, it has scratches all over the place. They're not particularly deep, or long, but I'm not sure if I should use this disk: I don't want to damage my DVD drive's lens.

I usually check disks in the shop, I must have just checked the other disk this time round. Still, they shouldn't accept disks in that condition really, should they?

Naturally, it was the last copy they had in, so it's not just a case of getting a new copy. Just my luck.

 

[Hooper]

The downside of getting secondhand games - they're going to be scratched. You get what you pay for.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

The downside of getting secondhand games - they're going to be scratched. You get what you pay for.

I've bought so many second hand games and this is the only time it's been anywhere near this bad.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Anyway, what I need to know is can this damage my DVD's lens?

If so, how do I get rid of the scratches? I've seen some weird methods around the net, some of which involve toothpaste and then rinsing the disk under running water - surely that would be an unadvisable thing to do?

 

[Pranav]

Rinsing a disk under running water makes its condition better. That's what I do first when I need to run a scatched disk. It removes the mud over the scratches and is quite helpful.

 

[cruiser]

Plenty of dvd rental places here in sydney have machines that grind down the plastic on disks to get rid of scratches. I'd ask around for one of those.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Rinsing a disk under running water makes its condition better. That's what I do first when I need to run a scatched disk. It removes the mud over the scratches and is quite helpful.

What about the toothpaste method I mentioned? Is water enough on its own? The scratches don't look particularly deep, but there are many of them.

 

[Hooper]

There are so many methods, toothpaste, rubbing with a cloth and alcohol, putting it in the freezer, the fact is, if the scratches are deep then your not going to get rid of them.

I don't think it damages the lens.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Would you say that if it reads correctly and doesn't make any skipping noises, then it should be fine, then? I recently replaced this DVD-Rom drive because it went wrong, so I don't want to mess it up again.

 

[Hooper]

Yeah, well if it doesn't make any unusual noises then it should be good.

Thats what happened with my PS2, it made those horrible skipping noises and then stopped reading some discs and stuff.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

I gave it a polish as per instructions on a help site. Afterwards, I could swear it looks visibly better. Installing now, everything smooth so far. I just hope I can run it at least on medium settings.

 

[Kev]

Bottom line, you'll never damage your drive by inserting and using a scratched disc, the lense doesn't make contact with the disc (unless your drive is seriously knackered!) It just can't focus the beam where it is scratched.

As for getting rid of them, you could try one (or all) of the wierd scratch removal suggestions on the net, most of them sort of work. But you can actually buy Scratch removal fluid from any half decent Hifi/electronics outlet. I purchased a small bottle years ago and I still have it and it works a treat. You can get it with one of those cd polisher thingies for around a fiver. Obviously can't polish out really big scratches though.

 

[Sureshot]

As the big scratches corrupt the pits the data is stored in, correct?

Presumably that makes Blu-ray more susceptible to damage with smaller scratches?

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Bottom line, you'll never damage your drive by inserting and using a scratched disc, the lense doesn't make contact with the disc (unless your drive is seriously knackered!) It just can't focus the beam where it is scratched.

As for getting rid of them, you could try one (or all) of the wierd scratch removal suggestions on the net, most of them sort of work. But you can actually buy Scratch removal fluid from any half decent Hifi/electronics outlet. I purchased a small bottle years ago and I still have it and it works a treat. You can get it with one of those cd polisher thingies for around a fiver. Obviously can't polish out really big scratches though.

Thanks for clearing that up, for future reference in any case.

 

[SciD]

No matter how badly scratched the CD/DVD is. It will not damage lens of your reader/writer.

Try this to recover any data Roadkil.Net