scratched game discs

Keith Courage · 07/20/2011, 07:48 PM

Just thought I'd post this to anyone with really scratched game discs. I have found that an all purpose remove all product called OOps! works amazingly well. They sell it at autozone here in the states. Just apply it to a cloth and wipe out the scratch or scuff. It doesn't take out very deep scratches but it does take out not so deepl ones and works great especially on those stained looking scuffs that don't come off with just water. Does anyone else have any methods that they use for scratched games? I'd be interested to here about it.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Oops-4-5-oz-all-purpose-remover-and-cleaner?itemIdentifier=418811

Bernie · 07/20/2011, 08:15 PM

Isnt that the stuff they use for restoring plastic headlight assemblies? To take the haze out of them.

nat · 07/20/2011, 09:18 PM

That's a good tip, I'll have to give it a try.

I usually just take the discs somewhere and get them buffed when they get too scratched up, but if this works, it'd definitely be ideal.

Sparky · 07/20/2011, 11:15 PM

I have been using a car detail spray of Meguiars for quite awhile now.. http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/detail/MEG+QUIK+16

Not only does it help shine up scratched discs but i have also used it on hand held console screens that are scuffed & scratched up, from gameboy systems, game gears and nomads it really makes a difference and no harm to them. (use a soft colth!!!)

For really f@cking bad surfaces i have used Meguiars ScratchX with good results as well.
Hahaha... ya i like Meguiars, its what i use on my car

RR1980 · 07/21/2011, 02:03 AM

back home some of the record stores have these machines that can basically scrap off the top layer of the disc with the scratches and they only charge like a dollar per disc

Sparky · 07/21/2011, 08:26 AM

Quote from: RR1980 on 07/21/2011, 02:03 AMback home some of the record stores have these machines that can basically scrap off the top layer of the disc with the scratches and they only charge like a dollar per disc

That is the best way to do it, i had a record store that did that as well, removing a very thin layer by one of the machines and the other machine they had was for polishing the cd up, they used car wax as well.
Looked like a brand new disc when it was done.

That store saved many of my Saturn and Dreamcast games but they stopped offering the service

grahf · 07/21/2011, 08:59 AM

They have little hand crank versions of the ones the record stores have. They work pretty good I hear.

GameFreak · 07/21/2011, 09:49 AM

The hand crank ones are junk. It basically wipes the disc with solution. You can do the same thing with a soft papertowel and some muscle.

The machines at the record or cd shop are pretty good depending on which one they are using. Some of the machines are almost $1000 (some way more!) that is why they charge you $1 to resurface. My friend who has about 10,000 discs with music, pc software, games, finally gave in and bought this ... http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=disc+resurfacer&um=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1366&bih=600&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=12798486009916589304&sa=X&ei=pyooTsD-NI-qsAP057mDCQ&ved=0CJ8BEPMCMAc

This one is about a $1000

I have to check out that chemical you are talking about keith courage. Im sure you dont want to use too much for too long and erase data. It sounds like a great cheap alternative idea instead of spending a dollar per disc. I will have to try it on some of my music cd's. Thanks!

NecroPhile · 07/21/2011, 10:01 AM

Oops is made with toluene, methanol, and acetone, so be careful; depending on concentrations, those are pretty aggressive solvents and could eat the label or pit the plastic if left on too long.

DragonmasterDan · 07/21/2011, 10:49 AM

Quote from: RR1980 on 07/21/2011, 02:03 AMback home some of the record stores have these machines that can basically scrap off the top layer of the disc with the scratches and they only charge like a dollar per disc

Yep, the stores here charge a few dollars to run your discs through them, but they generally do a decent job of resurfacing it.

Marll · 07/22/2011, 06:34 PM

Quote from: guest on 07/20/2011, 11:15 PMHahaha... ya i like Meguiars, its what i use on my car

I always Meguiars on my cars, favorite polishes and waxes by far.

We have a game store in town that does resurfacing. I had a buddy that took a Bonk 3 CD that he traded for recently on another forum that wouldn't play at all to the shop, after the resurface runs perfect.

daedalia · 08/16/2011, 12:04 PM

Brasso or T-Cut here in the UK are good. Deeper scratches take more buff.

Spent about 5 hours with Brasso years ago buffing out a nasty mark on an old iPod that had been left when I decided to try and polish it with nail varnish remover. Bad internet advice that was.

farankoshan · 08/25/2011, 02:42 AM

Could anyone here give (in detail) a step-by-step procedure to use the detailing spray?

Thanks. ;)

farankoshan · 08/25/2011, 02:28 PM

Meguire's doesn't work... Unless I'm doing this wrong, nothing happens. It still won't play. Is there a correct way to use this detailing spray?

farankoshan · 08/26/2011, 12:50 AM

Here's a situation:
A disc used to work, then after a capacitor replacement job, the disc no longer reads (Load Error, or Please Set Disc!). The thing is, my other games run fine and audio CDs (both new and older ones) run fine. Is it the disc? Or could the lens be mildly misaligned. I mean, I would definitely conclude that the disc is faulty, but if other games work on it, as do Audio CDs, then why not this one?

Also, the same disc's RedBook Audio runs fine on a CD player. Does this help? I don't want to rip and burn a brand new CD-R copy since I know CD-Rs will only lead to more problems with my lens.

I felt to post it here, since it's the one of the discs I'm trying to fix using the tips above.

So you guys think, it's it the lens or the disc?

Keith Courage · 08/26/2011, 01:40 AM

I have had that happen before. Usually loading up another game first and then loading up the game that doesn't always work gets it going again. Also, try playing a disc as audio and skip the CD to the very last track. Turn off the power while the last track is playing. Now turn on the system and try loading the game again.

farankoshan · 08/26/2011, 04:43 AM

Quote from: Keith Courage on 08/26/2011, 01:40 AMI have had that happen before. Usually loading up another game first and then loading up the game that doesn't always work gets it going again. Also, try playing a disc as audio and skip the CD to the very last track. Turn off the power while the last track is playing. Now turn on the system and try loading the game again.

I will try these 2 methods right away. So there's nothing to be too worried about? This is common?
How do I play a game disc as audio? Won't it automatically run the game?

Keith Courage · 08/26/2011, 01:20 PM

Do you have a play button on the top of your CD drive or do you have a Super CD rom 2 CD drive and not an original CD rom 2 drive. If so then just use any audio CD you own. This happened to me sometime back with the game sherlock holmes. It would always boot up as if it were an audio disc and not load the actual game until I did one of the two methods I mentioned.

farankoshan · 08/27/2011, 05:11 PM

Hey, really great news! My game (Super Darius) is back! That boot switch-up method worked. I waited until the bootable disc got past the Super CD-Rom startup screen, ejected it, then switched discs. At one point, the game even started on its own. Is there any explanation for this? Oh, and is what I'm doing bad for my unit?

Keith Courage · 08/28/2011, 01:14 PM

I just think it has to do with the lens not quite getting to the correct spot on the disc. Not saying the lens is going bad. Maybe the disc itself is partially warped? I have never been able to narrow down the issue to one exact thing. Glad it works though.

farankoshan · 08/28/2011, 06:07 PM

Just wanted to update with a glorious find!

SkipDr works. It really does. I can vouch.

I own 4 games, 2 of which (SimEarth & Super Darius) give me problems. The "pre-boot trick" (mentioned above) really did the trick, but occasionally, the disk would either stop working, hang, lose audio, or begin to give "flapping" noises. This noise is usually associated with CD-Rs & bad discs with bad lenses trying to compensate, as well. So I knew it was only a matter of time until this trick would stop working. My other 2 games would boot up fine, as did audio CDs, so I knew the problem was not with the lens.

These discs could SOMETIMES play on CD players with their Red Book Audio, but as games, they were never dependable, sometimes never getting past the PC Engine CD-Rom screen.

So I looked online for some proper disc scratch fixes & found some (this thread included). I watched videos, read How-To's & went looking for a practical way that wouldn't require expensive professional work. I tried water, alcohol, detailing sprays, toothpaste, CD Repair pastes, rubbing methods, liquid baths, and even contemplated sanding the disc down (DO NOT CONSIDER THIS!). Then I came across a local guy selling a SkipDR classic (not the motorized version, but the hand-crank one). I figured I had reached the bottom of the pit & could not imagine it getting worse, so I called him up & bought it off him.

The mechanism is a wheel that runs round a crank that you attach your damaged CD to (Do a google and see what it looks like). I got myself the SkipDr Classic. It came with a spray, a buffing cloth, the crank machine & a CD tray. I tried SimEarth on first, since this disc NEVER booted up at all. I placed the CD on the SkipDr detachable tray, sprayed on 5 sprits of the provided resurfacing fluid on the data side of the CD, attached the tray to the crank mechanism, and started cranking it. After 1 full rotation, I popped open the tray and sprayed 3 more sprits on the CD, and repeated the process. The crank moves quicker than the discs rotation, allowing for a smooth and steady resurfacing job. After the 2nd round, I popped out the disc, wiped excess moisture from the data side with a micro-fiber cloth, and laid down the disc on a flat surface to buff it back to shininess. I noticed that the disc now had uniformed streaks, perfectly made, going from inside out. It appears the SkipDr's resurfacing wheel is a really, really, really soft abrasive that gently scratches a very thin layer of plastic off the top of the data side, and gives the disc a new surface for the lens to read from. This makes sense, since skips are caused by uneven surfaces caused by scratches, small & big. I must admit, the disc wasn't mirror-like clean, but knowing how most guides say to wipe from inside out, these radial streaks looked like they would be easier for lens lasers to navigate through.

After buffing it enough, I popped it into my Super CD-Rom2 & turned it on. At the startup screen I pressed play/RUN & waited. At this point, I was prepared to see the disc give me an error again & chuck it into the garbage or something.

Then, for the first time ever, it booted up straight away. No joke. It played perfectly after that.

The SkipDr works. Now, the box says that SkipDr cannot remedy deep scratches, and that standard use wear & tear is what it's built for. The motorized & manual versions of the SkipDr both work fine & give the same results, with the motorized one just adding the convenience of saving time & effort.

Both of my discs were relatively scratched & these caused reading problems in my unit. I can't vouch for major scratches, but I can promise that the SkipDr works extremely well to make any discs readable again and is worth a try. My Super Darius is working exceptionally well, with no need for a "pre-boot disc" anymore.

One happy PC Engine owner right here!

RR1980 · 08/28/2011, 11:47 PM

you were playing CD-Rs with your Supercdromrom?

farankoshan · 08/29/2011, 10:52 AM

Quote from: RR1980 on 08/28/2011, 11:47 PMyou were playing CD-Rs with your Supercdromrom?

Nope. Only originals CDs.

RR1980 · 08/29/2011, 11:03 PM

ok good cause playing cd-r on pce hardware is just asking for trouble!

farankoshan · 08/30/2011, 01:03 AM

Yes, you're right.

Anyway, the SkipDr works wonderfully with REAL CDs. Try it out if you've got a scratched up copy of a game you refuse to part with.

Keith Courage · 12/14/2011, 04:43 AM

I found a new item that works great on scratched CDs. MR Clean magic eraser. Just make sure not to rub too hard or the disc will become all fogy.

munchiaz · 12/14/2011, 04:55 AM

^ how did you figure that one out

esteban · 12/14/2011, 07:47 AM

I have Dungeon Explorer II (original, US) and the disc would be pristine if not for a nasty nick (I think it is deep).

What do you folks think is the best way to remedy a single, deep gouge? It prevents one of my favorite Red Book tracks from playing to the end (on PCE hardware).

I know that surface scratches are relatively easy to overcome—my problem is less more difficult to overcome.

Such a damn shame, really.

Thanks in advance.

A_Locomotive · 12/14/2011, 01:43 PM

Quote from: grahf on 07/21/2011, 08:59 AMThey have little hand crank versions of the ones the record stores have. They work pretty good I hear.

They do work quite well, I've saved many damaged games with one. Such as my copy of Zone of The Enders that had one hell of a gash in it that resulted from my cat ramming into the side of my PS2 while I was playing. The disc works perfectly again now. There is a downside to the hand crank ones though and that is that the results look terrible, it leaves a very prominent spiral pattern on the disc, doesn't seem to effect readability at all but damn is it annoying when you look at the underside of the discs. :/

DynamiteSJ · 12/15/2011, 04:18 AM

invest in the JFJ Disc Repair machine.. I own it and it does miracles!!!! Scratch up games that the Dreamcast, Xbox, Sega CD, TGCD couldnt read.. slap it in there for a cycle and it comes out looking like new with no scratches and plays perfectly. Over time of all the medias currently/previously being CD/DVD... now bluray (bluray compatible)... you'll get your money back and more.