Tips to recover scratched CD/DVDs

Guys, don’t you feel like crying every time you add another disc to your pile of scratched discs? Gosh, that disk contained your favorite songs, important files, most amazing pictures, your favorite game or may be videos of most memorable days or moments in your life……it is not at all easy. This is very painful experience.

Here I’ve got some techniques that might work as a miracle, every time your most favorite CD is scratched. I have been passed through this pain many times as I am a tech guy and using computers since almost last 15 years. This techniques are results of past experiments, experiences and failures. Some of this techniques are purely based on my own personal experiences so please make sure you don’t curse me if the trick dont work or goes wrong for you. This things surely worked for me more than 60% of time whenever my CDs dint work. Lets have a look at it.

Home Remedy

• Wash your CD with clean water and wipe it with a clean soft cloth. This thing works most of the times
• Here’s another home remedy, which might give you the desired results. Rub a small amount of toothpaste on the scratch and polish the CD with a soft cloth and any petroleum-based polishing solution (like clear shoe polish). Squirt a drop of  Colin (or any other liquid cleaner) and wipe it with a clean cloth.

Technology and Software based rescue

There are many softwares available in the market, which can help you to recover your valuable data from damaged disks.

• BadCopy Pro is one such software, which can be used to recover data from your disk and files from a range of media. Just a few clicks is all it requires to recover the disc from almost all kind of damage situation like corrupted, lost data, unreadable or defective.
• DiskDoctors is another popular company, which offers both software and solutions to recover data from a scratched CDs and DVDs.

Useful Tips to Avoid Disk Damage

• Always wipe the CD from the center outward with straight spoke-like strokes. Wiping CDs in circles will create more scratches.
• Do not scratch the graphics layer, as you cannot repair the disc with such damage. HINT: Hold the disc up to a light with the graphics layer facing the light source. If you can see light through the scratches at any point then the disc may be irreparable and or exhibit loading or playing errors.
• Clean your Disc players lens regularly with a suitable product to ensure optimal viewing pleasure.
• Make sure to use a soft, lint-free cloth to clean both sides of the disc. Wipe in a straight line from the center of the disc to the outer edge.
• If wiping with a cloth does not remove a fingerprint or smudge, use a specialized DVD disc polishing spray to clean the disc.
• Only handle the disc by its outer edge and the empty hole in the middle. This will help prevent fingerprints, smudges or scratches.

Disk Damage Statistics

Demonstration Video Showing CD cleaning Technique