Scratched DVD's

[dvon76]

Does anyone have any idea on how to get an old DVD that is scratched to work right and possibly back up.

[CWR03]

Polish it.
Try IsoPuzzle.

[Mug Funky]

note that you'll have to use anyDVD or some other background decrypter in conjunction with ISOpuzzle, as it doesn't do any decrypting on it's own - just reads the sectors.

on the polishing front - toothpaste (not the gel kind) works very well. but it's a last resort. probably use ISOpuzzle until it can't read any more, then try another drive (with the .flg file isopuzzle makes), and then when there's really nothing else that can be read, break out the toothpaste and polish it from the centre out (not in little circles - that'll make it worse).

[kumi]

IMO, polishing with toothpaste is a waste of time. Go get a cheap CD resurfacer at your local computer store. The ones that have a hand crank work really well.

[CWR03]

IMO, polishing with toothpaste is a waste of time. Go get a cheap CD resurfacer at your local computer store. The ones that have a hand crank work really well.
I had a Netflix rental that was badly scratched and wouldn't play, and since I wasn't worried about ruining it I used toothpaste on a hand-crank resurfacing wheel polisher - I had to polish it again with a new wheel afterwards, but it removed the scratches enough to be able to watch it. I use Brasso on plastic (mainly Lexan) all the time, and it will polish out scratches, but I haven't tried it on a DVD.

[bongoman31]

Rain-X the water beading treatment for your windshield is also a good buffing compound. Not sure how it compares to toothepaste, but I have salvaged several discs using Rain-X. Pour a drop or two onto scratched area and buff with paper towel for a minute or two.

[CWR03]

Rain-X doesn't have any abrasive or polishing properties - it's probably filling the scratch with polymer.

[balaku]

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[foxyshadis]

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Besides spouting complete nonsense about the inner workings of a hard drive, that makes Spinrite look erudite, your site is completely unrelated to the thread. You'll end up banned if you keep it up.

[olyteddy]

Photographic 'wetting agent' or dishwasher rinse aid can also mask many scratches. Never tried it on DVDs but I have used it on scatched CDs with some sucess. Wash the disk with tepid water and mild soap, put a couple of drops of wetting agent on and gently wipe radially with a micro fiber cloth. It will leave the surface real shiny for a couple of hours.