Repairing scratched CDs/DVDs

[samijubal]

Is there any CD/DVD repair devices that work to fix scratched discs? I never had any problem till I got a Yamaha CD changer a couple of days ago which doesn't play scratched discs very good. I never noticed how bad some of them are since they played in everything else I have. I like the Yamaha setup and functions, so I would rather fix the discs than buy another CD player if possible. I have many DVDs too, so something that works on both would be preferable.

[gitreel]

You could get a disc doctor repair kit.

It works well.

[samijubal]

Do those work on badly scratched CDs? I've been reading some bad things about those making discs worse.

[handyguy]

I just wash with water & pat dry & then copy them to new media.

[gitreel]

Do those work on badly scratched CDs? I've been reading some bad things about those making discs worse.

Depends on how deep the scratch is.

It buffs it down and replaces the scratch.

If the scratch is really deep, the disc is hosed.

[erzug]

I read a number of months ago about a product called "Plexus" in the
CDFreaks.com website. It is a plastic cleaner protectant and polish and I have used it on many of mine and my kids DVD's/CD's and it is great stuff. Just spray it on, wait a couple of seconds, and then wipe off. It's the first thing I do when I rent a DVD from a video store, especially if it is scratched and/or heavily fingerprinted.
Hard to find in stores, but perform a Google search.

[samijubal]

Tried the Plexus on a lightly scratched disc, didn't work. I've got discs alot worse than the one I tried it on. Anybody tried the Alera repairer?

[MOVIEGEEK]

Novus works for me: www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=113

[Muppet Meat]

Nothing has changed since the vinyl record days. Treat your DVDs like a 1966 porsche which means be a sunday driver.
We will have to only hope for Minbari data crystals to take over the market someday. http://www.frostjedi.com/vex/html/data_crystals.htm

[MOVIEGEEK]

I thought dilithium crystals were best. :P
www.tvacres.com/metals_dilithium.htm

[samijubal]

After reading some really good reviews, I ordered some Wipe Out. I'll post results after trying it.

[grossjamesh]

Sometimes simple is best, For badly scratched cd/dvds try a little tooth paste rubbed in the direction of the scratch and lots of water. The idea is not to remove the scratch but to blur or soften the scratch. Put the cd/dvd in the player often to check if the scratch has been reduced enough. GO NO FURTHER.
As soon as the cd/dvd will play make a backup and put the original away.
I have used this method on many badly scratched cd/dvd and have about 70-30 success rate. Experience will show which cd/dvds can be saved.