Possible to rip a defective DVD?

[MOVIEGEEK]

gail22,
Some people swear by toothpaste but I could never get it to work.
Some others swear by those disc cleaning systems but I've never tried them.
I have used Novus#2 plastic cleaner with success.
I agree with heck54,if DVDFab Decrypter can't rip it nothing will.
BTW:is there an adhesive label on top?If so try to remove it with warm water and soap.

[AlanHK]

However, if you have access to other PCs, you can install some ripper on another PC and try a different drive. I've run across a few seriously damaged DVDs that I had to rip parts on 2 different drives and then put the parts back together, but this is not an easy task for a newbie to do.

This is something that Isopuzzle can automate. It's been mentioned in several posts, but has it been tried?

It doesn't just stop at a bad section, it skips over it and continues, then comes back over and over until it has a complete image, or you stop it. You can transfer the image to another PC and try reading with a different drive to fill in the blanks. If you don't get a burnable ISO, you may be able to salvage files from it anyway and rebuild the videos.

[gail22]

Hi jman98,

I love your location! It looks like I'm in some serious Duck Soup with this DVD. I do have another computer but it only has one working optical drive and I'd really rather not fry it - plus I'd have to drag it out of the closet, get it set up, install all the software onto it, etc., which is just more than I feel willing to try at this point.

About all I might do at this point is maybe try cleaning it with the toothpaste method, only not rub the toothpaste around in a circular way, but try to rub it from the center straight out to the edge. Another site said to use furniture polish but I don't have any handy. I also don't have a cloth soft enough to use for drying it off. So I just don't know if I'll bother.

Plus, if I try to clean it, the person I bought it from might claim I damaged it myself and withdraw the offer to replace it. I think he'll make good on his offer - I bought a DVD from him before which, although not great video quality, does play fine. But this show, which I can't see past the first three or four minutes, looks infinitely better in every way. So I am desperate to get a good working copy.

You know how it is when you go through a phase in life where just everything you do or try goes wrong or backfires? That's where I've been at for quite a long time and this DVD is kind of symbolic of my entire life right now.

Thank you very much for the suggestion. If/when I get my old computer set up, or get a different one, I'll remember your advice for any future disk ripping problems (as I'll remember the advice from everyone else here who has been more than generous with me, because I'm going to copy and paste all the advice and suggestions into Notepad and print it all out).

Best wishes and thanks,
Gail

[gail22]

gail22,
Some people swear by toothpaste but I could never get it to work.
Some others swear by those disc cleaning systems but I've never tried them.
I have used Novus#2 plastic cleaner with success.
I agree with heck54,if DVDFab Decrypter can't rip it nothing will.
BTW:is there an adhesive label on top?If so try to remove it with warm water and soap.

Hi MOVIEGEEK,

Thank you for the cleaning advice! I'll have to try to get some Novus#2 for future problems. No, no adhesive label - just ballpoint pen writing.

Thanks so much,
Gail

[gail22]

Hi AlanHK,

Thank you for the suggestion! I didn't realize ISO Puzzle could be used that way. Well, if I end up having to drag my old computer out and setting it up, it's another thing I can try.

Many thanks,
Gail

[lordsmurf]

This guy sent you a bad disc.

And he appears to be a dumbass, judging from comments you've passed on..

He's probably lying, he didn't test the disc. At best, he may have thrown it into a DVD player for 10 seconds, or done that worthless "verification" while burning. Neither are true tests.

[hech54]

If you think it is a scratch....try cleaning with toothpaste.
NO KIDDING.
Apply toothpaste with a soft dry or slightly damp cloth then buff with another soft dry cloth.

It's already broken right...
It's most likely just a crap DVD. If you see imperfections under the surface(blue side)....that DVD was destined for the trash heap even before it was burned.

OOPS...moviegeek beat me to it....

[gail22]

Hi LordSmurf, and hech54,

I'll be checking out your FAQ, LordSmurf! I'm not sure I should try cleaning it - if I do, and it doesn't help, and the guy can tell I did that when I return it to him, he might claim I damaged it myself and refuse to send a replacement. Plus, I honestly don't have any cloths I'd consider soft enough to try buffing it. I don't want to use paper towels because they're too rough (or could leave lint), and I don't think I even have a plain white cotton t-shirt - nothing soft enough that it wouldn't also possibly scratch the thing.

Well, I'm going to the store - maybe they'll have some soft rags - but if the guy can tell I tried this he might not send the replacement, so I just don't know.

Again, many, many thanks.
Gail