Comments on: IQ-tips: 9 Steps to Fixing a Scratched CD (with… a banana!)

By: JiMJaM

JiMJaM — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:17:00 +0000

well if a nine turned out to be six….

By: Gideon7

Gideon7 — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:59:57 +0000

This method might work for video discs but it won’t for data discs. The banana probably smears the gouge so that the sudden variation in light refraction doesn’t send the laser skipping off to the wrong track when it hits the flaw. If the laser skips the track it can result in repeated stutter or lockup on playback.

For data discs you need to be able to recover all of the data. (Losing just one bit can prevent a game or software load).

DVDs have built-in CRC32 redundancy, which will correct minor errors but not big gouges or circular scratches.

GameDr is the most reliable method I know of to repair discs. It is a fine-grain sander/buffer that literally rubs off a layer of plastic, leaving a smooth surface. The aluminum data layer is just under the printed side so it can scrape quite a bit plastic off the bottom and still give you a readable disc. It costs $25-35.

By: Cat

Cat — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:41:21 +0000

Hey phantom Cat! Narking on my handle! =P Anyway, does anyone know if that banana thing actually works?

reCaptcha: maturity fever

By: Noah Kleiman

Noah Kleiman — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:22:30 +0000

Brasso is actually the best stuff for CD and DVD fixing. It basically just makes the opaque scratches translucent. I’ve seen tests done which show that it rivals commercial CD repair kits (and bananas), at least in the area of “fixing scratched CDs and DVDs”.

search on “burning issues”, “brasso”, and, “cd repair” to get to the study.

Bananas and or toothpaste certainly win in the “smells nice, but doesn’t cause brain damage” category.

By: AMT

AMT — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:06:52 +0000

Wow, I had no idea! Another idea, in case you don’t have a banana or don’t want to waste it: just rub some rubbing alcohol on the CD and it fixes it right up. It doesn’t work on super-deep scratches, but it does help a lot. (Works for DVDs too).

By: GTT

GTT — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:02:12 +0000

Does this really work? I feel like scatching a CD just to find out!

By: Cat

Cat — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:46:34 +0000

Apparently the maker of the video has never baked before in his life; he’s holding up a can of baking powder as he talks about baking soda. I’m not sure if the difference matters much in the CD-cleaning realm, but you probably don’t want to mix those up in the kitchen.