scratched disk >:'(

[.:kerrod:.]

alright, so i lent my gamecube and super smash bros. (best game ever) to somebody, who then lent it to somebody else, who THEN gave it to the original-person-i-lent-it-to's brother (who is also my friend) and when it came back to me, my ssb disk was scratched and wouldnt work properly. moral of the story: don't trust anybody. now, after all that (:p)...i've cleaned it a few times with this scratch remover stuff (few=at least 5 times -_-) which isn't doing TOO badly, but there's this one big mother scratch that i believe is the main perpetrator. my question is, do you have any idea how to fix this (short of buying a professional cleaner or a new game)? I called the local video stores who claimed that their machines wouldnt clean gamecube disks (you know, the machines that take off a layer...). So...suggestions?

[Leeza]

I wish I could help you, but all I can do is move this thread to the Help Forum. *moves*

[.:kerrod:.]

haha, whoops, thanks :p

[Creeping Shadow]

Sadly all you can do is either get it "profesionally cleaned" (one layer indeed) or just buy a new copy. I saw a couple at target and gamestop for around 10-20 dollars. This is why I dont like to loan games out to people especialy really awesome games like super smash brothers melee.

[.:kerrod:.]

yeah, it was a mistake that i'll never commit again -_-

EDIT: are you in the US? cos im not sure if we have 'gamestop' in Australia...we have target though :p

[Kanshisha]

well, it's no ones fault that it ended up scratched, but, your friends should've consulted you first, before lending it to another person.

[Tasura]

well, it's no ones fault that it ended up scratched, but, your friends should've consulted you first, before lending it to another person.

Saying that it's no one's fault that it got scratched is like you shooting someone then saying it's no one's fault you pulled the trigger.

And as for cleaning it, it'd probably be cheaper to buy a new one anyway.

[Creeping Shadow]

yeah, it was a mistake that i'll never commit again -_-

EDIT: are you in the US? cos im not sure if we have 'gamestop' in Australia...we have target though :p

Yeah Im in the US. My bad I didnt know they didnt have a gamestop in Australia...whoops.

[MistaCloudStrife]

I usually put a bit of nail polish remover on the disc and wipe it clean, then wipe on a layer of petroleum jelly onto the disc. It works pretty well depending on how big the scratches are. But don't get nail polish remover on the title side of the disc though as it can potentially remove the art off of it. And be careful with the nail polish remover though, as it may completely ruin the disc if you do it incorrectly; remove ALL of the nail polish remover or it will fog up your disc permanently.

[Momiji]

Just buy a new copy. They're fairly cheap nowadays. That, or save your money and get the new Super Smash Bros. that's coming out soon.

[.:kerrod:.]

cheap? they're still fairly expensive on eBay, and that's the only place they are :( the difficulty is FINDING a new game to buy...as for the nail polish remover, wtf? :p wouldn't that ruin it completely? the whole 'alcohol' thing? and petroleum jelly? are you kidding?

[Leeza]

Here are a couple of site you can check out. Toothpaste seems to work.

Toothpaste to fix scratched disk - GameTrailers.com Forums (http://forums.gametrailers.com/showthread.php?t=126572)

Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Compact Disc Players and CDROM Drives (http://www.laserfaq.org/sam/cdfaq.htm#cdrepscr)

Comments on How to Repair Scratched CDs - eHow.com (http://www.ehow.com/tips_892_2.html)

[Kanshisha]

nah, alcho won't make it all messed up. i know ^.- My uncle dropped beer next to my X-Box and a Halo was covered in beer. still worked though, but the smell was strong.

[o_O]

Toothpaste is the best substance I've used, aside from the actual disc repair kit I bought. Interestingly, the solution in the kit is 99% water, 1% ethanol.

Alcohol, petroleum jelly and nail polish remover are all serious suggestions. Alcohol will clean the disc; the other two will somewhat fill the scratch to make the surface of the disc level again. 99% of the time, the reason the disc stops reading it is because the laser beam is refracted at an odd angle by the angle of the scratch, not because the 'data' is scratched.

I daresay that if it's too scratched for toothpaste and a disc repair kit then I'd say you probably won't have much luck fixing it.

Edit: Rubbing alcohol like ethanol mixtures, not beer. :p

[Shiny]

There's this stuff I use called Acrylic Scratch Remover Kit that's really strong and usually removes deep scratches. The one I have is made to get scratches out of the glass of aquariums, but you can still use it on disks. You just have to remember to wipe off the stuff after you sand it or rub it on there.

[Big D]

Most game stores can re-surface discs. It's a process whereby they replace the entire surface of the disc, rather than simply polishing off the scratches. It's cheap, quick, and effective.

Remember, though - if the scratch is on the label side of the CD/DVD, then the data has been damaged and it cannot be repaired. If it's on the shiny, unlabelled side only, then there's a good chance it can be fixed. No matter how bad the scratches are, re-surfacing will take care of them all, unless they affect the data.

Occasionally, in matters like this, people will say things like "I heard that you can fix it by..." or "This guy told me that it'll always work if you use..."
Whenever you hear something like that, either ignore it, or seek independent verification.

It always puzzles me why people borrow games and then take so little care of them. It's not hard to handle a disc properly, and it's only polite to be careful with something that belongs to someone else... yet still there are dimwits who think that other people's software makes a great frisbee, coaster, paint palette, spatula, or whatever else they do with them. I'm reminded of a time I lent FFIX to a friend. He got the discs filthy by handing the disc surfaces with food on his fingers. He then 'cleaned' my game by rubbing the discs on his carpet. I wasn't impressed.

[Serapy]

Use a car scratch remover, it's very strong and works great :p

Yes, it's very important to take care of your discs as they have higher chance of not getting any scratch, but there are still chances that they will get scratched because they easily get them. When I bought FF7, FF8 and FF9. I've taken care of them, I've been very careful, what's so ironic is that when I looked at the back of those discs after years, I saw a lot of scratches on them ;/ All what I can say is do your best to take care of them.