If your CD keeps skipping or doesn’t want to play, odds are there are scratches on it. All is not yet lost however; the following will show you how to repair a scratched CD.
Required Tools and Materials
Lamp
Liquid car wax or Vaseline
Toothpaste or Brasso metal polisher
Microfiber cloth
Rubbing alcohol or water
Get a clean cloth and wipe the disc. Begin wiping in the middle and work your way to the outer edges of the disc. Let the disc dry on its own. Do not wipe with a cloth or dry it under the sun. When the disc has dried, play it in your CD player. If it doesn’t work, proceed to step 2.
Step 2
Clean the disc under warm running water. Remove any dirt you see with your fingers. Try not to set too much pressure on the CD. You can also clean the disc with water mixed with soap or detergent. Let it dry then play it. If that doesn’t work, go to step 3.
Step 3
Those who are studying how to repair a scratched CD may want to try burning software. These programs attempt to read the contents by reading the bad sector slowly.
These are capable of recovering the data. However, this can take a very long time. If you do recover the data, you should burn the data on another CD.
Step 4
If you don’t want to buy burning software, you can polish the CD. You can use Brasso or toothpaste. If you’re going to use toothpaste, make sure that it is paste and it doesn’t have additives.
Put a bit of Brasso or toothpaste on a clean cloth. Rub the cloth, starting at the center and moving out. Repeat this a dozen times, adding more toothpaste if necessary.
Next, wash the polishing solution off the disc. For toothpaste, use warm water only. Let the disc dry. If you applied Brasso, remove any excess amount with a cloth and let the disc dry. Clean the disc with a cloth. Try to play it.
Step 5
If that doesn’t work, wax the disc. A thin coat of liquid car wax or Vaseline will do. Apply the wax in the same manner you would the toothpaste. Wipe it off.
Those studying how to repair a scratched CD can also use a lamp. Get a 60W bulb and place the CD a couple of inches close to the lamp. Spin the disc slowly for 20 seconds. Put it in the drive while it’s still hot. It should work.
