How to save a damaged CD or DVD

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You have probably face the problem of not being able to read the information off of a CD. When this happens you usually become nervous and would just love to break the CD whose information you need. But there are solutions which help us save the information on the CD. These solutions can be divided to software and physical solutions. Basically we will orient ourselves to the physical solutions here, but the software ones are also definitely worth mentioning. The problem is that software solutions are usually somewhat more expensive, and the money spent does not guarantee the return of the information. Therefore, we would recommend the software solution if you have exceptionally important information on the CD.

On the other side there is a lot of advice on how to fix a CD (at least partially), by using the appropriate technique. The best advice is, of course, is not to throw your CDs all over the place but to have them stored in boxes. However, even with this it is possible that the CD surface gets damaged. With this we don’t mean only the shiny surface, but both parts. Special care should be given as not to scratch the upper part (the label side) because then the CD will become transparent on that part and therefore unreadable. If the CD is greasy or has fingerprints on it, you should first of all try cleaning it with a dry cloth. If you have a CD writer and a CD reader, it is better to use the CD writer which can, in some cases, read the tracks better. You can also try using a CD reader from the same manufacturer that you used to record the CD. For example, if you used Plextor to burn the CD, then use Plextor for data recovery as well. This applies especially for HP models.

If none of this advice helped, then you can try the next two. They are probably somewhat peculiar, but they are definitely effective. It is polishing a CD with toothpaste and with a banana. We know that these methods sound unbelievable, but if you are desperate and really need the information from the CD, try them out.

1. Polishing with toothpaste
Yes, it sounds very strange, but it is effective in many cases as well. All you need is some toothpaste and an ordinary cloth. Place a little toothpaste on the CD and polish it with the cloth. When doing this, it is recommended that you polish from the inner part of the CD towards the outer part using circular motions the opposite of the CD movements when reading.

2. Polishing with a banana
This form of cleaning is even more peculiar, but just as effective. You need a banana, a banana peel, a cloth, and some glass cleaning liquid if possible. First of all you need to cut off a small piece of the banana and smear it on the CD in a circular motion. Then you wipe this with the inner part of the banana peel, apply some glass cleaning liquid, and wipe clean with a dry cloth.

There are of course special liquids for cleaning CDs, but here we stated the cheapest (free) and the most interesting, but also effective ways of cleaning CDs or DVDs.

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