Howto: Get your disc to work again without taking a layer of plastic away. - Overclock.net

lattyware · 07-12-07

Howto: Get your disc to work again without taking a layer of plastic away.

Most fixes for discs involve scratching away a layer of plastic, the mentality behind this is that the data is stored on the top of the disc, the plastic is a protective (and stiffening) layer, and the scratches simply mean the laser defracts, and the data can not be read. The solution is to get rid of the scratches, and this means scratching away the entire surface of the disc to the same level, so the laser no longer defracts.

There is another way. Add to the disc. This is useful when:
1) You have already repaired the disc once, and don't want the disc getting too thin.
2) It seems like a better idea, and can be easily and cheaply.

No, I am not recommending melting plastic onto your disc, but there is a way.

You will need these items:
Scratched Disc(s) - I am using my Rainbow 6 Vegas disc that failed every time I tried to play multiplayer with a dirty or damaged error :/.

Clear Wax - I used, 'Granger's International: G-WAX - Beeswax proofing for leather.' - the main thing is that it has to be clear. This was just the first stuff in my box of shoe cleaning stuff.

A cloth.

The basic idea is we fill in the scratches with the wax.

The first thing to do is clean the disc well. Any grit on the disc could cause damage when rubbing in the wax later on. Wash it well - this could even fix some discs.

Now, take the cloth and rub some wax onto it, you shouldn't need too much, remember, you are filling in scratches with it, you only need as much as will fill in the gaps.

Then apply this to the disc all over, focusing on where you have scratches. Rub in with some force (be careful not to cause scratches or break the disc though.

Continue to rub until the wax is all gone, wipe away with a clean cloth if you can't get it all gone, (as in, you used too much).

Now, you can try the disc, it should now work, if it doesn't, you can apply more wax, and it should work after that. Note that anywhere from a day to a week from doing this, it'll probably stop working again, and you will need to apply again. This will not happen forever. It appears it requires a 'burn-in'. I'm guessing the Wax shrinks and condenses into a solid inside my hot 360, (good, a solid is more stable and transparent), but it will shrink. After two applications, 3 days apart, my Rainbow 6 Vegas disc works perfectly, and hasn't needed re-application for a couple of months. (I re-did it just for you guys :P)

ae804 · 07-12-07

Great idea... I had thought about trying this on some of my disks, but never got around to trying it.

+rep

d3daiM · 11-30-07

cool!

rep +

Deegan · 11-30-07

i used to DA mine and then hit it with a buffer. but i guess you could just buff it instead. which in essence is just waxing it. the method you posted works just fine. GJ