Why
won't my disc play any more?
Put simply, the reason most discs won't play is because the bottom
(non-label) surface is scratched. This bounces around the light from the
laser that reads the data in the disc. This makes it hard for the player to
know where to go next, which is why it either jumps around or gets stuck
playing the same section.
Can
every scratched CD be repaired?
There is good news and bad news here. The bad news is that if a scratched CD
has damage to the data layer itself there is nothing that can be done to
retrieve this data. The data layer is very close to the label side of the
disc and so is vulnerable to scratches from the top. To see if the data
layer is damaged, hold the disc label side toward you about 20cm from a
light bulb. Any pin-pricks of light that show through indicate damage to the
data layer. The good news is that discs with minor damage to the data layer
often play perfectly after restoration. Naturally, the worse the damage, the
less likely it is that the disc can be restored.
How
do you fix scratched discs?
Using tried and tested, patented technology we gently polish away a very
small layer from the bottom surface, just sufficient to remove any
scratches. We then restore it to a mirror finish. This allows the light from
the laser to pass cleanly through the disc to the data layer and back to the
laser again.
- How many times can a disc be repaired?
Naturally this
depends how deeply scratched the CD is each time, but we conservatively
estimate a minimum of ten times, far in excess of what most discs will
experience during their lifetime.
-
What kind
of damage cannot be repaired?
Warped or broken discs cannot be repaired. Data that is lost due to damage
to the foil data layer cannot be replaced although minor damage often does
not prevent a scratched audio CD playing back perfectly after repair.
- Is it safe?
Completely.
All the machines and processes we use are tried, tested and patented.
