I'm now a believer... in toothpaste: A FIX FOR SCRATCHED CDs

[ecko_66]

*Mods, If this goes against the rules, I'm sorry and please delete this*

I haven't been able to reinstall my copy of SWBF2 ever since I reinstalled the OS on my computer.

After days of trying numerous software tweaks and such to no avail, I got very frustrated, to the point where logic kicks in. It only does that when I'm really mad.

I checked the surface of the disk, and lo and behold - A mighty war scar! Oh noes!

I had heard about the toothpaste remedy, where one spreads toothpaste on the surface of the disk in order to make the damaged section readable. Obviously, I wasn't mad when I read this, so it didn't make much sense.

I tried it: it worked!

I'm now a believer.

El fin.

[lucasfart]

Really? That might come in handy for my ultra scratched NFS Most Wanted game........i wish it worked with cracked discs too.........Are there any special things you need to remember, or is it just spread the toothpaste across it with a tissue and stick it in? Or do you wash it all off first

EDIT:Aha! I just googled it and found a good tut for it:
http://www.wikihow.com/Fix-a-Scratched- ... Toothpaste
and another, more general, scratched cd fix:
http://www.wikihow.com/Fix-a-Scratched-CD
You wouldn't believe the types of things you can use to fix scratched discs. You can even use a lamp to help fix your game

[The_Emperor]

Yup. There's fancy scratch-remover kits you can buy, but toothpaste usually does the job too

[Hebes24]

Then I used toothpaste
Now I'm a believah!
Not a trace
of doubt in my mind!

(I hope you get the reference)

Glad to hear it worked out.

[Valthero]

Then I used toothpaste
Now I'm a believah!
Not a trace
of doubt in my mind!

I'm in love, ohhh,
I'm a believer,
I couldn't leave her,
If I tried..

But yeah, back on-topic, this is a very strange reemdy that one woulnd never think to work. How very strange that it works Perhaps I should try it on some of my discs.

[Teancum]

I use chapstick, but toothpaste works too. All of em' are temporary fixes, but usually it's enough to get something installed. I wouldn't ever recommend using any of these on a console or laptop though, as those usually are hotter near a CD/DVD drive, and are more likely to liquify toothpaste/chapstick/whatever you use.

[RED51]

Grrr... I had some Game Cube games that are really roughed up that were good...

[Teancum]

Gamecube games *might* be safe, but honestly it's worth the 2-3 dollars to go to your local gaming store and have them buff the disc out. Consoles constantly read from the disc, so even if it doesn't get too hot all that toothpaste/chapstick is spinning constantly, meaning it can break loose easily.

[Null_1138]

I use chapstick, but toothpaste works too. All of em' are temporary fixes, but usually it's enough to get something installed.

That's exactly what happened to my BF2 disc; it wouldn't install after my computer crashed and was reformatted. As soon as I put some toothpaste on it, it worked.