As society has made more accessible and more reliable storage devices such as USB flash drives and SD cards, many people do not even use CDs. Those that do, however, must remember that CDs are prone to breaks, scratches, and file corruption. These problems do not always mean the death of the CD, though, as many CDs can be quickly repaired with simple products that many people have around their home. This article will list a number of common CD problems and easy solutions to fixing them.
Dust
CDs often collect dust from sitting on counters, in drawers, or other places and not being used on a regular basis. Dust may seem like it is nothing to worry about but it can block CD readers from properly scanning the disk. When this happens, the CD may not play as good as usual or may not even play at all. To correct this problem, the user should simply wipe the disk with a microfiber cloth or tissue paper. While wiping the disk, the user should take precaution to not scratch the disk and should start from the center, wiping toward the edge.
Spots
Spots are bit trickier to remove than dust as they can be the residue of a chemical or other liquid. Most of these spots will come off of the disk when the user wipes the dust off with a microfiber cloth or tissue paper. In order to remove the spots that are leftover, the user should dampen a rolled piece of tissue paper in vinegar or Windex and wipe the disk in the same manner as was used for removing dust. Vinegar works especially good for this as it contains properties that break down oily residues.
Scratches
The most devastating event that can happen to a CD is for it to get scratched. While dust and spots can be easily removed from disks, scratches must be repaired. Users should be aware of the fact that there are two different types of scratches: light scratches and deep scratches. A light scratch can be identified as a slight indention in the disk and can usually be easily repaired by gently rubbing toothpaste into the scratch with a cloth or fingertip. Deep scratches, on the other hand, can be identified by holding the disk up to the light and seeing if and where light is shining through. Deep scratches are usually much more difficult to repair and usually mean the end of the disk.
Unwriteable
An unwriteable CD is a disk that can be read and accessed but cannot hold any new information. This can sometimes be the result of scratches or oil spots but is most commonly attributed to the user purchasing the wrong type of disk. The two disk types include R and RW, Read-Only and Rewriteable, respectively. Read-Only disks can be burned once but cannot hold any new information even if the disk has free space. Rewriteable disks, of course, are CDs that can be read and written to repeatedly and can be modified at any time.
CD Cleaning Kit
Users who have a large CD collection should keep a proper CD cleaning kit ready in order to repair disks as they malfunction rather than throwing the disk away or leaving it broken. CD cleaning kits can be found at many computer stores or can be made by the user. A basic CD cleaning kit should include a microfiber cloth, vinegar, and toothpaste.
