What Is Disc Repair?

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by: Discs Like New
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Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2011 Time: 10:32 PM
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When I tell people that I run a professional disc repair business, they often look puzzled and ask me 'What Is Disc Repair'? The title of this article therefore lends itself to the high proportion of people who have not yet been introduced to this highly effective method of removing scratches, marks and other damage from your discs. In order to understand how disc repair works, we need to take a quick look at how discs are made and why they actually need repairing.

Contrary to popular belief, the data contained in a disc is not stored on the underside of the disc - it can actually be found just under the printed label on the disc. The underside of the disc is covered with a polycarbonate layer which serves to protect the data stored beneath it. However, this layer is quite susceptible to damage and can become scratched and marked over time.

The disc may continue to play perfectly, however in many cases it may start to skip, jump or freeze. In some extreme cases it may not play back at all - this is particularly the case with heavily scratched video games on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 2. This is due to the machines laser struggling to read through the scratches on the polycarbonate later in order to read the data. So the very thing that is designed to protect the data may actually effect the discs playback - interesting!

Disc repair removes these scratches and marks by 'cutting' a very thin layer of the polycarbonate layer from the disc. A professional disc repair machine will achieve this by combining the use of a microabrasive solution with a buffing pad, however some more basic machines may use sanding and polishing pads instead.

The actual amount of plastic removed from the disc depends on the level of damage. A disc with very deep scratches will require a longer and deeper cutting period than one with light-moderate damage. Even with heavily damaged discs, however, professional machines will only remove a safe amount of the plastic from the disc. This makes the risk of damaging the discs data almost non-existent. Some cheaper forms of disc repair may not have the same safeguards in place, leading you to remove too much plastic and completely ruin your disc.

Disc repair is incredibly effective, both in terms of cost and results, at removing scratches from the plastic underneath your disc. There are some types of damage, however, that can not be physically repaired. The main type of unrepairable damage that we see is known as 'foil damage' - this typically occurs when the printed side of the disc is scratched or marked.

You may wonder why this would effect the playback of the disc, however if you cast your mind back to the start of this article you will remember that the discs data is stored right under the label on your disc. Therefore if a disc is left outside of the disc label side up, it can be easily damaged by children, pets or other items placed on top of it.

The best way to check for this type of damage is to hold your scratched disc up to a very strong light. If you see any light passing right through the disc then your discs data has been damaged and can not be repaired. When evidence of foil damage can be found, they can be easily matched up to scratches found on the printed side of the disc.

Additional types of unrepairable damage include cracks, dents or warping (this is typically caused by heat damage, i.e. leaving discs near a radiator). If your disc suffers from any of these then there is very little that you can do about it!

About the Author

Discs Like New offers a professional disc repair servicefor CDs, DVDs and Video Game discs.