Has anyone actually ever repaired a game disc without resurfacing?

[CharlieR]

One of the worst feelings is insering a game disc into a system only to find out that it doesn’t work. This happened to me the other night with my 49 cent copy of MLB Inside Pitch 2003 for the original xbox. The disc itself isn’t really in terrible shape; a few light scratches and smudges here and there.

It obviously wouldn’t be worth it to get it resurfaced, which made me wonder, has anyone ever actually gotten a game disc to work without resurfacing? I’ve read pretty much every home remedy, watched a lot of videos, and read a lot of articles on the topic, but never rescued a game back from the dead.

I’m aware of the article here on the site, but the thing I found interesting was that the critic has had success with one of those disc doctor tools with the cranks, when an employee at a game store told me never to use those.

So, has anyone actuall fixed an unplayable disc without resurfacing it?

[Cafeman]

If it is scratched, resurfacing at a good store, usually only a couple bucks, is a good idea. Not an at home device though!

I have gotten discs to work by dropping the disc into boiling water for like 3 to 5 seconds, then wiping it with an eyeglass cloth. Sometimes gunk gets on it and boiling remedies that. I've done it several times and it did work, and never harmed the disc. No guarantees of course.

[Rev]

I have never tried anything other than resurfacing discs, if you buy several games from a game store and you notice that several of them are scratched, you could probably throw in your other disc with the pile. I bet the people at the store wouldn't even notice that you slipped an extra disc in there for them to resurface. If that works then you get a free resurface with your other purchases.

[VideoGameCritic]

I have been using this Disc Doctor (or whatever) for decades now! Almost always works for me.
Then again I haven't had to repair a disc that was severely damaged.
I mainly use this for discs that exhibit skipping.

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Innovati ... B00067M5P0

Note that it WILL imprint a noticeable pattern on your disc.

[CharlieR]

I have gotten discs to work by dropping the disc into boiling water for like 3 to 5 seconds, then wiping it with an eyeglass cloth. Sometimes gunk gets on it and boiling remedies that. I've done it several times and it did work, and never harmed the disc. No guarantees of course.

I've never heard that one before. I want to say I'm of the opinion that once a disc becomes unplayable, resurfacing is the only thing that can save it, but I like to keep an open mind. I've tried most of the remedies to no avail. Lotion, rubbing alcohol, toothpaste, etc. I left the disc in the freezer for a few hours last night, that didn't work. Next up I'll try car wax. I've heard brasso might work well.

[Retro STrife]

I also have a device similar to the Critic's Disc Doctor - paid $30 for it like 15 years ago - because I didn't have any stores near me that did resurfacing. I rarely used it, but I did rescue at least 2 or 3 discs with it. It usually doesn't work for severely scratched discs that are unplayable, but it will save a disc that has a few scratches causing it to skip or malfunction.

Another common home remedy is toothpaste. As weird as it sounds, toothpaste is a good material for treating scratches on a CD and making it playable. You spread the toothpaste on the disc and then clean it off. Like the Disc Doctor, it won't save severely scratched discs, but it is a cheap and easy home remedy to try for cheap games. I have tried this method before - and I think I recall it improving things a little - but, to be honest, I don't remember. But some people swear by it. Here's a link with more info on how it works:

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/geeks-wei ... hpaste-nb/

[mbd36]

I once fixed a Crash Bandicoot disc by smearing toothpaste on it. That was the only time that the toothpaste trick worked for me.

[Cafeman]

Boiling discs as a suggestion seemed to be popular during the Dreamcast and OG Xbox years. It can remove a film, it can solve minor disc warping problems, they say. Google it for more info. I boiled a couple games, I think maybe Dreamcast games? But I do remember it made 2 or maybe 3 games work for me. Can't hurt to try on your 50 cent Xbox game.

[Alucard1191]

I actually have a pretty nice 'disk doctor' type device with a crank thing and a bunch of other cleaning/resurfacing things. I was told way, way back in the day from someone at gamestop to never ever use those, but if people on here have had luck with them, I'm definitely going to give it a go. I have a few PS1/PS2, and Dreamcast discs specifically that really aren't in good shape. (My Castlevania SOTN has music that skips and lag at times... which makes sense as I've played through that game easily 20 times over the years.)

[VideoGameCritic]

Before polishing the disc you might want to consider your PS1 or PS2 laser may be on the fritz. It might not be the disc. See if it behaves the same way in multiple systems.