There are three fundamental methods to cope with damaged or scratched CDs, scratched DVDs and scratched game discs. Each one of these disc types are produced out of polycarbonate plastic, consequently scratching or damage to the information face of these types of discs can be dealt with in the same fashion.

Before we start off there are one or two items you must be alert to.

In the situation of CDs the information on the disc is in fact on the base of the label so if the disc you are dealing with has a severe scratch on the label there is little you can do to recover from this. A large amount of scratches to the reading surface of the disc are able to be restored.

Concerning DVDs the information is enclosed between two layers of polycarbonate and is a lot better protected. A scratch to the label is of no importance for retrieval purposes.

Game discs could be CDs, DVDs or even Blu-ray so make sure which it is to begin with so that you know what you are dealing with.

As a final point Blu-ray discs. With the launch of Blu-ray a new system and technology of disc manufacture was created. None of the methods outlined here except for software retrieval are valid to Blu-ray and will absolutely cause additional damage to the disc.

The first system of fixing scratched discs is by utilizing specially designed disc recovery software. This is the least intrusive routine and definitely the safest of the three.

On the marketplace at present there are several software products that either focus in disc recovery or include disc repair functionality as an element of their line up. Some of the recognized products are Isobuster and CD Roller. They are specifically designed to regain information from damaged discs of all categories.

Also contained in this group are Nero 9 and DVDfab. Nero 9 nowadays provides a module named RescueAgent which has been designed to achieve many types of disc data salvage.

DVDfab in itself was not planned exclusively for disc recovery or to rectify data from damaged discs. Yet DVDfab was designed in such a way that it has a great quantity of strategies by which it can scan any disc presented to it. Owing to this, it can routinely bypass or re-read damaged areas in many distinctive ways resulting in the salvaging of the information.

To utilize any of these products all you have to do is place the disc into the DVD player of your PC and run the program. In a large number of cases this will be adequate to duplicate the contents of the disc on to your hard drive and from there you will be able to make a new disc.

The next method of restoring a scratched CD, DVD or game disc is by using a CD DVD disc repair machine.

If the software routine above does not come off then this would be my next best option. There are a number of effective disc repair machines obtainable which can achieve exceptionally good outcomes.

CD DVD disc repair machines are superior to dealing with it yourself since they direct an level force to the complete disc surface and do not need to be very abrasive to the disc exterior due to of their faster rotation speeds. Also they use cleaning and polishing solutions that are intended specifically for the task.

The lone downside is that there are substandard disc repair machines around that are for all intents and purposes useless and could even damage the disc more. Before investing in such a device be sure to peruse reviews and consumer feedback to be sure you acquire a good one.

The final method of restoring a scratched DVD or CD is to fix the exterior of the disc by hand.

This is generally a straightforward procedure involving everyday things you probably have lying around in your home. What you are seeking on this point is a very mildly abrasive product that will take away scratching and still take the disc back to a full polish.

On the Internet these days there are a lot of sites and videos promoting the use of many diverse things to repair scratched discs. Some are beneficial and many are just plain harebrained!

The only items that have the ability to re-surface the polycarbonate of a disc and recover the original shine are either automobile polish, furniture polish or Brasso. Any suggestion like banana skin, toothpaste and numerous others do not possess the capacity to eradicate the scratches. Any success anyone at any point enjoyed with these would have been as a consequence of the disc simply requiring a good wash and shine in the first place.

The procedure for utilizing either vehicle polish or Brasso is to apply a small amount to the whole face of the disc means of a soft cloth. Do not use paper towel as it is too coarse. Gently polish the region of the scratch as well as the balance of the disc surface until you make out it is reduced then polish with straight strokes from the middle of the disc to the outer perimeter. Return the entire disc back to the original gloss with a dirt free cloth. Repeat until the scratching has lessened appreciably and high-quality software can now scan the disc.

Regardless of which method you decide to make use of… generate a back up copy straight away so you never have to do this all over again!