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How to fix a scratched GH disk (Converted into FAQ format)
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Ahriman  





Joined: 01 Apr 2007
Posts: 59
Location: Fayetteville, NC

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 4:46 am    Post subject: How to fix a scratched GH disk (Converted into FAQ format) Reply with quote

Staff Note: This guide has been moved to the Scorehero wiki, and can now be found here. Please continue further discussion and work there.

OK, I'm gonna lay this out in FAQ format, since it's getting pretty large.

------------------------------------------------------
How to Fix a Scratched disk
------------------------------------------------------

Introduction
OK. Some of you have found out the hard way that scratches on a GH or GHII DVD can be disastrous. I myself was playing Jordan, managed to beat it, and My PS2 fell off it's shelf in the partying that ensued. The PS2, amazingly, was fine, but the disk was scratched. I was able to go out of the song, and it saved my progress, but afterwords, NO SONGS WOULD LOAD. And it was a small scratch. I'd heard some rumors about fixing scratches with household Items, so I decided to check it out and do my own research. Now, this FAQ is for people who do not have the money to go outand buy those CD scratch repair products they sell at Gamestop.

What worked
I found a lot of different methods, and tried most of them, until I found one that's right for me. The one that worked for me was Toothpaste. Now, I've read an article (supplied by eachann) that says that Hair Gel will also work. I plan to test this in the future. I will be testing every technique I discover online, to gauge the effectiveness.

The Toothpaste Method - OK. First off, you can use any normal brand of toothpaste, but the baking soda kind works best. NEVER use the gel kind. Now what you do is, you put a small glob on the disk, and wipe it in with a soft towel, making sure you at least cover the scratched area. Then, when you are satisfied with the coverage, rinse it off softly in running water, and then dry it with the same towel, making sure not to rub the disk hard enough to take the toothpaste out of the scratch. The Toothpaste will dry, giving the laser in your PS2 or XBox 360 something to reflect off of, thus fixing the damage. This is a temporary fix, from what I've heard, but it DOES work. Just make sure the disk doesn't get wet again, and you'll be fine.

What DIDN'T work
I tried three different substances, which were rumored to be able to fix scratches in a CD. These were Windex, Turtle Car Wax, and Pledge Furniture Polish. I will describe the three methods and how effective they were.

Windex - This seemed like it could work, but it was a last ditch effort before I got really desperate and used the toothpaste. You were supposed to spray some Windex on the disk, and dry it of with a soft towel, using circular motions. When I dried mine off, though, there was no difference in the gameplay (The scratch wasn't fixed), but my disk was REALLY REALLY clean. lol

Turtle Car Wax - This method made sense, actually. You were supposed to do the same thing as with the Windex, and it was supposed to fill the scratch with the wax. But for me, the only outcome was the CD smelling like a new car.

Pledge Furniture Polish - This one seemed like it had just as much potential as the Car Wax, and it was the first one I tried. For all intensive purposes, it used the same method as the car wax, and had the same theory behind how it was supposed to work. But it had a worse outcome. Before, I was able to load the game and navigate through the menus, but after this, It wouldn't even load the RO intro.


What you DEFINATELY should NEVER do
Now, the above methods may have worked under different circumstances, but the next few should NEVER, I repeat, NEVER be tried.

Microwave - Supposedly, putting a cd in the microwave for a short period of time will melt the plastic area, filling in the scratch. NOT! This method will cause your CD to spark, and possibly explode in your microwave, ruining it.

Heating - This is supposed to follow the concept of the microwave theory. Heat it, the scratches melt away. While this may or may not work, it will still ruin the structural integrity of the disk. Now a PS2 or XBox 360 spins the disk in the drive at a very high RPM. If the disk is weakened (which it will be) through heating, there is a possibility of it exploding INSIDE your PS2 or XBox 360. Then none of your games work.

Freezing - I have NO IDEA why this idea was even concieved. Maybe it has to do with the disk warping shape or something, but wouldn't that also ruin the structural integrity of the disk? Exactly. It's a nono.


This is the end of the FAQ for now. As I obtain more information about thi subject, through my experiments, I will update this FAQ

Special thanks to Eachann for the article.
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GH II goals (Expert)

Get the Log [x]
Beat Jordan [x]
15,000,000 total [x]
20,000,000 total []
get 500th or higher in the rankings []
lol. Be the first to FC BatH [] (Hey, it's possible)

Deschain wrote:
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Last edited by Ahriman on Thu May 03, 2007 10:11 pm; edited 6 times in total
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donutz0r  





Joined: 20 Mar 2006
Posts: 404

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 9:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm kinda tempted to try this. My 360 decided to leave a few perfect circles near the outside of the disk, and because of that, I cant purchase Jordan or Less Talk More Rokk

Anybody else had luck with this method?
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Hendrix would be a great character to have in any GH game along with others like Jimmy Paige, Joe Perry, and Eric Clapton, but the mo-cap unlockable video for Hendrix might be a little boring.
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HellAshes  





Joined: 06 Apr 2006
Posts: 8320
Location: Livingston, NY

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm trying this as soon as I get home from school. Thanks in advance if this works.
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ShadoWolf wrote:
Fuck you HellAsses you fucking fucker

mazegeek999PSN from my accomplishments thread wrote:
koloxid wrote:
holy fuk
do you ever stop

Well, he hasn't posted in a month.
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eachann  





Joined: 09 May 2006
Posts: 1340
Location: Michigan

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 1:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've never tried it , but a while back I read an article on slashdot.com where a guy tested a whole bunch of different things to repair scratches on CD's and DVD's and toothpaste actually was one of the more effective methods, so the OP here isn't just talking crap even if it does sound crazy to use toothpaste for scratches on a CD

Basically any substance that can fill in the gaps of the scratch to keep the laser from jumping can help the scratch situation. Water is remarkably effective, but it dries up so it isn't a permanant fix. I'll see if I can find a link to the article I read, but it was quite a while back so it might not be there any more. If I find it I'll edit my post.


Edit: Hey check it out, I found it! It's a pretty interesting read actually
http://www.om3ga.co.uk/2006/07/27/scratched-cds-no-problem/
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COLDBEARD  





Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 410
Location: Pennsylvania

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 1:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ive broken 4 discs because of my Ps2 falling. Im now on my 5th, and 6th if you count the Xbox 360 one (I probably wont break that one because the guitar controller has a quickrelease system set up so if you yank on the cord, it just disconnects instead of taking the whole 360 down with it)
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HellAshes  





Joined: 06 Apr 2006
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Location: Livingston, NY

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 1:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Could you use something softer than a towel?
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ShadoWolf wrote:
Fuck you HellAsses you fucking fucker

mazegeek999PSN from my accomplishments thread wrote:
koloxid wrote:
holy fuk
do you ever stop

Well, he hasn't posted in a month.
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CrackerRiley  





Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 3085

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

HellAshes wrote:
Could you use something softer than a towel?

a baby's bottom?...
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beberle2  





Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Posts: 1688
Location: Colorado Where The Snow is YELLOW!??!

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 2:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can also use shaving cream thats how my dad fixed it
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mr-apples  





Joined: 16 Mar 2007
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PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was able to get out a *huge* gouge in my 360 disc, which I thought was a goner.

I used Novus 2 and 3 which is an industrial plastic polisher designed for removing scratches. It is available at many specialty hobby stores, some hardware stores, and online.
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Ahriman  





Joined: 01 Apr 2007
Posts: 59
Location: Fayetteville, NC

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 3:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, first off, here's a few methods that DIDNT work too well for me that I read in an article online somewhere (Might've been slashdot.com. lol).

Pledge furniture polish - This actually made the disk worse. I don't recommend this one. After I did it, the disk wouldn't even read past the RO intro. Fixed my mistake by rinsing multiple times.

Turtle Car Wax - Seemed like it had potential, but when I used it, it didn't do anything but make my CD smell like a new car. lol

Windex - Also seemed like it might have potential, but when I looked at te disk, it looked like it had MORE scratches.



Oh, and another little tidbit of info. If you scratch the top layer of paint off, even a small dot of it, the disk is screwed. So before trying any of these methods, hold the disk up to a light, and look for any holes in the paint layer.
_________________
GH II goals (Expert)

Get the Log [x]
Beat Jordan [x]
15,000,000 total [x]
20,000,000 total []
get 500th or higher in the rankings []
lol. Be the first to FC BatH [] (Hey, it's possible)

Deschain wrote:
Who are you kidding? He stopped a meteor. With the power of ROCK. It's ironic genius.
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Barfo  





Joined: 10 Oct 2006
Posts: 2596

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 6:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I used toothpaste (bakign soda) a while back to fix my GH1 disc (about 5 songs wouldnt read correctly). It worked well and the disc started working all the songs again. Althought hen i set the disc down when i got GH2 and didnt play it for many months. i noticed last month when i tried to break it out again that right now it freezes up on basically every track (on either of my PS2s - so its not a laser alignment problem). Im not sure if i damaged it that last time i played it or during storage, or if the fix simply wore off after time. But the basic toothpaste thign does work, its a good "what the heck - it cant hurt to try" type solution.
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BiteSizeCenter  





Joined: 02 Nov 2006
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Location: Columbus, KS

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 7:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When I get home I am totally trying this, I have been dying to play You Got Another Thing Comin' and Killer Queen.
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HellAshes  





Joined: 06 Apr 2006
Posts: 8320
Location: Livingston, NY

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 8:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My game works now, but HSB still doesn't work. Oh well, the song sucks anyway.
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My GH Accomplishments Thread (I'm Actually Playing GH: Live!)
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Guitar Hero: Live Goals:
Actually get good at Guitar Hero: Live
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ShadoWolf wrote:
Fuck you HellAsses you fucking fucker

mazegeek999PSN from my accomplishments thread wrote:
koloxid wrote:
holy fuk
do you ever stop

Well, he hasn't posted in a month.
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bmcle2  





Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Posts: 724
Location: Taylorville, IL

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 9:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh no! You can't play HSB?! How will you ever FC Hangar 18 now?

Man you lucked out, that's like one of three songs I wouldn't care about losing if my disk got scratched. You lucked out.
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Ahriman  





Joined: 01 Apr 2007
Posts: 59
Location: Fayetteville, NC

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2007 11:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

HellAshes wrote:
My game works now, but HSB still doesn't work. Oh well, the song sucks anyway.


Actually, it might still work. This is what happens to me sometimes on (Dammit) Jordan. It doesn't play the preview until about thirty seconds after highlighting it. If the preview can play, the song will load
_________________
GH II goals (Expert)

Get the Log [x]
Beat Jordan [x]
15,000,000 total [x]
20,000,000 total []
get 500th or higher in the rankings []
lol. Be the first to FC BatH [] (Hey, it's possible)

Deschain wrote:
Who are you kidding? He stopped a meteor. With the power of ROCK. It's ironic genius.
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