Damaged disc - anything I can do?

[Corporate Thug]

So my Fallout 3 disc no longer reads. should I try contacting Bethesda or am I just shit out of luck?

 

[mfenn]

have you tried one of those "Disk Doctor" thingies? They resurface the disk so the actually do work as long as you haven't damaged the actual data layer.

Anyway, I know that back in the day when CDROM games first came out, most companies would let you mail them the first page of the manual or some such and they would send you a replacement disk. Dunno if any of them still do that.

 

[JellyBaby]

Try cleaning it. Use isopropyl alcohol and a soft cloth. Failing that, take it to a DVD rental store that has a professional cleaning machine. They usually charge a small fee.

corrected to isopropyl

 

[KaOTiK]

If one of those disc doctor things dont work, like mfenn said some companies will replace the disc for you but at a fee normally. If not, since you do own it, I'd just download an image of the disc since you have a legit key and all

 

[NoWhereM]

One other thing you can try before shaving the disk with a disk doctor is cleaning the disk as well as you can and then wiping it with an amor all wipe. After that you need to wipe the disk with a clean, soft, dry cloth to remove any excess before putting it in the drive.

I know it sounds strange, but it does actually work if the disk isn't to damaged.

 

[paperfist]

If it's scratched up then a good quality auto wax will usually give good results.

 

[zerocool84]

Rub toothpaste on the scratch

Polish the CD. WARNING: this can damage the disk further! Use only as a last resort, and read the instructions carefully!! Though counter-intuitive, polishing a disc can repair a scratched CD by removing some of the outer plastic coating and thus making existing scratches shallower. A number of common household products can be used to polish the CD, but toothpaste — especially baking soda toothpaste — and Brasso are probably the most tried and true. You can also use a fine-grit polishing compound that's used for cars or hard finishes.
Apply a small amount of toothpaste (must be paste, not gel) or Brasso to a soft, clean, lint-free (old undershirt) cloth: an eyeglass-cleaning cloth works well.
Gently rub the cloth on the scratch or scuff in a radial motion, (start at the center and rub out to the edge, like spokes on a wheel). Do this 10 or 12 times all around the CD. Rubbing in a circular motion can cause small scratches that throw off the laser tracking system in the player. Try to focus your efforts solely on the scratch or scratches you’ve identified (if possible).
Polish in this manner for a couple of minutes, reapplying Brasso or toothpaste to the cloth as necessary. Be careful not to apply much pressure, although you will still be able to feel the cloth gently scratching the CD as it polishes.

Remove polishing product from disc. If you used toothpaste, rinse the disc thoroughly with warm water and let dry. Make sure to remove all of the toothpaste and let the disc dry completely before trying to play it. With Brasso, wipe off excess product and let the rest dry. Then, using a clean cloth, gently wipe disc again.

 

[dud]

If one of those disc doctor things dont work, like mfenn said some companies will replace the disc for you but at a fee normally. If not, since you do own it, I'd just download an image of the disc since you have a legit key and all

This.

Do your due diligence and if unsuccessful in repairing the disk just acquire it online. You've already paid for it.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Agreed nothing wrong hitting a torrent site for this since you have a real CD key.

 

[AndroidVageta]

Try cleaning it. Use rubbing alcohol and a soft cloth. Failing that, take it to a DVD rental store that has a professional cleaning machine. They usually charge a small fee.

Rubbing alcohol? I tried that once and it completely demolished my disk...DO NOT RECOMMEND!

 

[richierich1212]

yeah toothpaste works good, just try to use one that doesn't have as many additives (whitening, etc...)

 

[paperfist]

Rub toothpaste on the scratch

Brasso? I don't know for sure but I would think the ammonia in there would 'demolish' the disc as AndroidVageta said about rubbing alcohol.

 

[aigomorla]

id just call the company up and see if you can send in your damage disk for a new one.

Most of the time there really flexable.

They might even ask you to mail in your entire copy for a new one.

 

[AndroidVageta]

Brasso? I don't know for sure but I would think the ammonia in there would 'demolish' the disc as AndroidVageta said about rubbing alcohol.

Oh yeah, when I used rubbing alcohol it completely destroyed the plastic...almost like it seemed to have slightly melted it if you will, looked like 100 grit sand paper was rubbed on it for about a minute...definitely do not do this EVER!

 

[Tsavo]

Pledge furniture polish works on mildly trashed discs.

I bet workers at Netflix wonder why some of their discs have that lemon fresh scent.

 

[JellyBaby]

Right, isopropyl alcohol not rubbing. I've used it many times to clean cds and dvds and it works great.

 

[JTsyo]

My wife once tripped up on the PS2 controller wire, dropping the PS2. The disc inside got scratched and wouldn't read. I went the toothpaste route and was able to get it to read. The disc looked like crap and the load times were longer but it worked.

 

[ljtatej]

I've used Brasso before. It polishes and fills the scratches...but be careful, too much force will permanently render the disk useless. Once I've done the polish job I usually copy the disk using a low burn level (4x) and play from it. Just keep the new disk stored correctly. I have a bad tendency to just lay disks around and as usual they get scratched.

 

[smackababy]

If the game is already installed, just get a no CD crack. Not like you're pirating the game.

 

[McRhea]

And if none of the above works, get Fallout 3 plus all the DLC "expansions" on Steam when it goes on sale. No more scratched disks!

 

[lord_emperor]

No CD patch.

Or, I can personally vouch for Windex. I suggest your next action after confirming the disk works is to make a copy / ISO in case you need to reinstall in the future.

 

[Fhistleb]

Take it to a game rental store. When I ran mine we charged 4 dollars for a disc but it got cheaper with more discs. That and they always came out looking brand spanking new.

 

[simonizor]

I would contact Bethesda first and see if they'll send you a replacement. If not, I would torrent a copy of it that comes in .ISO format. This way, you can just use something like Daemon Tools to mount the .ISO and it should play just as if the actual disc was in the drive.

:EDIT: Fhistleb has a good suggestion, also. Some rental/preowned stores have a machine that will clean the disc for you. This is also worth a shot if Bethesda won't replace it for you.

 

[shortylickens]

Agreed nothing wrong hitting a torrent site for this since you have a real CD key.

This.
I normally dont condone it. But if you own the fucking thing then it really isnt piracy.