Do those CD rom cleaners really work?

[SSP]

I'm getting "data error(cyclic redundancy check)" error messages every time I try to copy stuff from a cd to my hard drive. The CD's are burned with out any problems (just burned it myself), but I can?t copy it back again (which defeats the whole purpose of backing up files). I just tried the cd on an old computer with a 20X drive, and it copied fine. But for some reason it?s not working in my system. Could it be that some things are worn out or maybe dust in there (which is why I was asking if those cdrom drive cleaners work)? I used both my burner and the DVD drive (pioneer drive, total POS, wouldn?t work normally anyway). It was working fine last week... weird.

Anyway, my burner is a Ricoh 7083A. Used both ECZD and Nero.

BTW, if you read this and have no answer, please bump this up. I got to go to sleep, so I?ll check the replies tomorrow.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bizmark]

*sigh* I had that exact same problem with one of my software CDs (WordPerfect). And right in a critical part of the install process too.... cyclic redundency error. So I bought that DataDr thing for $30 and used it.... it makes a noticable difference on the surface of the CD.... small scratches are gone. But unfortunately the large scratch in my WordPerfect CD is too deep to be fixed, it seems

I've used it on a few other CDs (music CDs) that were skipping, and again I saw a difference in that all of the tiny scratches were fixed, but still the deep skip-causing scratches remained

So overall, it can make a noticable difference as far as the CDs *look*, but I haven't had any success with making them more readable.

 

[slicksilver]

I used this thing called Dr. Dillo and tried it on my Grim Fandango scratched cd. Voila! It worked perfectly....now I have no problems with the cd anymore.

Raj

 

[Aquaman]

My cousin works for EB and they use the Game Doctor on all the used cd games they buy back. So far he has redone over 50+ PS1 games and they all work without a hitch. He even said that the company that makes the game doctor has a policy of sending you a new wheel if your attept at fixing does not work....... if that does not work you send the disc in to them & if they can't fix it they will cut you a cheque for the replacement of the program. My cousin actually saw one of the cheques that one of his customers brought in to show him (a replacement for Office XP).

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[TCPpacket]

i think the problem is with his cd-rom drive, not his cd since he said the cd worked on one computer, but not the other. i know they sell those lens cleaners for audio cd players, but i'm not sure about for computer cd-roms. you could always be ghetto and just map the working cd-rom drive over the network to your current computer and copy it like that.

 

[SuepaFly]

I've never tried any of that stuff. But I remember a couple people have told me that some sort of toothpaste also works. I've never tried that either, you might just end up with a tarter free cd. Anyone else heard this rumor...I think its white toothpaste.

 

[HiTek21]

I tried a CD Player cleaner once, had some small brushes and you apply like a drop of alcohol or whatever solution they gave you. Well the results are a broken CD Player and a cd cleaner in the trash. This was back like 6 or 7 years ago on a old sony discman, I'm sure the products are better now but I'm still not trying them. That brush chipped the lens on my CD Player. Hope if you buy one it doesn't mess you up

 

[brtspears2]

I heard using Brasso, that brass polish in the tin can, works well too to fix scratches on cd's.

But with those cd-rom cleaners, well... I used one, the one with the small brush on it, and it killed my cd-rom.

 

[HiTek21]

Guess cd cleaners with any brushes on them are out of the question.

 

[bunker]

Originally posted by: HiTek21
Guess cd cleaners with any brushes on them are out of the question.

I had a cd cleaner that had what I think was a felt pad on it. My old 6x cdrom wasn't reading right and it worked great.

 

[SSP]

Uhh, thanks for the help guys. I guess I could buy ANOTHER cheap cdrom just to read my CD's (what a pain in the ass!). I dont want to get rid of the dvd or the CDRW (burner works, only the read doesnt work properly). This is the cheapest method at the moment.

 

[SerraYX]

If you have a GameStop or an EB around you, head there and ask them to refurb your CD. They use a machine that does wonders with discs, it is not a Game Dr. (at least not at GameStop).

 

[MWink]

Those cleaning discs you can buy don't usually do a very good job. I tried one and I was not at all impressed with it. It made a small difference but didn't totally clean the drive. I've found the best way to clean a CD/DVD drive is to take the drive apart and clean the lense with a Q-tip and some compressed air.

BTW, have you tried using different CD-R/RW's? If not I would try a different brand before blaming the drive.