success in repairing CD/DVD games?

[RJ]

Awhile back I bought & enjoyed "Fatal Frame" for my PS2 until I damaged the disc in a fit of rage. Poetic justice aside, the game doesn't work- it quits just after playing through the intro- no further. While successfully fixing other games w/ a Disk Doctor, I've tried it on FF several times to no avail. A store clerk once told me about a repair gel that "fills" the scratch(es), effectively resurfacing the disc & making it playable. Anyone know of/had success w/ this stuff? I sure would like to play "Fatal Frame" again...I've had virtually no help elsewhere so I'm posting it on AtariAge.

[Miqorz]

I'd like to suggest the Game Dr. you can find it anywhere even Wal-Mart.

 

I've heard nothing but good things about it BUT since I have never used it first hand you might not trust what I am saying (and reasonably so).

 

But I'd check into the game dr. and read some reviews online about it and see what everyone else seems to think about it.

[jjessop]

I use the Game Doctor often and reccommend it, looks stupid but works for me.

 

http://www.digitalinnovations.com/products...ctorseries.html

 

It's been almost 100% effective in the disks I have tried and they number in the hundreds. The only disks it did not fix were ones I tried to ruin on purpose. I took steel wool to a disk once and it cleaned it up so that it was reading again..........we are talking PlayStation and PS2 CD's and DVD's. You do need to learn and perfect the techniques they show and I was a real skeptic. I have both the electric and manual versions of the product.

 

I now follow up the disk doctor with a very light chrome polish, clean with alcohol, then polish up with "Brillizine" plastic polish and they look like new.

 

Jerry

[davidbrit2]

You know what works great, and is a hell of a lot cheaper than a Game Doctor? A soft, white rubber pencil eraser. No joke. Get one that's a good sized brick, and firmly buff the disc perpendicular to the visible scratches. I've done this a fair number of times, and was only unable to fix one disc. In no cases other than this one (since the disc was very badly damaged to begin with) have I ended up with a disc that was in worse shape than before.

[RJ]

I own & use the manual hand-crank "Game Doctor"- it's the one pictured on the above weblink (different color) by Digital Innovations. I also swear by it as I've saved some PS2 discs w/ it. So far I've heard everything from scrubbing it lightly w/ toothpaste (didn't work) to using a power buffing tool (no chance). I'm really interested in this gel I was told about- has anyone used it?

 

BTW- I'm not interested in the final "look" of the disc- just so it works!

[Markimus of K.]

Hmmm, I've got a Game Doctor I bought to fix up some old Sega CD's I'd gotten. Had no luck at all, can anyone share a working technique?

[RJ]

The very comprehenisve 40+pp manual should tell you all you need to know. It suggests rinsing the wheel w/ water if there's a buildup of disc dust/residue. NEVER use it w/ a dry disc! My Game Doc has worked great so far w/out cleaning.

 

Could it be the discs are irreparable...? How old are they? Sega CD, Saturn, Dreamcast?

[Markimus of K.]

They are all Sega CD discs and had no luck at all... It's packed away right now but will try it again, I guess the discs are shot but hope springs eternal!

[2600Lives]

Coming from an ex-game store manager, I have a suggestion. Many game stores and rental places have professional disc resurfacing machines that work GREAT, and I do mean great folks. For a $1500 machine, it better. It works by using very fine sand paper to remove the scratched portions of the disc without damaging the data. I repaired a copy of Shining Force 3 on the Saturn that had actually been used to play frisbee with and had gouges in it. Not only does the disc look brand new, it plays perfectly. We charged 3 bucks per CD, not per game mind you, but per CD and gave a money back guarantee. I suggest you look around for a place that has one and save yourself LOTS of headaches.