Ever wondered about boiling cd's/dvd's?

[k0pp0]

Managed to bring back a lost odyssey disk from the dead the other night using the 'boiling' method, however I only did it as a last ditch attempt as polishing it etc made no difference.

So no guarantees, but here's the plan.


Get a saucepan, preferably clean, which is a big enough to lie the DVD in without touching the sides (don't leave the DVD in there).

Boild your kettle. As soon as its boiled whack the water into the pan so its a few inches deep.

Pop the DVD in silver side up. Let it sit in there for 4-5 minutes.

Be careful on the next bit.. Poor the water out slowly so you can get a wooden spoon handle into the hole in the middle of the DVD. Take it out of the water and lie it down silver side up. It has to be a clean flat surface (not a tea towel etc).
Let the DVD dry off and wipe off any residue with a lint free cloth (look up wiping DVDs on google.. From the inside of the disk out, not back and forth)

I 'think' that the hot water helps get shot of a the warping in the DVD.. Worked for me anyway.

Plate up and serve.

[sicpuppy]

Heat methods are brilliant for light damage

For example the VMi 3500 Disc Repair Machine that a lot of Game/Gamestation stores use, uses heat to repair discs along with buffing wheels.

[randombs]

I have Spiderman 1&2 BRs that refuse to load. Wondering whether to give them a go. I have a bad feeling I may have just binned them but if I find them again it's worth a shot and will be a good BR boiling experiment

[k0pp0]

Give it a go mate - not tried BluRay but I suppose it should still work. I did notice a tiny bit of water between the layers of the dvd after it had been in the boiling water, so had to squeeze it out.

DVD still works, but I'll ditch it when I'm finished.

[randombs]

I found the BRs! Gonna give them a go tonight and report back!

[noobish hat]

Tried this with my knackered FFVII disc. Didn't work.

[speedlolita]

Toothpaste and boiling water worked for me a few times.

[Shozuki]

toothpaste? I have a Deep Fear disc 1 that refuses to play. I've had it polished too and still no luck... elaborate on this toothpaste method!

[Sam The Man]

I did this with Gran Turismo 4 years ago as it kept refusing to load up from the PS2 home screen so i went downstairs boiled the kettle poured it into a pan, popped the disk in silver side up just like you mentioned, let it sit for a few mins then took it out and let it dry on a clean surface and finally i wiped the remaining residue with a lint free cloth and when i popped it back in it loaded up!!! It continued to work then for quite a few days before refusing to load up again

A friend also did something similar with FFVII disk 2 back in the day and it worked fine.

[randombs]

Didn't work. But the disc is minty mint so maybe it's a manufacturing defect...

[speedlolita]

toothpaste? I have a Deep Fear disc 1 that refuses to play. I've had it polished too and still no luck... elaborate on this toothpaste method!

Smearing toothpaste on it, rubbing it around a bit. Filling a sink with hot water and then waving it about until the disc is free from the toothpaste. Worked with a fair few CeX Xbox titles. I wouldn't expect it to work with deep scratches though.

[noobish hat]

This is starting to sound more like either a. medieval 'medicine', or b. a snipe hunt.