Can anything be done for a cd that keeps getting "cyclic redundancy check?"

[raccoon]

Here's what I've attempted:

--Tried to read it on 5 different computers--can't read it.

--Carefully washed CD as I do PITA DVD's.

--did error check w/ windows.

Windows can tell amount of space used up on the CD, but just can't read it.

Anything else that might have worked for you?

[PoliticAverse]

1. Hold it up to the light, see any gaps in the thin aluminum layer ?

Any scratches on the plastic (there are CD repair kits consisting of very fine sandpaper that can help).

[Soylent Brice]

2. nope

Bad disc. I only get that error when using dvd shrink. Either disc is damaged or encryption can't be cracked with dvd shrink.

[ChromeFoundry]

3. Polish the surface...

I don't suggest doing this on a BluRay or DVD, but on a CD I've had luck...

Wash the disc with a mild dish washing liquid.
On a damp soft cloth, add a small dot of toothpaste (gel works best).
Lay the disc on a clean, smooth, flat, sturdy surface.
from the center hole to the outer edge (radius), rub the toothpaste back and forth on the disc, pressing fairly hard.
(Never, never, never polish in a circular manner or any direction that is not along the radius of the disc)
slightly rotate the disc in a clock-wise manner after about 10 back and forth cycles.
(keep the cloth damp and add more toothpaste as needed)
repeat until the entire disc surface has been polished.
Wash the disc with dish washing liquid, again.
Dry the disc off before sticking it into the reader.

CRC errors are commonly caused by small scratches that follow the tracks on the disc. This will buff away small scratches and allow you to get a backup - usually.

[Warpy]

8. Turtle Wax works better than toothpaste

Even gel toothpaste is too abrasive.

[gvstn]

4. Usually

Trying it on another computer is you best hope. That didn't work for you so no a lot choices.

You could try Imgburn to copy the whole CD to HD as an ISO file. It may or may not work as imgburn is fairly quick to point out a cyclic redundancy but it is surely worth a try. If it can copy it to the single file then you can write that back to a new CD.

Read the screens during install so you can opt out of any toolbars or other ad-supporting software. Imgburn is a good program but it does bundle something with the installer that you want to opt out of when installing.

Then try the "Create Image File from Disc" option to see if it can read the disc without error.

http://majorgeeks.com/ImgBurn_d4870.html

[Fumesucker]

5. You might be able to get the data off of it with Unstoppable Copier

Last edited Sun Oct 28, 2012, 09:25 AM - Edit history (2)

http://www.roadkil.net/program.php?ProgramID=29

It's specifically designed for reading damaged optical disks, doesn't work in every situation but it's probably your best bet.

ETA: A good coat of paste automobile wax will sometimes help too, treat the disk just like you would a car, apply, let dry and then polish with a soft cloth.

[sir pball]

6. If the plastic is really badly torn up

But the aluminum looks OK, as a really-last-ditch effort you can take a blowtorch and run the flame across the disc - slow enough to melt the plastic but fast enough to not burn it; it will smooth out the worst of it to the point where you can get the data off, one last time. After that it's pretty much junk, the remelted plastic gets brittle and hazy awfully fast, but it's worked for me on a couple occasions.

Good luck!

[raccoon]

7. Thank you all. I've tried Imgburn and Unstoppable Copier.

No good. :sigh:

[ebob2k]

9. software & polishing solutions

There is one software solution I’ve successfully used a couple times: BadCopy Pro. It rips the media (CD, floppy, flash) at very slow speeds, and can, many times, recover the unreadable data so you can reburn it.

For repairing the scratches, I use aircraft windshield (Plexiglas) polish, but the higher-quality, less-abrasive car polishes can also work.

If that doesn’t work, and you know anyone at your local public library, they might have a powered CD/DVD polisher that they can use on that CD. I have seen, however, many CDs that don’t appear to have bad surfaces, but 4 passes through that polisher failed to make them readable.

If the scratches are so bad that polishing definitely will not work, or as a last resort for those that don’t look scratched, you can TRY a LITTLE Pledge (furniture polish) (just a VERY light coat) on the surface before you try to rip it again. (Apply it to a soft cloth or paper towel, then gently apply a thin, uniform coating to the CD.)