How to clean DVD. Methods for cleaning laser drives and discs

If your dvd disc is not readable on a computer or dvd player, then most likely the electronic media just needs to be cleaned. There are several ways to remove traces of dirt that interfere with playback, all of which require extreme care.

Instruction

  • To remove dust from a DVD disc, wipe it with a soft cloth made from natural materials. At the same time, direct your movement from the center of the disk to the edge along the radius, and not in the reverse order. It is not recommended to wipe the surface of the disc in a circle, since circular damage is much more difficult to get rid of.
  • Try to blow off dust from the surface of the electronic media using a special can, sold for this purpose in computer stores. Direct the jet of air from the can parallel to the surface of the disc and wait until there is no trace of dust left.
  • To remove fingerprints from the surface of a DVD disc or any other contamination, moisten a piece of soft cloth with ethyl or isopropyl alcohol, then wipe the electronic media dry with radial movements.
  • For a more thorough cleaning of a DVD disc, dampen its surface with water, lather your hands and gently apply lather to the shiny side, then gently rinse with water and pat dry with a cloth that easily absorbs moisture, such as a soft terry towel. Do not dry the disc with a hair dryer, as this may damage it.
  • Use glass cleaner by applying it to a soft cloth and wiping the surface of the disc in the direction of the radius. Or dip the dvd media in such a solution and leave it in it for 5-7 minutes, and then wipe the disc dry with a piece of soft cloth made of natural material.
  • Please note that solvents such as acetone, gasoline, kerosene, and other mixtures that contain petroleum products are absolutely not suitable for cleaning discs. They can cloud the surface of a DVD disc, as a result of which the electronic media becomes unsuitable for further use. Only solvents based on alcohol should be used.
  • Tip added February 16, 2012 Tip 2: How to clean up a CD CDs are used, in particular, for long-term storage and transfer of computer files. The more actively CD-carriers are used, the more urgent the task of periodic cleaning of the surface becomes. To solve it, you can use both special sets of industrial production, and improvised means. In addition, cleaning disks does not always mean their surface, sometimes it refers to their contents.

    Instruction

  • Buy a special optical disc cleaning kit that includes the necessary items to clean the surface of your CD/DVD media. As a rule, the package contains a bottle with a special liquid and a sponge or a set of disposable wipes. In addition to them, the set may also include a spray can, which allows, in the most literal sense of this expression, to “blow dust particles” from the tracks of an optical disk. Moreover, the basis of some kits is an automatic device in which you need to fill the supplied consumables and place an optical disc, and the device will perform the cleaning procedure itself without your participation. The simplest of the kits contains a number of disposable wipes soaked in a special liquid.
  • Find a soft, lint-free cotton cloth if you can't get a custom kit. Plain water can be used as a washing liquid. Glass cleaner is fine too.
  • If the kit is intended for manual cleaning of optical discs, do it with movements from the center to the edge - the likelihood of causing mechanical damage in a circular motion is much higher. After the procedure is completed, the CD must be dry. If you used special materials from the purchased kit, the liquid will evaporate from the surface by itself. Otherwise, wipe the disc with a dry cotton cloth in the same radial motion.
  • Use an optical disc burning application if it's not the surface of the CD that needs cleaning, but its contents. But first you should find out whether such an operation is possible in principle. A prerequisite is that your computer has a CD/DVD burner. In addition, the CD itself must be reusable. If the CD marking contains the letter W, then this condition is also met. Another possible obstacle is that if during the previous recording of data to the disk it was “finalized” (the corresponding mark was set in the recording settings), then no changes to its contents are now possible.
  • With one of the latest versions operating systems(for example, Windows 7 or Windows Vista) use its own components to clean up the disk directory. Load the CD into the reader, launch File Explorer and right-click on the optical drive icon. In the context menu, select the "Format" line and a window with disk cleanup settings will appear on the screen. It is not necessary to change anything in the default settings, click the "Start" button and the CD formatting process starts.
  • Sources
    • how to free cd
    How to Clean a CD - Printable Version

    Hi all. In addition to cleaning CDs with soap and water, there are many other effective ways. This article will tell you how and how to clean compact discs (CDs and DVDs).

    Often, many people have a situation where they put a disk into the drive of a computer or player, and it freezes and “does not want” to be played, or plays, but “snatched”. What caused it? First of all, by improper handling of the disk or by the fact that the disk has been in use for a very long time. If scratches form on the surface of the disc, then it is likely that it will not play correctly. In such cases, cleaning can help, although the success of this case will largely depend on the degree of damage to the disc coating. There are many "folk" ways to clean CDs and DVDs, some of them are able to surprise even experienced and experienced users with their invention.

    How to clean a CD or DVD?

    Use water and a soft cloth.
    First of all, rinse the CD thoroughly. This is done in order to remove dust, adhering particles and grease stains from the surface. Immerse the CD or DVD in warm water, soak it there for a while, then take a soft, lint-free cloth and wipe the surface of the CD. Do not rub the surface too thoroughly and harshly. In order not to damage the data on the disk, there is a certain "pattern" of cleaning actions. When cleaning, you need to start from the center of the disc and move towards the edge. Never use towels, toilet paper, paper towels, or any other materials or items that may cause minor scratches on the disc surface. Let the drive dry completely, and then check whether data is read from it correctly, whether it works without failures and pauses.

    Cleaning the disc surface.... banana.
    Most users don't even know that a banana can be used to clean a scratched drive. Take a fresh banana and cut it in two. Wipe the surface of the CD/DVD with it in a circular motion. The next step is to clean the disc surface with a soft cotton cloth. Before playing a disc, it is best if you use a cleaning spray and then wipe the disc with a dry and soft cloth.

    Applying toothpaste or Vaseline.
    The surface of the disc can also be cleaned with some household items such as toothpaste or petroleum jelly. However, this method can be used if the scratches are not too deep. Place an appropriate amount of any of these products on the surface of the disc and wipe gently with a soft cloth. Then, for the final cleaning, use a cleaning spray, wipe the disc dry and try to play it.

    Use a polish or special disc cleaner.
    If the above tools were powerless, you can use a metal polish or a set of cleaning products for disks. After wiping the disc with a polished cloth, then wipe the disc with a soft, clean cloth, let it dry, and then try to play it. If it still does not work properly, try the last option, use specialized disk cleaning fluids.

    These are just a few of the tools that can effectively clean the surface of CD/DVD discs. There are other ways, such as using alcohol, soda, etc. as a cleanser.

    A regularly used CD-ROM or DVD drive likes to collect dust and other "junk stuff". If you are looking for a way to effectively clear disk reader without having to disassemble the computer into parts, here is the instruction.

    When the CD-ROM Drive Needs Cleaning

    The most obvious signal is when your DVD drive fails. work fine. It can be caused by many things, but disk cleanup may I help.

    Another sign is when your computer has difficulty reading discs. The third signal is strange sound when the drive is trying to open the disc or even during the extension and retraction.

    Another sign is when used disk twitches(although then it might be the drive's fault). These are just the most common symptoms.

    The general conclusion is: if your CD-ROM/DVD doesn't work, clean it up. If this does not help, try cleaning it again, and if this does not help, the drive is probably defective and you should replace it with a new one or send it in for repair.

    What you need to clean the drive

    Of course, do not use the blowing method. Your breath contains a lot of moisture, which can cause even more damage, up to and including irreversible destruction of the actuator.

    How to prepare a drive for cleaning

    Turn on the computer and remove the drive baffle. Then turn off the computer again, leaving the baffle pulled out. Remove the disc from the drive if it was in the computer.

    How to clean a DVD drive

    Insert a "straw" into the opening of a can of compressed air. If you have a laptop, place it on the edge of a table with the CD-ROM/DVD compartment hanging in the air.

    Hold the can of air perpendicular to the floor (i.e. upright) and be careful not to pump it as the gas it contains can damage your CD-ROM/DVD. Insert a straw into the drive slot and lightly press the canister deflate button.

    Repeat the procedure two or three times, and then turn on the computer and see if the drive works.

    What to do if it does not lead to the desired result

    Some tutorial videos or web pages recommend that you completely remove the drive from your computer. Do not do that. In many cases, performing this operation may be worth voiding the warranty, and even if not, it may damage the drive.

    what can you do

    Call a service technician or bring your computer in for service. You can also contact the manufacturer and ask for advice. If your computer is under warranty, then, of course, you have a recorded phone number to call in such cases.

    A few tips for cleaning the drive

    Drive unit CD-ROMs/ DVD is a very delicate part of the computer and requires good care. You can clean it before the alarms appear.

    Use compressed air carefully and responsibly to avoid damaging your computer. When the container is empty, do not throw it in the trash. Compressed air cans often contain toxic substances, so we must dispose of them in special waste containers representing

    Burning files to disk is a proven way to keep important information in a safe place. True, there is one “but”: not always and everyone has a “blank disc” suitable for recording at hand. And if now you are faced with such a problem, do not rush to be upset ahead of time! After all, you can use absolutely any old working disk that you have available to write data.

    "Disk Studio" is a multifunctional one that will help you fix the folders you need from your computer and individual files to any media or erase unnecessary information from already filled disks. Read the article and you will learn how to clean up the disk in this application.

    Step #1. Download the program from the site

    To get started, visit the special page of our website where you need. Once the download is complete, run the setup file and follow the instructions. Select the location where you want to place the program and wait until the archive is unpacked. After that, start working with the application by double-clicking on the software icon.

    Step #2. Run the program and select the desired option

    The main menu of Disk Studio will open in front of you, where you need to select and specify the operations that the program should perform. The application allows you to work with both CDs and DVDs. You can quickly figure out how to clean a DVD disc from old files, and then burn songs, videos or any other data to the chosen media. To delete information from a disc, click on the "Copy and Cleanup" tab and select "Erase Disc".

    Step #3. Clean your disk of junk files

    A mini-menu will appear on the screen, in which the program will offer to determine the working drive. There should be no problems with this, because, as a rule, in most cases you don’t have to choose: in computers and laptops, it is the only one if any external device is not connected to the equipment. Click the "Open Drive" button and insert a disc, then click "Erase Disc" and wait for the cleaning to finish.

    Step number 4. Rewriting an old disk

    Unfortunately, there are discs that cannot be cleaned. But they can be overwritten! In any recording option, specify for the program the files that you want to fix to disk. Knowing about movies, you will free yourself from unnecessary cash spending.

    To overwrite an old disk, configure additional settings: speed, name to be given to the disk, if necessary, request its verification and turn off the PC after the recording is completed. Don't forget to insert the disc into the drive. When the program asks for confirmation of overwriting and deleting files, click Yes.

    Now you know how to clean a disk from junk files. As you already understood from the article, Disk Studio is a convenient software for working with disks. You can quickly write absolutely any information to external media or overwrite old disks, filling them with new and useful data.

    You often encounter the fact that a previously perfectly playable disc suddenly stopped loading or the files loaded on it simply do not open, although the drive seems to have detected their presence. What happened in this situation? Is the drive broken or is it time to throw such a disk into the trash? There are several ways to try to solve such a problem on your own without drastic measures to replace the drive or remove the drive itself from use.

    1. To determine whether the drive is the cause or not, you need to try to play several discs with it. And if he does not read only a specific version, then it's not about him. If the situation repeats with the termination of reading discs or their problematic playback, then this is a problem with the drive.
    2. In the case of a problematic disk, it must first be cleaned of dirt. There are many products for cleaning them, but from experience we can say that it makes no sense to spend money on any liquids - discs lend themselves perfectly to cleaning them in warm water and soap. After this procedure, they must be blotted with a well-absorbing towel and allowed to dry before being put into the drive again.
    3. If the drive's laser readhead is dirty, a special "cleaning disc" can be dispensed with. Or you can remove the drive from the computer, detach the protective cover by moving it back and up. Then, using something thin but strong, for example, a pin on the front panel, press the latch through the hole and open the tray that closes access to the lens by pressing it. It is necessary to blow off coarse dust from the surface of the lens with a can of compressed air or even an ordinary pear, but in no case with your mouth. The pear should be without the presence of talc inside, otherwise everything will become even worse. With the help of a brush and lens cleaning fluid, you need to rinse the lens well, making light, completely non-pressure movements on it. After that, the lens should dry, and so that the dust cannot get on it again, it is better to cover it with something during the drying period. In case of plaque formation after drying, it must be removed with a dry soft brush. After that comes the drive assembly procedure.

    The disc itself can be not only dirty, but also heavily scratched, which also affects its ease of playback. It is possible to restore its surface by polishing. With large and deep scratches, it is unlikely that anything will work, but if it has a lot of thread-like damage, this option can be completely “cured”.

    The easiest way will require clean rags and goyim paste. The disk must be well wetted with water and a little paste should be applied to it, which must be spread evenly over the entire surface of the disk. Then with a rag you need to polish from the center of the disk to the edges, until the paste simply disappears. The number of such processes will depend on the state of the disk after each stage. As soon as the disappearance of the most conspicuous scratches is noted, we can assume that the disc has been polished. After polishing, the disc must be rinsed well, blotted and allowed to dry. After that, you can try to play his recording.

    And at the end, a little tip. If you need to download a driver for your printer, scanner, modem or laptop, you can always do it at www.hwdrivers.com or www.driver.biz.ua.

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