Can I salvage a scratchy CD containing several hundred photos?
Before you spend money on a gadget that probably won’t work, start by cleaning the disc with mild soap and water. Just a drop of dish soap and warm water will do. Make sure your hands are clean and just work the detergent gently to clean the surface of the disk, then dry it with a clean, lint-free cloth. If that doesn’t help, you can buff out the scratches on the CD’s surface with – get this – common toothpaste. Just dab a little bit onto the end of a cotton swab and gently work it in a circular motion to buff out the worst of the scratches. You can also use a low-abrasive cleanser like Soft Scrub, but don’t rub too hard. You may not be able to completely recover the CD by these methods, but you can’t make it any worse. If the scratches aren’t too deep, you may be able to get rid of them completely. There is an article here:www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/77 that mentions the toothpaste idea, and als
