Windows XP disc BUSTED!

You can download a Windows XP ISO or something.
You have paid for the liciense, so technicaly the CD is worhtless.
As long as you have the licence number you shoulb be able to reinstall with another CD. (I do belive, i do not know for certain).
 
While answering another thread, I had an idea for repairing scratches but I don't know if it would work on a dvd. The remedy was to use one of those solutions that fill in scratches on eyeglasses. My science is that by filling in the groove with material of similar refractive index to the clear plastic, the laser will not be refracted and there would be less of an optical barrier at the plastic/solution interface. Even spit wiped flush has some chance of improvement (I've lots of experience with rental dvds!!).

If the disk is a write-off, you could try the above and immediately copy the disk.

Starman*
 
You may be right as may be applied to eyeglasses, but if you use the solution as a filler and just wipe clean around the scratch then there will be no damage to the rest of the disk. Simply filling the scratch is all that is needed for a temporary repair.

Starman*
 
Depending on how bad the disk is scratched, why not try what they say to use for small motorcycle helmet face shield scratches: a small amount of toothpaste! Put a pea-sized amount on a damp clean cloth, and gently rub in a circular motion on top of the scratch. Rinse with warm water, dry with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth.
Tom
 
OvenMaster, would you recommend flouridated, with tooth brightener, or baking soda? I fear striped may lead to misreading 1's and 0's! A clear gel toothpaste may work fine. Toothpaste is abrasive so you would have be gentle with the rubbing.

You need a clear material that has low viscosity or can be mechanically forced into the micro-cracks. Attached is a very simple depiction of what I was getting at. Filling the scratch reduces both refraction and diffusion of the laser.

dvd_scratch_repair.jpg

Starman*
 
Probably a gel-type, not a white type. Baking soda's too harsh. Any toothpaste does indeed have a very, very fine abrasive, just like polishing compound. Look for "silica" in the ingredient label. That's why this fix-it works well on motorbike helmet shields, some are made of polycarbonate, the same material as CD's. Really deep gouges, though, won't respond to this repair.

Practice on a coaster. If you get really fine scratches, you're pressing too hard.

Tom
 
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According to your title, your Windows CD is busted. Why not borrow an other one from someone else, and use your own windows key.

EDIT:
emaN resU said:
You can download a Windows XP ISO or something.
You have paid for the liciense, so technicaly the CD is worhtless.
As long as you have the licence number you shoulb be able to reinstall with another CD. (I do belive, i do not know for certain).
Click to expand...

ah! Like emaN resU said!
 
OvenMaster, I'll try that on my next bad Blockbuster rental! It would be better to use something that fills rather than polishes. I don't know if such a compound, like in the eyeglass repair ads, really exists. If it's "As-Shown on TV" it must be true, right?

fade2green514, although it may not help very much, you could try (freeware) isobuster to examine the disk to find what it can and cannot read (hold Shift to stop autorun of cd on insertion if that is a problem). If you right-click on the Joliet or Iso tree there are several items for finding files and determining what is readable. You may be able to recover most of the folders/files to hdd. Just a few missing ones may nix the effort however.

Starman*
 
how about, get 10,000,000 grit sand papper? if it can put a mirror shine on metal, im sure it will work on a CD aswell
 
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