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If you have acquired a large CD, DVD or game console disc collection over the years, it’s likely that you have a few scratched discs that skip or won’t play. For me, it never fails that the disks that are damaged in my collection are my favorites; it really ticks me off when I load my favorite disc and all I get is a digital mess. I always think to my self, “damn, why my favorite disc? Why can’t it be that Barbra Streisand CD I never listen too that I received as gift from a well intentioned relative?” When I decided to listen to my Chris LeDoux 20 Greatest Hits CD and the violin sounded like a 45 record playing at 78 speeds that was the last straw. I had had enough and decided to look into disc repairing devices.

 

 

Manual or Automatic

After doing a little research, I found that there are many disc repair devices on the market with many different names. Basically there are two types of cleaning/repairing machines: manual and automatic. The manual variety costs a little less and appears to be fairly simple to operate. All one needs to do is insert the disc and crank the handle for about one minute.

 

 

 

 

 

The other type of cleaning/repairing machine is powered and automatic. Being the youthful energetic Average Joe that I am, I decided the automatic machine would be the one I wanted to try. Oh come now, do you really think I was going to order the manual crank machine? No way, I am the Average Joe that would use a long stick to turn on my components from my seat if remote controls didn’t exist. Looking at the various automatic machines on the market, I decided on the Memorex OptiFix Pro because it was relatively in-expensive costing just $29.99  The kit consists of the OptiFix Pro device, 1oz of cleaning fluid, 1 oz of repair fluid, two cleaning pads, two repair pads and an A/C adapter.

 

 

How it Works

The Memorex OptiFix Pro is very easy to use and is fully automatic. To repair scratched discs all you need to do is insert the purple repair pads, put a small amount of the repairing solution on one pad, put in the damaged disc, close the cover and press the repair button. The OptiFix Pro will start the repairing process and stop when finished. When the repair cycle is complete you remove the disc, wipe off the excess cleaning fluid and you’re ready for the cleaning process. The directions note that if you don’t perform the cleaning process after the repair, the disc may not play correctly. The cleaning process is just as easy as the repairing process. Begin by installing the yellow pads in the machine, then apply four drops of cleaning fluid on one pad, place the disc in the machine, close the lid and press clean. When the cleaning cycle is complete, the OptiFix will automatically stop. Then, all you have to do is remove any excess cleaning fluid with a soft cloth.

 

Yeah, but Does it Work?

The Chris LeDoux disc that I was attempting to repair had a significant scratch in the center and a lot of hazing and crazing. Obviously, this disc gets used a lot but I was hopeful the machine would be able to repair the damage. After completing the repairing and cleaning process, I looked at the play side of the disc and noted that while the scratch was still there the disk was much cleaner and smoother.  I loaded the disc into my CD player and selected the song where the disc would skip hoping all would be right. When the disc began to play I thought all was good then the skipping began once again but not as often. Not giving up, I repeated the repair cleaning process. This time the song played almost all the way through before skipping. I decided to give the OptiFix Pro one more shot at repairing my disc and sure enough three times was the charm. My Chris LeDoux CD now spins away in my player with no skipping or interruption. I am a very happy camper as this CD is hard to find at my local store.

 

Xbox “Dirty Disk”

Inserting a game disc into an XBOX player and getting the dreaded “dirty disc” message is very frustrating because it takes so long for the games to boot to the menu system. With the very positive results I obtained repairing my CD, I decided to see if the OptiFix Pro could help solve the dirty disc problem I have with the Half Life II XBOX game. After cleaning the game, I loaded it into the XBOX game console and Ugh, I received the dirty disc error screen. I repeated the repairing process two additional times and found that sometimes the game disc would load and sometimes it would not. Obviously, the OptiFix Pro helped and partially repaired the game disc; but, the damage to the disc may be in excess of what the machine can actually fix.

 

 

The Bottom Line

Dealing with dirty and damaged media format can be frustrating. It never fails that the disc you are in the mood to listen to is the one that’s damaged. The OptiFix Pro did exactly what it advertises. It fixed one of my favorite CD’s after several repairing/cleaning cycles. The OptiFix Pro didn’t fix my badly damaged XBOX game but I really didn’t expect it to fix the badly damaged disc. The Memorex OptiFix Pro is very easy to use, has a sleek compact design, is built fairly well, and cleans discs beautifully. The OptiFix Pro has a relatively low cost and if it repairs just three or four discs in your collection it will pay for itself and is therefore recommended.

-Ray Adkins