i have decided to ditch all cd/dvd based video game media

[mazonemayu]

[SMiTH]

I baked my dreamcast disks in delicious cream of potato soup for 30 minutes.
The potassium and sodium actually resealed the pinholes and scratches on the data layer.
I can't believe deluxux found this method to fix disk rot.
Thanks bro!

I will test cream of mushroom soup next..

[game_player_s]

My SA2 disc had a pinhole, but luckily it still ripped OK.

Pinholes can be caused by flaws in the painted on label of the disc where a speck of paint has come off due to centrifugal force, but can also be caused as a result of physical damage such as a scratch. On media discs read by a IR spectrum optic, such as CD media, a pinhole(s) caused by flaws will rarely cause a issue. But pinholes on IR read media caused by damage can be fatal to the discs data. However, on media discs read by visible spectrum DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, etcetera, a optic pinhole can be a very problematic issue regardless of the causation.

game cube games are so bad about it

No, and let me be clear on this. Nintendo has had all manner of issues with their proprietary media. Nintendo Wii is the only exception as Nintendo wisely went with using off the shelf DVD-ROM technology for that system.

Technically speaking GC uses DVD-ROM as the format, but with it Nintendo literally had issues with both defective discs and mastering issues, with both problems heavily effecting certain of their first party game releases throughout the systems life. Couple this with GC, just like DC, experiencing odd disc read issues with aging ODDs that required the end user to either open up their system and play with the trimmer setting of the ODD or replace the ODD altogether.

Wii U again ran into problems as select games, once again first party titles primarily, used a special data encoding method that apparently was problematic to actually author onto the discs, resulting in many a hushed product replacement program that if a retailer or a customer encountered a issue with a blatantly defective game disc Nintendo would send out a new copy of the game... from a newly manufactured batch.


Disc rot is quite rare. I'm a member of a collector's community that actively keeps track of disc rot reports, and it is truly rare for media outside of LaserDisc, the original format that "Disc Rot" was discovered on, to get a documented case. And even among the documented reports, a good chunk of them falls into the extraneous variables category, meaning the alleged "disc rot" may have been caused by a outside variable unrelated to the disc itself.

[Ian Micheal]

Cdr's last about 5 years before they start messing up sega saturn games have lots of problems with disc rot whole collection on youtube showing the problem.. I have had saturn games my self with disc rot.. Never had a dreamcast game with it.. other then blue stinger which was faulty from new both copys i bought new both never would boot..







Lots more just search

[game_player_s]

Burnable Disc media is not the same as "pressed", professionally mastered/authored, Disc media. The -R, +R, -RW media argument for disc rot is a given as the only burnable formats designed to not self-destruct are the archival grade DVD-R and BD-R discs made by Millenia Disc, which are a few dollars cost per disc.

Burnable media uses a chemical layer that degrades rapidly with age, and dependent on which brand of that crap you buy your CD-R bootlegs can last anywhere form a week to maybe a few years pending the quality of the burnable media and the conditions under which that media is stored in.

Worst offending brands of burnable media for rapid decay are:
#1 Memorex (pure sh*t)
#2 Staples (generic store brand)
#3 Office Depot (another generic store brand)

[The-Amazing-Mr_V]

I feel a lot of pin holes come from people setting them upside down to protect the underside. Which leads to these pin holes. But to each their own. I rarely have issues with all my discs. More often then not the issue is the lens rails on my saturn not being lubed enough causing loading errors.

[Windows9X]

I have a few hundred.. (300ish) titles in my personal library, not including Laserdiscs and music. Live in the ass-end of the south, America where it's always humid and muggy for the most part.

Never experienced disc rot myself. The only issue i've ever had was the weight of the games when moving and the fact that some people really can't ship, so I've had some games arrive cracked!

I also want to mention that not all of my games are NTSC. I have quite a few PAL games, some 'NTSC-J' coded titles from various regions. Seems the 'worst', but functioning, discs in my collection are from Brazil, Poland, UK and South Korea. They need to get their act together.

[Ian Micheal]

I have had pal saturn games stored proper rot till they cant boot anymore.. I think it's what place pressed them batch's.. some of you got lucky..

[The-Amazing-Mr_V]

I have had pal saturn games stored proper rot till they cant boot anymore.. I think it's what place pressed them batch's.. some of you got lucky..

I completely agree. I have a Sonic adventure that is mint and doesn't load. While the one I have that works is scuffed up.

[Aleron Ives]

Pinholes can be caused by flaws in the painted on label of the disc

Tweeg, my dude! Where have you been hiding?