You’re watching Transformers and see the heroine in a life-threatening predicament. The metallic villain has her cornered, and is getting ready to unleash its wrath. Slowly the machine approaches, one step at a time, for what seems like an eternity. She can’t move, paralyzed with fear. A glimmer of hope lies in the distance, but will the hero get there in time? Realizing that his love is in danger, his adrenaline kicks in; he runs like a gazelle through the streets of downtown, jumping over cars, ducking under fiery falling debris, and with seconds to go, it’s a race to save her life, but who will win???

Just then your DVD freezes . . .

 “No” you shout, “not now!” But it’s too late. You can’t rewind, you can’t fast forward, you just sit there in shock. There is only one solution, remove the disc, clean it and put it back in. There is, at best, a 50/50 chance the DVD will start at the approximate point where you left off; and it’s more likely the whole movie will start over - a clear disappointment and a disastrous end to a perfect evening. 

Why Does This Happen?

Assuming there is nothing wrong with your player, discs skip for one of four reasons (listed from easiest to hardest to deal with):

Dust,
Finger prints,
Grease/grime, and
Scratches

We address the first three in this article and the last in a separate article later.

First, the Stuff that You May Already Know

Before we begin, remember that the data side of the disc (often called the “disc media” or “shiny side”), is extremely delicate. Most of the problems we encounter with disc media come from unintentional media side contact - if nothing ever touches this side, you will never encounter grease, finger prints or scratches. To reiterate, never touch the shiny side.

Having said all of that, we are all human and as hard as we try, we will still very likely encounter debris on our discs from time to time.

Dust

Dust accumulates because we leave a disc exposed to open air. The best way to prevent dust accumulation is to store your discs in their cases when not in use; however, when the inevitable happens, there are a few clear cut steps to combat the problem: take a clean, soft lint free cloth and wipe the surface, starting from the center and moving out toward the edge. Do not wipe in a circular motion, this can cause small scratches and damage the the disc.

Fingerprints

With fingerprints, we need to apply a dab of Isopropyl Alcohol (rubbing alcohol) to a clean, soft cloth and wipe the surface, again wiping from the center and moving straight out toward the edge. Let the disc dry completely before inserting it back into your player.

It goes without saying, Isopropyl Alcohol is poisonous, so do not ingest it. Also, use it in a well ventilated area and keep it away from your eyes.

Grease/Grime

You may notice that your disc has actual food, or other grease or grime. This happens because when people watch movies, they sometimes do so in conjunction with a good pizza, cheese sticks or other types of snack food. This means that stray finger-tips can place small amounts (or large amounts), of grease/grime on the surface of the disc. When this happens, mix a few drops of baby shampoo in lukewarm water and use a soft cloth to gently rub the solution on the surface of the disc. Once you remove the soapy water, dry with a soft-lint free cloth. Again make sure the surface is completely dry before inserting the disc into the player.

If you are still experiencing problems, you either have scratches on your disc or your player is malfunctioning. These are a subject for another guide. The main comment we will make here is that we would recommend immediately backing up the disc before attempting any recovery.

All the Best,
Break Free Store

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