CD discs shattering

My brother up at the U of A sent me this article. It pertains to CD-ROM discs but I have a couple of cracked MFSL CDs.

http://www.fujitsu-siemens.co.uk/rl/servicesupport/techsupport/consumer/top10/cdcrack/cd1.htm

CD-ROM disks occasionally shattering

Important: This safety notice is about a potentially dangerous issue which could cause physical harm.

The key points of this notice are:

•Do not use CD ROM disks that are cracked.

•If cracked CD ROM disks are used in high speed CD ROM drives they can be dangerous.

•It affects computers manufactured by a number of companies.

What is the problem?

We have found that in very rare circumstances, some high speed CD ROM drives (48X or higher speed) can become dangerous when used with CD ROM disks with small cracks. The result is that the disk can be damaged further or shattered and, in very exceptional circumstances, fragments of the broken disk can be expelled through the front cover of the drive at high speed. This could cause serious physical injury.

Discs must suffer from a serious defect to shatter. Examples of this include brittleness caused by repeatedly snapping discs in and out of cases or drives in portable players or laptops, and imperfect balance, (sometimes
caused by wrinkled labels or off center labels).

Disks can only shatter when a damaged CD ROM disk is used in the CD ROM drive.

What is the solution to the problem?

The problem can only occur when a damaged CD ROM disk is used in the CD ROM drive.

Our recommendations are:

• Users should check all CD ROMs before each use, to ensure that they contain no cracks. If

they are cracked you should not use them in any 48X or higher speed CD ROM drive.

You should especially look at the clear plastic on the inner rim of the disk — cracks here are the cause of disk shatter.

• Cracks are more likely in poor quality media which we believe have become significantly more prevalent recently
and are made of more brittle materials. Our care recommendations for CDs are:

• When not in use remove CDs from the computer.

• Always store CDs in the packaging supplied with them.

• Always store CDs out of direct sunlight, and away from heat sources.

What do I do if I find a cracked CD ROM disk?

You should immediately stop using it in high speed CD ROM drives.

Do I need to stop using CD ROMs altogether in my computers?
No, as long as you ensure that every CD ROM is checked for cracks before each use.

What does a cracked CD look like?

The illustration shows a portion of a CD ROM with
a small crack. This is an example of the kind of crack
you should examine your CDs for. You do not need
to discard CDs that only have light scratches on the
metallic surface of the CD.
___________________

The only two MoFi CDs that I own are UD II Tommy and Disraeli Gears. They have both had cracked centers for years. Think the ex did that when she couldn't get the CDs to pop out of the custom tray. I don't play the discs very often. I will be making CD-R backups immediately and storing the originals away. Hope the backups sound as good.

 

Miike I've had this also. I've tried a 'homemade" remedy...I don't recommend this, but it worked for me. Heat a needle or safety pin and burn a SMALL hole where the crack ends. Put a dot of crazy glue to fill the hole...this should stop the crack from going any further...It worked for me but I don't recommend it. Or if you feel more comfortable leave the crazy glue out. The little hole should stop the crack from going any further...

 

That's a really neat idea... You just have to be really careful.

 

Thanks Michael. I might give it a go. The "Disraeli Gears" is more damaged than the "Tommy" CD, which only appears to have a hairline crack.

 

One of the first CDs I ever bought, a Virgin pressing of Phil Collins' Face Value, developed these cracks. I would not be very comfortable putting it in my high-speed CD-RW drive to rip it to WAV as a backup, unless I could slow it down to 1x speed. I may instead send it to a buddy who could copy it for me on his Philips. I hate to part with this CD since it sounds so good. And the cracks are close enough to the data that I really don't feel comfortable putting holes in them.

Michael--one of my relatives did the same thing with a windshield crack, drilling a tiny hole at the end of the crack. I guess it actually works! Then again it was a mid 60's LeMans.