writer cleaner

[Hash]

hi

does anyone know the best thing to use to clean dvd writers. i currently have a simple cd lense cleaner with little brush like thing below it. im not so sure if i should use that as it may scratch the dvd lense.

are there special dvd writer cleaners ?

thanks for any advise

[Quality's Proof]

The best solution is prevention (make sure the dvd's played/ripped/burned are physically clean). Many people use only a can of store-bought compressed air (not electronics cleaner).

The discs with brushes, which I have, are rated as CD, LD, and DVD capable. What does the container of your cd brush say? You can always do a 'net search of that brand and look at the spec.'s, etc..

[sfheath]

since DVD units use similar laser components to CD units I'd be fairly confident that the CD cleaners will be fine on DVD units. In time the brushes may become contaminated but I'd be surprised if anything too abrasive would adhere to them so as to damage lenses

[Hash]

thanks a lot for the advise guys, my current cd cleaner is a bit old so i'll get a new one,

also what is the best way to clean dvds themselves. is it alrite to jus wipe them with a clean cloth? also suppose the discs have minor scratches, is there an easy way these can be mended.
i just copied a dvd to my hard disc using dvd decrypter, and according to decrypter, it attempted over 3000 retries at one dvd, and well over 20 hours. would this be a problem with the dvd or the writer?

thanks once again
hash

[sfheath]

The disks themselves can be cleaned in a variety of ways largely depending on the contamination.
A dry wipe radially, that is from centre to outside as opposed to round like a vinyl, with a clean, non-abrasive cloth or pad is the first line of defense.
Next, warm soapy water to remove sticky adhesions.
If scratched to the point of misplaying, there are rotary 'scrubbers' that use replaceable spiral wheels that will polish the surrounding surface down to the level of the scratch. I would leave this as a last resort though as this is abrasive!
There are commercial sovlent cleaners I believe but have had no experience of these.
An alternative first line of defense if you have a player unit as well as a burner would be to try the rip from the player.
Good luck, Steve.

[Quality's Proof]

Make sure the water is not very hot, warm is alright, but not too warm.. Soaking for 5 or even 10 minutes (playing side up) in a sink sometimes helps, and letting drip-dry by placing on vertical edge is a good idea. On a lot of dvd movies, I rip and burn the back-up and haven't viewed the original, is my best prevention (for future reference).

Also, you can try SmartRipper v. 2.41 (use dvd [layer software to open disc so Smartripper can rip) and vstrip to rip with (slightly better rippers than DVDDecrypter). vstrip is supposed to rip any dvd, unless too much physical damage. 3,000 ripping retries is questionable as to damage your dvd drive. This is some "wear and tear" your drive can do without. My usual limit is 40 or so, and then, it's SmartRipper "time".