Disc Rot

Neo Alec

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The more likely cause and far greater concern these days is the optical drive and lens. It may be a borderline disc that was perfectly readable before but became unreadable as the lens started to go. And in my experience, trying to make old drives read borderline discs just wears out a drive faster.

Don't forget to test the disc in a PC or other drive before blaming the disc.
 

awbacon

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I did a video (that I've yet to release) about disc rot. The science behind the discs, library of congress archival white papers, blah blah blah boring science stuff

I did a sample of X percent of my disc based games across every console using optical media. Nary a whiff of disc rot.

I am not saying it doesn't happen, but I am saying it's a bit of a situation that some retro gaming people drove panic about...with a healthy heaping of "sell now" lol...wonder why
 

Tarma

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I did a video (that I've yet to release) about disc rot. The science behind the discs, library of congress archival white papers, blah blah blah boring science stuff

I did a sample of X percent of my disc based games across every console using optical media. Nary a whiff of disc rot.

I am not saying it doesn't happen, but I am saying it's a bit of a situation that some retro gaming people drove panic about...with a healthy heaping of "sell now" lol...wonder why
My experience with this Third Strike disc, is the first issue I've ever come across personally since getting my first CD-ROM based console in 1995 (the PlayStation)... and I've owned, or still own, pretty much every single major optical disc based console system before and since.

It's been a rife issue with Laserdisc for donkey's years, but the manufacturing process isn't the same as a CD / DVD etc.
 

ChuChu Flamingo

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A lot of "disc rot" is not actually disc rot but the top reflective layer coming unglued or just plain flat out damaged from mishandling. Lets be real here a lot of people probably stored a lot of this shit in basements, attics, or were heavily rented. All places that have high humidity, heat, and unstable air. On top of that people storing them in binders or upside down when switching games trying to achieve a new record of how many games you can play in a hour.

Some of these pinholes could even be from the factory. Who woulda thunk storing stuff makes shit last longer.
 
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Damsco

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I had to go to the trouble of making a new account to read some threads because this chinese fuck used to go on autistic powertrips and warroom lock everyone. Not sure why he's fallen from grace since everyone seemed to love that behaviour.
 

R3gal

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CD rot is inevitable. No matter how you store your media sooner or later in your lifetime it will deteriorate. It's shelf life is 20 to 50 years. 50 is a high estimate.
 

SignOfGoob

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CD rot is inevitable. No matter how you store your media sooner or later in your lifetime it will deteriorate. It's shelf life is 20 to 50 years. 50 is a high estimate.
Prove it or shut up.
 

sylvie

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Never experienced disc rot in my life. But I think most discs I own/have owned are from no earlier than 1990.... 1993...? None of my audio CDs are rotting. None of my PSX games are rotting. None of my Saturn games were rotting.
 

Cylotron

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I have not had this happen to actual game discs yet, but have experienced it on some old audio CD's(namely a couple of Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode singles from the 80's). They still look perfectly fine, but have trouble reading now.
 

SignOfGoob

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I have not had this happen to actual game discs yet, but have experienced it on some old audio CD's(namely a couple of Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode singles from the 80's). They still look perfectly fine, but have trouble reading now.

Are they UK versions? Pressed by PDO UK? Literally everything I own from that fucking company is junk.
 

Cylotron

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Are they UK versions? Pressed by PDO UK? Literally everything I own from that fucking company is junk.
My cd's are all put away in storage at the moment, but I clearly remember a Parlophone Records "Pet Shop Boys - So Hard" UK CD single that was in perfect condition(no scratches at all on the disc), yet it was a pain to get that disc to read the last time I tried(a few years ago).
 

awbacon

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CD rot is inevitable. No matter how you store your media sooner or later in your lifetime it will deteriorate. It's shelf life is 20 to 50 years. 50 is a high estimate.

LoC has 100 year longevity after extensive research. We will all be dead before all the discs are
 

SignOfGoob

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My cd's are all put away in storage at the moment, but I clearly remember a Parlophone Records "Pet Shop Boys - So Hard" UK CD single that was in perfect condition(no scratches at all on the disc), yet it was a pain to get that disc to read the last time I tried(a few years ago).

Yep, that sounds exactly right. Luckily I have the US version of that. I have a bunch of later singles of theirs and they are all fine but stuff like New Order’s Ruined in a Day, the double pack version with the Sly & Robbie remixes, is visibly pinholed. I hate that factory so much…

I assume that means that all of the KLF remix discs of So Hard have rotted too which suuuuucks….

Luckily they were only horrible for like two years, I think, but during that two years they were the worst pressing plant in the world, before or since, and unfortunately they pressed a lot of great releases.
 

SignOfGoob

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LoC has 100 year longevity after extensive research. We will all be dead before all the discs are
Extensive research? Who needs that you when have ignorant group-think based on "CD-R that only lived for a year on the floor of my car?". Fuck those scientists, with their gigabytes of empirical data. I knew a guy once...a GUY!"
 

awbacon

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Extensive research? Who needs that you when have ignorant group-think based on "CD-R that only lived for a year on the floor of my car?". Fuck those scientists, with their gigabytes of empirical data. I knew a guy once...a GUY!"
I burnt a cheap CD-R and left it next to a heater for ten years...disc rot will ruin everything!
 

Cylotron

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Yep, that sounds exactly right. Luckily I have the US version of that. I have a bunch of later singles of theirs and they are all fine but stuff like New Order’s Ruined in a Day, the double pack version with the Sly & Robbie remixes, is visibly pinholed. I hate that factory so much…

I assume that means that all of the KLF remix discs of So Hard have rotted too which suuuuucks….

Luckily they were only horrible for like two years, I think, but during that two years they were the worst pressing plant in the world, before or since, and unfortunately they pressed a lot of great releases.

KLF and David Morales Red Zone Mix were the best 2. Luckily both are available on vinyl... wait... vinyl rot!! o_O
 

SignOfGoob

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KLF and David Morales Red Zone Mix were the best 2. Luckily both are available on vinyl... wait... vinyl rot!! o_O

Vinyl records are insanely stable. They wear the fuck out from playing but they won’t just die in the case. I have several classical recordings from the early 50s that play perfectly.

But…some idiot will say they rot, people believe all sorts of shit.
 

GregN

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I have a story about disc rot. When I was clearing out my Saturn Collection and selling it on teh Bay about 4-5 years ago, I wasn't able to test Saturn Bomberman and it came back as a return stating it didn't work. Got it back, I ran it on 2 different Saturns, and sure enough. It wouldn't load. Disc rot. I resold it online to another ebayer who needed the box and insert and it became a win-win for both of us.
 

SignOfGoob

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I have a story about disc rot. When I was clearing out my Saturn Collection and selling it on teh Bay about 4-5 years ago, I wasn't able to test Saturn Bomberman and it came back as a return stating it didn't work. Got it back, I ran it on 2 different Saturns, and sure enough. It wouldn't load. Disc rot. I resold it online to another ebayer who needed the box and insert and it became a win-win for both of us.

Again, without very good photos we can’t be sure this was rot. For all we know there were nicks in the lacquer or something. Those things can be very hard to see by eye.

“Rot” means it died on its own. Nobody killed it. In cases where inclusions exist, it’s almost always the case that multiple copies of the same thing from the same run also have rot. Is this a know thing with Saturn Bomberman? I also sold mine so I can’t check my copy.
 
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