replacing damaged game cds without having to buy new ones?
 

Hey guys, I realize a lot of people are going to see this and assume I'm trying to get something for nothing here, but please be assured, that I am not.

I have a copy of UT2003 that I bought some time ago, which is 3 cds. Recently I went through a little incident with a young relative, and now the first CD gives me a CRC error when I try to install it. I've tried multiple drives, so it seems it's the game disc.

I was just wondering if any of you gamers have gone through a similar situation. I still have the booklet with the serial number on it, as well as the box and all that. Is there a way I could purchase the cd from Epic for a lower than ridiculous cost?

Also, if I went through the mess and tracked down a copy of the cd on kazza or whatever else, would I be able to install the game if the first disc was a cracked one, and the rest were legit?

I don't buy all that many games, infact I only really play one or two, but I did shell out 70 bucks for this game some time ago and I can't help but feel that I've lost that money completely now.

Any one ever dealt with this before?

Thanks

There are disk cleaners and scratch repair products on the market, you might try one of these. Also something that has worked for me in the past was burning a copy of the game with clone cd, and sometimes in the copy process the errors get fixed... might be worth trying. gl hf gg!

You could also try contacting the game manufacturer. Since you legally purchased the game they may be willing to send you a free replacement. A happy customer is a repeat customer.

True, but I doubt they'd send me a disc from the game, although I will definitely try. I'll see if I can burn a copy first.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give them a go tonight.

Yeah, usually game manufacturers will send you replacement discs. You just have to prove that you actually bought the game or are in posession of the orignal copy. They will probably ask for a scan of the POP or something.

That, or you can try a Disc Doctor. They're great, you just have to keep the disc wet with the liquid supplied, or it can actually damage the discs even more.

I scratched a game cd one time like 3 days after I bought it, and they told me to send them the original disc and a post-it with the serial on it and they sent me a replacement disc.

One thing that will speed things along for stuff like this is registering all of your games. If your game is registered, they'll know you really bought it.

well, if the scratch is on top where if you hold it up to light and you see a hole(s) then disk is done. happened to my quake 3 cd. i have two small holes on my xp cd also. looks like it came staples from the packaging. sucks.. xp still works tho.

Before going to all the trouble, try flushing the CD in your toilet. Best cleaner money can buy. Just throw it in and flush! Be sure you don't have any chemicals in there.

WTF? lol I have never heard of doing that before. :lol:

Look at the disk and see if you can see any scratches on it.. if the scratches do not go to the media layer you can polish the cd and it may work, what is bad is the sharp edge of the scratches reflecting the laser bounce back, the best thing I have found for polishing it pearl drops toothpolish in the upright container and a lens cloth.

The game has been packed away as I'm moving (tommorrow). I'm going to try the burning copies/physically cleaning the disc when I get unpacked. And if that fails, I'll try calling Epic and seeing about getting a replacement disc.

Thanks for the help guys. Much appreciated. I thought I was dead in the water here.