Only put the aluminum layered types in the microwave. The rest are boring to watch.
I often try to resurrect other peoples CD/DVD's that have been abused by "common use". Why must the twits think they can play frizbee with them?! I can clean most things off the surface but bad scratches require a trip to a local pawn shop that resurfaces discs for $4 each. That doesn't always work either. So I offer...
Disc Handling Rules: Print and Post Conspicuously
Let's spread the word... treat your discs like a pristine audiophile vinyl record at the Smithsonian Institute:
1. Fingers OFF the data surface! Handle by using the edges, center hole and label areas only.
2. Always move the disc from a sleeve or case to the CD/DVD drive without laying it down, and vice-versa.
3. Put the disc directly onto the drive tray without scraping or sliding the data surface on any edges. Slot drives: insert straight in and remove pulling straight out (I don't like slot drives).
4. Make sure the disc is properly centered in the tray before closing.
5. Entropy exists! A Murphy's Law states that any fragile item's damage is directly proportional to it's altitude above the floor and that it will always land on the most damaging location (ie: under a moving foot or on fresh bubble gum or gritty sand).
6. Do not leave any disc exposed to dust, pets, small kids, sun or heat (in or out of cover).
7. Store discs in solid stable container away from danger.
8. Clean the drive tray of dust and dirt regularly. ONLY use a good drive cleaner disc to clean the laser.
9. Don't use warped or severly damaged discs in your drive. If you must recover data from such a disc use a drive you can afford to loose, perhaps in a diagnostic or test computer. Further, the next disc put in this drive may become damaged.
10. Only AOL discs shall be used as a coaster or frizbee.
My CD handling tip: I've used my pinky in the center hole and thumb at the edge to load a disc with no problems for 25 years.

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