cdr

[persianpower]

hey

i have close to 700 CD-R AUDIO CDS
ive had them for several years now
some of them, despite being kept in a leather binder, are noticeably starting to break down

Some have noticable smears on the shiny surface
Some have noticable jumps and skips in the playback
Some have a scratchy playback with a staticy sound not there before


My question is this

1) is there a program which will optimize my CD-R AUDIO CDS?
note: by optomize, i can also mean refresh, revitalize, rebuild and/or if absolutely neccessary, redo!

2) is there a physical tip or trick to keep my CDS from degrading?
note: Ive used iso prophyl achohol -71%. It doesnt remove scratches but it takes care of dust. I should mention though that exhaling on the CD can also remove dust. So whats the diff? Any other ideas anyone?

3) other than a software solution or a manual tip - any other CD-R AUDIO CD maintenance suggestions would be appreciated

thanks

p.s.
im still looking for free, safe, secure and stable web hosting service. I require several hundred megabytes of web space to upload. Anyone know good recommendations? Its best if the service doesnt have too many useless restrictions like 1kb/file transfer limit, etc..

[Abhoth]

Try Audacity for a free possible solution... (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/)

Or Goldwave... try the trial first... (http://goldwave.ca/)


Might be able to resample and have it come out clean but may have to really get into it and use some filters for correction...

[Ridgerunr]

As far as cleaning is concerned. Get a mild dishwashing soap such as Palmolive. Use warm water and a couple drops of soap to clean the oil off your hands first. Then wet a disk and apply a couple of drops to it. Gently scrub both sides of the disk and rinse thoroughly,then air dry the disk. Preferably,lean it against something clean in a vertical position...

[DrMDJ]

"Scrub" might be a strong term. Wipe is probably more appropriate. Cd-r surface are more delicate than those of pressed cds, and therefore are more susceptible to being abraded. And always wipe from the center out, not around the disc in a circular motion.