# I guess CD's really do wear out **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 7, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347 "2011-12-07T04:17:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/1 "2011-12-07T04:17:10Z")
I have a CD burned with a “white noise” track that I use for sleeping. I probably burned this CD 5 years ago, and have used it every night on repeat so it plays over and over. A rough estimate, I think I probably played that track about 12,500 times. My CD player finally stopped playing it a couple nights ago. I burned a new disc and it plays fine, so it’s not the player. Interesting. Mundane and totally pointless. I sleep like a baby with that track playing. It’s hard to sleep without it. Cats grooming themselves, using the litter box, car horns, people talking in the courtyard, kids going to school in the morning, people in the hall, going in and out and up and down the creaky stairs, the list goes on. I’m oblivious to all of it as long as that track is playing. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/2 "2011-12-07T04:40:47Z")
I once had a CD that wouldn’t play in a particular CD player, but would play in other CD players, and other CDs would play in that one. I never could figure out why. The CD wasn’t burnt either. Also one of our Wii games won’t play on the Wii anymore, and there are no scratches at all that I can see on it, and it works fine for other games. CDs are confusing. I’m totally with you on white noise though. Especially living in an apartment. My neighbors would have been viciously murdered long ago if I didn’t have my white noise machine on at all times. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/3 "2011-12-07T04:43:28Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > Also one of our Wii games won’t play on the Wii anymore, and there are no scratches at all that I can see on it, and it works fine for other games. CDs are confusing. Which Wii game? If it’s a dual-layered one, a dirty lens might be interfering. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/4 "2011-12-07T04:55:48Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > Which Wii game? If it’s a dual-layered one, a dirty lens might be interfering. Oh? It’s Mario Kart. I have no idea if that’s dual-layered. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/5 "2011-12-07T06:02:48Z")
I had a CD-ROM with some game on it from the 90s that could not be used to install the game. It always hung at one file. A copy of that CD (made in the same drive, from the same disc) would install just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/6 "2011-12-07T22:40:06Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > Oh? It’s Mario Kart. I have no idea if that’s dual-layered. Ah, I don’t think that one is. Odd problem. Have you tried it on any other Wiis? ---
**Author:** ![Dolomite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8491ac/32.png) [@Dolomite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dolomite)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/7 "2011-12-07T22:44:46Z")
Writable CDs and DVDs will degrade over time, especially if the data side is exposed to sunlight. Pressed discs, not so much. As for the Wii, I seem to remember some of the first run Wiis suffering from a laser that degrades prematurely. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/8 "2011-12-08T01:49:51Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > Ah, I don’t think that one is. Odd problem. Have you tried it on any other Wiis? Darn it, I was hoping that was it! My daughter really misses that game and I don’t want to buy another one. But no, I haven’t tried it on another Wii. We should do that. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/9 "2011-12-08T03:26:27Z")
Records Managment person here. CD’s are only good for short term storage. 10 years max. Labels degrade them pretty fast. Sharpies are not good for them either. The best way to be sure that your data stored on CD’s will last is to use a very thin sharpie to ID them in the clear inner ring. If you are using CD’s for long term storage, its best to copy them every 5 years. This is not _my opinion_, this is what I have learned from state and federal sources. I can offer up cites if needed. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/10 "2011-12-08T03:30:00Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I have a CD burned with a “white noise” track that I use for sleeping. I probably burned this CD 5 years ago, and have used it every night on repeat so it plays over and over. A rough estimate, I think I probably played that track about 12,500 times. My CD player finally stopped playing it a couple nights ago. I burned a new disc and it plays fine, so it’s not the player. Interesting. Mundane and totally pointless. I wonder if it has anything to do with it being a burned CD. My daughter has a CD that plays in her room for her to sleep. It played, on repeat _literally_ non stop (24 hours a day) for 4 or 5 years with no problems…and that was on a cheapo $30 CD player. ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/11 "2011-12-08T05:06:38Z")
Burned CDs are made by using a laser to heat up spots on the disc into a different colour. Eventually the dye fades like a newspaper left in the sunlight, until it is no longer readable. Mine seem to become unreadable after about 6 or 7 years. Pressed CDs have physical pits made on the surface and do last a lot longer. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/12 "2011-12-09T11:13:50Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > Darn it, I was hoping that was it! My daughter really misses that game and I don’t want to buy another one. But no, I haven’t tried it on another Wii. We should do that. Definitely; at least then you’ll know where the problem is. You’ve already tried cleaning the disc anyway I presume? (soft cloth, wiping from the inside-out–don’t go in a circular motion!). If it’s a disc problem, the warranty is 3-months, but I think Nintendo will replace it for you at a rate less than what it would cost to buy new. If it’s the Wii, the warranty’s good for a year, but again, they can repair it too if outside it (no idea what that costs these days). /ex-Nintendo customer service employee (does it show? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![beachbetch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@beachbetch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beachbetch)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/13 "2011-12-09T12:27:03Z")
I realized the same thing recently. I had my Watch The Throne cd on repeat for a few months in my car. I’ve never worn out a cd before. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/14 "2011-12-09T13:19:17Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Records Managment person here. CD’s are only good for short term storage. 10 years max. Labels degrade them pretty fast. Sharpies are not good for them either. Sharpie writing on the \*\*label \*\* side adversely affects the data side of the disc? (not doubting, just trying to understand) mmm ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/15 "2011-12-09T23:38:48Z")
CDs don’t wear out from playing, they wear out age/exposure. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-cds-really-do-wear-out/605347/16 "2011-12-10T15:54:43Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Sharpie writing on the \*\*label \*\* side adversely affects the data side of the disc? > > (not doubting, just trying to understand) > mmm The data side of a CD (both CD-R and pressed CD) is just 6-12 microns beneath the label. Anything that you do to the label side of the disc has the potential to screw up either the dye layer of a CD-R, or the pits/lands of a pressed CD. DVD and DVD-R is different.