# Disc rot & Cartridge failure **URL:** \ **Category:** Video Games\ **Created:** [February 27, 2019, 5:53pm UTC](https://www.retrogameboards.com/t/disc-rot-cartridge-failure/1351 "2019-02-27T17:53:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![poptart](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/www.retrogameboards.com/poptart/32/41_2.png) [@poptart](https://www.retrogameboards.com/u/poptart)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2019, 3:16pm UTC](https://www.retrogameboards.com/t/disc-rot-cartridge-failure/1351/21 "2019-03-05T15:16:19Z")
I did [find this a while ago from the Library of Congress](http://www.loc.gov/preservation/resources/rt/CDservicelife_rev.pdf) on pressed disc lifespan estimates. > As demonstrated in the histograms in Figures 18 and 19, that lifetime could be less than 25 years for some discs, up to 500 years for others, and even longer. ---
**Author:** ![Bozo\_Cyborg](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/www.retrogameboards.com/bozo_cyborg/32/6122_2.png) [@Bozo\_Cyborg](https://www.retrogameboards.com/u/Bozo_Cyborg)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2019, 3:37pm UTC](https://www.retrogameboards.com/t/disc-rot-cartridge-failure/1351/22 "2019-03-05T15:37:46Z")
At least we know what to expect. ---
**Author:** ![fester](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/www.retrogameboards.com/fester/32/16133_2.png) [@fester](https://www.retrogameboards.com/u/fester)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 2:22am UTC](https://www.retrogameboards.com/t/disc-rot-cartridge-failure/1351/23 "2019-03-06T02:22:42Z")
I’m happy to report that the very first CD I ever bought with my own money, 1990’s _classic_ hit “The Simpsons Sing the Blues”, is still working flawlessly. Of course, I’d expect nothing less from the pinnacle of human musical expression. 🙃 ![IMG_0071](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/retrogameboards/original/2X/5/509a9da18d47f68b30ce37b8323eb477e383336d.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Peltz](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/www.retrogameboards.com/peltz/32/6142_2.png) [@Peltz](https://www.retrogameboards.com/u/Peltz)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 3:11am UTC](https://www.retrogameboards.com/t/disc-rot-cartridge-failure/1351/24 "2019-03-06T03:11:50Z")
This is amazing. My first CD was Wyclef Jean 😂 My parents didn’t like all the bad language. ---
**Author:** ![raskulous](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/www.retrogameboards.com/raskulous/32/11773_2.png) [@raskulous](https://www.retrogameboards.com/u/raskulous)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 3:45am UTC](https://www.retrogameboards.com/t/disc-rot-cartridge-failure/1351/25 "2019-03-06T03:45:11Z")
Mine was AC/DC Live, a double disc set, and I still love that album to this day. My first DVD was Monty Python and the Holy Grail, special edition. ---
**Author:** ![stereoasis](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/www.retrogameboards.com/stereoasis/32/21636_2.png) [@stereoasis](https://www.retrogameboards.com/u/stereoasis)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 11:16am UTC](https://www.retrogameboards.com/t/disc-rot-cartridge-failure/1351/26 "2019-03-06T11:16:13Z")
Awesome post @raskulous, you made me think hard about what was the first CD I ever bought! And it was Pearl Jam’s Ten album. Still love it to this day! 🎵 ---
**Author:** ![poptart](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/www.retrogameboards.com/poptart/32/41_2.png) [@poptart](https://www.retrogameboards.com/u/poptart)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 2:48am UTC](https://www.retrogameboards.com/t/disc-rot-cartridge-failure/1351/27 "2019-03-07T02:48:09Z")
I found out nintendont can verify md5s automatically so I was able to verify that my RE2, RE CV:X (both discs), and Wind Waker are also fine. ---
**Author:** ![BTails](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/www.retrogameboards.com/btails/32/4121_2.png) [@BTails](https://www.retrogameboards.com/u/BTails)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:56pm UTC](https://www.retrogameboards.com/t/disc-rot-cartridge-failure/1351/28 "2019-03-07T18:56:28Z")
I love hearing all the first CDs bought! Mine was the Wayne’s World soundtrack. I still have it too, I’d have to see if it still works. ---
**Author:** ![NeoZeedeater](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/www.retrogameboards.com/neozeedeater/32/415_2.png) [@NeoZeedeater](https://www.retrogameboards.com/u/NeoZeedeater)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 9:58pm UTC](https://www.retrogameboards.com/t/disc-rot-cartridge-failure/1351/29 "2019-03-07T21:58:52Z")
My first CD was Megadeth’s So Far, So Good, So What. ---
**Author:** ![Ashram](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e9a140/32.png) [@Ashram](https://www.retrogameboards.com/u/Ashram)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 8:11pm UTC](https://www.retrogameboards.com/t/disc-rot-cartridge-failure/1351/30 "2019-03-09T20:11:39Z")
“Pressed discs don’t use dyes…” Correct. The information is physically molded onto the polycarbonate that the disc is made of. On the top of the disc, where the information is molded, a layer of aluminum is applied through vapor deposition and then sealed with a thin layer of plastic lacquer, spin coated over the top surface and then cured by UV light. This lacquer layer is very thin; thinner than a stand of human hair. Scratching the lacquer can cause permanent damage to the disc. On top of that, aluminum tends to be reactive and will interact with oxygen and other compounds; scratching and pitting of the lacquer can expose the aluminum to the outside. The lacquer can break down due to a flaw in manufacturing, but can also break down due to poor handling and storage. For instance, if you have a habit of laying a disc label-side down against a flat surface, that’s one way to potentially damage the lacquer seal; fine grains, such as from dust, can scratch and penetrate the lacquer whenever the disc is laid label side down. I can’t overemphasize the importance of always putting a CD back into a proper storage case when not in use, since a proper case helps to ensure the disc is protected, including the lacquer. Anything that can make physical contact with the potential of abrasion against the lacquer can cause problems, such as CD wallets, etc. The problem with bronzing CDs was limited to discs produced by Philips DuPont Optical in Blackburn, England. PDO product from Germany and the USA didn’t have these problems that the English product did. And, of course, there are several more CD replicators all over the world. Sega have used JVC Disc Manufacturing and Sony DADC for many of their Sega CD titles released in North America. Sega may also have used other replicators. ---
**Author:** ![Eccles](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/www.retrogameboards.com/eccles/32/6391_2.png) [@Eccles](https://www.retrogameboards.com/u/Eccles)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 12:10pm UTC](https://www.retrogameboards.com/t/disc-rot-cartridge-failure/1351/31 "2019-03-15T12:10:21Z")
First CD I owned was Pearl Jam - Live on Two Legs. Still going strong. [Previous page](https://www.retrogameboards.com/t/disc-rot-cartridge-failure/1351.md?page=1)