Tech Review

Skip Dr. Motorized Automax Scratch Repair System

Game Dr. Excelerator Series Advanced Disc Repair System

As some of you know, I became distressed one day because the DVD where I backed up my pictures became scratched. I downloaded CD Recovery, a freeware software utility that extracts data from damaged discs, and it almost fixed the problem, allowing me to pull out a scrambled picture. I tried the Memorex DVD cleaner/repair kit and that didn't work either. Then, I purchased the Skip Dr. Scratch Repair System from Digital Innovations. If you're not familiar with Disc Dr. technology, it "erases" scratches by stripping away part of the plastic from the surface of the DVD or CD similar to how a pen eraser "erases" pen marks by ripping your paper to shreds. I had its predecessor a few years ago and it worked well. The new one is the same technology, but with a cooler design. The wheel is now vertical instead of horizontal and it has a nice little cubby hole to place the liquid and cloth.

I'm happy to report that the Skip Dr. worked fabulously. My computer read the DVD-ROM without any problems. The disk doesn't look like new because of the abrasion marks, but it works swell. (Just to let you know: If the scratches on your disk are deep enough to reach the aluminum part, or, if the scratches are on the label side, the Disk Dr. won't help).

There's a motorized version too which is a godsend for people who have physical disabilities that prevent them from turning the crank. Even if you're as strapping a middle-aged lad as me, however, it's not super-easy to use the crank and, for a few dollars more, you can save the fifteen calories a day. Oh, and don't bother purchasing the "cleaning fluid;" it's detilled water.

So, unless you're some kind of Grizzly Adams protege', you have CDs and DVDs in your house; and, unless you're Martha Stewart perfect, some of those precious, SACD Michael Bolton CDs will get scratched. Look, basically, every home should have one of these things.

Michael Bolton - Greatest Hits 1985-1995

As a side note, Digital innovations has the oddest marketing scheme in the whole world. It sells the Home Theater Repair kit, the DVD Dr., the CD Dr., the Game Dr., and, who knows, the Porn Dr. individually, but they're all the same darn product! I wonder if there's somebody out there who bought one for his CDs and another one for his DVDs. What a maroon! Excuse me for a second...

"Honey, I wanted the receit for the DVD Dr., not the CD Dr."

O.K. I'm back. Anyways, it works. See ya. I gotta go before Circuit City closes.

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