1 (edited by tossEAC 2018-05-30 23:27:48)

OK this no April fools joke, this is real.

Sometime ago jamjam sent me some scratched discs that he didn't want, that I said I would clean and dump, which I did do.

But one disc at least definitely wouldn't dump after cleaning had been done, which was weird, but thought nothing much of it, till about a week later, I happened to show a mate who isn't really in to computers but watches a lot of bullshit tv.

Anyway, can't remember how or why the subject was raised, but he said he heard about a virus that easts cd's literally, it lives on cd's like a parasite.

We had a look at the cd that jamjam sent me that wouldn't dump, and what it looked like was it had visible marks on the picture side, like someone had been drawing some sort of fractal graphics on the disc with a very fine tipped fountain pen. The marks were black, and were like little snail trails.

Anyway I decided to bin the disc in case any other discs caught the virus, I still didn't really believe it, until recently.

I got a batch of Jap PSX discs a little while ago of ebay, not looked after disc only, but one wouldn't dump, even though I gave it a good clean.

This also has black squiggly marks on it like jamjams but not as bad.

So I have scanned the disc, and found a scan from someone else who has the same disc.
At first I thought the black squiggles were part of the art, but they aren't because I got a scan of the disc of the net, and the one of the net has no marks like mine.

Look also how the marks go into the centre and get more random, this is definitely not part of the artwork.


The files are attached. Please look at them.

If you are a serious game collector this is quite worrying, all the more reason we get every single disc dumped before the virus spreads to every disc in the world.

This is like the AIDS of the CD world.

Please take a look at the scans, I am worried as I don't know how easy this virus can spread, and if it spreads easy, which I am preying it doesn't, and how long it takes before the virus becomes active on the newly infected disc. That's the real worry.

Now it has a proper surface scratch I done with a screwdriver, looks the same color, but look at the other black marks and how it goes really squiggly near the centre, trust me this is a virus that eats cd's. I am 100% sure.

Post's attachments

close up of virus cd.jpg 76.54 kb, 12 downloads since 2018-05-31 

looks ok no virus.jpg 160.82 kb, 12 downloads since 2018-05-30 

mine with a virus.jpg 404.81 kb, 12 downloads since 2018-05-31 

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He who controls the SPICE... controls the UNIVERSE!
The SPICE must flow.

tossEAC wrote:

I am worried as I don't know how easy this virus can spread, and if it spreads easy, which I am preying it doesn't how easy can the virus pass from one disc to another. That's the real worry.

Why not to find some unneeded CD and put it together with the "virused CD" somewhere? Though, these look more like surface scratches to me.

Good idea, but they don't look like surface scratches to me.

He who controls the SPICE... controls the UNIVERSE!
The SPICE must flow.

They are definitely not surface scratches, but they are in the surface, as I just put my own surface scratch on the disc, got the same black mark, but mine looks like a scratch were as the other marks look like fractal graphics that have been eaten in by the virus, jamjam's looked the same but even more fractal graphicy, I am going to do to more scans of the marks in close up.

He who controls the SPICE... controls the UNIVERSE!
The SPICE must flow.

https://www.nature.com/news/2001/010627 … 28-11.html

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldn … discs.html

Doesn't sound like what is on my cd, but their are definitely viruses that eat the aluminium on the disc.

He who controls the SPICE... controls the UNIVERSE!
The SPICE must flow.

6 (edited by user7 2018-05-30 23:50:31)

A chemical reaction is likely to be a more likely explanation, or the top layer finally decided to flake off.

All my posts and submission data are released into Public Domain / CC0.

You really need to have seen jamjam's disc, that was exactly the same weird fractal type pattern (random) looked the same but just more so.

Anyway don't worry about it, from what I can make out is maybe it doesn't spread easily, as its still quite a rare thing apparently, so that's good, but be on the look out especially if you buy lots of discs from say Japan/China.

He who controls the SPICE... controls the UNIVERSE!
The SPICE must flow.

8 (edited by user7 2018-05-31 00:46:15)

Here it is: https://tacogirl.com/cd-eating-fungus-i … from-salt/

All my posts and submission data are released into Public Domain / CC0.

If user7 links wont load try this, https://www.preservegames.org/2018/05/d … -disc.html

God knows how long cd's have on this planet, but to know they have a disc eating virus, definitely makes me worry.

He who controls the SPICE... controls the UNIVERSE!
The SPICE must flow.

But... does it only affect "silver" CDs or are discs with full labels just as susceptible? PS1 games (especially Platinum versions) are some of the worst for getting the slightest scratch on the top side and ruining a disc, even if the black side is mint.

I WAS WONDERING THE SAME THING!

Also what about the thing you should do with an infected disc, throw it in the trash, or send it to be destroyed so the virus or fungus doesn't leap from the trash can back into another cd.

Its like if you don't take viruses seriously it usually comes back to haunt you, Imagine if no one took AIDS serious we would all be dead, same thing with a cd virus take it serious or spread it? I personally would throw the disc in the trash smile every time. Like I did, but what if while touching something of mine it decided to live their, I could still have it passing it to every disc in my house potentially.

Maybe I should call the Rare/Exotic disease clinic and report I have a case of CD eating virus can you come prescribe it with something, or put it down, and disinfect my entire house and contents, not likely smile

He who controls the SPICE... controls the UNIVERSE!
The SPICE must flow.

Man, that happened to a BodyWorks CD-ROM I had owned quite a while ago. I pretty much freaked out. The CD was in a pile of other CDs and it was the only one affected. I eventually got rid of it, as I thought it would take out the other CDs.

Those CDs were also in the basement, and it tends to get somewhat humid there at times. I pretty much stopped storing my CDs down there.

Plextor units are as follows:
UltraPLeX PX-40TSi (Offset +676) - PX-716AL (Offset +30) - 2x PX-760A (Offset +30) [May 2006 and June 2006]
*The May 2006 PX-760A is fixed! (Replaced optical head).*