Q. I somehow managed to scratch a CD and I was wondering if there is any way to repair the damage?

A. Though CDs are very durable and damage-resistant, if they’re not stored in a plastic jewel cases or sleeves, they are susceptible to scratching. Depending on the depth of the scratch, you may be able to salvage a damaged CD. One method that works quite well with surface scratches is the Toothpaste Technique. To deploy the TT, first clean the CD with warm water and mild soap to remove any oils from fingerprints or other sources. Dry it with a clean, lint-free cloth.

Next, break out the Crest (or other toothpaste) and gently rub it into the CD from the center of the disk to the outer edge, as if you were wiping the spokes of a wheel. Do not rub the CD in a circular motion. Wash it, dry it again, and give it a try to see if it works.

The concept behind disk polishing is that small scratches are buffed out, leaving behind some of the polishing substance that fills in any irregularities on the optical surface.

If the toothpaste/car polish method doesn’t work, there are commercial CD cleaners such as WipeOut! (www.cdrepair.com) and other similar products available at finer computer and consumer electronics retailers.

Q. My friend mentioned that he copies forwarded email into his word processing program, then manually removes those annoying >>>> marks. How would I go about doing that?

A. Before you can cut or copy text, you need to select (highlight) it. There are several ways to do this. If it’s only a portion of a message, move your mouse to the beginning of the text, hold down the left mouse button and slowly move the cursor to the end of the text. When the text you want to use is highlighted, release the mouse button.

To highlight all the text in a message, the keystroke combination CTRL + A will get the job done. Once you have the text highlighted, copy it by clicking Edit > Copy or right-click and select Copy.

To paste your saved text into your word processing program, open the program and click once where you want the text to appear. Click Edit > Paste or right-click and select Paste. Your selected text will pop into your destination location.

To remove the >>> marks using Microsoft Word, click Edit > Replace or click CTRL + F and select the Replace tab. Search for “greater than” signs (>) and leave the Replace field empty. Then click Replace All and the >>>> signs will vaporize.

An easy-to-use Web-based option is Mr. Ed’s Email Stripper at http://tinyurl.com/5ey89. Simply copy and paste the text you want to tidy up into Mr. Ed’s Web-based form, select the symbols you would like to remove, then click the “Strip It” button.

Mr. Modem's Sites of the Week:

Cloud Appreciation Society
No, really. If you love clouds (what’s not to love?), you’ll enjoy the extraordinary cloud photos presented on this site. You will also find cloud art and cloud poetry. Here’s an example of what you’re missing: “I will lie upon my back and gaze up at you, and yearn to be with you, so that I can be free in you. I do love you.” Whew! I think somebody needs to have their medications adjusted.
www.cloudappreciationsociety.org

Science of Music
Have you ever wondered why some songs are so forgettable, and others stick in your head and you can’t stop humming them for days on end? The Science of Music Web site, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, seeks to provide scientific explanations for the art of music.
www.exploratorium.edu/music

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