Uh-oh: You've put your office-suite CD-ROM disc in your drive, and an error message says it's unreadable. Don't panic: A quick cleaning can bring it back to life. Put a few drops of water on a lint-free cloth and gently wipe the data (nonlabel) side of the disc in a straight line from its center to its edge. Once it has dried, put it back in the CD-ROM drive and try again.

If that doesn't help, the disc may have a bad scratch. Fix it with Esprit Development's Wipe Out! CD Repair Kit. To protect CD-ROM discs, handle them by their edges, and keep them in their cases when not in use.

Where to Buy Wipe Out! CD Repair Kit
Cost $15

Esprit Development Corporation
908/284-0426
http://www.cdrepair.com

--Harry McCracken
Copyright (c) 1998 PC World Magazine, IDG.net Publishing