How does ripping a CD/DVD work exactly? Is it similar to copying or does it leave the CD/DVD unusable?

Dizzy Devil Ducky@lemm.ee to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 76 points –

I've never ripped CDs or DVDs before for any reason and am curious how this works since I have some stuff I wanna see about backing up but am nervous about ruining the disc. I've tried looking this up, but every time I do, I obviously am searching for the wrong thing because I have never found the info I'm looking for.

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A better question would be how could you write to a cd multiple times without first sandpaper down the microscopic holes to make THE CDs smooth again. I mean, HOW?!

Writable CDs don't store data on microscopic holes, they instead have a layer of pigment that changes color when heated by a laser.

"The writing process does not produce indentations (pits);" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD-R#:~:text=The%20writing%20process%20does%20not%20produce%20indentations%20(pits)%3B

CD-RWs have a coating that can change to its original when the laser heats it to a specific temperature (high heat to write, low heat to erase)

"To erase the disc, the write beam heats the amorphous regions with low power to about 200 °C." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD-RW#:~:text=To%20erase%20the%20disc%2C%20the%20write%20beam%20heats%20the%20amorphous%20regions%20with%20low%20power%20to%20about%20200%20%C2%B0C.

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Woah, first time i heard of this, i thought sanding it just kill it

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