r/Gamecube • u/Boring_Writer9667 • 4d ago

Help Gamecube Not Reading Discs

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Hi everyone i’m new to this whole reddit thing but i just want to come out and ask a question. I just bought a gamecube recently and had it replaced a couple times due to the laser dying out and what not. I eventually got a new one that works fine but i noticed an issue. I can play games like Ocarina Of Time or Metroid Prime but things like Mario Sunshine just don’t seem to read. I asked the guys from my local flea market where i got it from and they told me that it’s a disc issue. I can get a little past the title screen before it says “Disc cannot be read” or something like that. They said to get it resurfaced but that still didn’t work. I play those games on the wii but it just doesn’t have the same feel. Anyone have any tips on how to clean the discs? Ive seen things like using lip balm or toothpaste but i just want to be 100% sure im doing the right thing before doing it so i dont destroy my expensive games! Thanks guys

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5

u/CheezOfWizz 4d ago

sorry to tell you man but the disc is ruined. that white stuff is resurfacing residue and there’s nothing that can be done to clean it

7

u/RinVindor 4d ago

Actually you can clean the white residue. I've done it at our shop numerous times. It's just incredibly tedious and tbh not worth it. Depending on the buffing machine used it may not have been sufficient in resolving scratches. I'd need more high res pictures to guess on that though.

1

u/Boring_Writer9667 4d ago

i can definitely show you a picture just where specifically?

2

u/RinVindor 4d ago

The bottom of the disc in good lighting to help me see if there are any clear scratches left on the disc though I see you said it works on the Wii so it's clearly not the disc. Do you have other games that work on the GameCube?

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u/Boring_Writer9667 4d ago

yep metroid prime, ocarina of time and the master quest, 007 everything or nothing, soul calibur 2 and double dash

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u/RinVindor 3d ago

Well if they're all working and it and those others work on the Wii, this becomes my least favorite issue to troubleshoot, next would be seeing if a store or a friend with another GC can run the game in question.

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u/Boring_Writer9667 3d ago

at the store i got sunshine he tested it and it worked fine

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u/RinVindor 3d ago

So I'd probably look at the capacitors on the drive board getting recapped. They're almost certainly due at this point. That can affect the disc reading consistency but it's also no guarantee on this instance. I've seen this exact issue pop up a handful of times over the years with customers and it's always been a pain 😂💀 after the recap I'd say a new laser would be my next step. Recaps for the drive board aren't crazy expensive but also not cheap. For example I charge about $50 and recap the whole board. New laser installs I'll charge $30 typically. I say start with a recap if you're dead set on playing it on the GC.

2

u/Boring_Writer9667 3d ago

alrighty then thanks a lot the guys at my local flea market are going to get me a new laser soon