Ihave an old CD, and when trying to run it, it won't. I presume the cause is a scratch that goes from the middle of the CD out a bit into the bottom side. I really want to view this CD, but every time I try, the computer tries to run it and won't even show that it is there.

Can anyone help me?

If the scratch is deep (rubbing your finger across you can feel it) then I would have to say it is ruined. If not, try some cd cleaner. There is a good combnation of filler and cleaner by maxwell I believe for 5-10 dollars. You may need to try that. If that fails, you just may need another copy of that disk.

Try making a copy of the CD, then using the backup. I do that all the time for scratched up disks. They usually work afterward, too.

Thats good to know, I have actually never thought of that. There you go, try copying it.

Well, it won't even read that there is a CD. It is a deep scratch.

just take toothpaste and put some daps on the cd. then take a soft cloth and go from the center to the outer edges no circles and make sure it is all clear when done. no need to get wet. hope that helps.

no, thats how you outright destroy a CD. see, toothpaste has all these little "crystal" things in it to make your teeth nice and shiny. those things will put millions of small scratches on the CD, rendering it useless.
its the same as trying to fix the problem with sandpaper.

if the CD is scratched, you need to get one of those disc-doctor things.