Topic: Gamecube maintenance question

So today I bought a Gamecube but every disc I have tried that I own plays for a few minutes then I get a disc read error message. I cleaned the discs and some of them have minor scratches and marks but they are all I got now. So that only leaves the laser in the Cube itself. So what is the best way to go about cleaning it?

Ok so I cleaned the lens with alcohol and a q-tip. I tried the Legend of Zelda Collectors edition disc in the Gamecube and Zelda 1 and Zelda 2 worked fine. I then tried the Windwaker Demo and it won't read the disc. Can someone explain to me what is going on with this damn Gamecube?

@Tasuki
I wonder if maybe the laser might be out of alignment? Or perhaps that middle thingy that spins the disc is off kilter. Either problem could (theoretically) result in the system being able to run games on occasion but not consistently.

Another thing — the Zelda Collector's Disc is known to often glitch out on occasion, primarily when trying to play Majora, but i have also heard it happening with the Windwaker demo too.

@the_shpydar Great, if that's the case thats another Gamecube for the dump. I can't belive the Gamecube is such an unreliable system. At this point I am about to just forget about the GC library since there's no way to play them reliably.

@Tasuki
Well, there's always the Wii (assuming you have one from before they removed the backward-compatibility). The only thing i've used my GC for since the Wii came out is the Gameboy Player.

@Tasuki First of all, whatever you do, don't just throw it away. There are plenty of people that would like a broken system, even if it doesn't work anymore. There's always someone who can fix it.

The GameCube is one of the most reliable consoles I've found; however, like any other console, they can break. Are you sure it's the system and not the disc though? A disc doesn't have to have superficial damage in order for it to not work. If they're stored in unfavourable conditions, disc rot can occur. Something that will happen to all optical media eventually. It happened to my copy of Mario Tennis. The disc itself looks perfect, no scratches, but the system can't read the game anymore.

Another issue could be the laser alignment like the_shpydar suggested. The mechanics rather complicated and could break down I guess, but I've never seen that before.

@Octane so in the interest of keeping my GC games and others playable what's the best way of storing my discs long term? Cd wallet out of the sun or would you suggest something else?

@Filth_Element Just like any food item; It's best to keep them in a dark, cool and dry place. UV, humidity and heat are the biggest culprits. I keep them in their original case and I make sure they're not in direct sunlight. Temperatures never get too extreme around here. I also have an AC for the summer time, so it never gets too hot in my apartment.

All optical media degrade over time, you can't stop it, so it's not something to get paranoid about. Just treat your games like any sensible person would do and they will last you a long time. I think that even one of the first produced discs are still readable today iirc (I assume they're stored in the most ideal conditions of course). And I also think it's worth mentioning that my copy of Mario Tennis was pre-owned, so I don't know what happened to it before I bought it.

@Octane check, check and check. Ok cool thanks man.

@Octane I doubt it's the discs, as none of them would work. I tried Soul Caliber II, Cars, Skies of Arcadia. The only games that would work are Zelda and Zelda II on the Zelda Collection. As for throwing it away, I won't do that I was only joking, if anything since it doesn't work I would probably give it to Goodwill.

@the_shpydar I do have a original Wii, I just hate having to have all the wires for the Wii as the place I am hooking it up has very limited room, but I guess I will have to go that route as I have no luck with GC consoles.

Zelda and Zelda 2 show your Gamecube has very basic functionality, but they are small games that can easily be loaded into RAM entirely. The problem here is large reads and sustained use of the drive. I'm no expert on the Gamecube. I'm inclined to think the problem is with the laser and would need more than just a cleaning. I am aware of a laser adjustment procedure, but am not familiar with it. I'd look into that or a laser replacement if such parts are available and, of course, if you're comfortable doing that.

You may need to recalibrate the laser.

To my surprise, replacements are not expensive at all. $6.99 on eBay! ifixit has a tutorial on how to replace them in case anyone's wondering. I'm sure there are some YouTube tutorials as well.

I'm unfamiliar with recalibration though. Depending on how the information is stored, it may be possible that the laser that only read a limited part of the disc. That may explain why only Zelda 1 and 2 work, but not the Wind Waker demo. It also explains why every other game flat out doesn't work.

I replaced and recalibrated the laser on my gamecube some time ago, the hardest part was getting the special security screws out

@Meowpheel Aren't they just regular tri-wing screws?

How does the calibration work?

No, they're weird star-like screws.

There's a tiny little + screw-like thing in the motherboard, that is used to calibrate the strenght of the laser.

Go too far up and it will damage your games, go too low and it won't even try to read them.

@Meowpheel Sounds like a safe procedure.

The trick is going in tiny little increments and test test and test until you find the right position.

It's really easy.

@Octane strangely, some Nintendo stuff uses the tri wings, but the security/game bits are common on many consoles of theirs and others. I'm pretty sure the SNES and its games use it. Genesis/Mega Drive games use it. Got them to open my Nomad. Probably on many other systems. They're good to have on hand. I picked up a set on Amazon based on a recommendation, as many wear out quickly. Seller is Video Game Museum.

I was a bit surprised to see Gamecube lasers readily available and inexpensive. Hopefully, they hold up.

@sdelfin A plum security screw driver, I think I have one of those lying around. I'm certain the controller uses tri-wing in that case. I could check, but I'm too lazy right now...