I've just changed the disc brake pads on my bicycle and now the calipers won't 'grab' onto the metal disc enough to brake effectively... [more inside]
posted by hairgelburrito on Oct 12, 2009 - 4 answers

My dog has a slipped disc in her neck - what should I expect? [more inside]
posted by tryniti on Sep 29, 2009 - 7 answers

How can I dispose of hundreds of CDs in an environmentally sound manner? [more inside]
posted by Blazecock Pileon on Jul 12, 2009 - 14 answers

In OS X on my iMac, Disk Utility asserts that my main, internal hard drive is "about to fail" and has been asserting this for several months. But my computer is running just fine... should I worry? [more inside]
posted by so_necessary on May 2, 2009 - 17 answers

How does a ruptured disk benefit from an epidural? [more inside]
posted by boo_radley on Mar 12, 2009 - 12 answers

How do I work around the newer DVD copy protection? [more inside]
posted by wastelands on Dec 15, 2008 - 19 answers

Is there any good, free UNIX/Linux software you can suggest for keeping a searchable index of removable media? [more inside]
posted by tommorris on Nov 25, 2008 - 7 answers

Can you recommend an upconverting DVD player with component output that ignores region coding and allows me to perform any action at any time? [more inside]
posted by odinsdream on Sep 24, 2008 - 10 answers

Should I eat – er, solder – this? I'm building a preamp and I just discovered that I'm low on 0.1μF 50v ceramic disc capacitors. My question is about whether it's worth trying to salvage more from another (already disassembled) piece of equipment. [more inside]
posted by Your Time Machine Sucks on Aug 22, 2008 - 10 answers

Car-repair-filter: Any mechanics got a trick for freeing a stuck brake piston? [more inside]
posted by sergeant sandwich on Jul 9, 2008 - 8 answers

How should I tote my stuff, including a laptop, on my bike? (Backpacks and messenger bags need not apply.) [more inside]
posted by Project F on Jun 23, 2008 - 12 answers

Sometimes when I stretch my back, it kind of pops and hurts sharply, what's up with that? [more inside]
posted by T.D. Strange on May 22, 2008 - 3 answers

Back trouble and pregnancy: Which is worse for a person with a herniated disc, a C-section (which I imagine will compromise the all-important core muscles) or vaginal delivery (which might cause the disk to rupture)? Also, I am prone to sciatica and assume that pregnancy will involve a lot of sciatic nerve pain--can this lead to a permanent worsening of my condition or would it be relieved once I gave birth? [more inside]
posted by HotToddy on May 14, 2008 - 8 answers

How to wipe a dead hard drive? After backing up my data to a recently purchased external drive, it promptly failed (and produced a horrible, burning electronics odor). As I'm still within the 14 day return policy, I shouldn't have any trouble returning it. However: I want to wipe all of my personal data from the drive first. How to do that with a drive that won't mount? [more inside]
posted by aladfar on Oct 29, 2007 - 16 answers

What are your experiences with non-surgical alternatives to a herniated lower back disc? [more inside]
posted by sociolibrarian on Oct 18, 2007 - 12 answers

Can anyone offer advice for going back to the gym after a back injury and six months of downtime? [more inside]
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken on Mar 11, 2007 - 15 answers

My computer recently crapped out and I desperately need to get back the files on my hard drive. I bought a HD enclosure which did not help me out. I tried to change the permission on the files, but it kept telling me that I need to format everything. Is there any other way I could get my files back? (The computer is completely done, but the hard drive is alive.) [more inside]
posted by cheero on Feb 28, 2007 - 14 answers

Is there any software (preferably for OSX) that I can use to scan a used XBox disc for bad sectors? The format is DVD, so I suppose a normal DVD scanning program could do the job. I just want to be sure that the whole game works before my guarantee expires and I'm unable to return it.
posted by Aanidaani on Jan 20, 2007 - 2 answers

What are good resources for teaching the DISC Inventory? [more inside]
posted by 4ster on Nov 28, 2006 - 1 answer

Are there truly no free plans for a DIY portable disc golf basket on the Internet? How do the fold-up portables hold up over time if you actually fold them up and transport them? [more inside]
posted by dontrockwobble on Sep 16, 2006 - 2 answers

Do these disc repair machines really work?
posted by lilboo on Jan 16, 2006 - 13 answers

There is a vintage game called "Cosmos Osmos" for the old Mac OS and would be loaded with several floppy disc's. I have searched all over the web (including mac garden and googleing) and have been unable to find ANYTHING regarding the game. It was surely at least 15 years ago from when I owned the game and was when Mac's owned the computer world. Help find information or even the game.
posted by supyo on Oct 28, 2005 - 9 answers

Failure to mount (error 35)? Help me Mac-xors! [more inside]
posted by klangklangston on Oct 12, 2005 - 11 answers

Having recently fallen in love with the Decemberists' "The Mariner's Revenge Song" I'm inspired to create a mix disc of songs about revenge by modern groups with an old tyme feel. I've come up with a few other songs that are perfect, but need help completing the collection. [more inside]
posted by freshgroundpepper on Aug 14, 2005 - 24 answers

What are some good ideas for storing 1K+ dvds? [more inside]
posted by folktrash on Jun 6, 2005 - 17 answers

I have a 250GB Maxtor external firewire hard drive. The drive has 190GB of space but when I try to copy a 12GB video onto it I get a "disc is full" message. What gives?
posted by backOfYourMind on May 4, 2005 - 5 answers

Wondering if anyone has herniated a disc in the lower lumbar spine. If so, how long did it take to heal? What did you do to alleviate the pain? I have had pain for 2 years now and am wondering if I should have surgery, or what other routes I should take to get rid of the pain. Any suggestions?
posted by Maishe on Apr 20, 2005 - 13 answers

Today, at an antique mall, I found, for $2 each, three Edison discs (also known as "Edison diamond discs"), big, thick (1/4"), 78-size records. I'm quite sure they're not valuable or anything, but I'd like to know more about them: when they were made, what the serial numbers etched into them refer to, who the artists were, etc. Does anyone know how to learn more about these things, either online or in print? [more inside]
posted by Dr. Wu on Mar 20, 2005 - 12 answers

Crud-tolerant DVD players. My new-ish Sony commonly locks or hiccups on Netflix discs, but I've read that other people go years without problems, and googling reveals that Sony players may be particularly prone to this. What models or brands of DVD players (not PC drives) are good at handling worn/scratched/dirty discs?
posted by NortonDC on Dec 22, 2004 - 29 answers

I have blueprints that I need scanned on to disc. (jpeg, tiff, something like that) Any ideas where to go? (In Chicagoland) [more inside]
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood on Dec 2, 2004 - 10 answers

I would like to totally rid myself of VHS tapes. But I have about 40 of them that I'd like to transfer onto DVDs before I trash them. After that, I will never use a VHS tape again. What's the best route to go in my situation? Buy a VHS-to-DVD converter? Pay to have this done?

Most of it is stuff I taped off of TV years ago. Episodes of TV shows that have never come out on DVD, etc. Is it legal for me to do the transfer? It's not stuff that's for sale. I assume that it was legal (or in some legal gray area) for me to tape the stuff in the first place, so is it legal for me to make backups? I have no plan to sell them to anyone else. The quality is horrible, anyway. But I want to save them before they totally disintegrate.
posted by grumblebee on Jun 20, 2004 - 18 answers