I heard there are things you can do to make a scratched/dirtied CD work better. I got hold of a game but I can’t install it because it keeps getting stuck on the same spot (%) during the installation. Tried it on 2 different comps too. I think this is happening because the CD is really scratched and has some crud on it in places as well. What kind of things can I do to try to make it work? Thanks.
From a moral Point of view, i would have no problem downloading a copy of the cd with bit torrent. However, lets not discuss this in much detail or we may find ourselves moderated 
(Hardwareforums has a strict anti-piracy policy, although in this case it should be ok.. lets not find out!)
this article seems quite good: How to Fix a Scratched CD - WikiHow
I’ve seen some cd repair kits at staples and electronics boutique, but I really dont know how well they work. When i have a dirty CD, I have no problem just running it under the sink, but not really sure about the scratches.. Maybe the kits are worth it but I’ve never really tried them.
Although isnt it legal to have a backup copy, however i would also not advise downloading one.
There are things that claim to fix scratched CD’s such as this :
Amazon.co.uk: Digital Innovations Skipdoctor CD & DVD Repair Device: Electronics & Photo
Is it possible to burn game CD’s for this reason? I’ve tried before and it wouldn’t work (obviously because of piracy protection reasons). But I mean it would be a good way to keep your games safe. If the main CD gets too damaged to use, I could have a backup. But I suppose then everyone would burn games if they allowed it to be done for this reason … sigh can’t have it both ways i guess?