Problems dumping games

[SomeGuy]

Also I tried putting a few drops on the surface, and used the Disk Speed Test option, to try to spread it around that way too.

From my own experiments, that can do a lot of damage. This spins the disk with much more friction between the surface and the jacket. - and you may still have loose dirt or other junk inside the jacket. For me, this technique usually creates a lot of small "spots" where it pulls up bits of the disk surface.

The worst disks continue to make screeching type noises at times, even after cleaning though, so seem to be very bad.

These wouldn't happen to be Wabash media? I had a bunch of Wabash disks that all did that, even after alchohol cleaning - until I rinsed them with warm water.

The disks seem to be have been stored very closely together for a long time, which might have had negative effects on their data too.

Normally, I say not to use a hair dryer on disks because it will warp the jacket. But if the disk jackets are crushed so that the cookie does not turn freely, or if the jacket makes excessive noise from the friction, then a few quick hot puffs form a hair dryer can intentionally warp the jacket just a tad to loosen things up. (Better ideas are always welcome.) Of course, the "professional" way would be to cut the cookie out and use a different jacket.

I have avoided using water so far, since I read it could leave cracked mater on the disks.

In *theory* tap water could leave sediment behind, that long term could scratch the disk. But from my experiences so far, I have had zero issue with this. There is more risk from the dirt, grime, and residue already inside the disk jacket. Your mileage may vary depending on what is in your tap water.

Id take one of these disks that still screeches, run warm (hot enough you can still comfortably touch it) tap water in around the hub on each side to rinse things out. Then carefully stick a couple q-tips in to the jacket around the hub to prop the jacket up for air circulation and place it in front of fan to dry.

You will need to periodically move the q-tips around to move the air flow around. If these are wabash disks, I suggest moving the q-tips frequently as the cookie in these seem to have a habit of sticking to jacket lining, which can rip off some of the magnetic material.

I'd bet that would get rid of the screeching, and improve the readability. Although I'd be worried that your previous attempts may have already done some damage.