Good news — a scratch causing one track to fail doesn't usually mean the whole disc is unusable. Here's what to try, roughly in order:
1. Clean it properly first
Wipe the CD from the center outward to the edge (radially), not in circles. A soft, lint-free cloth with a bit of water or mild soap works. Circular wiping can actually make things worse since it drags dirt along the same path the laser reads.
2. Use a "secure" or error-correction ripping mode
If you're using something basic like Windows Media Player or iTunes, it may just give up too easily on a rough spot. Dedicated ripping tools are built to fight through exactly this problem:
Windows: Exact Audio Copy (EAC) — free, has a "secure" mode that rereads damaged sectors multiple times and cross-checks the results
Mac: XLD — similar deal, very good with scratched or scuffed discs
These will be slower, but they're much more persistent than consumer-grade rippers.
3. Lower the read speed
If your current software lets you set rip speed manually, dropping it down (even to 4x or 8x) gives the drive more time per pass and often gets past minor damage.
4. Try a different drive if you have one
Some optical drives are just better at handling imperfect discs than others — worth a shot if you've got access to a second computer or external drive.
5. If it's still stuck — physical repair
Cheap disc repair/polishing kits (buff out light scratches) are widely available and pretty effective for surface-level damage
Some game/media stores have resurfacing machines for a small fee — better for deeper scratches
The toothpaste trick (non-gel, gently rubbed in straight lines, then rinsed) is a real if slightly janky last resort for light scratches
If the scratch actually gouged into the disc rather than just scuffing the surface, that one track might genuinely be gone — but everything else on the CD should still rip fine.
. i'll try it at home later (i'm ripping it at office coz don't have pc + cd reader 
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