Tutorial: Optical Disc “Swap Trick” – Cautions, Caveats, Preparation & Use (ft. PlexERASE, DVD±RW Quick Erase)

A few days ago, Liam left a comment on my SuperDisk LS-120 recovery article expressing the desire to learn more about the optical disc “swap trick”. They indicated that information is hard to find on it and they wanted to know more about it. I considered their request and decided to embark on an adventure to document the swap trick and everything I know about it so far. In the past, I was asked about this and I chose not to divulge any further information, because this method does come with a set of potentially serious risks. But as drives and discs are comparatively rarer (limiting the number of people who might attempt it), as discs are getting older (increasing the need for such techniques in some cases) and as my understanding about optical drives grew, I decided it was time to document as much of it as I could so hopefully it might help someone who may find themselves in some sort of situation where a disc may not be recognised by the drive. What is the Swap Trick and What Does…