So, I researched more about the laser problem and was basically right. Long story short, I got my Dad to fix the laser. I got the bootdisk to load up a few more times and it was even running games better in general. But, the PS1 REALLY struggles to run the bootdisk. I have to restart the console several times to get it to work. Sometimes it does the thing where it just goes to the PS1 menu like there's no disk and sometimes it'll get stuck at the PS1 logo screen. The PS1 also makes a horrific noise when trying to load it. I tested it with one of the other backup disks that were given to me with the console and it worked fine. I realized that the back up I played was on a blue coloured disk while my bootdisk was on a silver disk... Putting the pieces together, I figured it must have something to do with the type of disk I was using and after researching, I was right.
Now, from what I've heard, Verbatim CD-Rs seem to be one of the best options, specifically the DataLifePlus ones. Interestingly, I haven't been able to find any Verbatim DataLifePlus CD-Rs within Australia, aside from ones like this:
http://www.estore.com.au/verbatim-datalifeplus-94892-cd-recordable-media-cd-r-52x-700-mb-50-pack-spindle-sku-vbm0451 and I don't really need 50 of them... and that price is making me suspicious of their quality. Seems too cheap... So, does anyone know if Verbatims labeled as just 'AZO CD-Rs' are the same thing? like these?
http://www.estore.com.au/verbatim-cd-recordable-media-cd-r-52x-700-mb-10-pack-jewel-case-sku-vbm1846
I know that DataLifePlus disks are AZO CD-Rs too (it's like, a dye or something? and they're blue?), but are they the same thing? I don't want to waste my money on disks that might not be any good. (I already did that. Not doing it again.)
Also to add the problem, my copy of Megaman X5 has disk rot. Like, really bad disk rot. (It's like little 'holes' in the disk that you can see when you hold the disk in front of a light source.) The game will hardly run at all and when it does, it really struggles to run the intro FMV and the music is really jumpy. It even got stuck on a load screen at one point. So now I need to buy a new copy or download and burn an ISO to a disk to play it. GREAT. This whole thing has been a huge mess. It probably would have easier to buy a mod chip and install it in one of my other PS1s.
(Oh and almost forgot, I burned a new bootdisk on a Kodak Gold CD-R. They were on clearance at a nearby store so I picked up a few to try. It works better now, but if I want to make more backups, I'm gonna need more disks.)
And sorry for the long post... that is actually rather pointless now that I'm reading it... Oh well. I'm sure someone will enjoy reading about my random PS1 problems.