ratfink Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 I'm listening to NPR today, an interview with an expert in archiving music, speeches etc. He says that after 10 years CDR's can go bad due to oxidation of metallic components within. A couple of years ago I archived all the photos I had on CD to flash drives just for convenience sake. I didn't know that CD's could go bad just from sitting. Link to comment
Pilgrim Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 I'm listening to NPR today, an interview with an expert in archiving music, speeches etc. He says that after 10 years CDR's can go bad due to oxidation of metallic components within. A couple of years ago I archived all the photos I had on CD to flash drives just for convenience sake. I didn't know that CD's could go bad just from sitting. Give 'em a good squirt of Rustoleum to inhibit that. Pilgrim Link to comment
notacop Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Yeah, all electronic storage units have their due date, Like old Cinema or reels of tapes. Even the flash drives have their weaknesses. Nothing is forever, even the Gutenberg bible can be ashed by the unbeliever. Papyrus had it's day. It helps to just renew, as you are doing, on the latest storage medium. Link to comment
Ken H. Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Oh it’s quite true. Donna is big into the whole archive sciences thing, and it’s one of their biggest looming concerns. Much bigger issue than paper. Link to comment
Mike Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 There's some info from the National Archives here. The bottom line is that nobody really can predict how long a CD-R will remain intact. Some say to rely on them no more than two to five years, but others indicate that they will remain good for 10-20 years or longer. If you have items you really want to maintain forever, it appears that the only safe way to ensure that is to occasionally re-record them onto new media. As far as CD-Rs are concerned, if you store them upright in a jewel case, in an area with stable humidity and temperatures, they're likely to last longer. The bad news is that we stand the chance of losing vast quantities of data that has been recorded over the past few years onto media that many people mistakenly believe is indestructible. The good news is that most of what may be lost is pure, unadulterated crap. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.