[acs236]

I didn't think it was THIS short.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/2006...pcworld/124312

 

[twc5964]

Well I officially have 6 year old cd-r's with music,digital photos,and videos.So far so good but i'll keep my fingers crossed for more longevity.

 

[GanChan]

I'm just backing my files up to multiple storage devices - CD, external HD, even floppy and zip. The chances of them all going bad at the same time are pretty slim. (Anyone know the life span of a floppy disk? It's magnetic, after all.)

The truth is, nothing lasts forever, and fresh archives of things will have to be made from time to time. I foresee a healthy future for the data storage and retrieval business.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GanChan I'm just backing my files up to multiple storage devices - CD, external HD, even floppy and zip. The chances of them all going bad at the same time are pretty slim. (Anyone know the life span of a floppy disk? It's magnetic, after all.)

No clue, but I've got some 1.44meggers from the early to mid 90s that are still readable.

 

[mrarroyo]

Man, I wished I had known

I just backed up about 400 CD's

I am certainly not looking forward to doing it again in two years.

 

[909]

"Kurt Gerecke, a physicist and storage expert at IBM Deutschland, has his own view: If you want to avoid having to burn new CDs every few years, use magnetic tapes to store all your pictures, videos and songs for a lifetime."

I think this is pure marketing by IBM to convince the general public that magnetic tape is superior to CDs. In fact, I bet IBM sells magnetic tapes to preserve your pictures, videos and songs for a lifetime, yet it's probably cost prohibitive at this point for the masses. I don't think IBM makes CDs, so they can't sell you on any of those inferior plastic storage discs that only last a few years. I seriously doubt it.

 

[warubozu]

I also have a few CD-Rs and CD-RWs that are 6+ yrs old and so far they haven't gone bad. I guess the main thing is that you do keep them stored in a cool place, don't expose the disc to sunlight, and use quality blanks.

 

[perplex]

The fact is, you'd be foolish using CDs and/or DVDs for important data backup/storage.

 

[saturnine]

I have a few cdrs from 5+ years ago, and about half of them are un-readable. The ones that are still good are from brands like Verbatim & Maxell. The bad ones are from a brand named "Pergo" or something like that. Extra cheap crap. They have little holes forming on the metallic layer...

 

[Xanatos]

I believe the lifespan depends on several factors, such as brand of media and how well the discs are stored...

2 to 5 years seems insanely short...

 

[some1x]

http://www.melbpc.org.au/pcupdate/21...6article14.htm
http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/gipwo...ilityStudy.pdf

Both suggest that CDs last more than 10 years. Manufacturers claims are anywhere between 20 to 200.

 

[mr_baseball_08]

Any word on when they will start releasing personal CD "pressers" so we don't have to burn discs anymore??

 

[aerius]

I have TDK and Fujifilm CDRs that go way back to the time a CDR drive cost over $2000. They're all still good and read flawlessly. The good stuff lasts a long time. Had a batch of Maxells which didn't fare so well, half of them were toast after 3 years of so. Buy quality and only cry once.

 

[Tim D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by some1x http://www.melbpc.org.au/pcupdate/21...6article14.htm http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/gipwo...ilityStudy.pdf Both suggest that CDs last more than 10 years. Manufacturers claims are anywhere between 20 to 200.

The last study states that *certain* media types can last more than 10 years, but consumers would be hard pressed to identify which. Hindsight is 20/20.

Also ancedotal evidence of people having CD-R's and DVD's that last 5+ years is *NOT* proof that CD-R's and DVD's generally last 5+ years. When you want a archival quality backup, you need more than "hey I got some CD-R's that still work". People have already given ancedotal evidence of failures as well.

Also if you want to know a big 'storage solutions' company it would be StorageTek, a Sun subsidiary. A lot of data management companies relies on tape backups, it has historically been known to be reliable.

You will not see the original digital master digital of Lord of the Rings on just a few DVD's. Bottom line is they make great backups of your media, downloaded programs, etc. But don't save your life or your family member's life photos on one DVD or CD...that is just plain blind faith and ignorance.

 

[jpr703]

That figure can vary wildly depending on the dyes and manufacturing techniques used in the CDR and anybody with an ounce of tech-savvy should know that. I have had some really bad CDRs fail in just two years. There are also CDRs in my collection that are 5 years old and still working perfectly. Furthermore, I suspect that they will continue to work well for many years to come.

However, the bottom line is that no storage method is "fool-proof" and you have to do your research. There are tons of people out there who have lost data on just about every type of storage media you can imagine. If it's important, make more than one type of backup.