CDs Are Not Forever
Jul 4, 2012 14:55:47 #
Jul 5, 2012 09:11:43 #
I ws recently surprised to find that several blank, major brand, DVDs sitting on a bookshelf under a semi-opaque dust cover had yellowed and would not even be recognized by my DVD disk burner or computer, simply due to about one year's worth of incidental sunlight.
For a few years, I had an value added side business of encrypted off-site data backups and the mantra was always backup and backup the backups if they are that important.
The 'up to 200 years' time frame for keeping data on an optical disk was always nonsense, one of those things that gets said and repeated until it sounds like the truth. If it is important enough, back up the core backup, and replace the backup every five years, and check it of course.
Where and how you store it is critical.
From the article: "Keep them in a dry, dark, and cool place since humidity, sunlight, high temperatures, and pollutants can damage the different layers." Consider, if technology changes a lot, switching media. You don't want to be scrambling for a DVD or CD reader in the year 2025. Consider also, keeping your second backup in a different location. If location 1 suffers flood, fire or other disaster, location 2 has a lower chance of the same thing happening to it. This concept helped expand remote/off-site data backups so they can be in dedicated facilities or in "the cloud".
For a few years, I had an value added side business of encrypted off-site data backups and the mantra was always backup and backup the backups if they are that important.
The 'up to 200 years' time frame for keeping data on an optical disk was always nonsense, one of those things that gets said and repeated until it sounds like the truth. If it is important enough, back up the core backup, and replace the backup every five years, and check it of course.
Where and how you store it is critical.
From the article: "Keep them in a dry, dark, and cool place since humidity, sunlight, high temperatures, and pollutants can damage the different layers." Consider, if technology changes a lot, switching media. You don't want to be scrambling for a DVD or CD reader in the year 2025. Consider also, keeping your second backup in a different location. If location 1 suffers flood, fire or other disaster, location 2 has a lower chance of the same thing happening to it. This concept helped expand remote/off-site data backups so they can be in dedicated facilities or in "the cloud".
Jul 6, 2012 22:45:34 #
derekmadge wrote:
I ws recently surprised to find that several blank... (show quote)
Carve 'em in stone...
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/92286-m-disc-is-a-dvd-made-out-of-stone-that-lasts-1000-years
Jul 6, 2012 22:53:33 #
nikonesian wrote:
Until it cracks... Laf!
Jul 6, 2012 23:05:50 #
I back up things to cds and some flash drives and always rebackup the cds every 2 years. This way they will always work.
Jul 6, 2012 23:18:46 #
St3v3M wrote:
Until it cracks... Laf!
nikonesian wrote:
Until it cracks... Laf!
Mortar and duct tape!
Jul 6, 2012 23:23:00 #
nikonesian wrote:
Mortar and duct tape!
St3v3M wrote:
Until it cracks... Laf!
nikonesian wrote:
Until it cracks... Laf!
Mortar and duct tape!
100 year technology. Really? Like anyone can even imagine what we are going to be using in 100 years.
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