How long do DVD and CD roms last?
Discussion
After todays shock 
I have realised the urgency to back up all my data, pics, music (4000 tunes) onto DVD's.
I bought a dvd writer about 6 months ago but have not even installed the Nero software yet!
Can you tell me if DVD's will work for ever or will I need to keep re-backing them every few years.
They will be kept in my fire safe under the stairs. (1 degree in winter to 25 degrees c in summer)
Thanks.
Greg
I have realised the urgency to back up all my data, pics, music (4000 tunes) onto DVD's. I bought a dvd writer about 6 months ago but have not even installed the Nero software yet!
Can you tell me if DVD's will work for ever or will I need to keep re-backing them every few years.
They will be kept in my fire safe under the stairs. (1 degree in winter to 25 degrees c in summer)
Thanks.
Greg
scruffy said:
A DVD has a service life of over 100 years.
If you start losing data, you have might have data gnomes under your stairs. Place them in a burlap bag and beat them with reeds.
I think you're right about movies you but in tesco's but not about writable media.
I think to be safe you should check and saved things every year and re-back-up.
Maybe the good old fashioned "photo" is afterall better than we thought!
G
I read an article a few months back (sorry can't find it) which did warn that early CDR disks are already failing. Googling for "DVD +life +expectancy" gives quite a few opinions. From what I recall:
- Better brands are likely to be better. But do not bank on these 100-year claims
- As you plan, keep them out of sunlight (also humidity)
- The laser reading itself degrades them. So if you expect to use them to read from, shorten your expectancy.
The upshot I recall was:
- Look after them. If you leave them on the window ledge, what do you expect?
- Budget on (a conservative) 10-15 years and check them once in a while. Odds are that the technology will have moved on anyway (have you checked those floppies recently?). Indeed, even if the disk is still readable, the file format may not be.
There is a famous case of the British Library running a Domesday Project (in the '80s?) and burning the results on 12" VideoCDs. Not only is it almost impossible to find a player, but you also need something like a BBC Micro to run the reader programme. No one thought to recode for Windows (any flavour) - in fact I don't think anyone remembered why it was that they hadn't thrown their last BBC in the skip. D'oh!
- If it's really precious, consider a dual back-up with one off-site. That also gives you fire & theft protection. Drop the second copy off at your parents and ask them to file it away somewhere. the extra effort & cost is minimal (just repeat the burn)
- Better brands are likely to be better. But do not bank on these 100-year claims
- As you plan, keep them out of sunlight (also humidity)
- The laser reading itself degrades them. So if you expect to use them to read from, shorten your expectancy.
The upshot I recall was:
- Look after them. If you leave them on the window ledge, what do you expect?
- Budget on (a conservative) 10-15 years and check them once in a while. Odds are that the technology will have moved on anyway (have you checked those floppies recently?). Indeed, even if the disk is still readable, the file format may not be.
There is a famous case of the British Library running a Domesday Project (in the '80s?) and burning the results on 12" VideoCDs. Not only is it almost impossible to find a player, but you also need something like a BBC Micro to run the reader programme. No one thought to recode for Windows (any flavour) - in fact I don't think anyone remembered why it was that they hadn't thrown their last BBC in the skip. D'oh!
- If it's really precious, consider a dual back-up with one off-site. That also gives you fire & theft protection. Drop the second copy off at your parents and ask them to file it away somewhere. the extra effort & cost is minimal (just repeat the burn)
Hirich said:
Odds are that the technology will have moved on anyway (have you checked those floppies recently?). Indeed, even if the disk is still readable, the file format may not be.
I think 'longer than the technolgy' is a top answer. Although I dissagree with the comment that the file format won't be readable even finding a machine with a floppy drive can be a challenge these days, so the point stands.
I'm speaking from experience! My copy of Extensis Portfolio 7 politely tells me that to update my Portfolio 4 catalogue (1999), i need to recompile it with Portfolio 6 first - you can't get a copy of Portfolio 6, and Extensis haven't created a translator app...
The odds are low, but it might be worth covering yourself (the shareware Graphic Converter is littered with defunct graphics formats). One tip is that when you check your archive for degradation, open and resave more complex files (e.g. MS Word, Excel) using your current version of the app.
The odds are low, but it might be worth covering yourself (the shareware Graphic Converter is littered with defunct graphics formats). One tip is that when you check your archive for degradation, open and resave more complex files (e.g. MS Word, Excel) using your current version of the app.
Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff