Data stored on disk

[wb]

How long does data stored on a CD last for? (files, photos etc.)

Do CD's deteriorate over time? Should I re-copy them every so often?

[Fadetoblack]

You should if you use them quite a bit.

If you don't, they'll definitely last for your life time anyway.

Put it this way...I have cds that I burned when i started DJing, in about 1998, and they still play fine...that's a hell of a lot of usage.

Of course it also depends on the quality of the disc you're using.

[wb]

Thanks. It's actually for storage of some writing and essays that I wont be using regularly. Some of them contain the odd picture, but they only get used once a year or so.


they'll definitely last for your life time anyway.

Do you know something I dont!!?? :yikes:

[presto]

arn't CD's meant to last 100 years or something like that, though playing them a lot and crappy CD players tend to significantly reduce there lifespan.

[mathare]

It depends on how you store them too. If they are kept in a clean, dust free environment away from extremes of temperature, direct sunlight etc they will last a long time.

[Fadetoblack]

It would also be a good idea to mail the stuff to yourself. You'll never lose it then.

[bigcumba]

There are a good few online file storage facilities these days - such as X-Drive which is only a few quid a month for something like 50Gb and you could akways use a Yahoo e-mail account as free storage - 1Gb per account, and attachments up to 20Mb.

[GlosRFC]

CD's might not last as long as you think.

When you buy a CD, the data is usually etched or moulded into the structure of the CD which means that it's usually pretty resilient and you'd have to do some major damage to the CD in order to render the data worthless.

With a recordable CD, things are slightly different. Instead of being physically moulded, recordable CDs use a dye that changes colour to reflect the digital nature of the stored data. Some of these dyes don't last as long as others and, because the colour change is caused by the heat of the laser beam, further excessive heat can cause the data to be lost.

Having said that, CD-R disks should still last a number of years unless you're popping them in the oven or leaving them on a window-ledge. CD-RW disks are potentially a lot more dodgy because they're designed to be written to a number of times and so the dyes are a lot less stable. It's not unknown for CD-RW disks to start losing data after a few months or within a couple of years.

Other factors to consider include:
How fast you burn the data - slower burns are more reliable
The quality of the disk
The quality of the CD writer
Amount of handling
Solvents and glues in the labels

So on the whole you can expect them to last longer than magnetic media but don't be surprised if you do find they don't work. And there's one other thing to consider that makes it unlikely they'll be much use in 100 years time and that's the march of technology - how many of you store data on floppy disks still? Can you even buy a PC off-the-shelf with a floppy disk installed?

Same thing with your CDs - the data will be totally secure - you just won't be able to play them back on anything unless you take a trip to a museum!

As for emailing, that's only a temporary overnight solution. As soon as Wayne retrieves his email it's at risk from him deleting his inbox, trashing his hard drive, setting fire to his PC and all those other potential hazards. He would have to continually email it back to himself each time he answered his email...by which time the remote server would've sent it back to him.