Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: cdr, dvdr, nero, storage | Themes: Laptops and Notebooks, Desktop Computers
While manufacturers tout extremely long life spans, a recent test showed CD-R failure with disks older than seven years.
While transferring data over from CD-R to HDD, Tech ARP discovered that--out of thirteen disks burned back in 2000--one disk was considered "corrupted" and one considered as "difficult to read." Out of thirty disks burned back in 2002 however, three were considered corrupted--a 10-percent ratio compared to the 7.7-percent ratio seen with the 2000 disks.
To clarify its point, the site went on to define "corrupted" as one or more files on the disk which could not be accessed; "difficult to read" meant that the disk could not be read in one out of two CD/DVD drives used during the test. Various brands were provided in the tests as well, ranging from bottom-of-the-line cheap CD-Rs to premium brands such as Kodak and Mitsubishi.
"Even though branded CD-Rs from the likes of Kodak were expected to last longer, they appeared equally susceptible to failure as the cheap, no-brand CD-Rs," the site reports.
But if older CD-Rs are showing signs of corruption, what does that mean for consumers backing up important files on the disks? Ultimately, CR-R's--as well as burned DVDs--are not as reliable as manufacturers advertise. Does that mean all recordable disks have a short lifespan? No. Disks should last for decades; some manufacturers even claim hundreds of years.
However, as Tech ARP's tests indicate, writable disks--while stored correctly in dark, cool places--can fail at "a significant rate" at just seven to nine years old. The site suggested that consumers use multiple forms of data storage, and to backup data often.
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This just in, water is wet!
Really, who expects a CD-R to last 9-10 years?
IMO The key to keeping data safe is REDUNDANCY. Don't rely on any one technology or technique and assume your data is going to be there. DVD-R's and CD-R's are good for storage (especially the better quality discs), but if I REALLY want to keep a file safe I always store it on a drive in addition to burning it to media, and the drive I store to is regularly backed up. It doesn't mean the data is 100% safe but it's pretty darn close.
The only real way to safeguard data is to chisel it into stone, and only a fraction of that is going to survive. Everything printed on paper or stored in digital form is temporary.
I'm tempted to shout fir....! Never trusted CDs, DVDs or any other storage media for that matter, for longer than a few years. But then, that's how long data is usually important, until advent of digital photography, etc. So far, leapfrogging (buy a new one every few years) hard drives is medium of choice, with online backup of a few other things. But what about the family "photo album"?
Read an article a few years ago that said the most secure form of data storage was pigment based ink on archival quality paper - believed to last hundreds of years. You can print 2D array of data which can be easily read with inexpensive scanners. Downside is "areal density", a little low.
The only real way to safeguard data is to chisel it into stone, and only a fraction of that is going to survive. Everything printed on paper or stored in digital form is temporary.
Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind. . .
Anything is temporary, full stop.
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I'm not suprised to be honest. These days though, I'd archive a lot of things online. Or in a RAID1 configuration. Then, take the disks out and put them in storage seperately.
Yeah... Better off keeping things on hard drives in raid array and just upgrade to higher capacity drive periodically...
I dont trust any of my data (single copy wise) on any media as they have all proven utterly useless.
Ill stick to my 3 servers
I have 5.25 inch floppies that still work and they are over 20 years old, supposedly they aren't supposed to last that long. I've also got 11 year old cd-r's that are still working great.
Anything is temporary, full stop. ---I'm not suprised to be honest. These days though, I'd archive a lot of things online. Or in a RAID1 configuration. Then, take the disks out and put them in storage seperately.
RAID 1 is not a backup solution.
I've never had high hopes about digital media lifespans. I vote stone tablets or stainless steel punchcards
Now what am I going to do with all my pirated copies?
I've never had high hopes about digital media lifespans. I vote stone tablets or stainless steel punchcards
was it the mormons or the scientoligists that had their magic spells etched on titanium plates? I always get those two mixed up.
Many (almost all) of my 1995 CD ROM disks are unreadable.
Fewer DVD's than CDROM's have flaws.
I also seem to notice that some DVD's are hard to not readable on my laptop, while they are readable on my desktop.
I don't know why.
Also, I had many files backed up on an external HD, but it fell off a chair, and the axis broke. At that time it would have been restored for $700, but I decided that the data on it was not worth $700; so I just spend a couple of months looking for online versions of the original software and files I had back then.
So far SSD's are said to last longest, but I need to see about that first! So far one of my USB flash memory sticks (with USB1 interface) seem to last at least 3 years without failing, but haven't been tested thoroughly yet.
The internet and TPB is a good source for backups!
Loads of guys willing to host your original program for a couple of months to years, without server costs!
Old news to me, I've witnessed CD/DVD burned discs degradation first hand, and in the area where you don't expect the kind of degradation in display.
The internet and TPB is a good source for backups!Loads of guys willing to host your original program for a couple of months to years, without server costs!
Bad idea. Assuming it's not encrypted.
Anyways, more people should check out GmailFS:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GmailFS
I've never had a DVD or CD magically go bad until I built my new computer with Vista installed. Don't know if it's my burner or Vista, but a lot of times when I burn a DVD, I'll get redundancy errors when I try to copy or access files from it on another computer installed with XP. But it worked fine in Vista. So everytime I burn a disc on my computer, I have to copy its contents to the HD of another computer to make sure it burned right with no errors.
I remembered back when CD-R drives were just beginning to become available, CD-R disc manufacturer were advertising them to last more than 100 years. I still have a box of TDK blanks that is advertised to last 70 years, it's printed on the package.
This just in, water is wet!Really, who expects a CD-R to last 9-10 years?
Seven 8 years ago, this problem was unheard of. If you knew you were clearly in a minority. Further when you pull out the packaging on these CDRs at that time they come with marketing speil such as "Lifetime Warranty".
I have countless data from that era on CDRs some of which I can't even find around my house. Nowadays HDD costs have fallen so much it's not a major issue, but I am sure there are a lot of people who burnt discs back then that are not readble now.
CD rot which is what im assuming is being referred is going to occur on most cd/dvd based mediums.
Im not a chemical engineer but I believe its to do with the disk being exposed to oxygen and other agents.
This is actually a sad indictment of the medium. I still have old HDDs and floppys from 15+ years ago that still work.
Hell, I still have a 1970s cassette tape of "Dark Side of the Moon" that still plays okay... well sort of. So even analogue media can last pretty well.
Perhaps this is something specific to CD-Rs, all my old audio CDs work just fine still.
It could also be the case that all the discs are just fine. The problem could be an interchange issue meaning the discs were written to with drive A and drive B has trouble reading the data. This can be a problem immediately and not have anything to do with aging. But it is still a big issue just the same.
This just in, water is wet!Really, who expects a CD-R to last 9-10 years?
I do.
I like to install Starcraft and Duke Nukem 3D from time to time.
Think of paper which age over time. Ink used will also fade so best thing you can do is make a copy before it's unreadable.
Every few years whatever important stuff I have backed up on DVDs / CDs are copied onto fresh media. I also have them backed up on at least two or three hard drives replicating the data automatically.
This must be more for other types of computer data not music cds because i have all the original cds i bought over the years and almost all are classic rock titles that are a minimum of at least 12 yrs old and all play fine. The last new cd i bought was Metalica's first album. Even the compilations i made onto cd r that are much newer play fine too.
I used to put every anime I was looking on DVDs. Over the 9 last year, only one 20 minutes show was corrupted... as long as I can remember.
Still, 1TB drives are less than 100$ and they are far more useful than dvd's.
I heard this about Laserdiscs too and over the many years since my first LD player a CLD-1070. I know of only a handful of LD titles that had laser rot due to the disc sandwich not staying totally sealed or never was in the first place. Out of 400 plus titles i have 1 was bad from jump street when it was made the movie "Unforgiven". There was one plant that had a terrible manufacturing facility and many of movies they did had high rot rates.
CD-RW and DVD+/-RW are far worse than CD-R and DVD+/-R. I had a whole package of them die within a matter of months
First rule of any person in charge of an archival data library: multiple copies. Second rule: verify your backups on a regular basis (depending on media type 3-10 years). Third rule: refresh/retire/transfer media at set intervals (all data librarians assume media will either eventually go bad or become inaccessible--seen any open reel tape drives lately?).
I've gotten a pack of 50 CD-R's, and only half of them were of any use (tested on multiple disk drives).
DVD-R's are barely any beter sometimes.
If I got a pack and a instant 10% failure was all, I may be actually happy...