Longevity of CD-R disks

[Mary Ann]

I'm not sure this is the best place to post this, but don't know where else to post.

Has anyone else read the story at

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/7751
on a study done in the Netherlands on the longevity of CD-R disks? It states that many, even from big name manufacturers, become unreadable in as little as 2 years. How can the average consumer assure that data burned to CD-R will be saved for the long term, at least 10 years?

[Baser-X]

Interesting article... but what kind of conditions were the discs kept in? Of all the discs I have burned in the last 6 years or so, the only ones I ever seem to have problem with are Imation. As for the rest, I had a bunch of Memorex (10 or so) that are full of audio samples that a me and a friend burned in 1996 or 97 that are competely accessible and useable. I just gave them to him to help rebuild his sample collection which was nearing 60gb before the hdd went south....

[twistedcranium]

I cannot remember where I read the full article, slashdot maybe, where they stated that disks burned at lower speeds lasted longer due to the amount of burn into the disc. Faster speeds mean that the laser is not concentrated on the same spot as long as at slower speeds so I would assume that has an effect on the depth of the pattern burned and over time shallow impressions would wear away.

It sounds pretty plausible to me.

[Merrick]

Originally Posted by twistedcranium

I cannot remember where I read the full article, slashdot maybe, where they stated that disks burned at lower speeds lasted longer due to the amount of burn into the disc. Faster speeds mean that the laser is not concentrated on the same spot as long as at slower speeds so I would assume that has an effect on the depth of the pattern burned and over time shallow impressions would wear away.

It sounds pretty plausible to me.

Slower speeds! That is a very good tip that I will be trying out. I too have had bad experience with Imation CDs.

Some tips I've gathered through the cough...cough ages:

1) Don't use an alcohol based pen like Sharpie. These pens eat into the CD plastic and will corrupt data. Use a pen specially formulated for CD writing I believe Maxell makes one and TEAC makes one. They are under $3. Hard to find in office supply stores but a good music instrument store (got mine at Sam Ash) should have them.

If you have no choice but to use a traditional marker, write only on the clear plastic inner ring.

2) Keep your CD out of direct light even room incandesent light. Light bleaches the dye. I keep my blanks in a dark closet (with my other secrets) and I keep my burned CDs in a dedicated CD file box.

3) Store your CDs flat! The dye is technically a liquid and will follow gravity over time thus corrupting data if it is stood on end.

4) Important data? Making secondary and even ternary backups? use different brands of CD. This gives you a better chance of long term survival in the event that one brand is inherently of poor quality.

[Dodgerclock]

My, that sounds a little extreme! I burned my first CD in 1999, and it's still usable, even when burned at 8x.

[psychocandy]

this is a good article on cd-r and rw

http://www.osta.org/technology/cdqa13.htm

[Merrick]

Dodgerclock
Definitly some of this is extreme but they are a collection of tips that I have gathered in talking to people over time. I have encountered a few CD-r's gone bad but as I adopt these methods I'm getting better overall results. Of course I must also account for better CD-R technology and media. However, since DVD burning is fairly new, I think these tips are valid for that media in these embryonic times.

psychocandy
That link is a gem. Thanks!

[psychocandy]

when i burn cds my reasoning is

no cd is too good for data you wish to keep

if you are burning music then by all means buy cheap, but don't moan if they fail or over time become unuseable

[Merrick]

Originally Posted by psychocandy

when i burn cds my reasoning is

no cd is too good for data you wish to keep

What is your prefered Backup?

If it is hard drive, what would be your next choice?

[psychocandy]

i have a portable back up drive given by work and i also use fuji dvd-r discs


fuji i feel make the best i have used them for a while now and not had 1 failed recording as i said you get what you pay for

[Merrick]

Originally Posted by psychocandy

i have a portable back up drive given by work and i also use fuji dvd-r discs


fuji i feel make the best i have used them for a while now and not had 1 failed recording as i said you get what you pay for

Fuji- I've made a note of it. Thanks!

[pitti]

You can't always tell by the brand since the same brand can vary in quality depending on the manufacturer. Some imation are made by TY which is one of the best manufacturers. I use TDK but look for those made in Japan instead of Korea since those are TY brand.

http://www.cdmediaworld.com/hardware..._quality.shtml

[Merrick]

Originally Posted by pitti

You can't always tell by the brand since the same brand can vary in quality depending on the manufacturer. Some imation are made by TY which is one of the best manufacturers. I use TDK but look for those made in Japan instead of Korea since those are TY brand.

http://www.cdmediaworld.com/hardware..._quality.shtml

Thanks for the excellent info/link I'm reading it tonight! :thumb:

[jtdoom]

just got that zine ...