Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

1. 

   Tony, 1 Sep 2004 @ 5:06am

   
   

   CD's vs. CD-RW

   The way I understand it, writable CD's use an optically activated dye to store the 1's and 0's, a sort of psuedo-pit, which degrades over time. On the other hand, a production CD or DVD is actually "pressed", forming physical pits for the data. Technically they should never degrade.
   That's not to say they can't get scratched or warped or what-not. For those reasons back-ups should be made, but they shouldn't go bad or degrade over time.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

2. 

   Chomper, 1 Sep 2004 @ 7:02am

   
   

   No Subject Given

   I don't know about the guy in the article, but it's well known CD's don't last forever. Those who know make multiple backups and check them regularly. Maybe not everyday, but not every 3-5 years.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

3. 

   Philip, 1 Sep 2004 @ 8:44am

   
   

   No Subject Given

   How do we know how long a CD or DVD backup is suppose to last? If I check my backup today and it is OK, will it go bad tomorrow? It would be helpful if manufactures would state how long data on their media is guaranteed to last!

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

4. 

   Peter F Bradshaw, 1 Sep 2004 @ 8:49am

   
   

   DVDs and CDs are not for real geeks

   Backing up to DVDs and CDs is for wimps. Real geeks, or at those with an excess of hair on their chests, backup up to 7 track magtape. That's how all my data is stored.
   

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

5. 

   Hans, 1 Sep 2004 @ 8:53am

   
   

   Re: No Subject Given

   Even if manufacturers guaranteed the longevity of their media, if they failed before that time you would only get back the cost of the media. It wouldn't be worth the effort on your part, and it certainly wouldn't get your data back.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

6. 

   Thomas Hawk (profile), 1 Sep 2004 @ 8:57am

   
   

   Back Ups

   Forget about dvd, cd or (cringe) tape back up. Just toss it all on a trusty old 250 gig external hard drive.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

7. 

   Anonymous Coward, 1 Sep 2004 @ 9:13am

   
   

   Re: Back Ups

   I'd concur, but on a 250 gig RAID drive if budget permits. Problem here is this method is still vunerable to a general mishap such as a virus.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

8. 

   Thomas Hawk (profile), 1 Sep 2004 @ 10:31am

   
   

   Re: Back Ups

   For my most important documents I also keep a back up on the non-networked C: drive on my work PC. I also backup these documents to an external drive that I do not keep connected to any PC. I basically synch my important documents on my home PC to this backup drive and then take it to work and synch back. This way I always have one copy at home, one copy at work and one copy on the backup drive.
   
   This being said, this would not be practicle for large digital libraries, mp3s, video, etc. due to size but it works well for my 35,000 .jpgs (family photos, etc.) and all of my important scanned .pdf documents.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

9. 

   Anonymous Coward, 1 Sep 2004 @ 10:53am

   
   

   CDR lifetimes

   http://www.cd-info.com/CDIC/Technology/CD-R/Media/TDK.html

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

10. 

    Anonymous Coward, 1 Sep 2004 @ 10:56am

    
    

    Re: CDR lifetimes

    Sorry I hit enter before putting in any text.
    
    This article discusses CD lifetimes in a number of environments and factors. It talks about the dye issue.
    
    Also to reinforce that CD lifetimes exceed 70 years.
    
    I am not sure what they person did to render his disks unusable. Maybe they never worked, or maybe he was using them as coffee mug coasters.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

11. 

    Mark Norman, 2 Sep 2004 @ 2:36am

    
    

    Re: CDR lifetimes

    Good link to cd-info.com, but he was using CD-RW's, not CD-R's, and the two have a different chemistry and construction:
    http://www.osta.org/technology/cdqa15.htm
    CD-RW's are also supposed to last for decades, but probably not as long as CD-R's:
    http://www.osta.org/technology/cdqa13.htm
    I wonder if the guy tried cleaning his CD drive?

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

12. 

    Claudiu Andone, 2 Sep 2004 @ 6:52am

    
    

    The system! The system is breaking down!

    Well... let's not get crazy all together. Please tell that guy to clean his CD reader. That could solve the problem. You didn't specified either that after he backed up he tested the fresh written CD. I got over 100 CD written 4 years ago that are still readable. I've also heard better.
    
    Good luck!

    [ link to this | view in thread ]