Data Storage Integrity

Once upon a time we stored information in filing cabinets. This was useful as long as you kept your files in order, but hardly efficient because each time you needed a file you had to go and get it physically. This could be tome-consuming, and depended on nobody else has the file out already.

In time, computers have replaced most paper-based systems so that in many circles they are considered to be antiquated or quaint. But the floppy disk was limited, and hard drives can fail. To be safe then you need to back up your data, whether you are a business dealing with the records of thousands of customers, or Grandma and Grandpa with hundreds of family photographs to store.

Finally the recordable compact disc, and then the DVD came along and became affordable. Yet even these mediums are not foolproof. The way most burners work is that when you "burn a disc" you are printing to a layer of organic dye stored inside the disc under a protective layer.

Over time, while certain manufacturers make better discs than others, this dye degrades. I have had some discs fail after a couple of years. Others only last a few months. The way we store them, how often we access the data stored on them, and general wear and tear all effect their lifespans. Discs are prone to scratches, scuffs, and light to name a few things. Keeping your compact discs protected from light and your physical environment can help extend their life.

I do not remember where I was, but I recently saw a pack of CD-Rs that promised a 80 to 300-year lifespan before data degradation. The claimed to have been tested in a variety of conditions including extreme heat, humidity, and light, and come with a 24-karat gold reflective layer instead of the usual silver reflective layer.

I do not know if recordable CDs can last for 300 years. In fact if we are honest about it, nobody can make that claim until the technology has been around for 300 years. But I view the claim with more than a little skepticism and consider it a marketing ploy.

Personally, I would not spend the extra money for these discs. With a price averaging $50.00 per 25 discs as compared to 25, 50, or 100 packs of the silver discs to be had at half the cost. Instead I would create a copies of your CDs and DVD every few years. Or another solution is to use a USB flash drive. And of course, you could always use on online backup system like TeamDrive.

Why do the manufacturers claim such long lifespans to their discs? Besides the obvious of wanting you to buy their product, these are estimates based on test conditions and not real life. I can make anything last an eternity under proper conditions

Just as an aside, commercial discs are different from the ones you and I can make at home. Their data is actually pressed directly into the plastic. Scratches are an issue, but light is not. This is why you can have CDs that are over 20 years old and still play fine.

Ultimately to preserve the integrity of your data you need to make regular back ups and not depend on any gimmicks to do the trick for you - unless you are going to last 300 years and test the claims yourself!