How Long Do CDs and DVDs last?

[PapaBob]

Like many of you I burn a CD or now DVD of my original pics after a shoot and archive it in a secure location. After I process a set of pics a second CD or DVD is burned and archived in a different location. The file that holds the pics on my computer and external drive is then cleaned up so I don’t have too much clutter.

I had always felt confident of the archival quality of the burned CDs because I store them in jewel cases in a dark, stable temp location, where light and heat cannot get at them. Seems like they should last forever if properly stored.

Over the past months I have read a number of posts on the internet about CDs degrading after a few months which make it sound like my library is already useless (or rapidly heading to oblivion). My problem is that all of the stories are anecdotal and the warning is so oft repeated I fear it has taken on a life of its own. Not one of the posts has a citation to a reliable scientific study of the shelf life of a computer burned CD or DVD. That leaves me with a few questions.

First, is there a reliable study of various media and hardware that projects and compares the archival quality of a properly stored computer burned CD?

If so, what media and hardware work best?

And what is the true shelf life of my cupboard library?

I WANT THE TRUTH....I CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH.

—Bob

 

[getwet2]

I've read some of these same things too but I've got CD's that are over 6 years old and the have been left in the car for weeks on end. (Both in the deck and in the case)
They get left out at home on top of the player again both in the case and out sometimes. The latter being dependant on how much I've had to drink and how big a hurry I am in to listen to the song.

They are still OK so your guess is as good as mine. Maybe today will be the day that I go to play them and they don't work. As for DVD's....... just recently new to these myself. (Last 2 years) I'm not going to worry about it too much, if something happens it will just be an excuse to go back to that destination to retake the pictures.

 

[fdog]

Hey there, Bob!

I have personally had CD-R's experience data dropouts in as quick as 6 to 8 months. These were used to carry copies of programs; they weren't abused, and the surfaces were in great shape.

This has happened to me in three out of maybe 60 CD-R's. They are mostly Fuji, but some Verbatim and Memorex, not sure which brand actually failed, but I believe it was a mix.

As far as I can tell, the "perishable CD-R" is absolutely true.

I do have some CD-RW's that I have used for archiving. These have a perfect track record, but I only have about a dozen of these, and I don't check them very often.

Because of the CD issues, and also because of laziness, my archiving scheme is now as follows:

>RAID 1
>Grandfather, Father, Son automated backups to a storage appliance
>Off-site backup

All the best, James

 

[D_B]

The PC newsletter The LangaList ( http://www.langa.com/about_fred.htm ) have some surprising findings on that question, like do not use stick-on printed lables, and use CDR's not CD's ... http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=15800263


US Gov. ... http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/carefordisc/disccare.html

GCN ... http://www.gcn.com/print/23_5/25166-1.html

These links came from the LangaList

DB

 

[Sharkbait]

CD-R's are not known for being the most reliable storage media. The aluminum on the platter oxidizes pretty quick and you start loosing data.

For really critical data I buy archival CD-R's from Delkin. They use gold rather than aluminum as the storage media. They cost a bit more, but I think they are worth it.

As was mentioned above putting a sticker on the disk is bad. The other bad thing is writing on them with a Sharpie marker. Sharpie marker ink is pretty corrosive and will degrade the disk pretty fast.

Check out http://www.delkin.com/delkin_products_archival_gold.html

 

[Tom Winters]

Another archival CD/DVD source:
http://www.inkjetart.com/kodak_cd.html

 

[jbilicska]

There's been a lot of talk about this subject on photo forums such as dpreview.com. and on the Ratdog website were you have a lot of cd trading going on.
The worst culprit on cd's seems to be the alcohol in the "sharpie" markers. It will at times eat through the protective reflective layer on your cd and cause problems.
The solution is to spend a little more money and get a higher quality cd usually from Japan and to use a special marker designed for cd's. To go one step further don't write on the cd but on the inner circle only. Here's a website I purchased from I bought the Klone 80 Min Matte Silver Spindle 100 Bulk $33.96 (.33ea).

http://www.american-digital.com/

 

[PapaBob]

OK. So after reading the information you all have graciously posted, I think there may be problems with my CD procedures. I guess I need to do something different than burn a bargain basement silver substrate CD, steam it to make sure it is nice and clean, let it dry in the sun for a few hours, label it with a fat point sharpie pen, and then put it in the microwave to set the ink before I hang it in the attic.

Seriously, thanks to all for the information. My real important stuff is kept on the hard drive and backed up frequently to swapable hard drive. From now on I will be burning critical back up files on the highest quality CDs or DVDs I can find. It looks like there is a substantial difference. Thanks to all who took the time to post.

—Bob