Shelf life of CD and DVD's?

12 years 8 months ago #131513 by Crammer
I just found a pile of unused CD's in my storage closet. These have got to be a few years old. Isn't there a shelf life for CD's and DVD's?


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12 years 8 months ago #133009 by Flash Steven
I wasn't aware they had a shelf life? News to me

Canon 7D w/grip, Canon 40D, Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS L Canon MPE 65mm f2.8 macro; Sigma 70-300mm f2.8; Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro; Sigma 8-16mm f4.5-5.6
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12 years 8 months ago #133011 by MLKstudios
I imagine they still work. But, I wouldn't use any plastic disc to archive with.

Today, multiple drives are the way to go. NAS + RAID.

Matthew

Matthew L Kees
MLK Studios Photography School
www.MLKstudios.com
[email protected]
"Every artist, was once an amateur"

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12 years 8 months ago #133463 by timhoggarth
I've got discs that are 8 years old, I should really put them onto a hard drive but it takes too much work! hah

Eat, Sleep and Drink Photography, Editor & Designer & Manchester City fan & Gadget Geek & Science Geek...yep, that's about it :)
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12 years 8 months ago #133469 by chasrich
CD life is a lot like human life spans... The harder you live the shorter the life. CD's are susceptible to damage form a number of sources. Heat, UV exposure, scratches, high usage and high impact are some of the common hazards. The initial quality of the CD is also a factor in longevity.

If the CD's are stored in a safe environment you can typically expect a decade or more of life free of errors. If the data is important you might want to consider backing up to a redundant and more durable medium like a HDD. Backups are always work but the replacing of the lost data can also be expensive as well as difficult if not impossible to replace.

“Amateurs worry about equipment, professionals worry about money, masters worry about light, I just make pictures… ” ~ Vernon Trent
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