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dan.gallagher wrote:
> Hi Folks,
> Can anyone shed light on the longevity of CDs? I hear differing
> opinions.
> Is it safer to archive data on HD or CD? I'm talking long term, like
> with a growing collection of digital pictures for example. This can
> apply to backups also. But will my little daughter be able to view
> images on a CD ten, twenty, thirty years from now? And will my backup
> be safe even 5 years from now?
Nothing is forever, Dan. A hard drive may fail tomorrow, 5 years from now,
or maybe the computer is lost in a fire.
Even though marketing tells us otherwise, CDs are subject to failure. Any
that are working in 20 years will be read, however. JPG will be around a
long time.
Hard drives are much more reliable today, but can we say the same of the
operating system? I have all my eggs in a few baskets (drives) and attend to
operating problems right away. So, I am counting on the hard drive
technology rather than investing in backup devices (other than additional
hard drives.)
The best advice is to use the storage that most use, and you will be able to
transfer or recover important data.
I keep the entire digital library on HD, and have only recently began to
archive certain collections to CD. I purchased a server rather than a single
external device, because its network storage is accessible to all systems in
the home or office. When necessary, I'll have a large bit bucket, and can
copy all data from any machine to it.
My opinion is that having a UPS is the best investment you can make. In a
typical year I look at 100 computer systems. When a UPS is involved, there
are fewer equipment problems. This means longer life.
Ed Wurster
http://www.eWurster.com/blog/
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