How long will a CD-R last?
By simplegal
@simplegal (123)
Philippines
December 14, 2006 7:10am CST
When CD's were introduced they were touted as industuctible. CD-R's give the impression of similar permanence, and manufacturers claim lifespans of ten or even 200 years. But Dutch magazine recently tested some CD-R's stored for 20mos. and found a number had become unreadable. So if you saved precious documents or photos on CD:
* Use decent, branded CD's. The quality of the dye layer that records the data affects longevity.
* Avoid self-adhesive labels: there's evidence the glue may harm the dye or reflective layers. Use felt-tipped pens and restrict writing to the central hub.
* Store CD's in protective "jewel" cases in a dark, cool, dry location.
* make multiple copies of important CD's.
* Copy data to fresh CD's (or new formats as they come along) every 3-5 years.
1 response
@mirage108 (3402)
• United States
14 Dec 06
True on all accounts. also dont buy the cheep one's unless they are for a quickie one time use then throw them away. also I would get the memory thumb sticks and you can back your data up to those also.
CD also might not be bad it could be the player in the computer needs cleaning also
