Tech Blog

[#1]

A lot of people like to burn their precious data to CDs and DVDs, thinking that it's safe there from any computer crashes and hard drive failures. It's always good to keep backups, of course, but you might not realize that optical discs aren’t quite a permanent solution.

Yes, you read that right. All those discs you have won’t last forever. This doesn’t just go for burned disks either, but even old CDs you’ve purchased long ago. It's a phenomenon known as disc rot and it's unfortunately very real. This can happen due to all sorts of reasons and doesn’t necessarily indicate a major manufacturing fault with the medium. It wasn’t designed to last forever, after all.

This phenomenon makes the disc unreadable and can happen for a variety of reasons causing both chemical and physical deterioration of the medium. Take out some old disks. Go on. Look closely at them. You might notice the reflective layer has oxidised, or the surface and edges have started to look rough. You might even notice that the layers have started to become unbonded and have started to come apart. In general if you notice any discolouration or any inconsistencies when you hold it up to a strong light, you’re a victim of disc rot.

Optical discs can be pretty good at holding your data in a stable manner, and last quite a while but don’t get complacent. If you’ve got valuable data on disks you should make a redundant copy, and check on it every few years. Consider burning a new copy of the disk just in case the existing copy starts to rot soon. You’re better off spending a few minutes doing it now, while you can rather than wait until you discover that your disc has become unreadable.

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[#2]

Yes, I've lost a lot data when I believed optical media claims to last decades when it was sometimes lasting only weeks...

Some steps to minimize disappointment...

• don't burn at the highest speed.  DVD's should be burned at 4x or slower
• don't use a ball point pen, use a soft tip CD/DVD designated marker where the chemicals won't leach onto the recording surface
• don't use adhesive labels.... labels look great, but shrink with age causing disks to warp.  I have many disks that have "bowed" under pressure.  Do not use mailing labels... when the disks spin, they will be out of balance
• beware of cheap CD cases.  They too can apply a pressure on the hub and cause the DVD to warp over time.
• consider using Drobo to quickly backup your data or DVD ISO images
• avoid moisture on printable DVD's.  I've sent wedding videos to relatives in humid tropical countries.  Sadly a few years later, I discovered the humidity causes the ink to run and in come cases fungi to form.

I would love to hear how many of you store your DVD's that won't cause the disks to warp or bow.

[#3]

Only weeks? ouch!

[#4]

I've just had too much bad luck with DVD/CD's.  I avoid them as much as possible.  USB media is my preferred choice.  I've lost data on optical, I've lost data on hard drives.... Never lost anything on Drobo yet.

BTW.... if a disk goes bad, "BadCopy Pro" is something I use to try and recover my data.  In addition to undeleting camera card media, it also works on DVD/CD's.

[#5]

Interesting. I haven't tried out that software. I'll take it for a spin, thanks for the tip.

Also I agree with you RE optical media. I hardly ever even use disks anymore.

[#6]

I had this exact conversation last month over dinner with a Security expert at IBM.

To summarize a 2 h discussion, there is no 'permanent' media anymore as everything changes within a few years.  Having said that, I'm surprised at how little selection there is at Future Shop for DVD and Blu-ray burner drives, even though they stock the discs.  That's probably more of a business decision than a security one.

I haven't had any data loss yet on any CDs or DVDs that I have burned.  I do follow most (all?) of XL's steps by habit of nature for the past eighteen years or so, except burning at the highest speed.  I think I usually burn at the highest speed.

I keep all of my archive CD/DVDs in paper sleeves as they are the cheap and provide protection from scratching against each other.  I store them upright in boxes in my basement which is dry and cool.  Thank goodness we all live in Canada!

It could be much worse if we lived in Louisiana or Florida.