CD-ROM's have limited shelf life - shock horror...ooops

[HippyWarlock]

Just playing at posting (inn't life fun?)

Anyone else heard about the CDROM Industry admitting that after a couple of years yer data may, or may not, still be where yer left it.

And I remember Blue Peter spreading jam on them to prove how indestructable they where...... or was it to improve the taste...?

Above rumour gleaned from Micro-Mart a few months back

[LTR12101B]

The only way to PROVE "100 year lifespan" claims, is to look at them 100 years later - artificial "accelerated" test can give a guess.

For PRESSED CDs, free of the problematic defects which afflicted some, and kept in ideal conditions, the life claims should be met.


Unrecorded blanks definitely have a shelf life, and for recorded media, lifespan is certainly reduced by low quality media, poor writing, and poor treatment - for important data, you should have (at least) two different backups on two different types of media (that are NOT same-source rebrands), and verify them at intervals.