Archiving

[penzman]

I'm holding a cd that was unwrapped and burned in April 2005 (Primco). 1 month later it has 2 noticeable spots, looks like corrosion, clear spot with a darker speck in the middle. The cd was not stored in a case but was on top of a book on my desk. Nothing was spilled on it.

I'm pretty sure it's a form of corrosion, the result of cheap material used to manufacture the cd's and high humidity.

I've got a bunch of Maxell's made in Japan. I'll leave a Primco and a Maxell hanging outside, away from the sun and see how they both look in 30 days.

From now on 2 copies of everything, cased and sealed. (2 cd's fit in a single case )

[spog]

From now on 2 copies of everything, cased and sealed. (2 cd's fit in a single case )

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Two different cases in two different locations!

Think what happens if there is a fire. I have one set of archive CDs in my office, one at home (and a third set in a different country, but that is a little overkill)

[Crossy]

From now on 2 copies of everything, cased and sealed. (2 cd's fit in a single case )

Two different cases in two different locations!

Think what happens if there is a fire. I have one set of archive CDs in my office, one at home (and a third set in a different country, but that is a little overkill)

And use different brands of CD (or at lest different batch numbers)

[RDN]

Of course, you could always invest in a "fire safe".... :D

[spog]

Of course, you could always invest in a "fire safe".... :D         

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Two firesafes!

[RDN]

Of course, you could always invest in a "fire safe".... :D         

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Two firesafes!

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...in two different locations!

[mnoorsapl]

Of course, you could always invest in a "fire safe".... :D         

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Two firesafes!

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...in two different locations!

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Only if you guys are preparing for Disaster Recovery Plan

[Darknight]

an autoloader tape robot situated in a concrete bunker 2 miles away using fiber connections to retrieve data. Continious backup. Image disaster recovery fully automated. clustering for all critical servers. Two seperate sites 10 miles away from each other in case of a terrorist attack.

Wait hang on , that's not my personal system , that's the bank were you work stupid

[penzman]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'll have to give this a few reads and try to see what's best for my needs.

Happens I had to use the backups today to restore a website

By the way, found yet another Primco :bah cd that was burned recently with corrosion spots on it already.

:

[francois]

hi'

my 2b here ...

any archiving backup should be done on a harware stuff first(ext drive), then make at least one copy on cd-rw(choose brand name as memorex or maxell or verbatim, tdk is fine too, can be done on dvd as well, I use memorex dvd's for this purpose.

as reminder, "techy words : backup is a family with Gfather, father and son ..

saving money on the quality of a backup disc is stupid.

get the best quality, and pay some extra money, it's worth it.

the question is, are your data valuable to your eyes?

if yes, use the proper way to save them on a regular basis

francois

[RDN]

....saving money on the quality of a backup disc is stupid....

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Come on, francois! 80baht (possibly more ) for Mitsui Gold vs. 6 baht for Princos?

[waldwolf]

What many appear to be seeing on both new and burned CD's is corrosion on the reflector.

If the reflector has any corrosion, the laser will not be able to burn data to that area. If the corrosion occured after the CD was burned, the laser will not be able to read the previously recorded data.

Many CD blanks use a silver reflector. Silver has a very high corrosion (oxidation) factor, especially when exposed to air containing minute quantities of sulfur componds. These sulfur componds are present wherever hydrocarbon fuels are burned; eg: trucks, autos, power plants, and home's with gas heating/cooking/cooling appliances, etc.. Humidity accelerates the corrosion.

Overall CD construction is a crutial factor. The reflector itself is positioned very close to the top (label side) of the CD. Some CD manufacturers only spray a very thin layer of lacquer on top of the reflector. Minute scratches or even fingerprints can damage this coating, allowing air and moisture to attack the reflector. Some CD-R's manufacturers do not seal the outer edge of the CD. Failure to seal these edges also allows air and moisture to attack the reflector.

Many name brand CD-R's (ie: TDK) carry a lifetime warrenty. Check your favorite brand for warrenty details and examine them carefully to insure none display corrosive spots on the reflector and their edges have been sealed. Where possible, store burned disks in an airtight (preferably glass or metal) container.

Multiple backups using similar and different media is always adviseable when dealing with critical or irreplaceable data.

cheers

...Come on, francois! 80baht (possibly more ) for Mitsui Gold vs. 6 baht for Princos?

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It's just money. Little pieces of colored paper with numbers and silly pictures on them.

[Veazer]

What many appear to be seeing on both new and burned CD's is corrosion on the reflector.

If the reflector has any corrosion, the laser will not be able to burn data to that area. If the corrosion occured after the CD was burned, the laser will not be able to read the previously recorded data.

Many CD blanks use a silver reflector. Silver has a very high corrosion (oxidation) factor, especially when exposed to air containing minute quantities of sulfur componds. These sulfur componds are present wherever hydrocarbon fuels are burned; eg: trucks, autos, power plants, and home's with gas heating/cooking/cooling appliances, etc.. Humidity accelerates the corrosion.

Overall CD construction is a crutial factor. The reflector itself is positioned very close to the top (label side) of the CD. Some CD manufacturers only spray a very thin layer of lacquer on top of the reflector. Minute scratches or even fingerprints can damage this coating, allowing air and moisture to attack the reflector. Some CD-R's manufacturers do not seal the outer edge of the CD. Failure to seal these edges also allows air and moisture to attack the reflector.

Many name brand CD-R's (ie: TDK) carry a lifetime warrenty. Check your favorite brand for warrenty details and examine them carefully to insure none display corrosive spots on the reflector and their edges have been sealed. Where possible, store burned disks in an airtight (preferably glass or metal) container.

Multiple backups using similar and different media is always adviseable when dealing with critical or irreplaceable data.

cheers

I have noticed that once my silver cds begin to corrode they go very fast. I can see the corrosion spread in a 24 hour period. I also live in a rather polluted area next to a busy street, probably compounding the problem.

Has any company ever produced a writeable cd with the reflector and dye encased inside the disc like a standard pressed cd? it seems like this would help to prevent a lot of the problems that people have with cd-r media. Corrosing aside, just one sharp bump to the top surface is enough to scratch the surface and destroy part of the cd. People are always worried about scratching the cd's underside but this is a minor problem compared to the damage that can be done from the top.