Think its safe to trust your precious memories on DVD Discs?
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Dear All,
This is part of my effort to bring the issues of DVD recordable disc degradation/deterioration to the knowledge of everyone in the world.
I have started off the effort in April of 2005 and it has been almost a year now. Since that date, I have amassed a considerable amount of information, from results of my own testing, to reports of DVD recordable disc failures by other end users, research studies by independent laboratories, foreign magazines, press and media. All of the information could be found in the following Central Database:
http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?t=991675
There is so much information in it that you could practically call it a database. I will post references/links here in this thread whenever I update the database with new information.
Sadly, the majority of the DVD recordable discs on the market are not very reliable or durable. The lifespan or longevity of these discs after burning is typically 2-3 years. In fact, this problem is so critical that it has warranted research studies by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Library of Congress. NIST has been working with the industry and the user community to develop a standard methodology for determining archival quality grade discs. Due to this effort by the NIST and the Library of Congress, some manufacturers have released Archival Grade DVD Recordable Discs recently, though such discs are still unproven.
Hence, please think twice before entrusting any important data to DVD recordable discs, and do have secondary backups if possible. For more information, please read the above-mentioned database.
The dominant cause of disc failures in Singapore is high humidity, though many other facts can also affect the longevity of dvd recordable discs. -
put in HDD lohz..
i got quite a few home videos..
some as long as 3-4 yrs..
still can view -
HDD can crash without warning. My first Maxtor HDD used for 1 mth and died with any sign.Originally posted by BaByBoY:put in HDD lohz..
i got quite a few home videos..
some as long as 3-4 yrs..
still can view
My recommendation as well articles from Digital Life suggest to back up your important data now and then regardless whether it's on a CD or DVD platform. -
How about CD-ROM? Worse or better?
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burn 10 copies of each backup and bury one at different parts of singapore?
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haha, CD-R larh....
i got burn one cd-r juz like three or four years ago...n now still as gd as ever when i read it using cd-rom......
i nvr use dvd-r , so i dunnoe much.....but i keep many copies of my stuff everywhere so i dun reallie take note of dat...... -
haha, CD-R larh....
i got burn one cd-r juz like three or four years ago...n now still as gd as ever when i read it using cd-rom......
i nvr use dvd-r , so i dunnoe much.....but i keep many copies of my stuff everywhere so i dun reallie take note of dat...... -
go invest in a dry box lah...guerentee keep your dvd alive for a very long time.
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well...I believe there is no such thing as a 100% safe way to store ur data...be it pictures,projects,documents,software,music,porn...whatever....Originally posted by ^tamago^:burn 10 copies of each backup and bury one at different parts of singapore?
so the above-mentioned way by tamago must just be the only way out!.. 
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is USB Thumbdrive storage reliable and can data in it last several years?
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No.Originally posted by ceecookie:is USB Thumbdrive storage reliable and can data in it last several years? -
1 DVD is 4.7GBOriginally posted by ceecookie:is USB Thumbdrive storage reliable and can data in it last several years?
1 Thumbdrive is around 2GB max today.
factor in the cost factor and U will see which is ur choice. -
Recommendations by University of Washington with regards to Environmental Requirements for Storage Media Stability:
http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?t=991675&page=62&pp=15 -
Test results on the lifespan of various brands of dvd recordable media are here:
http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?t=991675&goto=lastpost
More tests coming... -
a good way. the chance will become very smallOriginally posted by ^tamago^:burn 10 copies of each backup and bury one at different parts of singapore? -
just wondering...is plastic...the CDR material...bugs-proof?Originally posted by picmonster:a good way. the chance will become very small
wait bury too long kenna eaten by termites and whats-not... -
From what i see on That's IT at channel news asia a couple of days ago, the people there say that:
In terms of reliability (best to worst):
Flash drive ==> HDD ==> DVD ==> CDs.
dunno how true is this...... -
My Personal Opinion is that (from best to worst, relatively speaking, not absolutely speaking, and also generally speaking):Originally posted by nightzip:From what i see on That's IT at channel news asia a couple of days ago, the people there say that:
In terms of reliability (best to worst):
Flash drive ==> HDD ==> DVD ==> CDs.
dunno how true is this......
HDD, CD, DVD, Flash Memory -
blue-ray technology
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eh? then your order is almost opposite from mine? then that "supposed" pro in That's IT in CNA is talking crap?Originally posted by minnesota:My Personal Opinion is that (from best to worst, relatively speaking, not absolutely speaking, and also generally speaking):
HDD, CD, DVD, Flash Memory -
yah CDs and DVDs lousy one.
Some genuine software after a few years, CD-ROM degraded, light penetrate through both sides, cannot use liao. $30-50++ down the drain, worst still if it's the first game in a series of expansions like the sims. all the rest all kenna down the drain, so people go out and buy a pirated copy to replace, who to blame? -
Use floppy disks.
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Check out how to interpret the test results:
http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showpost.php?p=18491876&postcount=949 -
More updates...
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SINGAPORE: For the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), the equation is simple. Its showing will depend largely on the appeal of its chairman and long-serving Opposition politician Chiam See Tong.
In the run-up to Polling Day, the 71-year-old did several rounds of the four Single-Member Constituencies and three Group Representation Constituencies where the SDA is contesting, canvassing for votes during walkabouts and shuttling between various rally sites on the same night.
The four-party grouping, which consists of the Singapore People's Party, the National Solidarity Party, the Singapore Justice Party and the PKMS, is advocating greater political competition and has called on voters to deny the People's Action Party (PAP) a monopoly on power.
The SDA is also calling for the goods and services tax to be capped at 5 per cent for the next five years and exempting certain basic necessities from the tax.
Campaigning on familiar issues, Mr Chiam renewed his criticism of the education system's streaming policy, saying that the process churns out "factory rejects". As one of two Opposition MPs in the previous Parliament, he also said that the PAP denies the Opposition a level playing field and rejects their suggestions "like a reflex action".
"But a few years later, they will quietly bring them up and pass them off as their own," he said.
On his home turf of Potong Pasir, the veteran Opposition politician, who is defending the seat he has held for 22 years, faces a fierce battle - as the ruling party holds out the promise of an $80 million upgrading programme for its 15,888 residents.
Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong has also lent his political clout to PAP hopeful, Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, who has been working the ground for the past five years.
In turn, Mr Chiam pointed to his track record and what he has achieved despite limited resources. He has called on the Potong Pasir residents to vote him in for a sixth consecutive term.
Mr Chiam has also promised the residents that within five years, lifts in all their flats will stop on every floor.
Holding up Potong Pasir as an example, the SDA chief has hawked the "two-in-one" formula to persuade people to vote for its candidates.
It has argued that voters will not only enjoy a full-time SDA MP, but the ruling party candidate will also work hard for them to win back the seat.
Mr Sin Kek Tong, who is gunning for the MacPherson single-seat ward, proposed a new formula to reduce the price of certificates of entitlement.
He also called for reduction of university fees from an average of $6,500 a year to $5,500, and more help for small businesses, especially neighbourhood shops.
The 60-year-old businessman wants neighbourhood schools to be upgraded to the standard of independent schools, but without raising fees.
The SDA team in Jalan Besar, led by Mr Sebastian Teo, proposed low-cost tuition and medical centres in the constituency, with links to international voluntary welfare organisations to look after the elderly. Dr Vincent Yeo also called for jobs to be reserved for Singaporeans.
Fellow candidate Fong Chin Leong wanted minimum wages to be implemented in the country. "This will discourage (employers) from simply looking for foreign workers," he said.
Over in Tampines, the SDA team wants to turn the town into the "second Suntec City" and its leader, Mr Edmund Ng, set up an online job portal for its residents. Mr Ng also charged that the Government is excessively marking up prices of Housing and Development Board flats, but this has been denied by the PAP.
SDA's Pasir Ris-Punggol team, led by Potong Pasir Town Councillor Lim Bak Chuan, again criticised the Government for not fulfilling its plans for Punggol 21 while putting forward its upgrading plans for the constituency.
The team also proposed free basic healthcare for all Singaporeans and monthly payments for senior citizens above 55 years old. - TODAY /dt
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/206844/1/.html