On 1/19/06, Lars D. Noodén <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > That figure may have been for pressed CDs, not ones you burn. The ones > you burn only last a few years, tops, significantly less than tape. > Tape, when properly stored and actively maintained, can last up to 15 > years.
That's not true. You may be confused with the unrecorded shelf-life, which refers to how long a blank CD can sit before a successful recording. That life-span is 5-10 years. Recorded CD-Rs can last from 30 - 200 years, depending on production quality (is the plastic completely sealed around the metal, or can air get in to rust it), the material used (what kind of metal, etc.), storage (in a dry, cool to room-tempature, dark place, stored vertically is best), the kind of labelling (is the glue holding the label to the CD corrosive, did you use a magic marker directly on the CD, etc.). Even the worst made CD burned on a home desktop should last more than 15 years, unless you lay it burn-side up in a pool of water with direct sunlight, in which case the lifespan can be measured in days. Tapes need to be properly stored as well for archival purposed. There really isn't a perfect solution in a world were moth and dust doth corrupt. But CDs last much longer than tapes. http://www.osta.org/technology/cdqa13.htm http://www.cdrfaq.org/faq07.html#S7-5 http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=2131 -- - Chad Smith http://www.gimpshop.net/ Because everyone loves free software!
