cd and dvd: do they decay in a few years?

[Odovacar]

Hello!

Oe of my rather tech savy fellows said me that no matter how I care dvds will decay during one or two years, even if I never use them. I mean house written dvds.
It doesnt make me happy at all. I have many things on dvd. Should I again and again copy them on fresh ones, in order not to lose them? Or keeping my precious dates on harddrive?
Or its not entirely true?

[Erik]

All (re-)writable CD's/DVD's degrade over time, yes.
This is because the chemicals that store the information are unstable.

Factory made CD/DVD's do not degrade because they use dents instead of chemicals to store the information.

Magnetic media like hard-disks also degrade, but not as fast and it's easier to re-write the data.

The quality of the disks have a huge impact on the life expectancy of your data.
Some will degrade in just a few years, but others will last decades.
I believe Philips makes special long-lasting disks, which are more expensive but will keep your data safe a lot longer.

It's a real problem and the only solution is to:
1) Always make backups.
2) Copy your precious data to new disks every five years or so, until some nerd find a solution.

[mrmouth]

So its because the chemicals just degrade naturally, or because of use?

[Erik]

So its because the chemicals just degrade naturally, or because of use?

They degrade naturally, no matter if you use them or not.
I think storing them in a dark, dry environment will help a bit, but won't stop the process.

[DukeofSerbia]

That's why you should always write on quality DVDs and CDs and they have excellent chemicals comparing to various no name junk.

I use ONLY Verbatim DVDs and CDs, and I have 10 years' old Verbatim CDs, and they still work. Btw, in the past chemical quality was much better than today one.

[Odovacar]

That's why you should always write on quality DVDs and CDs and they have excellent chemicals comparing to various no name junk.

Yes, but I think they will last only for 5 years
Factory made dvds though last for decades or more I think.

I use ONLY Verbatim DVDs and CDs, and I have 10 years' old Verbatim CDs, and they still work. Btw, in the past chemical quality was much better than today one.

Hmm...10 years is good but only for a cd?
And yes, in the older times dvd writers were better as well. Nowadays you are required to pay much but you get is junk.
I think writing dvds with lesser speed might lengthen the lifespan.

[Erik]

Hmm...10 years is good but only for a cd?

I don't think there were any DVD-R's 10 years ago.

[ajimenez3]

I don't think there were any DVD-R's 10 years ago.

DVD-Rams were the closest thing around at that time.

I've got some CDs that are at lest 10 years old and work just fine. They were stored in a room on the shelve that never got too cold or to hot. There are always exceptions to the life span of any media, but backups are a must.

[DukeofSerbia]

Yes, but I think they will last only for 5 years
Factory made dvds though last for decades or more I think.

I think I read they can last 30 years and more... But not sure was that for DVDs or/and CDs.

Hmm...10 years is good but only for a cd?
And yes, in the older times dvd writers were better as well. Nowadays you are required to pay much but you get is junk.
I think writing dvds with lesser speed might lengthen the lifespan.

I didn't mentioned writers, but it is true - nowdays are not good as was in the past (I just compare my old NEC ND3500AG and the new Pioneer DVR-111D, what a difference).