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[Nature Recordists] Re: Long term storage

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Subject: [Nature Recordists] Re: Long term storage
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<<Disc drives corrupt occasionally and one of my two 2T backup drives
did this a fortnight ago.>>

Yes, & they can do this while not in use. Just storing a hard drive in a closet 
is no guarantee that it will work in a year's time. I have had drives fail 
while not in use. As well as while in daily use.

<< I keep double backups with one drive kept somewhere else. The most secure 
long term storage is CDs and DVDs, especially archive quality discs. Nobody 
knows how long they will last
as it is in many years,>>

I have had spotty results with DVDs, some failing to mount in as little as a 
few years from date of burning. Supposedly CDRs are more robust, but obviously 
provide only a fraction of the storage space.

<< but the biggest long term risk seems to be technical redundancy. Anyone 
still use Zip discs? :-)>>

An unfortunate transitional technology. DAT is another. I have archived all my 
DATs but I have clients with enormous DAT libraries & they don't all play back 
properly anymore. That one is a ticking time bomb since once the inherent 
errors exceed the threshold of the error correction technology of the 1980s & 
90s decks the tape is largely ruined.

Back up your work. Back up your work.

Scott Fraser













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