Archive for the 'Technology' Category

Life expectancy of an optical disk

Published
by
Phil
on July 14, 2008
in Technology
. 0 Comments

I was wondering today how long the data on my CDs would last. So I did some Googling.

From OSTA, I found that:

  • CD-RWs can be rewritten ~1000 times.
  • The unrecorded shelf life of both CD-Rs and CD-RWs is anywhere between 5 and 10 years.
  • Data on written CD-Rs remain readable from 50 to 200 years.
  • Data on written CD-RWs remain readable from 20 to 100 years.

NIST’s special publication 500-200 gave more concrete values. I trust these numbers more.

  • The life expectancy with storage at room temperature and 90% humidity is from 57 to 121 years. A relative humidity between 40% and 50% should lead to an even longer life expectancy.

Of course, quality varies from one manufacturer to another, and it will likely also improve over time. But these numbers give a good idea. I guess this confirms that the optical disk is still not only the cheapest, but also the most reliable, form of storage. It’s doubtful that I’ll need the information on my CDs in more than 80 years from now - if I even live to be that old. (Frankly, I prefer to die younger and healthy than to die old, decrepit, and dependent.)