[ale] [OT] Lifespan of Storage Devices

[Jim Kinney]

+1

duplicate optical media and periodically make a run to an offsite 
storage location with the latest backup burn. Bank safety deposit boxes 
are good. Get a decent sleeve to store in and use as clean an operation 
as you can. Use EXPENSIVE archival media only.

The pictures that MUST survive hardware death need to be printed. Don't 
waste time at the local drug store. They use the same crap ink you get 
with a $50 printer. Get an EXPENSIVE Epson printer and use only their 
ink - ** Pigment-based Epson UltraChrome K3^(TM) with Vivid Magenta ink 
technology is their top of line technology right now. $500 gets a 
honking capable printer. $1200 gets a 17"x24" print capability. These 
pigment inks are more long term stable than anything that's come earlier.

On 07/28/2012 01:11 PM, alan at alanlee.org wrote:
>
> Any flash storage is bad for long term storage.  The floating gate 
> weakens over time if not periodically refreshed by the internal 
> controller.  And the more program/erase cycles and to a lesser extent 
> read cycles on a gate, the weaker it gets with respect to power off 
> retention.
>
> Of course all mediums cave to entropy over time.  However flash has a 
> faster curve than most physical mediums.
>
> The main rule of backups though is backup to multiple medium and 
> routinely verify all copies.  No mechanism can survive passive 
> maintenance.
>
>
> -Alan
>
>
> On July 28, 2012 at 12:59 PM Andrew Wade <andrewiwade at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>     I am working on archiving some of my pictures/videos/etc. through
>     the years.   I'm trying to decide on what storage media would be
>     best for this.
>     The main consensus that I've seen on the internet is that the
>     optical disc (Dvd-DL) is still going to be the winner.  The
>     problem is that once you get a scratch on it, you may not be able
>     to access that 1MB picture.   I've had this happen before.
>     What do you all think about the following mediums for 10+ year
>      (and the tech format itself still being around - like zip disk,
>     etc.)
>     SDHC/XD  Memory Cards  (Fat32)
>     Optical Disk (DVD +-R, CD, DVD-DL)
>     Hard Drive (Put in storage; has to be in a filesystem that
>     supports >4GB for individual files)
>     USB Flash Drive(s) (Fat 32)
>     and any others.
>
>
>
>
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