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How Long Does A CD-R Last?

Posted by Cliff on from the anything-is-better-than-floppies dept.

esobofh asks: "I would estimate it's been about four to five years now that making your own CD's and burning CD's in general has been a commonplace thing. I'm finding now, however, that CD-R disks that I purchased a few years ago, are completely unreadable now. Data and Audio. I'm listening to a backup of a Pink Floyd disk I created less than a year ago, and there is now a very intrusive static that wasn't present a month ago. The CD is in perfect shape, without scratches. Is anyone else noticing this with their personal CD-R collections? I'm finding it's especially affecting my KAO and ArtMedia disks, whereas my Sony, HP, Memorex and others seem to be fine. Any idea if certain hardware - DVD players, CD audio component players etc. - shorten the life of these discs? Or do I just live in some weird area of radioactivity that is killing them?"

4 of 10 comments (clear)

  1. Well... by Tower · · Score: 2

    I've seen similar things... Some of the Verbaitum media I started out with about three or four years ago isn't reading very well anymore (and was pretty poorly put together, too). Those and a few other silver/blues that are getting older lose a file or two, it seems... My gold/gold Ricoh and HP media is doing great (some even older stuff)... I've read stats that say the gold/golds will last five times longer than the blue/green dye discs, but they usually say 10/50 years or 20/100 years.

    As for comsic rays or strange radiation... <bzzzzappp>

    --
    "It's tough to be bilingual when you get hit in the head."
  2. According to the CD-Recordable FAQ.... by ScottG · · Score: 5
    According to the CD-Recordable FAQ, a CDR which has been written to should last at least 75 years. Strangely, the FAQ suggests that CDR's which have not been written on only have a shelf life of 5-10 years.

    Note that exposure to heat or direct sunlight can greatly reduce the life of the media. You haven't been leaving those CDR's on the front seat of your car have you?

    The section of the FAQ which discusses longevity can be found here.

    --
    Hey, who else could go for some flapjacks right now?
  3. Somewhat similar Slashdot article by LKH · · Score: 2

    You might want to take a look at this. It has some similar things in it - it also discusses how long other types of media last

  4. Try this... by eap · · Score: 2

    There is a simple test to determine the lifespan of your CD-R media. Just place a disc in the microwave, and set for 50 seconds. Count the number of seconds until the sparks stop, and that number is the number of years your CDR would have lasted had you not microwaved it.