Store optical discs in room with dehumidifier?

[lingyi]

Given that you've stated you've been burning your discs from a hard drive with bad sectors and claim that you're unable to get the original files to verify the integrity of the data on those discs, all your efforts to extend the life of those discs is pointless.

If your discs are bad because of corrupted data copied to it, they can last 50 years and you'll still have the same corrupted data. Spend your time and money on getting a known good copy of your files, copy the files from the discs to your hard drive and and start testing the actual data on the disc against the verified good copy on your hard drive. If you can't/won't do that, as I said, your disc preservation efforts are pointless.

Only after you've verified the integrity of the data on the disc, not the disc burn itself, start thinking about how to best store and preserve your discs.

[lingyi]

Taking a step back, remembering lordsmurf's comments about a possibly bad backup is better than none. Your quest isn't completely pointless, just largely so until you can verify/test/restore your data.

[gamemaniaco]

Do HDDs have any automatic technology to reallocate and isolate bad sectors?

[lingyi]

Asked and answered multiple times in your other thread.

[Formica]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lingyi

Asked and answered multiple times in your other thread.

Do bulletin board forums have any automatic technology to isolate repetitive questions?

[lingyi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Formica

Do bulletin board forums have any automatic technology to isolate repetitive questions?

Yes. But only if you access them in a fungus free room, enclosed in a bag with silica, inside another room, with 2% hydrochloric acid in the air, with 30-35% humidity and a dehumidifier!

[lordsmurf]

I don't generally cross-post between forums, but another conversation, on another site, was spawned from this one.

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/...-optical-discs

And I want you to especially pay close attention to my post here:

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/...e2#post2598403

The person in this thread, our OP gamemaniaco, is (mostly?) wanting to retain backups of games. However, as I point out there, longevity of the media isn't the entire equation. There is longevity of the usefulness of the data to consider.

For example, I have games dating back to the mid 1980s -- CGA, EGA (Hercules card required!), 5.25" floppy copy protection -- that are 100% useless now. I have to have a cracked copy to even play, because fat chance finding a working 5.25" drive. The file was not copyable, so no image. Sierra is infamous: http://agi.sierrahelp.com/CopyProtection/index.html

There are many, many issues with old data. Locked to OS, hardware (sound cards, graphics cards, etc), CPU, even discs. Often related to copy protection, but not always.

So unless the content is truly historical documents in common formats (PDF, JPEG, MPEG), then the need for decades-old backups becomes suspect or moot.

[lingyi]

What idiot stated that thread at Videohelp! Oh yeah... *raises hand*

Thank you lordsmurf, lordsmurf, lordsmurf for your contribution. I think the thread has run it's course, with some really good possible solutions and your post is a great coda to it!

@gamey. No, I won't answer any questions about how to check the data on your discs. All the best answers are in that thread. Also, I'll *gulp* thank you here for making me think about actual data verification, NOT disc readability on burned discs.

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lingyi

What idiot stated that thread at Videohelp! Oh yeah... *raises hand*

Sometimes seemingly stupid conversations can spawn good discussions.

... though I didn't consider that thread, or this thread, to be stupid.

[lingyi]

Did you just compare me to gamey!!! *sniffle*

That just wants to make me want to hold my breath and turn blue until you apologize! Oh, I always forget, you'd like that!

Luv ya and always truly appreciate you. You old grouch! J/K!

[gamemaniaco]

I put my dehumidifier to keep the humidity at 50% and it does that but in the other hygrometers that are in the same room the humidity is 61-68% higher, which is the next recommended? my discs are stored in this room