the best archival cds ?

[Phyllisva]

I am looking for archival CDs -- I have heard about GOLD cds ? can anyone tell me more about them . I looked online and there seems to be different kinds . The price seems to be around 55.00 for a 50 pack ( on amazon ) does that sound right to you ?

TIA
Phyllis

[aam1234]

Hi,

Can't help you there but was wondering why CDs rather than DVDs.

[Lensmeister]

I tend to use DVD. Verbaitum are usually the best I have used as few few end up as coasters.

Hope this helps

[gallen11]

I use Archival Gold DVD and they work great, information on the ones I use can be found at Delkin Devices Delkin Devices - Udma Compact Flash - Digital camera accessories and OEM flash manufacturer. They do cost more but to me they are worth it.

Gallen11

[dsp]

The Delkin Gold CDs seem to be pretty good. I can't say they really last for 300 years, though. That price range is about right, they are usually $1.00 to $1.50 each or so, depending where you buy.
As to why CD and not DVD, at this point CDs are more stable and have much longer data retention ratings, CD = 300 years, DVD = 100 years. Does that really matter? Probably not, either way they'll out last me...

[aam1234]

Originally Posted by dsp

As to why CD and not DVD, at this point CDs are more stable and have much longer data retention ratings, CD = 300 years, DVD = 100 years.

That's very interesting. Thanks.

[dsp]

Originally Posted by aam1234

That's very interesting. Thanks.

Yeah, I was a little surprised when I first saw that. Those numbers are for the gold versions, since that's what the OP asked about.

[jfrancho]

I don't consider CDs archival media.

[dsp]

Originally Posted by jfrancho

I don't consider CDs archival media.

300 years not long enough for you?

[Phyllisva]

Originally Posted by dsp

Yeah, I was a little surprised when I first saw that. Those numbers are for the gold versions, since that's what the OP asked about.

you say "gold versions" ....is there something better ??

I just want to be sure that my daughter's children will have something just as I have my grandmother's old negs .

[dsp]

Originally Posted by Phyllisva

you say "gold versions" ....is there something better ??

I just want to be sure that my daughter's children will have something just as I have my grandmother's old negs .

Gold is the best right now, at least as far as I know.

[jfrancho]

Originally Posted by dsp

300 years not long enough for you?

They are bulky, llamaty little pieces of plastic that are easily destroyed. I wouldn't rely on them for anything other than distributing files or temporary redundancy. You may feel differently.

[aam1234]

Phyllis, if this is your goal then there are some issues you might want to consider. For example, could the file/photo format be read in 50 years.

I'm no techie so I'll leave it to the experts here to shed more light on long term archiving.

[dsp]

Originally Posted by jfrancho

They are bulky, llamaty little pieces of plastic that are easily destroyed. I wouldn't rely on them for anything other than distributing files or temporary redundancy. You may feel differently.

I just thought that instead of just throwing out that comment that really didn't help the thread you might want to expand on it a little and offer a better solution?

[jfrancho]

I've expounded on this topic many times, but I'll go again.

I think one needs to clearly define and delineate between archival and disaster recovery. Redundancy, i.e. backing up fits into both strategies. One should perform some form of back up to the working files, at the frequency that causes the least hassle, but minimizes loss of data. I use one weekly full backup and daily incremental backups. I also use RAID 1 mirroring on my working files.

For archival, I store finished files, that won't probably be altered but will need to be accessed, in three locations. Anytime any data is added to the archive, the changes are cascaded to all three locations. Quarterly I do an integrity check of stored data from all locations. This is merely opening (not saving) a few random files, and comparing filename, creation date, byte count, and last save date. Any discrepancies are investigated and synchronized. This probably sounds a bit bulky, but takes less than 15 minutes a month (backups run during off times).

I work in IT, and have been part of disaster recovery/business continuity planning for quite some time, so I enjoy going through the hoops to maintain my data. For the average person with several thousand images, I'd say mirroring your data drive (working directories and archive) along with two external hard drives, one connected to the PC for backups and one stored either off site or in a fire safe containing a synchronized copy of the archive is an excellent strategy.

As far as CD/DVD optical media goes, there is definitely a place for it in the strategy, though I would limit it to on site backup of a shoot as the cards are DL'd, distribution of files, and other short term situations.

I have approximately 500 GB of archived image files, customer orders, invoices, and info. That would take up over 100 DVDs. Just verifying the integrity of that volume of media would take days. I can verify my data in minutes using a script and a report.

[Phyllisva]

ok -- without trying to over do this, all I am trying to do is save my family photos ( My biggest fear is a computer crash and my daughter's life in photos is GONE !! ) -- but I do not want to have to do weekly backups ..yada yada yada ....so please , what do you suggest I should buy an external hardrive , transfer them and put it in a safe ? which hardrive ? Excuse all of the "stupid" questions ... but I really would like to know . most of the stuff I shoot is just for me , so if it is lost , no biggie -- but the family stuff I NEED to keep safe .



Thanks for all of your advice
Phyllis

[jfrancho]

These aren't stupid quastions at all. An external HDD in a fire safe is an excellent plan. I bought an inexpensive USB 2.0 case, and add a HDD. That way, I can just swap out the drives, and leave the enclosure on my desk. Newegg.com has a bunch of them: Newegg.com - External Enclosure, External Hard Drive Enclosure, USB External Enclosure, Multimedia External Enclosure. For HDDs, I'm a fan of Seagate, though I have a few Western Digital and Hitachis that work fine. Make sure the drive and the enclosure are compatible. The size depends on how much data you intend to store.