Alan Chandler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > On Sunday 10 September 2006 03:05, H.S. wrote: >> I have around 4.5GB of photos from the past few years on my hard disk. I >> have all of these as albums in digikam. I am thinking of saving these on >> to a DVD and freeing up the space from my hard disk. I was wondering if >> anyone has any suggestions on how best to do this.
Don't be penny-wise and pound foolish! Hard drives never have been more affordable. If you are pressed for disc space, save yourself much time and potential grief by simply purchasing a new drive, either as a replacement or else as a second drive. Both the CD and the DVD are quite susceptible to mechanical damage, particularly on the back side, on which is the reflective layer, just under the paint or label. Moreover, the reflective layer is prone to flaking and peeling with time and with variation in temperature and humidity. And the reflective layer, unless it is gold, is susceptible to dulling with oxidation, for the sandwich construction does not provide a hermetic seal for the reflective layer. There even have been reports of a strain of bacteria, said to be found in tropical regions of the earth, which feeds upon aluminum, and which has been known to eat away the reflective layer of CDs. Finally, any dye-based system such as user-burnable CD or DVD is prone to chemical changes of the dye with time, temperature, and humidity. Consequently, CD and DVD are not worthy candidates for archival storage. Within reasonable economic constraints, the safest options for long-term storage of irreplaceable data appear to be conventional fixed disk drives and flash media. However, because of the fact that drive electronics likewise are susceptible to the effects of time, heat, and humidity, and in view of the fact that technological changes can leave the average user with no way to access data on an obsolete device, valuable data should be transferred to a new fixed drive or new flash device every five years or so. Of course, redundancy is recommended: put irreplaceable data on more than one device, and keep at least one copy off-site, to protect against fire, flood, vandalism, user errors, etc. Friends and families would do well to provide one another drive space for off-site storage of redundant archives; in view of the plummeting cost of storage devices, to do so has become practical and of negligible cost. (Here in the US, a 300- to 400-Gbyte Seagate drive can be had for a hundred dollars US.) (An Example: Does anyone remember the 8-inch floppy, which came in both single- and double-side versions, and in both single- and double-density variations? And does anyone still have running a system which can read these floppies? And are 20-year-old floppies still readable, or has the binder for the magnetic oxide turned to gum?) RLH -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
