What happened to my CD-RW ?

savedmoney

Hi

Back in 2003 when I finished university I gathered all my lecture notes and filed them away in Lever Arch folders, placed these folders within plastic boxes and put the boxes into my attic.

I also had some electronic files so I burnt these onto a CD-RW and placed this inside
a
3L Polypropylene CD Pocket



These pockets have adhesive on one side so I stuck it onto the inside of one of the Lever Arch files, nice and safe so I thought.

Now I thought this would mean that my CD would be protected and usable for forseeable future.
Now my attic can be cold and does have condensation build up at times buy generally is a stable place to store things.

So seven years later I went up to the attic and took out my CD inside a Polypropylene Pocket, stuck to a Lever Arch folder inside a plastic box.
And when I placed it in my computer I noticed that not all data files were accessible.

On closer inspection the underside has a rough slightly grimey residual layer on it.
I have taken pics using a flash to try and illustrate what has happened to the data side

Click for larger photo



I know that fingerprints look prominent, but it as if this grime underneath, is something more.

Here is another pic at an angle with less flash




Not sure if it will make a difference but the original CD is
Packard Bell CD-RW
probably purchased from PC World 7-8 years ago.



So my questions are -

1 - What could have caused this grimey residue to build up on my CD
Could it be a problem with long term contact with the Polypropylene Pocket
Could it be just due to mishandling and touching of the data side of the CD prior to it being stored away?
Could it be hot and cold conditions in my attic?

2- How can I clean my CD to make all the data usable again

3- How can I make sure my electronic data on optical media is kept safe for future use
Is there a particular type of CD or DVD that I should use?
How important are temperature and conditions in attic?

Thanks

DodgyLurgy

Sorry to say but I doubt you would get much off that disc, could be disc-rot - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_rot

I tend to keep any discs I burn off in a folder close to my computer, I run them through the drive now and again to make sure they are readable but even then I've lost data due to a few dodgy discs :-(

A._Badger

I'm truly sorry you've had to learn this lesson the hard way - a very hard way, indeed.

CDs - and CD-RWs in particular - are not reliable storage media. There are many contributory factors in their decay but the long and short of it is that you should never entrust any data you need to a single disc. According to a paper from an IBM guru a few years ago, the only reasonably reliable medium is a 7,200 RPM hard drive. He specified that as, at the time, the 7,200 RPM discs were the best that HD makers offered.

Some professional archvists still prefer magnetic tape to discs - which is saying something! And in case anyone is thinking DVD - forget it. DVDs are at least as bad - maybe worse.

I can't advise on how to get your data back as there are too many intangibles. Nor can I say exactly what went wrong, but it could be disc layers oxidising or just decomposing, for one reason or another. Temperature could have played a part (light certainly would have) and you're right - the oils and acids in your skin haven't helped either - but CDs will rot all on their own, without human help, I'm afraid.

What I can say is that your backup strategy from now should include making multiple discs from multiple manufacturers (not all discs are created equal - but it's hard to tell which ones are good and which aren't). Also, backup to external hard drives and, if possible, backup offsite, as well.

Not much use to you, I know. But if it saves someone's wedding photos, I offer it for what it's worth.

alanjuk

More info here

savedmoney

Okay thanks for the info so far guys.

I have learnt something new, namely that CDs in particular CD-RWs are not as durable as I thought they are.

In this particular case I think the next step would be to try and clean and see what happens.

I am going to use
Isopropyl Alcohol
and
Microfibre Cloth

And see what effect this has

Will update my results.

closed

http://www.isobuster.com/

timmmers

For the record, light writes to CDs and also gradually destroys the data written on them, so transparent storage is a bad idea. So is leaving them out in direct sunlight.

There are packages that will recover data from CDs, I have used a few with various levels of success..but as for damage/dirt ..Blockbuster have good cleaning devices and if you're very nice they may just do yours for you. Something similar to Disc Doctor but more reliable.

Roadkil's unstoppable copier was one proggie that worked well, and I think http://www.piriform.com/recuva does similar stuff.

t

savedmoney

Started a thread here since I have a query on cleaning solutions
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2687665

Thanks

Stompa

Some manufacturers produce what they describe as 'archival quality' media. I've no idea whether they really do last longer though.

KillerWatt

Stompa wrote: »

Some manufacturers produce what they describe as 'archival quality' media. I've no idea whether they really do last longer though.

If you are talking about dye manufacturers such as Taiyo Yuden, then yes they do last the distance - but the quality is reflected in the cost.

You pay your money, you make your choice.

savedmoney

Hi all

Thanks for all your replies.

Well I gave the CD a clean using

Isopropyl Alcohol solution with (trichlorotrifluoroethane) (Originally came with my audio cassette head cleaner)
and

Microfibre Cloth

And it turns out the griminess was only on the surface. The cleaning kit worked very well.

All the data was accessible after the clean.

Have learnt a lot from this whole incident and the useful info from all you have posted.

What I will do - Will reburn data onto CD-R with the understanding that it had a limited shelf life, will take care to keep it as clean as possible prior to placing it into the plastic CD sleeve, stuck onto Lever Arch, placed in plastic box, in attic.
An alternative is to store the data on a small SD Card - Available on eBay for a few pounds. But for now I will stick with the CD, had the data been more personal (irreplaceable) I would have gone with the SD Card option.

What actually happened - Can't be sure how this grimey residue occured. The most likely cause was temperature changes in my attic leading to condensation. I am going to keep the Plastic CD sleeves that I use under assessment, an alternative would be too use
Plastic Jewel cases
Also back in 2003 when I placed the CD in place, I am sure I wasn't as careful not to touch the data side

Thanks for all posters