CD rot

Well, I've recently experienced my first case of CD rot. It's one of the first CDs I bought oh, must have been ten years ago, and happens to be a CD of ELP's first album -- no wisecracks about ELP, please ;-)

Looking at the underside of the CD, which I had kept in pristine condition, I can see patches of darker discoloration on the silver coating as if something is getting under it. The CD is unplayable.

I'm now left wondering how many more of my CDs are going to go the same way in the next few years. Hmmm... rather worrying.

I have always thought this to be an inevitability I'm afraid. Like a lot of things with a short life-time - no-one knows how long they will actually last.

Ah yes, sorry

Edited by Glueman - April 17 2007 at 14:30

Easy Livin wrote: I think in the early days it was the labels they used on the CDs which were found to cause the problems.

[soapbox mode]
While there are known 'bad batches' of cds that have a lot of rot I think this disaster can happen  to any cd at any time. It's really a bummer and a major downfall of cd's as a medium.  I have  cds that are now over 20 years old and have no problem and  one as old I had to discard. I have also discarded a cd less than 3 years old because of this.  This pestilence can strike at any time.
 At least when a record was bad (warped scratched or off center) you knew imediatly and got it replaced for free. If it was good it stayed good. No surprises 7 years later when it may be hard to find a replacement and you definatly have to pay for it again.  This is a crappy situation and there should be a recourse for those of us burned by poor quality control.

[/soapbox mode]
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Edited by Flyingsod - April 17 2007 at 22:30

"CD rot - better than scrot rot" .. as my grandpa always used to say.

You do know plastic doesn't rot, it's a reaction in carbon based material when it get's old and starts producing bacteria that then turns it back to earth, easily put. I bet you do. Anyway, I hope mine won't go bad. Of course nothing is forever, but it'd be crap having to update the cd collection again and again.

I've never encountered this problem and hope I never do.

Ok I may as well take your advice. I too need a new hard drive.

Ah it would have to be on two hard drives. It's best to have en external one - then you can turn it off and the hard drive won't be spinning constantly - thus shortening it's life.