I keep my songs as MP3 files on the computer and back them up occassionally. That way, they don't degrade on CDs.

I have my MP3s on my PC, and i do back them up using CDRs and RWs.

Yeah, i can relate.

Yikes!

Yeah, I have a couple of older burned CDs that were a gift, that won't play any more.

The ones I usually buy are Verbatim. I don't know how long they'll last (going on 3 - 4 years now), but on the back of the box it says: "Archival life up to 100 years" (though that's hard to believe, in light of the posted article).

No more cheapo CDs for me!

Anyway, thanks for the "heads up," krusty!

Id better check mine, but I think they still play fine

Some do's and dont's:

DO:

• Handle discs by the outer edge or the centre hole
• Use a non solvent-based felt-tip permanent marker to mark the label side of the disc
• Keep dirt or other foreign matter from the disc
• Store discs upright (book style) in original jewel cases that are specified for CDs and DVDs
• Return discs to their jewel cases immediately after use
• Leave discs in their spindle or jewel case to minimize the effects of environmental changes
• Remove the shrink wrap only when you are ready to record data on the disc
• Store in a cool, dry, dark environment in which the air is clean -- relative humidity should be in the range 20% - 50%  and temperature should be in the range 4°C - 20°C
• Remove dirt, foreign material, fingerprints, smudges, and liquids by wiping with a clean cotton fabric in a straight line from the centre of the disc toward the outer edge
• Use de-ionised (best), distilled or soft tap water to clean your discs.  For tough problems use diluted dish detergent or rubbing alcohol.  Rinse and dry thoroughly with a lint-free cloth or photo lens tissue
• Check the disc surface before recording

Peter wrote: Yikes! Yeah, I have a couple of older burned CDs that were a gift, that won't play any more. The ones I usually buy are Verbatim. I don't know how long they'll last (going on 3 - 4 years now), but on the back of the box it says: "Archival life up to 100 years" (though that's hard to believe, in light of the posted article). No more cheapo CDs for me! Anyway, thanks for the "heads up," krusty!

I never hadthe problem yet, as I use a hi-fi burner and Maxell Music CD-rs 80 mins

krusty wrote: I am guilty of buying cheap unbranded CDR's to backup CD's or put MP3's onto, I have been using DVD-R's for a while now but I should imagine they will suffer the same degradation. Chopper raises an interesting point though, will there be audio cd, dvd or mp3 players in 10yrs time anyway. I have a cupboard full of betamax videos that I can no longer play (yes I bought a betamax) On the videos are lots of Old Grey Whistle Test performancies (Fairport Convention, King Crimson, Rory Gallagher, Captain Beefhart, etc) plus some tube episodes and because I don't have a player, I can't watch them This is what could happen in the future, as Chopper said with your favorite tunes or your family video, you may still have the media but no device to play it!

Same with me. I'm also using DVDRs to burn my music. If I'm not mistaken, DVD lasts longer then normal CD.. Even if it doesn't, although the waste of money, I can still have my music organized in any order I like.

krusty wrote: I am guilty of buying cheap unbranded CDR's to backup CD's or put MP3's onto, I have been using DVD-R's for a while now but I should imagine they will suffer the same degradation. Chopper raises an interesting point though, will there be audio cd, dvd or mp3 players in 10yrs time anyway. I have a cupboard full of betamax videos that I can no longer play (yes I bought a betamax) On the videos are lots of Old Grey Whistle Test performancies (Fairport Convention, King Crimson, Rory Gallagher, Captain Beefhart, etc) plus some tube episodes and because I don't have a player, I can't watch them This is what could happen in the future, as Chopper said with your favorite tunes or your family video, you may still have the media but no device to play it!

You can by a DVD Recorder/VHS Combi and transfer your tapes to DVD!

This one's £150.

Now you know what this means?

My 650 burned cds will rot!

I don't use CDs or DVDs for these purposes anymore. If you burned a lot of audio CDs, the best solution would be to make backups by ripping them in a lossless format and storing the files on  DVDs. If you use the Windows Media Player (wma lossless), you'll always be able to copy them from the DVD to the harddisk and then burn them again.

And be sure to copy the DVDs each year, just to be on the safe side.

chopper wrote: How do Verbatim know that their CDs will last for "up to 100 years"?

• will have forgotten about the guarantee
• never knew about it in the first place
• won't know how to go about getting a replacement
• couldn't be bothered to send the CDs back
• won't have any means to play CDs anyway

chopper wrote: This is a general worry of the digital age. Even if a CD with some MP3 files on it does last for, say, 10 or 20 years, how do we know we'll still have the technology around then to play them? The same thing goes for all my family videos.

You probably won't be able to find a CD player that plays MP3 but MP3 has one big advantage over previous storage methods - it's the first software storage method and the previous methods were all hardware based so it should be easier to copy and replay MP3 in future than it is to copy and replay LPs. The same goes for MPEG videos.

King of Loss wrote: Now you know what this means? My 650 burned cds will rot!

this means were both dead,

or am i the only one?

krusty wrote: I am guilty of buying cheap unbranded CDR's to backup CD's or put MP3's onto, I have been using DVD-R's for a while now but I should imagine they will suffer the same degradation. Chopper raises an interesting point though, will there be audio cd, dvd or mp3 players in 10yrs time anyway. I have a cupboard full of betamax videos that I can no longer play (yes I bought a betamax) On the videos are lots of Old Grey Whistle Test performancies (Fairport Convention, King Crimson, Rory Gallagher, Captain Beefhart, etc) plus some tube episodes and because I don't have a player, I can't watch them This is what could happen in the future, as Chopper said with your favorite tunes or your family video, you may still have the media but no device to play it!

The betamax tapes can be transferred to VHS. There are places that will do this for you and I am pretty certain that you can buy something that will allow you to do it at home.

The Betamax Vs VHS incompatibility is unusual.There was a problem foreseen because of the +R and -R formats of DVDs but most players accept both and most burners can use either format.No doubt the same thing will happen with Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.

There is no chance that CDs and DVDs will be obsolete in 30 years.Whether they are still desirable is another matter.

krusty wrote: Tony R wrote: There is no chance that CDs and DVDs will be obsolete in 30 years.Whether they are still desirable is another matter. mmmm, bold statement at the end there I remember Bill Gates stating no one would need more than 640Kb of RAM

People still play LPs the technology is over 100 yrs old,they still use tapes for recording music,of course we'll still be using our CDs in 30 years time...I mean Sony only stopped producing Betamax Decks in 2002!!