Re: [ARSCLIST] Storing digital media

[Jerome Hartke <jhartke@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Any computer component can fail. Connectors are often the cause. Power
supplies contain resistors and inductive components as well as capacitors.
Let's not forget semiconductors. I had a semi company for some time, and all
chips contain undesirable impurities that migrate over time and result in
failure.

Anything and everything that we use have limited lifetimes. There is no
"Holy Grail" for storage. Those willing to spend time and effort to test
storage components can significantly improve the odds that stored
information will be accessible in XX years. With additional expense,
redundancy will give further improvement. But discard the notion that one
"ideal" means exists somewhere, or that blind use of a "magical" brand will
make all your dreams come true.

Jerry
Media Sciences, Inc.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> [mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of steven c
> Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 10:32 PM
> To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Storing digital media
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Don Cox" <doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > On 09/05/06, steven c wrote:
> > > Actually, computers themselves (which is what "servers" are) have an
> > > essentially unlimited life span (barring power surges, lightning
> > > strikes, nuclear explosions, etc.), since they have no moving parts.
> >
> > But they do have capacitors and often batteries on board. Both of these
> > can degenerate.
> >
> Batteries, yes...I have several old computers that start out convinced
> that January 1. 1980 has returned to haunt us. Capacitors, generally only
> if lightning strikes close by!
> > > Hard drives don't, since they DO have moving parts...but I would
> > > suspect their life span is better measured in hours of use...so
> > > that drives whose primary function is archival storage would probably
> > > have extended life spans. Also, I don't imagine there would be any
> > > substantial difference dependent upon whether the drives were internal
> > > or external.
> > >
> > > The important thing would be to have one drive dedicated as the C:
> > > drive for each archival computer...and NOT to use that drive for
> > > any archival storage, since it gets some use whenever the computer
> > > is operating.
> >
> > The system drive is only called "C:" in Windows and MSDOS.
> What does Apple call it? Having been using Wintel boxes for going
> on two decades, I'm used to seeing C:> (or was until Windows
> overruled DOS, anyway).
> > >
> ...stevenc
> http://users.interlinks.net/stevenc/