NIST publishes CDR/DVDR care guide

[Thorn]

For those of you who don't slashdot, NIST published a 50-page guide to handling your recordable media.

See their web page at http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/carefordisc/index.html

Or, read the one page summary at: http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/carefordisc/onepage.pdf

Of note is that they recommend not using stick-on labels for long term storage. I don't expect anyone to change camps over that, but if you're actually looking for real info rather than anecdotal evidence, you can read a real study. Also, there is good info on how recordable media works.

FYI NIST is the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

[MOVIEGEEK]

Thanks for the guides,I was wondering why they would say not to store the discs horizontally.

[Thorn]

Yea, the bit about horizontal storage is odd. In the full report, they say that if stored horizontally, particularly at high temperatures for a long time, discs can become warped. Personally, I don't see how the orientation will affect warping significantly, although the storage medium might affect it. Slim cases have less room to warp, while on a spindle the entire stack could warp in the same way (theoretically).

More important than the orientation is not putting it in hot/humid conditions in the first place.

Also, I'm practicing media refresh - every few years, I copy my old discs onto newer medium (so far CD to DVD, and in a few years to the next generation). However, I have hundreds of CDs so it may be a good many years before I get to the less important stuff. As long as you're extra careful with your really important stuff, the rest is all about mitigating the risk.