Question medias archival data

[patrion87]

What are the most resistant and reliable media for long-term data archiving of large files, for example: between 150 and 300GB?
I thought about SSD because it is modern and fast, but I'm not sure.

[dellsam34]

Redundancy backup is the solution, Nothing is guaranteed, just make multiple backups. LTO tape storage is the most reliable but it's not cheap.

[patrion87]

i have 4 units laptop hdd 2.5" models ST500LM030 2x, WDC WD10JPVX-08JC3T5, and HTS541010A99E662 with same files
more my conditions is 33-36C 59-67% RH

[El Heggunte]

According to Wikipedia,

«Worn-out SSDs (for example, reached the Terabytes written) may start losing data after three months to one year without power, especially at high temperatures. Newer SSDs, depending on usage, may retain data longer. SSDs are generally not suited for long-term archival storage.»

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-ess-alert-potential-ssd-data-loss-after-extended-shutdown

[dellsam34]

Yes SSDs are good for data shoveling due to their fast read/write speed and short access time, and short term storage, I wouldn't trust them to keep my family photo album or home videos.

[patrion87]

and hdd 2.5" laptop x SSD in 33-36C 59-67% RH?

[dellsam34]

SSD is still SSD, it's a new technology that has about a decade or so in the market, so there is a lot of unknowns about it, It has to establish itself in a longer span like other technologies did to use it reliably for long term storage, Just use commonly known storage formats that stood the test of time which is pretty much magnetic storage. Optical storage is a mixed bag, Some types and brands didn't age well, I'm in the process of backing up my entire optical storage formats and so far the failure rate due to age is about 5% (BD-R, BD-R DL, DVD-R, +R and DL). Luckily none of the personal documents, home videos or photos are on those since I backed them up already back in 2013 to multiple HDDs.

[patrion87]

compared to SSD, Pendrive and MicroSD card the 2.5" laptop hdd in any study on long term archiving? are they fragile in long term storage at high temperatures of 34-36C humidity 59-67% in tropical countries and these hdds stored and accessed 1 or 2 times a year? Do these storage conditions make it easier to demagnetize a 2.5" laptop HDD?

[El Heggunte]

patrion87 == gamemaniaco

[dellsam34]

compared to SSD, Pendrive and MicroSD card the 2.5" laptop hdd in any study on long term archiving? are they fragile in long term storage at high temperatures of 34-36C humidity 59-67% in tropical countries and these hdds stored and accessed 1 or 2 times a year? Do these storage conditions make it easier to demagnetize a 2.5" laptop HDD?

All these answers are unknown due to the infancy of this storage format. You can lookup if there are ongoing studies, if they are public they should be on the internet.

[lollo]

SSD is still SSD, it's a new technology that has about a decade or so in the market, so there is a lot of unknowns about it

Not really, SSD is based on well known since decades Non Volatile Memories (Flash and EEPROM).

One of their main parameter is the "retention time", the time in which the charges are trapped in the floating gate of the transistors before to decay, giving then a number about how long NVM will keep or “remember” the data. Highly dependent on temperature and number of write cycles performed (another key parameter of NVMs).

The fact that NVMs are packaged to build an SSD has minimal impact in term of predicting performances.

Although recent progress (we reach now higher values than the classic 10 years retention at room temperature that everybody knows), retention is still a lower number than magnetic HDD.

[patrion87]

2.5" laptop HDD is considered as archiving media compared to new modern SSD even if the temperature and humidity are a bit high as I mentioned before? hdd has the problem of demagnetization

[dellsam34]

Never heard of this demagnetization problem, I've seen videos of hobbyists trying to erase an HDD with giant magnets and the HDD worked fine afterwards. HDD problems are mechanical not magnetic.

[patrion87]

HDDs manufactured in the 80s and 90s that still work today demagnetized?

For 2.5" laptop HDDs in archive mode, does accessing them once or twice a year help prevent mechanical defects?

[dellsam34]

I don't know why you keep asking the same questions, This is a form of archival paranoia, As I mentioned before just have multiple copies of your very important files, if one failed you have a backup, Nothing is guaranteed in this life, period. Trust me after we pass away next generations don't give a rats @ss about our files unless there is a will in them.
I had once a 3.5" hard drive failure that I only power up once in a year or so, it turns out the power supply failed which caused the HDD to fail writing and bricked it, Had to pay for data recovery as it was the only copy I had, lesson learned and I don't trust any technology anymore, I have 3 backups of my personal files now.

[Barrythecrab]

We are being "Gameyed".