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good media longtime storage and resistant

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cecil87

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What media is good for long time storage data big files 500gb up?
 
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I've seen laser spots on glass shown, which would be good for
basic aging. But, oops....

Every medium has its strengths and weaknesses which must be
considered along with the storage and the readback environment.

Like, somebody probably thought 6150 tape cartridges were a
good archival option. Pretty robust case, good capacity (for the
day). Too bad the tape gets brittle and every tape drive made for
the tape, has seen its capstan roller turn to tar. So although the
tape may appear intact, you can't safely read it.

A plurality of smaller, longer-lived media and "volume spanning"
might be a better play than something "New! Improved!" that
hasn't seen its claims proven (let alone what they do not claim).
Like maybe "Azo Blue" CD or DVD+RW / -RW have superior
storage life. How to know... ?
 
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I would probably use a few external USB disks, both spinning and SSDs.
With some years interval, you have to verify all of them, and replace any that fails.
 
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Hi,

SSD/HDD or other similar media could use a redundant RAID system. Powerd up every once in a while and read all the content to automatically correct erronous bits.

I guess for about any media: storing in a cold, dark, oxygen reduced Pb box should be beneficial.
For any magnetics involved medium a magnetic shielding should be a good idea.

Professional storage often is done in massive, solide concrete rooms to widthstand earthquakes...or under earth.

Klaus
 
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For a RAID storage, there must be a way to read the disks if the RAID system itself fails (and enough disks are OK).
My guess for the most long-lived disk interface from today is USB, that's why I suggested separate external USB disks (or internal disks together with a bunch of external cases/converters with a USB interface.
 
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Storing solid state media in the freezer will certainly extend the
read retention time. But how much, you don't get to know. If you
had three identical then odds are good for "taking a vote".

But SSDs I still occasionally find to be "electrically brittle", an "oops"
ruins the filesystem and you get to reformat (unless you have some
good data recovery ability - maybe that (on a platform that itself
will stand the test of time) is the first, not the last, thing to find.
See remarks about tape drives being the limit to tape media....
 
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Years ago the same question was about fewer GB. I saw an answer stating CD's are the most robust media to store for decades. (DVD's have more GB's but they're thinner and more easily deteriorate.)

I'm not sure I could face burning and sorting 500 CD's. Over the years, hard disks have improved in reliability and shrunk in price. I still have 5.25 inch size which I keep as archival backups. If anything is irreplaceable I ought to back it up several ways.

I don't trust little 2.5 inch laptop drives because a couple of mine broke after a few years.
 
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Hi,

SSD vs HDD:
My personal experience: I had many HDD fails, so I replaced almost all of them with SSDs. Only one SSD fail over the last 15 years.

Klaus
 
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SSD is more durable than HDD for long-term storage? archiving

If someone modified the firmware and Smart of an HDD to show 0 badblocks and errors, through some testing is it possible to find out?
 
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Whaaaaaat? First you ask about long term storage; now, all of a sudden, we’ve got spies sneaking in and modifying the firmware? Make up your mind, what question do you want answered?

To answer your original question, EPROM manufacturers are quoting 100 years data retention. Is that good enough? Assuming evil cyborgs don’t modify your firmware.

I would think SSD is a lot more reliable over time. Mechanical components (HDD) don’t do well just sitting around; lubricants dry out, etc. Just protect your SSD from temperature extremes and radiation.
 
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I haven't had a SSD become read-unreliable at the bit
level. I have had a lot of USB thumb drives fail after
hard use (might be write cycle endurance) and several
internal SSDs just "go brick" for reasons I don't know.
A SD card in my phone "went bad", likewise, the phone
wants to reformat but I figure I'll get it out and try some
data recovery.

I think a quality USB3 drive may be your best bet for
"future proof interface", double-ESD-bag it and put it
in the fridge or freezer. But how to know which of such
are "quality", well....

There is of course a question regarding whether, or how
much of your data will be worth anything in the distant
future. Amusement value aside.
 
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cecil87 said:
What media is good for long time storage data big files 500gb up?
Click to expand...
HDDs are a traditional and cost-effective option for large-scale storage. They come in various capacities, including drives exceeding 500GB. However, keep in mind that HDDs have moving parts, so they are susceptible to mechanical failure over time. It's advisable to use these as backup solutions rather than the primary storage for critical data.
 
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HDD's are far more reliable now with sputtered media on glass rather than burnished aluminum platters.

I have 4 HDD drives but now only 3 HDD and 1 SSD .One has been in daily use for almost 10 yrs. ( but many Partitions and OS versions)
And no failures in last 5 yrs.

Define long term !

1703603632011.png
1703604116944.png

1703604130844.png


These are just some of mine, not necessarily chosen for Long term Storage, just large long term use.
1.3 million load/unload cycles.
1703603997987.png



Although I did have some mid 80's Maxtor drives running on Win95 I guess about 30 yrs old that still booted until I sold my house in the Peg. 10 yrs ago.,
--- Updated ---

dick_freebird said:
I haven't had a SSD become read-unreliable at the bit
level. I have had a lot of USB thumb drives fail after
hard use (might be write cycle endurance) and several
internal SSDs just "go brick" for reasons I don't know.
A SD card in my phone "went bad", likewise, the phone
wants to reformat but I figure I'll get it out and try some
data recovery.

I think a quality USB3 drive may be your best bet for
"future proof interface", double-ESD-bag it and put it
in the fridge or freezer. But how to know which of such
are "quality", well....

There is of course a question regarding whether, or how
much of your data will be worth anything in the distant
future. Amusement value aside.
Click to expand...
Freezer "burn" is as risk unless its one without heat cycles for defrost.
--- Updated ---

cecil87 said:
What media is good for long time storage data big files 500gb up?
Click to expand...
Most clouds are good for long term but not free. Pick one that is most likely to stay in business.

cloud.google.com

Pricing | Cloud Storage | Google Cloud

cloud.google.com cloud.google.com
 
Last edited:
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