Rants, Raves and Revelations

Archiving Your Valued Data — Archival CD-R/DVD-R Disks

By Scott Armstrong [Mid-Columbia MUG] and Harry {doc} Babad

Parts of this article, written by Scott, first appeared in the MC•MUG February 2007 Finder — Since I chased this in parallel to Scott, I’ve added my –cents worth {doc}

-------------

Product and company names and logos in this review may be registered trademarks of their respective companies.

At last month’s McMUG meeting there was interest in what brand discs one should buy if they want their data to last for years and years. First, the issue of quality depends upon what kind of data you want to store on the disk. Then there is the price consideration. If you want to share some photos or some data with someone and it doesn’t have to last a lifetime, then I use the TDK disks from Costco. Costco has a “buy one get one free” special sometimes. That makes them a great deal. I found the TDK disks to be very good for non-archival purposes. I don’t ever buy the store branded disks, preferring to use national brands. I have also had a lot of problems with the Imation brand of disks.

Archiving My Data – Why Bother? A Rant by doc_Babad

Think your data are safe and that you'll never suffer from data loss? Well, think again! There is a number of ways you can lose your valued data. Ways of data loss either on your computer or as you’ll later see on your CD archives can be divided into three categories.

They are: (1) Natural Causes, (2) Other people messing with your stuff and (3) most usually you messing up. I found a nice article on data loss on the Internet — preventing it, or if you must, dealing with it. Check out http://www.tombraider4u.com/hotmail-password.shtml/.Remember Murphy — Hard disks crash. Regular quality CD/DVDs go bad after a while. What backup; oh I didn’t check the “playability” of the media I burned or did a backup to

What Data? — A Bad CD

My guidelines for preserving materials on archival media are simple. Scott may have others but all follow the same paradigm. Will it hurt?

Will I care, after a minute or three or even a week, if the information gets lost?
Can I replace the information more easily than to archive it?
Will it cost me money or embarrassment or worse if I cant replace lost data?
Is this something my family can remember me by? After all I’m seventy plus now.
Will this be a “thanks for the memory” item to comfort me or ultimately my family in days to come? [Alas, I believe that I will live on only in the memories of those whose loves I shared. The rest may be real or not… in this life I’ll never know.

A table of what I would and at times do digitally preserve – a partial list is found in the postscript at the end of this column. Make your own list. Go beyond backups and start archiving.

A Short List of What I Will Not Archive or Try to Preserve

Records that will send me to Jail or ruin my career or marriage.
Grocery lists, to do lists and most email
My tales of lying and cheating ways.
The flotsam and jetsam of daily trivia.
The nine of ten photos I poorly take.
Instant Messaging and iChat logs
The myspace.com entries my future boss or significant other can read.

Okay --- let’s agree to really do some archiving. It’s mostly about our choice media since the burners we already own inherently limit most of us. To maximize the quality recording produced by your burner and software learn to understand their limitations. Read the manufactures notes on how to make the rest recording on your device and how to best use your chosen software. [Toast is still our favorite and macC is testing Roxio’s Toast 8 for an upcoming edition.]

Who Makes Archival Quality Disks and What’s Special About Them

As for Archival Quality disks there are two brands—Mitsui and Taiyo Yuden [TY]. They are different because they use a Phthalocyanine dye or Cyanine dye. This gives the disks a bluish green color. The cost of the dye and the process of making the disks make them cost more. But, it is the dye that makes the disks last a long time, therefore Archival. The controlled manufacturing along with both a superior dye and disk-by-disk quality testing results in a Less than 0.006% failure rate for the Taiyo Yuden DVDs. Doc could find no numbers but the TK CDs “outperform the competition in recording accuracy in a wide variety of data and audio applications.”

Archival Disks — The rest of the story

What makes a disk archival is the dye used and the quality of the disk manufacturing process. The resulting disks are priced based on how well they meet or exceed the manufacturer’s testing standards.

A disk is made up of 5 layers. The top layer is the one the label is printed on. Then there’s a lacquer layer, a reflective layer, a dye layer and at the bottom of the disk, a protective layer. A laser burns or pits the dye layer with the digital information. It is the stability of the dye layer that makes a disk archival. For information on the manufacturing process go to the Mam-A website http://www.mam-a.com and click on the manufacturing link. It’s great reading. There’s also a reading list ranging from technical to practical at the end of this article.

Mam-A notes that things that can destroy a disk are gouges in the bottom layer, alcohol based markers used to write on the top layer (such as a Sharpie, or excessive exposure to the UV rays and sunlight. The data layer is very close to the top layer so a Sharpie's ink can eventually bleed thru to the dye layer and make it difficult for the laser to read. Excessive sunlight can fade the dye layer and also make it difficult for the laser to read. The Phthalocyanine dye used is the Mistui disks are the most stable dye available.

The Cyanine dye of the Taiyo Yuden disks come in a very close second. But what’s a few decades among friends – it the storage conditions that protect the enhanced media that effects longevity. So if you store your archive media in the car in Tucson summers, you’re wasting good money and time. Doc sez, the few archive CDs I’ve made are stored in my safe deposit box along with my passport and other valuable papers. [Yes, I’ve also scanned that much paper.]

And Now the Media Specifics

CD Media — The Mitsui disks are made right here in the United States actually in Colorado. Read more about Mitsui Media at http://www.inkjetart.com/mitsui/index.html. You can purchase the disks directly from their online store.

The Taiyo Yuden disks come in two flavors, the >Premium disks and the Value Line. When disks are manufactured, a batch is checked for manufacturing defects and quality. If the batch passes the quality test then they are sold as the Premium disks. If the batch has too many defects then the batch is sold as the Value Line at a reduced price. Both types of disks are available from http://www.supermediastore.com. Harry says the TY premium disks are available from http://www.neato.com/ at very good prices in 100 disk lots. He found the Premium Taiyo Yuden CD-Rs - 52X, 700MB/80 Min - 100 Pack, Taiyo Yuden part number CDR80ZZ100SB-ZM at Neato for $0.30 each. They have Silver Thermal Lacquer with no logos or branding. You can also get disks from http://www.meritline.com. But SuperMediaStore has them for less $0.23 in lots of 200 disks.

The Taiyo Yuden Premium lines of disks are excellent and I have had no burn errors at all. I use the Taiyo Yuden disks for archiving my client photos and important computer data for my photography business.

We have purchased the Value Line disks for less than $0.24 cents each. But we bought 300 at a time. The value line disks are sold shrink wrapped in a stack. At Radio Station KVEW we use them to put a 0:30 second commercial on it just for the client to view their commercial. So at the station, we use the value line just to contain the cost. I, said Scott, couldn’t find any archive equivalent brand anywhere cheaper than $0.23 cents each. They play fine for station use. However, I made some data backups on the value line disks and had a lot of data mismatch errors on verification when using Roxio’s Toast software. So I wouldn’t use the value line disks for really important data.

As McMUG member, Derek C., mentioned, the TK disks can be made in either Japan (the really top quality ones) or Taiwan (a lesser grade). When you purchase the Taiyo Yuden disks check the white paper at the top of the disk stack in the Cake Box; it will have English and Japanese type and the words “Made in Japan” clearly marked. These are the ones to get – just ask when you mail order. We’ve not tested the Japanese or the disks from Taiwan side-by-side, but for no difference in cost, why take a chance. If the error rate were even as low as 0.06% that more testing then doc wants to do; and not all errors lose data. Consumer Reports, are you listening? Why not tell us which media, in brands we see every day, are best.

Note that this compared to brand name CD-Rs like TDKs that cost a bit under $0.18/disk in 100 lots at Costco when not on sale. I also use the TDK Music CDs for my samplers and concert recordings, a non-archive function. The after all have purportedly passed more stringent QA requirements. I too don’t like the Imation media or the Memorex products either; too many failed writes or for music, unplayable disks.

DVD Media — The Taiyo Yuden 16x Silver Thermal or White Printable DVD-R disks usually sell for about $0.49 cents each [$0.43 ea for 100 at Neato] in the 100 pack. They are usually sold in 2 ea. 50-pack cake boxes. [The 8X DVD-Rs are only $0.31 each at Neato. I’ve not started using Archive DVDs yet. Why, because a bad CD loses me less data than a DVD. No it’s not logical, but I’m not always logical. - doc]

In Closing

Don’t take chances. For very important data, use an Archival CD or DVD such as those from Mitsui or Taiyo Yuden.

Then use a water based disc marker for making the label or print one. Keep the disk in a jewel case for protection and out of the sunlight and in a moderately tempered room. Don’t store disks in the garage in the heat and cold and don’t leave them sitting bottom up on a table in the direct sunlight.

Don’t buy generic name or cheap store brand disks. With good brand disks and correct storage your disks should last for many decades.

Now the problem will be reading the old disks in 30 years when you don’t have a working DVD drive anymore. Will eBay still be around?

Have fun and happy burning.

§ § § § § § § § § § § § § § § § § §

Useful Reading: - if these don’t meet your needs Google Archive quality CDs or DVDs.

Stability Comparison of Recordable Optical Discs—A Study of Error Rates in Harsh Conditions

http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/gipwog/StabilityStudy.pdf

Archiving onto CDs by Nigel Deacon and others

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/suttonelms/articles9.html

Answers to your questions about CD/DVD archival capacity and testing.

http://www.nicholsimaging.com/photo_preservation.htm

By Tom Peterson, Product Line Manager for Rimage Corporation

Identifying Top Quality CD and DVD Media for Archiving

http://www.physorg.com/news2297.html

How To Choose CD/DVD Archival Media, Ad Terras Per Aspera
http://adterrasperaspera.com/blog/2006/10/30/how-to-choose-cddvd-archival-media/

Preserving your photos before they get damaged

http://www.nicholsimaging.com/photo_preservation.htm/

Re: arsclist CD-Roms - which are closest to archival quality?

http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byform/mailing-lists/arsclist/2001/06/msg00095.html

§ § § § § § § § § § § § § § § § § §

PS:

WHAT TO ARCHIVE – A list that is likely overkill.
Item	Examples	Rationale
Financial Records	Asset Lists & Details	Inheritance & the like
	Tax Returns	It’s the law, but not forever.
	Wills and Living Wills	Need you ask, try probate
	Capital Items	The tools of your trade
	Appraisals – Land of Property
	Home Improvement	Record of value added plus your creative efforts
	Business Records
Insurance	Fine Arts Collection Images	Ownership proof
	Musical Instruments, Antiques	It all adds up
	Collectable details	Pack rat or collector?
	Home and Yard Inventory	Ibid
Photos	Color Photos	The real ones fade
	Black & White Photos	They’re getting older
	Negative	Recover the past
Literary Efforts	Poetry	Shucks
	Novels & Short Stories	Try to sell them again
	Published items	Nothing breeds like success
	Love letters	Significant other only
Artistic Efforts	Paintings, sketches drawings. As photo images	If you don’t who will
Artistic Efforts	Crafts I created	You didn’t know you were that good
Memorabilia	Family Photos	Those were the days!
Memorabilia	Scanned Family Correspondence	Memories of June to December
Business Documents	Reports you’ve written for clients	Potential professional liability
Business Documents	Resumes and publications	You were smarter than you looked
Odds and Ends	Anything you invested very long hours creating	Labors of love. [E.g., doc’s recipe collection.]
Odds and Ends	White Label Concerts and Samplers	Items that are not commercially available at any price

macCompanion Magazine

Rants, Raves and Revelations

Archiving Your Valued Data — Archival CD-R/DVD-R Disks

By Scott Armstrong [Mid-Columbia MUG] and Harry {doc} Babad