Hard drives (HDDs): average lifespan 5–10 years. Vulnerable to drops, power surges, mechanical failure, and moisture/mold.
Solid state drives (SSDs): generally 10–15 years if powered and used, but unpowered NAND can start losing data in as little as 5–10 years.
USB/thumb drives: consumer-grade flash storage, similar to SSDs, but often less reliable. Not recommended for long-term archival — failure can occur unpredictably.
Burned DVDs (standard, not archival M-DISC/Blu-ray): if stored properly (cool, dark, low humidity, minimal handling), can last 20–50 years. They are inexpensive, widely available, and don’t rely on continuous power.
Cost factor: DVDs are far cheaper per copy than HDDs or SSDs. While cost per gigabyte is higher, redundancy is easy — multiple discs can be burned and stored in different locations for very little money.
Reliability edge: HDDs and SSDs fail all at once — if the device dies, everything on it is lost. With DVDs, failure is usually limited to a single disc, and the rest remain readable.
Best practice: burn multiple DVD copies, label clearly, and store them in separate, cool, dry places. Refresh (reburn) every few decades if the data matters.
>>513256837
This is amazing! I am in awe.
