This was quite a revelation for me... apparently they're finding that CD-Rs may last as little as 2 years, even when kept in a dark cupboard.

What they say is that due to the different metallic construction of RWs, they actually last much longer than just write-once CD-Rs. Which is the opposite of what I personally thought.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/story.jsp?story=513486

Quite a difference from manufacturer claims of 100 years. Back up your backups!

Yes, so then, what do people recommend for a more permanent solution. . .right now I'm not looking to spend thousands of dollars, not even hundreds if possible. Also, not up on the latest technology, so enlighten me. . .tape drives? 750 MB zip disks? separate HDs? Something else I don't know about? Brain chips?

Well they did say that rewritables should last much longer.

Plus you could always make a fresh copy of the disc every year. Sort of like spring cleaning...

Short of shooting on film in the first place (I've got footage thats over fifty years old and looks great) Count on backing up your digital storage. Make it part of your annual chores. Tapes last longer than discs, so I store on tape exclusively, but still back up every couple of years.

What kind of tapes? Mini DV? What kind of stuff are you backing up? I can put footage/movies on miniDV, but whatabout your other types of files? Let's say project files from Vegas, scripts, whatever? Until yesterday I'd thought CDs were a great medium for them.

So what you guys saying? Must I back up every 500 CD-r of info every two years? If that's thr case then I've already lost all my info because majority of my cd's are way past the 2-3 year limit that everone is talking about.

The study said it only affected 10% of the CDs they tested. Cheapo CDs I'm sure account for most of those. Go with good names and I imagine they will last much longer - like Imation, etc.

Stay away from those no-brand discs. Or use CD-RWs.

And if those new paper discs start being mass produced within the next few years, then it looks like we'll be in even worse trouble. What if while you're in the toilet you accidentally reach for the wrong roll of paper...