This is terrible advice. Writable DVDs degrade quickly, even if they’re stored away from sunlight and heat. Every single one of my burned DVDs from more than s few years back is completely unreadable.
traches@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
I’d go with optical media here. Probably multiple capsules.
- M-Disk (DVD if it will fit, otherwise Blu-ray)
- Make an encrypted archive of your data. Strong password - I suggest diceware with 8 or more words so you might remember it in 30 years
- Use DVDisaster to add parity data. You sacrifice some space, but you get error tolerance in exchange
- Wrap the disks up in good jewel cases, well sealed plastic, along with some good big silica gel desiccant packs.
- Put all that in the smallest durable, airtight container you can
- stash somewhere it probably won’t be disturbed for a few decades. Memorize.
- destroy all evidence you did this.
ooterness@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
traches@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
Do you remember what kind they were? For awhile they made them with organic dyes and those died quickly. I believe they stopped producing those, and the inorganic ones are supposed to be much better.
ooterness@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Yes, they were organic dyes. At the time, those were the only kind. Maybe it’s gotten better over the years.
grayautumnday@lemmy.4d2.org 3 weeks ago
What about tape drives? You can still get them, and I have come across articles a few times (which I can’t find on a quick search, but I only use DDG now) saying that tape drives written 30-45 years ago, carefully conserved, were still readable after all that time.
traches@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
I looked into tape drives for my own backups and they don’t make sense unless you’re working with double digit terabytes. We’re talking used old enterprise gear with weird form factors and connectors, I never found something like an external USB tape drive for a reasonable price.
leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
SCSI ain’t weird!
some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 3 weeks ago
No way. Optical media suffer bitrot at a high rate compared to magnetic media. And the means to read it are quickly going obsolete.
Twinklebreeze@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
That’s what the m-disk is for I assume.
some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 3 weeks ago
I wouldn’t trust that either.
wildbus8979@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
M-Disks are rate for one thousand years. Unlike other writable optical meidaz it doesn’t use an organic substrate. It’s carbon glass, very stable.
traches@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
It’s pretty dependent on humidity and temperature, so a DVD buried in a well sealed plastic bag with a desiccant packs is actually in good conditions. No light, generally cool, and low humidity are perfect.
A hard drive has a lot of moving parts that must work and are basically impossible to replace. With optical media you’re just storing the platters, and I’m sure you’ll still be able to track down a drive somewhere. You can still find VHS players and those have been obsolete for 25 years.