XPost: aus.computers, alt.os.linux.debian   
   From: none@not.here   
      
   mm0fmf wrote:   
   > On 18/08/2025 01:15, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:   
   >> They did last for a few years. Unlike rewritable media.   
   >   
   > I was intrigued as there is a shelf of writeable and re-writeable   
   > media here. So I sampled them at random, when I had removed all the   
   > crap off the shelf so I could get to the disks. They're accessed once   
   > every 'never'! I should bin them but there is 33 years work and hobby   
   > history tied up in them. And I can guarantee there'll be a data sheet   
   > on one of them about some obscure chip that I just will not be able to   
   > find on the net if I bin them.   
   >   
   > Anyway, results.   
   >   
   > Stamped (mass produced) CD-ROM from 1995. All 630+ MB read with no   
   > errors reported. Read quite slowly.   
   >   
   > CD-R from 2001 with MC C++ v6.0. Read faster than the CD-ROM and again   
   > no reported errors. 600+MB copied   
   >   
   > CD-R from 2004 read with no errors. 600+MB copied   
   >   
   > DVD-R from 2008 2GB read with no errors.   
   >   
   > CD-RW from 2007 630MB read with no errors.   
   >   
   > So a massive sample of 4 disks pulled at random all read perfectly. I   
   > don't know how many soft correctable errors there were but CD / DVD   
   > has a large amount of built error correction just to fix the fact   
   > there can be errors on new media never mind old stuff.   
   >   
   > Drive was a HL-DT GU90N which is a slim laptop style drive.   
   >   
   > I was surprised the writeable media all read without problems. Now   
   > having found a copy of Win XP SP3 I should see if I can find something   
   > to install it on just for shits and giggles.   
   >   
      
   I would think that degradation of media is not a major issue if they're   
   kept in a clean, relatively temperature stable environment. I have   
   floppies and zips decades old perfectly readable, for example.   
      
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