Alan Chandler <alan@chandlerfamily.org.uk> writes:
On Sunday 10 September 2006 03:05, H.S. wrote:
I have around 4.5GB of photos from the past few years on my hard disk. I
have all of these as albums in digikam. I am thinking of saving these on
to a DVD and freeing up the space from my hard disk. I was wondering if
anyone has any suggestions on how best to do this.
Don't be penny-wise and pound foolish! Hard drives never have been more
affordable. If you are pressed for disc space, save yourself much time
and potential grief by simply purchasing a new drive, either as a
replacement or else as a second drive.
Both the CD and the DVD are quite susceptible to mechanical damage,
particularly on the back side, on which is the reflective layer, just
under the paint or label. Moreover, the reflective layer is prone to
flaking and peeling with time and with variation in temperature and
humidity. And the reflective layer, unless it is gold, is susceptible
to dulling with oxidation, for the sandwich construction does not
provide a hermetic seal for the reflective layer. There even have been
reports of a strain of bacteria, said to be found in tropical regions of
the earth, which feeds upon aluminum, and which has been known to eat
away the reflective layer of CDs. Finally, any dye-based system such as
user-burnable CD or DVD is prone to chemical changes of the dye with
time, temperature, and humidity. Consequently, CD and DVD are not
worthy candidates for archival storage.