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At 08:37 PM 1/25/2004 -0700, Jon Noring wrote: >Konrad Strauss wrote: > > [log in to unmask] wrote: > > >> I would be hesitant to assume that HDD's are safe to store for long > periods > >> on the shelf without some significant testing of HDD's that have been > >> exposed to various conditions while not in the spin mode. > > > Good point. What do you recommend for long term storage of digital files? > >Has anyone mentioned magneto-optical storage media? Supposedly it has >a very long life, believed to last into many decades to over a >century. It is impervious to magnetic fields. Magneto-optical storage is a strong contender with some drawbacks. While storage on the medium is expected to be very long and very stable, there are internal moving parts. In practical terms, the limitation is cost and potential obsolescence. They are closely related to one another and to the lack of technology development in recent years. They still operate near the price per MB of several years ago when that point was reasonably competitive and the capacity was high. Today, the capacity per drive is less attractive and other media are far less costly. The combination means that there are few new buyers, reducing the incentive to improve the technology or to use that improvement to lower cost. Mike -- [log in to unmask] http://www.mrichter.com/