How many of us leave our CD’s and DVD’s in the car or on our desk exposed to sunlight and high temperatures? Contrary to popular belief, your data written on this type of media has a limited shelf life.

According to the National Media Lab, you can expect CD’s to last up to 50 yrs and DVD’s up to 25 yrs.

The dye layer that is altered to accept a laser beam when data is written is composed of organic matter. This dye layer breaks down over time and the process is speeded up considerably with humidity, high temperatures and exposure to light. Makes you think twice about leaving your important data and backups in unfavourable conditions!

In recent studies, dye type has been proven to play a crucial role in the longevity of your data on magnetic and laser recorded media. In the study, samples of CD’s that contained the dye phthalocyanine lasted longer than those that didn’t contain this dye type.
You might be asking the question, “How do I know if my DVD’s and CD’s contain this dye layer?” Simply put, you need to stick with well known quality brands. These brands have been tested against high temperatures and humidity. Even though it has been advised not to expose your media to these conditions, should it happen, you have less of a chance of data loss.

Media that was produced using outdated equipment and processes will not stand the test of time. Of course you will find the price more affordable, but in the long run it pays to buy quality brand media to keep your data and memories safe.

In the event of data loss on magnetic and laser recorded media, Data Detect can assist you. We are a Sydney based data recovery company, with more than 20 years experience in the field. We recover data from most medias including: CD-ROM, CD R/W, DVD-R, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM disks. For a comprehensive list, view all media and operating systems.

Get Data Detect – a professional, experienced data recovery company to help you retrieve important lost data from CD’s and DVD’s. Give one of our highly experienced data recovery engineers a call or simply fill out a no obligation quote on the top banner of our website.

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