I've recently been pointed to this article on HDD life in an archiving sense
I'm going to post part of the article as i cannot link to it. But i'd rather not give the source of this article
i'd just like comments on the validity of the issues raised and of course personal comments as well please
QUOTING
For those of you who are archiving your products on hard disks, please pay close attention!Recently, I was talking to an engineering manager of a well-known hard disk company discussing how we were supposed to archive tapeless media for the long-term.
Note: The company he works for is not important, because I've since corroborated this issue with two other hard disk companies. This is a hard disk issue, NOT a specific vendor issue.
Magnetic signals recorded on a hard disk are designed to be refreshed periodically. If your hard disks stay on, this happens automatically. However, if you store your projects to a removable hard drive, then store that hard drive on a shelf, unattached to a computer, those magnetic signals will fade over time... essentially, evaporating.
According to what I've been told, the life-span of a magnetic signal on a hard disk is between a year and a year and a half. The issue is complex, as you'll see, but this is a MUCH shorter shelf-life than I was expecting.
The way to keep the files on your hard disks safe is to connect the hard drive to your computer every six months or so and, ideally, copy all the files from one drive to another. Failing that, use a program like Micromat's TechTool Pro, or ProSoft's Drive Genius, to do a complete scan of your hard drive. Doing so will replenish any magnetic signals that are starting to fade.
Bottom line, revisiting your storage archives periodically is some assurance that what you have saved away is really still there. You know the old adage, the only thing worse than no backup, is a backup that can't be used.
Hi
Exactly. The way to archive your data long-term is to store it on a RAID 6 array (which will withstand the loss of two drives at once , or RAID 5, which allows one drive to die), and keep that powered continually via a surge-protecting UPS.
As the individual hard drives die over the years you replace them, and the raid rebuilds itself each time. ;)
Still makes me feel my workflow is the best option: Z7 compact flash for fast import to final cut studio 2 and stick the HDV tape on the shelf for archive.
Hi cheers for the replies, my specific question is. Is what is said in the article true or a load of ....? as i have hard drives from 5 years that haven't been in a machine so i powered them up and they were all fine. I must admit i've never heard of this one before
I've never heard this one before, and I'm not willing to believe it much. I've got hard drives at least 15 years old, some have data over 10 years old, revisited much less than annually even just for checking what's there, let alone moving about.
And why should magnetic signals recorded on a hard disc be any different from those recorded onto tape or floppy disc. I'm sure we all have tapes and discs that are much older than one year and still work perfectly.
Did not they say something like this about VHS tapes? how the recording would disappear eventually.
If it were true, then we'd all have experienced problems with our computers. Any "old" computer will have many files on the C drive that haven't been modified or moved for years. I've never had software suddenly stop working because the files have "faded", one Win98 machine, bought in 1997, was still working properly when I gave it away last year.
No, I don't believe it.
Nor me, it just doesn't make any sense at all -- especially since modern hard drives are designed in the knowledge that they won't get a perfect replay from the drive or signal levels. I could understand concerns about drives failing due to mechanical parts seizing up but not the data fading away... Sounds like someone has got crossed wires between DRAM and Hard drives.
Now the data being lost due to the drives being shaken, that's a whole different kettle of fish :)
Steven