Do you have any CDs or DVDs at home? Chances are you’ve burned CDs/DVDs of your pictures, important data, or even movies. Many genealogists use these digital storage media to backup their computers, thinking that they’re now safe in case of emergency.
In a recent article, an IBM expert warns that the CDs you have burned have a relatively short life span of between two to five years, depending on the quality of the CD.
Read the complete article here.
Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to protect your CDs. We wrote about this in Legacy News earlier this year:
Read the article here.
Regardless of what digital storage media you use to backup your genealogy and other important files, it is vitally important that you make frequent backups. For tips about backing up and restoring your Legacy family files, visit http://legacyfamilytree.com/tipsBackups.asp.
While Media life can be a data preservation issue, a greater potential problem is software and hardware compatibility. A perfectly preserved and readable magnetic or optical disk is of little use if your computer lacks the proper drive or if your software fails to recognize the older file format. Migration of data from your old software or computer to your new is a critical part of data preservation.