[SOLVED] Sponge Okay for Hard Drive Storage?

[Oasis Curator]

Hello

I have just backed up a load of stuff on to an internal hard drive for very long term storage - IE, I won't be looking to touch it UNLESS something happens to the main data.

The hard drive is actually in a 2-bay docking station so isn't part of the PC. I've ordered some anti static bags, which I'll use but now looking at some sort of small plastic box to protect it (and eventually them as they'll be three or four drives in a similar fashion).

I have some dense blue sponge hanging around my house.Can I use some of this to surround the drive in the box? It won't be machine neat cut or anything but just something to stop the drive from moving around in the box.

I know you can get fireproof boxes and all sorts but that's not what I'm after for this data. Just looking to store them somewhere out of the way and forget about them.

Thanks

 

[Ralston18]

I do not see any problems with using the sponge.

However, just for the record what was the source of the sponge?

Original purpose/use?

 

[Oasis Curator]

I do not see any problems with using the sponge.

However, just for the record what was the source of the sponge?

Original purpose/use?

Ebay.
It's quite dense. Was originally used to house model railway locos but I didn't actually bother and got something else instead.

 

[alceryes]

This will work but a spinning hard drive, that doesn't run for several years, has a serious chance of not being able to start up again when you need it most. Moisture and temp fluctuations do play a huge role but it's just as much about dissimilar metals touching causing corrosion and galvanism and/or a breakdown of lubrication. What are the specs of the drive you plan to store long term?
Assuming that you would be recovering the data within the next 25 years, even a standard DVD+R would give greater peace of mind for data recovery than a spinning hard drive.

The other issue with recovery is that you need the proper connections/drive to read the data medium when/if the time comes. A DVD drive sitting for 20+ years will definitely have difficulties (the belts that turn the drive door mechanism won't function) and may be completely inoperable.

 

[USAFRet]

I have just backed up a load of stuff on to an internal hard drive for very long term storage

How long is "very long term"?

 

[Satan-IR]

When it comes to optical media CDs and DVDs themselves are prone to get damage in long term in contact with elemenst heat/cold, moisture and even light.

How fast they degrade depends on quality of build and quality of material used. There are databases on quality of optical discs and how durable they are I think.

Also there are recommendation made by organizations such as libraries and archives on how to store the optical media such as CLIR here.

However I agree with @alceryes as they'd be a more reliable media as the discs will not fail as easily, or as frequently, as a mechanical drive would such as a Hard Drive.

He has a valid point when it comes to the drive that's supposed to read the data stored on the DVDs too. If it's really lond the drive might not be operational. So you might want to have a spare drive with some spare parts stored in proper conditions as well.

And it all boils down to this question:

How long is "very long term"?

 

[USAFRet]

When it comes to optical media CDs and DVDs themselves are prone to get damage in long term in contact with elemenst heat/cold, moisture and even light.

In the early '00s, I burned a bunch of movies to DVD.

5-10 years later, trying to read them...I got about a 50% success rate.
These DVDs were stored indoors, in a sleeved folder. No light, heat, cold, moisture. Never abused.

 

[alceryes]

@Oasis Curator, here's a decent article naming several things to consider when archiving data - https://www.canada.ca/en/conservati...tute-notes/longevity-recordable-cds-dvds.html

M-discs and arcive-grade DVDs/CDs are also an option, but things start getting exponentially expensive.

 

[Satan-IR]

In the early '00s, I burned a bunch of movies to DVD.

5-10 years later, trying to read them...I got about a 50% success rate.
These DVDs were stored indoors, in a sleeved folder. No light, heat, cold, moisture. Never abused.

Exactly, there's no telling. I have some family photos burned to some DVDs from same period, maybe 2003-4, still working. Some other data I burned to some other DVD around 2011-12 and now some of them (maybe one out of 5) are unreadable.

Just like you said, no abuse, no finger prints, no extreme heat or cold, no moisture, no sctratches. Just marking with a soft felttip made for the purpose. All of them have the markings so that didn't play a part I guess. Stored in a cupboard/wardrobe in room temperature.

So if any advice I can give the OP is store the drive and have at least two sets of copies on different brand DVDs and store them in a separate place, not close proximity.

 

[alceryes]

In the early '00s, I burned a bunch of movies to DVD.

5-10 years later, trying to read them...I got about a 50% success rate.
These DVDs were stored indoors, in a sleeved folder. No light, heat, cold, moisture. Never abused.

Hmmm, maybe poor quality discs?
Certain types of CDs/DVDs have a much higher degradation rate than others.

Edit - check out the chart near the bottom of the Canadian link I posted above. Material makes the difference.

 

[USAFRet]

Hmmm, maybe poor quality discs?
Certain types of CDs/DVDs have a much higher degradation rate than others.

Edit - check out the chart near the bottom of the Canadian link I posted above. Material makes the difference.

That reflects my results exactly.
They were average CD/DVD bought at the store, from known brands.

Sure, if you pay out the wazoo for expensive, or even archive grade M disks, they will apparently last for very long.
But outside of a museum...who actually does that.

 

[alceryes]

In the early '00s, I burned a bunch of movies to DVD.

5-10 years later, trying to read them...I got about a 50% success rate.
These DVDs were stored indoors, in a sleeved folder. No light, heat, cold, moisture. Never abused.

I have a Commodore 64 with 1541 floppy disc drive. A few years back I loaded up and played the C64 version of Ghostbusters from a 5¼ floppy that was probably written 25 30 years ago.
There's no guarantee one way or another so we just have to do the best we can when archiving.

In the OPs situation, I would feel comfortable with a max of 5 year storage, with a spindle disc, in good controlled moisture/temp/light conditions, ONLY IF I also have the same backup on DVD+Rs in a similar controlled environment, somewhere else.

 

[USAFRet]

ONLY IF I also have the same backup on a DVD+Rs in a similar controlled environment, somewhere else.

Right.
I wouldn't trust a single copy of anything, on any storage media, to sit on the shelf for XX years and assume it is accessible.

 

[fzabkar]

I don't know how Seagate ships their drives these days, but 15 years ago they used a cardboard box containing a "sponge sandwich". The HDD was wrapped in an antistatic bag or clamshell.

 

[USAFRet]

I don't know how Seagate ships their drives these days, but 15 years ago they used a cardboard box containing a "sponge sandwich". The HDD was wrapped in an antistatic bag or clamshell.

Last week, I got an RMA replacement drive from Toshiba. 16TB replacement for a 7 month old drive.
Except for the plastic clamshell bubble, it was comically amateurish boxing.

The original I sent back to them was packaged MUCH better.

 

[Oasis Curator]

How long is "very long term"?

To be honest, I'm not sure.
Possibly years, but I may check the data within that time.

It's just some saved media, nothing life or death important.

2TB WD Green drive, that has (since being in a HTPC since 2010), only been used / powered for less than 500 hours.

 

[alceryes]

If you pull the drive out of storage and use it for 30+ mins, at least once every six months, it will extend the life of the drive. If the data is important always have a second copy somewhere else.
Also, I would trust DVD+R data for years much more than I would trust a spindle hard drive.

 

[Oasis Curator]

If you pull the drive out of storage and use it for 30+ mins, at least once every six months, it will extend the life of the drive. If the data is important always have a second copy somewhere else.
Also, I would trust DVD+R data for years much more than I would trust a spindle hard drive.

Although I don't have time to write DVDs for 2TB worth of data every 6 months
Plus, where I stored one, the actual disc went bad so the data was unreadable. I don't know why I didn't back that up so ended up losing it. May have gone bad as it was in the loft so baking in the summer but very cold in the winter. My bad on that.

But yes, the data is important so have a second copy on another hard drive - they mirror each other (RAID 1?), although apparently that's not proper backing up.

 

[alceryes]

Although I don't have time to write DVDs for 2TB worth of data every 6 months
Plus, where I stored one, the actual disc went bad so the data was unreadable. I don't know why I didn't back that up so ended up losing it. May have gone bad as it was in the loft so baking in the summer but very cold in the winter. My bad on that.

But yes, the data is important so have a second copy on another hard drive - they mirror each other (RAID 1?), although apparently that's not proper backing up.

DVD+Rs should be fine for at least 10 years if stored properly. Not sure why yours went bad.
My 6 months comment was in reference to a spindle hard drive. If it's taken out and run for 30 mins every 6 months or so it should actually increase the life of the drive, as opposed to letting it sit for years and years without use.