Which is more stable: Flash Memory or Metal Oxide?
- Thread starter Y0GI
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patrick47018
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- Jan 14, 2013
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ewood
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both are stable enough that you can put them in the closet and they will last indefinitely as long as you maintain steady temperature and humidity. 8-10 years is a reasonable expectation. they will likely last much longer but if you're that worried why take the chance. One thing to consider is ssds are significantly less sensitive to magnets. it would take a massively strong magnet to even start to effect a SSD.
cmichaels119
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- Dec 27, 2013
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Arguments can be made for both. Both can be affected by external environment. I think the better question is, are you going to want to pay for a SSD so that you can stick it in a closet when you can get a HDD for half the price to do the same? I think it would be wise to go with HDD and verify the data once in a while. Again depending on environmental factors, you should get 10-25 years of storage for a HDD or a SSD sitting in a closet. So my suggestion, use the money you saved on not buying SSD (to use as a paper weight) to buy one or more HDD. Redundancy is king for data preservation.
All that aside, if you are only looking to store a couple gigs, just get a couple thumb drives. You don't need to buy Hard drives for a few gigs.
All that aside, if you are only looking to store a couple gigs, just get a couple thumb drives. You don't need to buy Hard drives for a few gigs.
Thank you all for the quick replys!
The reason that I ask is because I have had bad results with optical media that is less than 5 years old. I just wondered, what is best for long term storage, like 10+ years? Does flash memory need to be "recharged" every so often? How long can magnetic disks retain their data?
Yogi
The reason that I ask is because I have had bad results with optical media that is less than 5 years old. I just wondered, what is best for long term storage, like 10+ years? Does flash memory need to be "recharged" every so often? How long can magnetic disks retain their data?
Yogi
Uh, guys. Sorry to burst your flash bubble, but... Flash nand is inherently unstable. Nand memory wants to go back to its erased (all 0xFFs) state. If left up to its own devices, nand will randomly loose bits of data. SSDs and normal USB flash drives get around this problem by routinely copying data from one location in the nand to another location "behind the scenes" so to speak. This action "refreshes" the data. If you remove the nand device from the system and "store" it offline it won't be able to perform this task. This in turn will result in eventual data loss and data corruption. How long will the nand take to degrade depends on the type and quality of the manufacturer.
Mag tape is another media that needs special attention if you want to use it to preserve data for long periods (anything up to and including 10 years on the shelf). One of the reasons tape does not usually rip apart is that it actually is coated with a layer of oil that is intended to keep it supple. Tape that has been stored tends to develop dry spots on it where the oil has dissipated. This results in dry brittle tape that can easily tear under normal usage. The correct way to store tape devices is to periodically (once every few years) take out the tape and fast forward it from the beginning to the end, then rewind it from the end back to the beginning. This action spreads the oil around the tape and helps to keep it from drying out and cracking.
Actually, the best technology right now is to use normal HDDs. If you make sure that the heads are parked and the area where you are storing them is relatively free from strong magnetic fields you should be fine as long as the technology that reads/writes them remains around...
Mag tape is another media that needs special attention if you want to use it to preserve data for long periods (anything up to and including 10 years on the shelf). One of the reasons tape does not usually rip apart is that it actually is coated with a layer of oil that is intended to keep it supple. Tape that has been stored tends to develop dry spots on it where the oil has dissipated. This results in dry brittle tape that can easily tear under normal usage. The correct way to store tape devices is to periodically (once every few years) take out the tape and fast forward it from the beginning to the end, then rewind it from the end back to the beginning. This action spreads the oil around the tape and helps to keep it from drying out and cracking.
Actually, the best technology right now is to use normal HDDs. If you make sure that the heads are parked and the area where you are storing them is relatively free from strong magnetic fields you should be fine as long as the technology that reads/writes them remains around...
- Mar 16, 2013
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Again, what are you actually storing and why?
You have to look at a few considerations for long term storage:
Will a machine 10+ years from now have the proper connections for whatever device you have?
What format is the data stored in? Will that be easily accessible?
No matter what physical medium, you should take it out every couple of years, verify, and possible move it over to a new medium.
For just home photos and document archival I'd probably pick up archive optical media like http://www.verbatim.com/subcat/optical-media/dvd/archival-grade-gold-dvd-r/ . . . or in the case of you wanting quick access to the information just hard drives.
Make sure that whatever format you choose you buy 2 of them and make copies. For instance if you choose archival DVDs and you put 1000 photos on DISC1 that you have a second copy of DISC1 stored in a different container, or preferably location. In the case of hard drives, I would use 2 drives in a similar setup where you copy the data to both drive 1 and drive 2 and then store them separately. More copies is really the key to not losing data.
Make sure that whatever format you choose you buy 2 of them and make copies. For instance if you choose archival DVDs and you put 1000 photos on DISC1 that you have a second copy of DISC1 stored in a different container, or preferably location. In the case of hard drives, I would use 2 drives in a similar setup where you copy the data to both drive 1 and drive 2 and then store them separately. More copies is really the key to not losing data.
cmichaels119
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As this thread proves, there is a lot of debate between what is the better long term storage. If you use either of them and you plug them in once in a while to verify the data then you are good for a manufacture averaged 10-20 years. You shouldn't have to keep plugging in the SSD to "keep it charged" but I would recommend checking every so many years just to verify there isnt any dead sectors with the drive for either HDD or SSD.
I go back to my original statement I am not hopping on a bandwagon here, HDD are much cheaper. There is no need to spend the extra $ for a SSD if it is going to sit on a shelf. You will get about the same long term storage solution with either.
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