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More than a few, less than others

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Humanoidz:

--- Quote from: newy on January 27, 2010, 03:27:02 PM ---
--- Quote from: Humanoidz on January 26, 2010, 08:41:32 PM ---Say what?  Physical rot on the disc?  I've never heard of anything like this.  My old stuff is fine as long as there isn't a huge scratch running the length of the shiny stuff........

--- End quote ---

Of course. There are two types of data loss. Physical damage and chemical reaction. I'm no expert but that's what I have read through the years. I think especially the chemical reactions are a huge problems for state archives.

--- End quote ---

Do you happen to know what the chemical reaction is?  I'm curious.  Maybe the oils in our skin from handling the disc?  I always thought CD/DVD was foolproof except for physical damage.

newy:
I made a quick search because I don't know them myself. A simplified layout of a CD/DVD is the following: a polycarbonate disc as the substrate. A thin silver/gold layer is sputtered on the substrate and then there's an organic dye in which the data is stored. The last layer is a protective one.
What I found were chemical reactions between UV-rays and the dye. Humidity in combination with heat/warmth can reach the data storage layer and corrode it even though the polycarbonate layer should be waterproof.

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