Optical discs, while somewhat fragile, can provide a long-lived form of data storage.
In the digital environment of the present, people save, store and erase vast amounts of data to various kinds of storage media. Data storage can serve a wide variety of purposes, ranging from data archival, backups of other data sources and transient, temporary information. Developers create new storage devices as time goes on, continuously dating older, more inefficient devices.
Hard Drive
A common storage medium found in all computers, hard drives can potentially hold large amounts of information. With drives on the market providing capacities of over 1 terabyte, hard drives also provide the most stable storage option available. As long as the hardware remains undamaged and stored at the optimum digital media storage temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the information it contains can last a long time when well maintained. Typically, hard drives last between five and 10 years.
Flash Drive
An external form of storage, flash drives plug into a computer's USB port and operate like an additional drive to the computer. A flash drive doesn't possess the vast amount of space of a hard drive but possesses far more portability. Flash drives also remain quite small, ranging from as tiny as a fingernail to a more common model the size of a thumb. Some manufacturers release decorative, novelty models that can take up larger sizes. The overall portability of a flash drive allows you to conveniently store it in many locations. As long as the flash drive remains in good condition, its data should remain intact for at least 10 years.
Memory Cards
Often found in digital cameras, memory cards can store data comparable to that of a flash drive. Usually manufactured as small, square-shaped cards, memory cards can hold more than just images. The size of some models, known as Micro SD cards, comes so tiny that keeping up with it may become an issue. These memory cards, while incredibly small, do not provide the same storage stability for data as other forms of storage media. However, when stored at the optimum digital media storage temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit, data may last longer.
Optical Disc
When preserved properly, optical discs may provide the greatest longevity of any form of data storage medium. Including CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray, optical discs store information in circles on a disc, guarded by a clear, protective layer on top of the data. When storing data on an optical disc, you must ensure you protect the disc's data side by storing it in an appropriate container. Optical discs also remain very sensitive to temperature. When stored correctly at the optimum digital media storage temperature, optical discs may last up to 100 years.
Floppy Disk
An older, portable form of storage media, floppy disks store information on a soft disc protected within a plastic casing. Severely limited in storage space, floppy disks no longer come standard on new computers. Floppy disks also represent the most fragile storage medium of all. However, in decades past, floppy disks have distinguished themselves as extremely useful and inexpensive, allowing computer users to share information easily.
Zip Drive
Similar to floppy drives, zip drives emerged as a "super-floppy" type of storage in the mid-1990s. While it never became popular enough to completely supersede the floppy disk, zip drives provided far greater storage capacities than both floppy disks and CDs, originally offering 100MB drives and graduating to 250MB and 750MB. However, zip drives often failed, taking all the data on the zip disk with it, making it a relatively unstable form of storage media. When maintained properly, data may last between two and 10 years.
Tags: flash drive, storage media, digital media, digital media storage, floppy disks, form storage
