copying video or cds?

[Elaine]

I read somewhere that copies of photos/vidoes/music etc that you burn onto cds & dvds will not last forever and depending on the quality of the discs that you use may only last 2 to 5 years, si that right? What is the best alternative to storing media for longer term? would an external hard drive work? if so how much gb do you need for say 60 mins of music or 3 hours of home vidoe?

Thanks

Elaine

[Llamatron]

What do you mean by long term?

Even hard drives wont last forever.

Another thing you have to remember is that in the decades to come the storage media we use, not to mention specialist file formats, may become obsolete. So you may have a backup but there'll be nothing that can read it.

I think the best you can do is backup your stuff to somewhere, two different places if it's really important, and then every few years dig it out, check it over, and move it onto something else.

Even the cheapest external hard drives will have plenty of space.

[TEAK36]

I have backed mine up on CD, an external hard drive, and also online.
You can back them up online for free at www.kodakgallery.co.uk.