[Orurt]

I read an article recently that stated that the surfaces of the recordable CD/DVDs we burn on our PCs are not as robust as on commercially produced disks that have a plastic coating over the data. Home burnt disks are vulnerable to losing data due to scuffing etc.

Is there a spray coating that will protect the surface and not obliterate my data or disk when it is applied?

Thank you

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Commercial disks are no more prone to being scratched to high heaven and back than disks you burn yourself.

Anything of any ultimate important, you should have multiple copies of anyway, because Murphy's Law categorically states that you'll only find out when you need a new copy of something you no longer have a working source to get it from.

From the CD-R FAQ page, section 7-5, how long do CD-R's last:

The manufacturers claim 75 years (cyanine dye, used in "green" discs), 100 years (phthalocyanine dye, used in "gold" discs), or even 200 years ("advanced" phthalocyanine dye, used in "platinum" discs) once the disc has been written. The shelf life of an unrecorded disc has been estimated at between 5 and 10 years. There is no standard agreed-upon way to test discs for lifetime viability. Accelerated aging tests have been done, but they may not provide a meaningful analogue to real-world aging.

Exposing the disc to excessive heat, humidity, or to direct sunlight will greatly reduce the lifetime. In general, CD-Rs are far less tolerant of environmental conditions than pressed CDs, and should be treated with greater care. The easiest way to make a CD-R unusable is to scratch the top surface. Find a CD-R you don't want anymore, and try to scratch the top (label side) with your fingernail, a ballpoint pen, a paper clip, and anything else you have handy. The results may surprise you.

Keep them in a cool, dark, dry place, and they will probably live longer than you do (emphasis on "probably"). Some newsgroup reports have complained of discs becoming unreadable in as little as three years, but without knowing how the discs were handled and stored such anecdotes are useless. Try to keep a little perspective on the situation: a disc that degrades very little over 100 years is useless if it can't be read in your CD-ROM drive today.

http://www.cdrfaq.org/faq07.html#S7-5 for the rest of the entry.

[Neil Jones]

Commercial disks are no more prone to being scratched to high heaven and back than disks you burn yourself.

Anything of any ultimate important, you should have multiple copies of anyway, because Murphy's Law categorically states that you'll only find out when you need a new copy of something you no longer have a working source to get it from.

From the CD-R FAQ page, section 7-5, how long do CD-R's last:

The manufacturers claim 75 years (cyanine dye, used in "green" discs), 100 years (phthalocyanine dye, used in "gold" discs), or even 200 years ("advanced" phthalocyanine dye, used in "platinum" discs) once the disc has been written. The shelf life of an unrecorded disc has been estimated at between 5 and 10 years. There is no standard agreed-upon way to test discs for lifetime viability. Accelerated aging tests have been done, but they may not provide a meaningful analogue to real-world aging.

Exposing the disc to excessive heat, humidity, or to direct sunlight will greatly reduce the lifetime. In general, CD-Rs are far less tolerant of environmental conditions than pressed CDs, and should be treated with greater care. The easiest way to make a CD-R unusable is to scratch the top surface. Find a CD-R you don't want anymore, and try to scratch the top (label side) with your fingernail, a ballpoint pen, a paper clip, and anything else you have handy. The results may surprise you.

Keep them in a cool, dark, dry place, and they will probably live longer than you do (emphasis on "probably"). Some newsgroup reports have complained of discs becoming unreadable in as little as three years, but without knowing how the discs were handled and stored such anecdotes are useless. Try to keep a little perspective on the situation: a disc that degrades very little over 100 years is useless if it can't be read in your CD-ROM drive today.

http://www.cdrfaq.org/faq07.html#S7-5 for the rest of the entry.