Re: My old floppy disks are decaying! Help!

[dansmart@comet.net (Dan Smart)]

In article <basil.820727122@rain.org>, basil@rain.org (Basil) wrote:

> I started into computers back in the early days of Apple ][+ and TI-99, so
> I have several disks that go back as far as 1983. Only recently did I take
> a look at some of my oldest Apple disks, mostly 3M and Maxell (back when
> they used to cost $30-$60 for a box of 10 5.25" DS/DD disks). On several
> of the older 3M disks, as well as a few Janus and a no-name brand, there
> are black-brown stains all over the disk surface when I spin the disk
> around. They are clearly from a chemical reaction with the inside paper
> lining because the only place where there are no stains/spots is in the
> opening where the head reads the disk. These stains do not come off with
> a Q-tip and on the worse cases, the disk has read errors. Disks with mild
> stains are still readable (time to make some back-ups quick)!

(snip)

> It's funny that on this same day after I discovered my first floppy disk rot,
> I checked some old VHS tapes and found some residue on tapes. Maybe that's
> tape rot? Not to mention that last year I ran across laser rot on my
> laserdiscs. I'm beginning to have *really* low confidence in any type of
> media lasting beyond 10 years -- whether CD, CDROM, laserdisc, VHS tape,
> audio tape, or floppy disk. I have neither the time nor the money to replace
> everything I own every 10 years. I will have to cut back my purchasing of
> magnetic and optical media if this continues to happen.

That's probably a good idea, if you are intending to build long-term
archives. Magnetic media was never designed or intended to go the
distance. Of course, you could hermetically seal them in a mylar bag
filled with an inert gas, but then you'd never be able to use them!

CD-ROMs are, I think, the best long-term solution. Some older CD's are
subject to decay because of the paint used on them, but I don't think
that's been a problem for many years.

My suggestion would be to make disk images of all your old floppies, and
archive them on CD-ROM, if they are that valuable to you.

Dan