long term data storage?

[naseem142]

Hi,

 

I asked such question on another forum a while ago but i didn't get the answer or a solution that i needed. So i hope you can help me out.

 

in regard of the video released a few days ago "100TB for $2,850??? - Are Archive Drives Useless?" , it caught my attention.

As i am in need for a storage device that can store my data for a guaranteed 10 years at-least maybe up to 15.

( I might be overestimating but i just hope it's possible )

 

I just need 1TB at most for now, and i'll store some data on it and leave it in a safe place for the next years without being attached to a PC or running at all. 

 

Do you think these Seagate "Archive" drives will be able to do that without losing data somehow or being corrupted? If not i am open to any suggestions, is there any drive that can store data for this long without being lost?

 

i'd appreciate your help!

[2FA]

Well that is the purpose of an archive drive. You could also take a look at tape drives which are specifically meant for long term data storage.

 

Edit: Warning, tape drives are expensive af.

[Electronics Wizardy]

They should be fine, but I would fire them up every year to be sure. Id also use a filesystem like zfs or btrfs or refs to check for bitrot and repair it. You will probably have to replace a drive in the next 10-15 years.

 

If you want a good cheap long term storage look at tapes.

[m0k]

My old Gateway laptop came with a Hitachi 5400rpm Sata2 drive
and its been heavily used for 6 years now without issues

i dont really see a reason for a HDD to crap out if its only being used to archive 

[naseem142]

9 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

They should be fine, but I would fire them up every year to be sure. Id also use a filesystem like zfs or btrfs or refs to check for bitrot and repair it. You will probably have to replace a drive in the next 10-15 years.

 

If you want a good cheap long term storage look at tapes.

 

How do i store data on tape drives? I am not familiar with them, and google search does not yield much information, do i need a special device or something? seems like it's most reliable.

[naseem142]

4 minutes ago, mok said:

My old Gateway laptop came with a Hitachi 5400rpm Sata2 drive
and its been heavily used for 6 years now without issues

i dont really see a reason for a HDD to crap out if its only being used to archive 

 

Well you are correct, if it's not being used it will less likely to fail. But a thread on Reddit explains that 10 years is the average lifespan of an HDD even if it's turned off;

 

link: https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1dxq7b/what_is_the_lifespan_of_data_on_a_hard_drive_if/

 

So it might survive that long or randomly change in less than expected.

[m0k]

16 minutes ago, naseem142 said:

 

Well you are correct, if it's not being used it will less likely to fail. But a thread on Reddit explains that 10 years is the average lifespan of an HDD even if it's turned off;

 

link: https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1dxq7b/what_is_the_lifespan_of_data_on_a_hard_drive_if/

 

So it might survive that long or randomly change in less than expected.

wow such science
i didnt know about this at all, should be a good read

ps. why cant those damn 1's and 0's just chill the f#*k out

[naseem142]

I think i'll just have to rely on good old' regular hdd's or archive drives and back up the data to a different drive every 6-8 years, tape drives are way too expensive.

 

Thanks for the help guys.

 

1 hour ago, mok said:

ps. why cant those damn 1's and 0's just chill the f#*k out

 

hopefully by the time i need to replace my second or third hdd, new reliable tech will be available.

[Gordon Bennett]

The Seag

4 hours ago, naseem142 said:

Do you think these Seagate "Archive" drives will be able to do that without losing data somehow or being corrupted?

Yes! I have loads of them. Inc. 4 separate 8TB HDDs! However, all HDDs have the potential to lose data, so I back-up by archive drives. Which is why I have so many. If I lose one, I have another to fall back on. You could go on backing up each drive a dozen times, but I think twice is what I need, you might want more/less?

 

I don't agree with the Reddit post referred to above. Maybe that might be the case on military HDDs, but I doubt it. HDDs haven't yet reached the data density where 0 & 1s will spontaneously and randomly change between those two states (on & off), as the switch is physical and all way way above 22nm, where those effects might start to become a factor. However, thinking about it can be more time consuming for the lay person than it's worth (you should be thinking about backing up data and working on whatever causes you to have data, eg work). I prefer to be more aware of the likelihood of the drive living or dying. So I look to industry standards:

 

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-reliability-q3-2015/

 

Quote

is there any drive that can store data for this long without being lost?

 

No there is no such thing as an absolute guarantee on anything that has moving parts (2nd law of thermodynamics, everything tends towards disorder). Its like asking for a car that can drive without stopping or breaking down. Obviously there isn't! So again, make a decision based on facts, like the mean time to drive failure, as given in the above link!