How many years should burned CD, DVD last for?

[web inspector]

i had some games burnt onto a cd, also had some JPEG screen prints burned onto another cd, but after 1 year with the games and 1 year with the JPEG's some of the cd could not be read by the cd rom or dvd rom in my computer..

[azkwazere]

Really depends on how you treat them.

I have DVDS and CD's that have lasted over three years now with no problems. They havea shorter shelf life than a regualr CD or DVD but in no way should them be dead after one year, thats riduculas. Treat things with respect and theyll last you for ages. Clean your drives with a laser cleaner and also clean your disc with a scracch removal tool.

Never leave discs outside or in direct sunlight. Never leave discs on your desk with out a case! The information is stored on the top of the CD/DVD not the bottom so place a cd with the label facing UP, not done mas once believed.

The brand of CD or DVD will stongly affect the life of your medium.

Buy smart, not hard.

aZk.

[JD]

i have a cd that was made in '93 and still works a treat so it really does depend on how you treat them

[DavidPartay]

Also keep in mind that older drives can tend to have problems reading some discs.

Generally if you look after your CDs and DVDs, they should last several years. Make sure you get good quality blank discs to start with.

[ProphetVX]

Depends on many factors....

How the disc is stored... Scratches, Heat, Moisture etc.
The quality of the disc... Cheap brands generally are succeptable to mould, cd rot and tend not to last too long.

etc etc

You can have a disc that can last 10-15 years and work as if it were brand new... or have a disc that lasts a day because of the treatment it recieves.

[maxy0987]

The information is stored on the top of the CD/DVD not the bottom so place a cd with the label facing UP, not done mas once believed

Id say you leave it shiny side up.
I know the data is written on the foil but the way i see it is you have more of a chance of scratching the plastic shiny side over peeling the foil off the other side, especially with expensive blank cds, they are protected pretty well.
If you put it shiny side down you get little scratches on the surface that can effect the lasers reflection and it's useless, unless you find soem scratch repair stuff.

I still think its harder to remove the foil than it is to get a scratch