Now I have a batch of DVDs which can only be read with that burner as others won't work with them. That's only with one brand.
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That's not a major problem, feppe. Migrate the data to another computer. Reburn it. The only insurmountable problem is when physical deterioration takes place so the disc is unreadable by
any device.
I've seen pictures of such deterioration on this forum, which made me wonder what sort of environment could cause
that. I've never experienced this myself and I've recorded literally thousands of CDs and DVDs over the years, often on the cheapest, best value media I could find in the local stores.
I have never, however, bought any blank discs over the internet, and I'm beginning to wonder if this impersonal type of internet trading is the cause of some dissatisfaction. If you are a retail store, you can't afford to sell bodgy products. If you are trading on the internet, you could probably sell a batch of reject blanks you'd picked up for next to nothing (perhaps from China) and then disappear.
I recently watched a documentary on the effects of atomic radiation. There's been a huge amount of research on the effects of the Chernobyl atomic power station accident. When watching this, I was reminded of this 'bit rot' situation with optical media. Bad reports get extrapolated and exaggerated. They fire our imagination and appeal to our basic fears about everything. Atomic radiation is a classic example. Over the years, public opinion has shifted from the viewpoint that the very word
radium itself was symbolic of everthing good, hi-tech and wonderful, to the position that
any amount of radiation, however small, is harmful.
As a result, the Chernobyl accident caused a great deal of consternation amongst people living in the vicinity of the accident. Women had abortions, as it now seems, for no good reason at all. As some great American president (or important historical figure) said (who was that?), the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
Whilst it's true that some people died who were very close to the accident and who received massive doses of radiation (and I hope that I am not seen as trivialising their families' grief), there are lots of people who received moderate amounts of radiation, who've been quaking in their boots for the past 20 years, and who are still as fit as a fiddle.
An analysis of the wildlife in the close vicinity of the accident revealed very surprising results. The researchers expected to find all sorts of mutant rats and mice with two heads and three ears, or perhaps no wildlife at all. On the contrary, wildlife was thriving without a hiccup. Moderately strong radiation levels just seemed to have bounced off their back. In fact, it now seems that relatively small amounts of radiation, up to 100 millisieverts (per year) are actually beneficial to us. They stimulate our immune response. An analysis of areas in the United States that have strong, natural background radiation, have shown that people who live in such areas have
less cancer, statistically, than people who live in areas with low background radiation.
I can't remember how many X-rays a 100 millisievert dosage represents, but it's into the thousands.
The message from me is, if you are worried about bit rot,
don't worry. Get a life! (Unless of course you've been in the habit of buying ultra-cheap discs from the internet. You know, if something's too good to be true, it often is ).