BACK UP YOUR CD-Rs

[splashy]

thanks to EsposVox for making this video which inspired me to start archiving my CD and DVD-R collection.
this is a reminder to back up any old CD-Rs you have lying around. i've got a ton of old CR-Rs (many of which are 20+ years old) and many are suffering from disc rot. i've been trying to back them up for a while now. many of these discs aren't ripping properly if at all.

backing up audio CDs
the software i'd recommend for this is Exact Audio Copy. Hydrogen Audio's Wiki has an excellent article on EAC. So i'd recommend checking it out. Secure Mode is the default (and is usually the best option for discs with minimal scratches and / or disc rot. however, you've also got Burst Mode. this is the fastest mode EAC offers. although it offers no error correction features, you can get better results (from my experience, less audio dropouts) on heavily damaged discs.

left: Secure Mode. right: burst mode. notice how much more blank space (missing audio) is on the Secure Mode copy. if you're wondering why the audio cuts off at 19.5KHz, it's probably because the audio files burnt to these disc were probably 192Kbps CBR mp3s.

backing up data CDs
TeraCopy is recommended for copying files. although file explorer usually works fine, you can still run into issues from time to time while using it. so TeraCopy can save you some pain. creating an ISO file of your discs can help with damaged discs

general tips

• remember to hold discs by the center hole and edge. this helps to prevent scratches and may help to delay disc rot
• keep your discs in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. humidity, heat and sunlight can all greatly accelerate disc rot
• if there's tape stuck to your disc, either just leave it and maybe cut some off without peeling it. if you try removing it with excesive force, it will probably rip some of the metalic data layer off. DON'T ASK ME HOW I KNOW THIS
• if a disc is having trouble being read or recognised, try using a different drive
• desktop drives tend to work the best (especially on damaged discs)
• backup your... backups. storage (especially solid state storage) can fail with little to no warning. freak accidents can also cause data loss

hopefully this reminder and tutorial can save a couple melonland users' precious data.

[Corrupted Unicorn]

I should start doing this for my collection of game CD-ROMs... thanks for the resources!   

I only have one laptop with a CD-ROM reader, but my boyfriend recently got me an external CD reader, connectable with USB

Not sure on where can I host the games themselves yet, but I think I can keep them on my big hard drive until I can find a proper home on the net for them Again, thank you!

[splashy]

Not sure on where can I host the games themselves yet, but I think I can keep them on my big hard drive until I can find a proper home on the net for them Again, thank you!

u can use the Internet Archive, which is incredibly reliable but painfully slow to upload to. MEGA's a pretty good service which offers 20GB for free. otherwise idk

[patchworkghoul]

thank you for this post! I just found all of my old DVDs and CDs, so this is quite timely for me. I didn't even think to archive them, I was just thinking that I don't have a CD or DVD player anymore ha. digitizing makes more sense then trying to find a way to play them so I can enjoy them in all of the same workflows that I already have. Now I'm excited!