Storage media life expectancy

[Kevin Meehan]

I've been resurrecting old hardware trying to find old software and data from last century.

So far I've been lucky and now have machines running Win98, WinXP, Win7, Win8.1, Win10 and Win11.

Some findings have made me quite nostalgic which confirms I'm ageing faster than I'd like :-(.

I've been very surprised to find that very old HDD, FDD and CD media is still readable and it's prompted me to do a little research which led me to this:

https://youtu.be/xA9Xq7hb6Q0?feature=shared

Good info for people who want their data accessible after they're gone.

Next challenge is to see if I can get an old tape drive and Zip drive running and then the ultimate challenges - DOS and Macintosh Classic.  The DOS challenge may be hardest if I need an EGA or earlier monitor unless I can find a VGA video card compatible with the mother board.

Meanwhile I continue mucking around with reports that combine genealogical, family history and general history data because printed charts should last longer than electronic media.  I guess I'll have to research longevity of ink as well, so hope I age slowly.

Kevin.M

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