Dealing With CD And DVD Rot
from the not-quite-so-indestructible dept
When CDs first came out, they were marketed as being nearly indestructible. We were told we’d be able to throw them around like Frisbees, run over them with cars, and beat on them with a baseball bat and they’d still play perfectly. Obviously, that turned out to be a bit less than truthful, and most people know to take at least some level of care for their CDs and DVDs. Still, now that they’ve been around for a while, people are noticing the problem of “CD rot” where, for no clear reason, the data layer of the disc just starts to go bad. Of course, the simple solution is to make backup copies (and backup copies of the backup copies for when those rot). However, the music industry is already upset enough with the idea that people can legally make a personal copy of a CD, and would prefer, when your CD rots away, that you just go out and buy another one.