Does doing a scan disk or check disk preserve data over time?

[lozina]

I am going to start using some spare hard drives as long term backups for stuff like documents, photos, etc..

Would performing a routine scan disk or check disk regularly - like once a month - preserve the data better than doing nothing at all?

My thinking is that the scan disk or check disk will 'strengthen' the magnetic bits stored on the drive each time the scan is run where without doing it they may just continue weakening until they become unreadable.

Or does that sound ridiculous and the regular scans only cause harm by creating chances for some mechanical hard drive failure?

 

[bsobel]

A scan reads, not writes, so I don't see how they'd 'strengthen' the magnetic bits....

 

[0roo0roo]

installing uninstalling drives just for a read probably would just make them more likely to fail than if you left them to sit in a box😛

 

[RebateMonger]

Are these your only copies? If so, then they aren't really "backups". More like "archives".

I wouldn't recommend storing archives of high value on a single drive, array, CD, tape, DVD, floppy, zip drive, or whatever. There's really no way to know when a hard drive or other media will fail.

If the stuff is important to you, it might be better to just keep it on an "active" PC and make ongoing backups of that PC, verifying the results and testing the backups periodically. That's pretty easy to do nowadays.

 

[mpilchfamily]

You are better off leaving the drives alone. The less they are used the longer they will last. At least you won't have wear and tear on them. But over time the magnetic coating on the platter will degrade and the data can be lost.

Like Rebatemonger said you will be better off keeping multiple and active backups of the information on a number of different media.

 

[lozina]

thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate it!

how about buying the "archive" grade DVDs and burning my stuff onto them? Is that a good solution or just a gimmick to sell DVDs at higher price?

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: lozina
thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate it!

how about buying the "archive" grade DVDs and burning my stuff onto them? Is that a good solution or just a gimmick to sell DVDs at higher price?

Since "archive grade" DVDs haven't been around that long, it's hard to say FOR SURE how long they'll last.

There ARE differences, at least in the high-quality archive grade DVDs. Differences in the dye and in the metallic backing material. Having been around since the "beginning" of DVDs, I don't trust them much. But if you are going to go with them, definitely get brand-name "archive" blanks.