working with DVD data storage in 2025
Since I started using DVD again for long term data storage, I've had ups and downs with this. Things were off to a rocky start at first, and it took me a few tries (along with several discs that ended up being nothing but "coasters" due to bad writes) before I found out what worked.
I figured I might as well document all this here since a lot of this is sprawled across the internet in hard-to-find places. I've mentioned some of what's below before but will also put it here to keep all the info in one spot.
How long will DVD last in cold storage?
"Cold storage" means the discs put into a case or folder and stored in a cool, dry place (like a closet) after being written to.
Answer: About 10 years. Discs don't last forever, but they certainly will outlast any flash media. They'll also outlast most hard drives since the majority of those use crappy SMR these days instead of a proper CMR like the Seagate Barracuda Pro.
Does brand of disc matter?
It used to, but not anymore. The go-to brand these days is Verbatim, with the cheaper stuff being "Life Series" and the higher end being AZO that has special dye in its construction.
Does internal or external drive matter?
Yes, and basically for one reason. Power.
There is the increased chance of bad writes using an external optical drive because the power delivery isn't as good over USB as it is when connected directly to a PC's power supply.
Is there a way to compensate for this when using USB? Yes. Write your discs slower. The drive will require less power to spin the disc and dramatically increase the chance of a 100% good write.
If using a graphical program for disc writing, you should have the option to choose a slower write speed.
If using Linux on the command line, the easiest way to slow down the write is to use growisofs with the -speed=1 option.
Let's say you make an ISO first using genisoimage. You make a folder called stuff on the Desktop, put your files in there, and generate the ISO this way, replacing user with your Linux machine username:
cd Desktop;genisoimage -rJ -input-charset utf-8 -V disc-name-here -o /home/user/Desktop/dvd.iso stuff
After that, you put in a blank disc and run growisofs like this, changing /dev/sr1 to whatever your path is for your DVD drive:
growisofs -speed=1 -dvd-compat -Z /dev/sr1=dvd.iso
For the part that says -speed=1, that will slow the writing speed to a "safe" level. Not all the way down to 1x, but slow enough to where writes will complete successfully if you encounter problems at a faster writing speed.
Does individual file size matter?
Yes.
For ultra-compatible discs, no single file should be over 2GiB - 1 byte in size, which is exactly 2,147,483,647 bytes.
You can split any file using split in Linux like this:
split -b 2147483647 bigfile.ext bigfile.ext.part
This will create .partaa, .partab, and so on. They can be combined later with cat like this:
cat *.part* > bigfile.ext
Are there limits to filename length?
Yes. If there are any files over 64 characters long, they'll be readable in Linux but may not be in Windows.
Solution: Put files with really long names in a ZIP or 7Z or TAR or whatever, and have the archive filename as something under 64 characters in length.
Are there limits to the number of subfolders?
Yes. Go beyond 8 levels deep and there may be problems reading the data afterward in Windows.
The solution is the same as for long filenames, just put stuff in a ZIP/TAR/7Z/whatever where you can have as many levels as you want.
"Use UDF" is not the answer to everything
There's the possibility your data will be bouncing around from Windows to Linux and maybe even to macOS or vice versa. That being the case, you want to write the "most compatible" disc you can.
To achieve this, you are always better off simplifying things by writing just-under-2GiB archive files without really deep subfolder levels.
And remember, with 7-Zip you can split archives during creation into 2GiB chunks. Or if you really want to play it safe, split into 1GiB chunks. When you do this, if the original file is bigfile.ext, 7-Zip will create bigfile.ext.001, bigfile.ext.002, and so on. Double-clicking the .001 will open up the whole archive as long as all the files are in the same folder.
Said again: Video files are not worth writing to DVD
For most people, video is by far the file type that takes up the most space.
PDF, DOC, JPG, MP3 and things like that? Sure, DVD can handle that (or DVD+DL if you need larger capacity). But big-big MP4? No.
It is better to use 1TB SD cards for that stuff. Not the USB sticks. Use the cards. They're slower, but more reliable. There are also 2TB SD cards if you have the money for them. The best deal going currently is, of course, the 512GB SD.
How long do SD cards last? I read over a bunch of Amazon reviews get an answer on this. Based on what I read, the general consensus is about 3 years with heavy use, and around 4 to 5 years with light use. The card may last a lot longer than that, but to play it safe, assume a 3-5 year lifespan.
Also remember that USB SD card readers are cheap if you need one to read or write to your card from a PC USB port (or phone for that matter).
It is weird but cool writing data like I used to over 10 years ago
DVD is old and there's no denying that, but it's also the cheapest way to get reliable long term data storage (as long as it's not video since most modern video won't fit on a disc).
As I've been burning my discs, yeah I've had some feelings of nostalgia. In fact, I'm using the same soft cases (like these) that I used over a decade ago since I never threw them out. My cases are really old, but hey, they still work.
If you're asking, "So... you're just going to store these discs and then just copy them to new discs in 7 or 10 year's time?"
Unless something better comes along, yep.
I don't do cloud storage, tape storage is too expensive, using NAS is tedious (not to mention sometimes LOUD), and flash is flaky.
Believe me, I considered all the other methods. DVD, as old as it may be, is the best long term data storage option.
Published 2025 Mar 13
