Knowing what to expect from your discs and how to care for them will help prevent losing your precious pictures, data and movies.

At Process One we know you rely on your CDs and DVDs to store your precious pictures, movies and data - but without the proper care and backups you are at risk of losing it all at any time. These CD and DVD discs have a limited lifetime and must be handled and stored correctly to get the longest life from them.

Your CDs and DVDs will not last forever.
That's right - your discs have a limited lifetime and eventually you will not be able to use them an more. As your discs age, the plastic and metal coating will begin to break down and depending on the quality of the discs you have, the lifespan could be as little as 8 to as long as 50 years for discs labeled 'Archival'. Regardless of the quality of the disc we recommend copying your CDs and DVDs to new discs every 5 to 10 years. In addition to copying the discs regularly we suggest that you backup your irreplaceable pictures and movies to a hard drive or use an online backup plan.

Caring for your discs properly will make them last longer.
Here are some tips to help your discs last longer:

- Don't write on the disc with normal 'Sharpie' or permanent markers. The acid in
the ink will badly damage the disc. If you must write on the disc use an acid-free
pigment based marker - or better yet, don't write on your discs at all.
- Avoid touching the shiny bottom surface of the disc to prevent the oils from your
skin from doing damage to the disc - hold the disc by the edges.
- If your disc gets smudges, don't use harsh household cleaners with ammonia,
which can damage the plastic disc. Use warm soapy water or a commercial disc
cleaning fluid instead.
- Avoid wiping the disc with paper towels or tissues - these can scratch. Use a clean
microfiber or 100% soft cotton cloth instead.
- When you are wiping the disc off, wipe across the disc, not in a circular motion
to avoid scratching the disc.
- Keep your discs in a dry, dimly lit area - humidity and light are bad for your discs.
- Store your CDs and DVDs in their protective case or in a non-scratching sleeve.
- Don't stack your discs on top of each other without cases - they will get scratched.

Hopefully these tips will help you get the most from your CDs and DVDs!