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When storing data, especially for long term storage, it can be critical to know how long the storage device or media will last.
Did you know that a hard disc written to when new, say, and left for years on the shelf, then used again can have significant data corruption even though it still works perfectly well? This is due to "bit rot", caused by the weakening of the magnetic fields on the platter over time. The only way to overcome this is by rewriting all the data every few years. However, what about the low level formatting data that its operation hinges on? There's usually no way to refresh that, so the drive might become unusable anyway. This is just one reason why backups are so critical.
Did you know that a hard disc written to when new, say, and left for years on the shelf, then used again can have significant data corruption even though it still works perfectly well? This is due to "bit rot", caused by the weakening of the magnetic fields on the platter over time. The only way to overcome this is by rewriting all the data every few years. However, what about the low level formatting data that its operation hinges on? There's usually no way to refresh that, so the drive might become unusable anyway. This is just one reason why backups are so critical.
