What are some ways to prevent bit rot?

[chad2501]

I've got some poorly cared for Atari 2600 games that have gone the way of the poodle, and it's got me thinking, how can I keep my fancy pants SNES collection from dying like that? Is it inevitable with age? What causes bit rot? I keep the console and games nice and clean, use rubbing alcohol when needed, and store them well. I figured, if anyone knows, it's the racketboy forums lol

[vlame]

EPROMs and flash memory store data using electrical charges, which can slowly leak away due to imperfect insulation. The chip itself is not affected by this, so re-programming it once per decade or so will prevent the bit rot.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=149968

http://www.rfgeneration.com/news/disc-r ... 37.php#NEW

[chad2501]

wow, thanks

[MrPopo]

But manufactured games aren't created using the same process that an EPROM is. Instead the data is physically pressed on to the ROM, so there's no way for it to change. I'd be curious to see if your Atari games were recoverable; it might have been that the pins were corroded and needed a stronger cleanser than our rubbing alcohol standby. Your SNES collection should continue working fine for decades. The batteries are a different story, of course.

[chad2501]

How would you go about re-programming it?

[chad2501]

tbh, I haven't even looked at the atari games for maybe... 5 years? Someone once told me that the reason they don't work could be bit rot, so I just assumed that was it. As I recall, the games will load but there's no way to interact with them. They will just cycle normally, but pressing the button or messing with switches have no effect. This happens on probably 5 or so of them. The atari's burried in my closet atm, and I have no real interest in collecting for it. The only reason I'd dig them out and clean it all up would be if I were planning to sell a few.

Thanks for the info on the snes games. I have 5 repro's that are on EPROMs, three of which I have the original rom chips for (I had official carts "translated" for 4 of the 5). What sort of lifespan do they have?

But manufactured games aren't created using the same process that an EPROM is. Instead the data is physically pressed on to the ROM, so there's no way for it to change. I'd be curious to see if your Atari games were recoverable; it might have been that the pins were corroded and needed a stronger cleanser than our rubbing alcohol standby. Your SNES collection should continue working fine for decades. The batteries are a different story, of course.

[MrPopo]

The repro stuff on EPROMs will probably last you 5-10 years. The nice thing is you can reprogram them, as mentioned.

[ChuChu Flamingo]

EPROMs and flash memory store data using electrical charges, which can slowly leak away due to imperfect insulation. The chip itself is not affected by this, so re-programming it once per decade or so will prevent the bit rot.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=149968

http://www.rfgeneration.com/news/disc-r ... 37.php#NEW

That rfgeneration guide is garbage. What that guy is showing, is pin holes, something completely unrelated to disc rot. Pin holes are manufacturer defects 99% of the time.

But back to the topic at hand. I wouldn't worry about disc rot, bit rot, or any of that stuff. No two disc are gonna be the same when it comes to bronzing (which is part of it). Heck, they have even done studies of the same batch of cds having different life spans.

The one thing I know, is cartridges are gonna last longer than disc based media.

[AppleQueso]

Only cartridges in danger of bit rot are repros and prototypes.

[final fight cd]

Heck, they have even done studies of the same batch of cds having different life spans.

i saw an interesting show on tv a few months back. it was about how the library of congress preserves all their media - ranging from hundred year old maps to dvds and more.

the show's narrator said that different batches of cds can be made with different material, depending on what is available at the time of production. this means that different batches will vary in durability; some will stand up to the harshest conditions while others will be ruined right away when put in unfavorable conditions. unfortunately, there is no way to identify what "strength" of cd you have.