So-called "bargain basement" or "generic" blank CDs may be of a lesser quality than "branded" blanks CDs. If the quality control measures utilized in the manufacturing processes are less stringent (or non-existent), such "inferior" CDs may "leak" around their perimeter and allow oxygen to penetrate the perimeter and to reach the recordable surface. The metal interior then starts to oxidize and the information recorded on the interior metal surface may become corrupt. If you severely scratch or nick the edge of any CD, you should consider making a copy of it, since the damage may allow the CD's recorded surface to begin oxidizing. What brand should you buy? There is no single answer to this question, except to say that you generally get what you pay for. Consider the type of information that you will be recording on the CD. Here at On Track Communications, we use generic CDs to deliver data to our clients and to transport photos and information from one place to another. Those CDs are not intended to be archival, but we make two copies of everything. We have had clients call and say, "We can't read this CD anymore," and we have always had our second copy in the files. Now consider this: we "backup" all of the information that flows through our computers onto magnetic tape and we "archive" all of the photos on DVDs. The key ingredient in our workflow is redundancy. If one medium fails, there is always another copy to retrieve. Does it matter how many times one reads them? No. A CD's life-span is virtually unlimited in this respect. However, a CD that is read frequently is probably handled frequently, so it is more suseptible to edge damage. This is why the audio CDs that you carry in your car will fail more frequently than those in your home. The ones in your car get beat up and then oxygen leaks into them. What to do? If you have precious data on CD and it is irreplacable, make another copy. You might want to buy a package of 24k gold CDs to archive your most precious photographs and then store them in a safe place. But don't panic and worry that all of your data is at risk. And don't think that your CDs are all going to fail. Just make extra copies of the things that are irreplacable. Scott Orlowski www.ontrackcommunications.com