4 months ago
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Many of us have memories of going through parents' or grandparents' attic looking at old photos or newspaper clippings.
Natalie Norman's parents saved everything in old albums.
"I even have some of my grades from elementary school and high school," says Norman.
However, all of Norman's new memories are kept on memory cards, CD's, and thumb drives. Not such a great idea says digital records consultant, Adam Jansen.
"You can't assume just because I'm using it today, it's going to be useable five years from now, let alone 10 or 50 years from now," says Jansen.
Just think back to floppy disks of a decade ago. A lot of computers these days don't have a place to play them notes Jansen. Take a look at some of the new laptops, and you'll find there's no drive where you can insert a CD. So those files are gone.
"Every two to five years technology changes in a revolutionary way. Something new, faster, something bolder comes out," says Jansen.
Some systems are prone to failing. Jansen points out DVD's can be hurt by heat. CD's can corrode over time.
Jansen says, "Suddenly I have a whole lot of data on a drive or a disc I may not be able to read."
If you want to save your memories forever, Jansen says get proactive NOW!
"The first step is making sure that you have multiple copies and that they're stored in different locations."
Jansen also suggests storing them on different kinds of media. He suggests putting pictures on a CD and a memory stick. And he says, look ahead to see what you'll need to switch them to in the future.
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