Solid-state drives lose data if left without power for just a few days

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    Solid-state drives lose data if left without power for just a few days

    Solid-state drives lose data if left without power for just a few days


    Last Updated: 14 May 2015 at 07:13

    Storage. It's not a sexy topic. But everyone uses it in some way or another. You have iPhones, you have computers. Everyone knows how important a person's data is. But it doesn't just "disappear."

    Or does it?
    New research suggests that newer solid-state hard drives, which are faster and offer better performance, are vulnerable to an inherent flaw -- they lose data loss when they're left dormant in storage for periods of time where the temperature isn't properly regulated.

    The worrying factor is that the period of time can be weeks, months, but even in some circumstances -- just a few days.
    Solid-state drives are better than regular mechanical hard drives, which are slow and sluggish. But unless they're battered around, smashed, or poured in acid, they pretty much last forever.
    Source

    Update: Anandtech has looked into this more closely, and notes that "while there is some (read: very, very little) truth" to the broad strokes of the notion that SSDs can lose data while in storage due to temperature fluctuations, the figures included in the presentations were from a drive that had exceeded its endurance ratings. Newer drives also have considerably higher data retention, typically around ten years. It's worth digging into the Anandtech article for further insights.
    labeeman's Avatar Posted By: labeeman
    09 May 2015


  1. Lee
    Posts : 4,793
    OS X, Win 10
       #1

    The more B. S. Department . . .
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 3,502
    Win_8.1-Pro, Win_10.1607-Pro, Mint_17.3
       #2

    Lee said:
    The more B. S. Department . . .
    Bill Smith Department?

    The article has a few flaws (lousy temp conversion That means if a solid-state drive is stored in a warm room, say 25°F (25°C), its data can last for about two years. ... 25C = 77F), but it references hard data from a very reliable source:
    http://www.jedec.org/sites/default/f...0Mode%5D_0.pdf

    Any charged device will lose it's charge over time, cooler temps = less discharge.

    All it means is that you need to periodically attach the device or better yet, back it up to physical media (HDD, DVD) if you plan on storing the device for prolonged periods.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 16,623
    Windows 11 Pro X64
       #3

    Slartybart said:
    Bill Smith Department?


    I'm sure that's is exactly what Lee meant


    Well said Bill
      My Computers


  4. Lee
    Posts : 4,793
    OS X, Win 10
       #4

    Dude said:


    I'm sure that's is exactly what Lee meant


    Well said Bill
    Darn didn't know I was that easy of a read. . .
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 419
    Win 7 Pro/32, Win 10 Pro/64/32
       #5

    When SSD's first came out, I took all the hype with a grain of salt.
    I've been working with the mechanical HD's since they were still in their infancy. (back into the '60's).
    I doubt that very many on this or any forum today, would even know what an MFM or RLL drive was.

    The magnetic signal stored on any media, whether it be a floppy disk or HD, will diminish with time.
    Less time with a Floppy Disk and more time with less degradation with an HD.
    Time and cosmic rays are the killer. So how much degradation of the little magnetic ones and zeros stored on a HD can we tolerate before some data loss is reported? That depends on the structure of the HD in question. Some brands of HD's are better than others.
    To combat this loss of magnetic recording strength, with time and use, I re-write my mechanical HD at least once a month or sooner.
    Besides refreshing the data in storage, it also has the effect of defragmenting the drive.

    In spite of all the hype about the blazing speed of the SSD, I waited till 2015 to buy a small one, just to experiment with.
    File access speed is, of course, faster than on a mechanical HD, but......
    That date then has to flow through a standard SATA data cable, to a port on the motherboard, and into a HD controller chip, and finally to the data buss on the motherboard.
    No matter how fast the data was found by the SSD, it can't get into the CPU or RAM any faster than the SATA controller can process it. SATA I, SATA II or SATA III data transfer speeds are fixed by hardware and cannot be increased.

    My little SSD really didn't seem to be any faster than my old SATA III hard drive, because both were running on a SATA II motherboard. For an SSD to really shine, it would have to be connected to a drive controller that is much faster than even a SATA III.

    A possibility for the future, would be an SSD that would plug directly into a motherboard, like RAM memory.
    "Daddy, are we there yet?" ...... "No darlin' not yet!"

    Cheers Mates and Happy Mother's Day!

      My Computer


  6. Posts : 28,672
    Mint 21.3
    Thread Starter
       #6

    TechnoMage said:
    A possibility for the future, would be an SSD that would plug directly into a motherboard, like RAM memory.
    "Daddy, are we there yet?" ...... "No darlin' not yet!"

    Cheers Mates and Happy Mother's Day!

    They are here. pci-express-ssd
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 46
    64-bit 10240 10 Pro
       #7

    That means if a solid-state drive is stored in a warm room, say 77°F (25°C), its data can last for about two years. But, if that goes up by a mere few degrees to 86°F (30°C), that data's retention period will be cut in half.
    I guess if you live in Phoenix you are SOL.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 27,166
    Win11 Pro, Win10 Pro N, Win10 Home, Windows 8.1 Pro, Ubuntu
       #8

    TechnoMage said:
    When SSD's first came out, I took all the hype with a grain of salt.
    I've been working with the mechanical HD's since they were still in their infancy. (back into the '60's).
    I doubt that very many on this or any forum today, would even know what an MFM or RLL drive was.

    The magnetic signal stored on any media, whether it be a floppy disk or HD, will diminish with time.
    Less time with a Floppy Disk and more time with less degradation with an HD.
    Time and cosmic rays are the killer. So how much degradation of the little magnetic ones and zeros stored on a HD can we tolerate before some data loss is reported? That depends on the structure of the HD in question. Some brands of HD's are better than others.
    To combat this loss of magnetic recording strength, with time and use, I re-write my mechanical HD at least once a month or sooner.
    Besides refreshing the data in storage, it also has the effect of defragmenting the drive.

    In spite of all the hype about the blazing speed of the SSD, I waited till 2015 to buy a small one, just to experiment with.
    File access speed is, of course, faster than on a mechanical HD, but......
    That date then has to flow through a standard SATA data cable, to a port on the motherboard, and into a HD controller chip, and finally to the data buss on the motherboard.
    No matter how fast the data was found by the SSD, it can't get into the CPU or RAM any faster than the SATA controller can process it. SATA I, SATA II or SATA III data transfer speeds are fixed by hardware and cannot be increased.

    My little SSD really didn't seem to be any faster than my old SATA III hard drive, because both were running on a SATA II motherboard. For an SSD to really shine, it would have to be connected to a drive controller that is much faster than even a SATA III.

    A possibility for the future, would be an SSD that would plug directly into a motherboard, like RAM memory.
    "Daddy, are we there yet?" ...... "No darlin' not yet!"

    Cheers Mates and Happy Mother's Day!

    Basically "Silent Corruption" or "Bit Rot". I posted this in same thread in 8 Forums http://www.ironmountain.com/Knowledg...orruption.aspx
      My Computers


  9. Posts : 69
    Win10
       #9

    TechnoMage said:
    A possibility for the future, would be an SSD that would plug directly into a motherboard, like RAM memory.
    "Daddy, are we there yet?" ...... "No darlin' not yet!"
    Hey, where have you been for the last year or so? My Samsung XP941 plugs straight into a special small slot on the motherboard. No Sata, straight into the cpu via PCIE.

    Bob frost
      My Computer


 

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