I don't know that I am putting this in the right section, so moderators, please feel free to move it if you believe it is not. Thank you. Honestly, I do not want to come off as stupid, but I am a little drunk so it is easier to ask a question that I would like to know an answer to, so please don't "look down" on me for asking. How exactly is it possible for the data for games on carts, and games on cds, to one day disappear? How does "bit rot" happen? I am very curious, but feel kind of stupid for asking. I have tried hard to keep my posts intelligent and to contribute to the community, but this is something that I would really like to understand, so please don't think badly of me for asking. Again, I am drunk. Thank you very much, Samael
When speaking of protoypes and crap, the only part of those definitions that applies is: Most cartridge prototypes are stored on EPROM, which is a volatile medium unlike the ROM storaqge used in producyion cartridges. EPROMs are actually very delicate and open to problems. Even light can kill them. I'm unsure whether an EPROM cartridge will last indefinitely if the holder keeps proper care of it or whether there really is an unstoppable degradation over time. I've read both. However, whatever the case, EPROMs are definitely pretty prone to decay, so keeping a unique EPROM game without backing it up, would be incredibly stupid. CD-R (GD-R, NR, etc.) games may have similar problems. There's lots of reasons to believe that CDs are pron to deterioration. I once had an audio CD that started peeling and therefore became unusable, I take good care of my CDs, so this can't be blamed on my treatment, however I did buy it used, so it may have had a hard life before ever coming into my possession. I had it for a few years before it showed any signs of anything, though. That was a production CD, peeling is much more common with CD-Rs, though generally only with cheaper media, so again it's hard to say whether prototype games on original manufacturer recordable media would be likely to suffer from such a thing. ...word is bondage...
There was a problem with CDs a few years back where the zinc reflective layer started to oxidise on some discs. I think it was down to errors in the manufacturing process. As has been said, EPROMS can be damaged by light (you use can UV light to erase them) Radiation can have an effect. If you live in a granite area, you can get radon gas building up (which is radioactive). It's unlikely anyone would be affected by this, unless you have to have a radon gas detector installed in your basement. IC chips can fail over time if used a lot due to metal fatigue caused by heating/cooling cycles, but this is unlikely to be a problem in low power devices like roms. Rust (Copper can oxidise and silver tarnishes) (on connectors and things) can be a problem if items are stored in damp conditions. Manuals and boxes can degrade over time, especially if stored in direct sunlight or damp. But so long as items are stored in reasonably stable conditions, most things should be fine for a long time. Oh, dust can sometimes be a problem. If it builds up it *can* cause short circuits, but again is unlikely, espacially with low voltage devices.
Most proto CD based games are burnt... and CD-R has an even shorter lifespan than CD, due to its construction. It is like anything = photos, film, cassette tape, paper.... it deteriorates after time.
