When rating CD/DVD storage, be sure to consider both reliability and durability. Reliability indicates the ability to consistently read back information previously stored on a disc. With poorly manufactured discs, or cheaply designed CD/DVD burners, read failures can occur either immediately after burning the information or after just a few accesses. Good quality discs and all but the cheapest burners and disc readers mean burned data should be accessible immediately and for many reads afterwards.

Durability measures how long the CD/DVD remains readable after burning. When CD's were first introduced 25 years ago (with DVD's following a few years later) manufacturing quality varied considerably. The result was that lower quality discs failed after just a few weeks (or, couldn't be recorded at all), while high quality units are still readable today. Manufacturing nowadays has improved to the point where variations in quality are greatly reduced, meaning that all but the very cheapest discs should, with 'proper care', last many years.

To safeguard your important data, first stick with name brand CD/DVD products, which generally cost $18-$20 per hundred for CD's and $22-$28 per hundred for DVD's. Be wary of deeply discounted products, which may indicate a lesser quality (for example, discs which failed stringent quality control tests and are now being sold under a generic or no-name brand).

After burning a CD or DVD, it's always a good idea to immediately try reading it, if possible in a drive other than the one that created it. Never write on the shiny under (recording) side of a disc, always handle on the edges only, and always keep discs in a protective jacket or case to guard against scratches. Never use any kind of solvent or abrasive in an attempt to clean a computer CD or DVD (if necessary, use only a soft, dry cloth to clean a disc). Finally, avoid excessive heat or humidity, factors which can warp the disc itself.

With proper care, CD's or DVD's burned today should still be readable decades from now. To ensure that likelihood, be sure to start with high quality discs first, and store them correctly after burning them.