it’s very sad / discouraging news…masters and a stuff are being lost 
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Sad indeed, but magnetic HDD’s only last so long tbh. I saved my CD’s for a reason and transferred by music library to SSD’s as soon as it was economically viable to do so. Also, a copy of a copy…just in case. 
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true, but my impression here is these are drives that have been held in storage…not active use. if actively used, lasting 20 years is phenomenal, but sitting in a controlled and unpowered environment…that’s bad. I’m thinking they probably need to be sealed so the electronics can’t oxidize and decay, because I bet that’s the part failing. 
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Why though? I mean, the main benefit of SSDs are their speed (and no noise I guess) but that is just overkill for music files. While they are a lot more fragile than HDDs in terms of long term storage and also a LOT more expensive, particularly when it comes to 4+ TB ranges (not too bad if under 2 TB though).
Then again, newer HDDs (afaik) are a lot more durable than older ones.
Yeah, keeping them in a vacuum sealed anything would be best. Breakdown occurs with anything really over time that is not (and some even that is due to chemical reactions running amok). I actually had an SSD fail on me (early Samsung SSD series) due to it not being powered for an extended period of time. Apparently it was an odd issue with either the controller or the memory cells just dying.
I had a robust 500 GB SSD lying around collecting dust. Library not that large (yet), some I just have in Spotify where I don’t own the physical media. Also, I have been burned in the past with HDD’s failing and losing my music collection twice. Granted those drives were older, newer tech so much better, but it’s one of those things that sticks with you and so my latest collection will reside on an SSD as a personal preference.
Movies are another story and reside on a robust larger HDD (mirrored with second backup drive, just in case) since the space need is much greater. 
Damn, I have an external that’s almost 20 years old. A TB of nothing but perfectly ripped jazz with log/cue/booklets. Took me a long time to build it. I better get a new one and start the transfer process
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I’m a big believer in having a backup of my music and movie collection, just in case. Anything can happen really and not trying to sound like a doomsayer or anything but since data loss has happened to me a couple of times in the past, that made my mind up. The good news is that drives are generally more affordable these days, both SSD’s and HDD’s. NAS units, making backups a bit easier to manage in most cases, are also more affordable and robust.
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That is bad luck with the HDD I guess but HDDS ARE a lot safer than SSDs in this regard still…
Perhaps another method would be to buy a cheap NAS and keep the drive running inside it so it doesnt degrade like that. Perk with this would be that you could then run Navidrome on the NAS and then stream the files over to your other devices. (which is what I use.)
You should definitely check so it is readable.
If your data is relatively small, consider using cloud alongside local physical storage, like Backblaze B2 or Hetzner storage box.
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I think that’s debatable, SSD’s are actually very safe if you get a solid one and have a good PSU to deliver regulated power to it. Crucial has been my go to for SSD’s and never had any issues from the hundreds I have installed since making the switch from Samsung (which currently might better than they used to be). I’ve actually had more failures with HDD’s in the NAS equipment and labs I used to support at the Uni, and then there’s my own cases of failures. I do however think that the new HDD tech is better but still a higher prone to failure rate versus SSD’s since they have mechanical moving parts in addition to the storage platters.
I agree on making the switch to a NAS with new and robust HDD’s (until 4TB+ SSD’s come down in price some more) is the way to go and have one picked out. I really like Synology, used them in the Uni and like the interface and options. Their equipment is quality too, never had a DiskStation or RackStation fail in the years of operation.
I dunno, pretty much every source I have seen puts HDD above SSD in long term storage use.
Yeah love my DS423+, just hate that their hardware is pretty lacking compared to their competitors…but they do have the best software.
(will need to finish my NAS post sooner or later…)
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Yeah, there are times they each trade blows, depending on the manufacturer. At the end of the day, I think if you have a current and quality SSD or HDD that your data is pretty safe and especially moreso versus like 20-30 years ago. 
I love looking at this data from time to time, just to see which are the longer lasting drives out there. I know it’s not perfect but it gives a good indicator to consumers.
I currently have the DS224+ saved to get at some point (soon’ish) but am looking forward to your NAS post to see what your thoughts are. 
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yeah love backblaze for that data.
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This depends a lot on your use case, but personally I would stay away from the 2 bay NAS as they are simply too inflexible when you see them as a long term use device (5+ years) due to the limited bay slots. With only 2 bays, you realistically only have access to one drive for storage while the other will be used for Raid (or in Synology SHR) and if you need more data in the future.
you would need to swap out those drives for bigger ones which is likely to just cost more than buying a 4 bay nas from the beginning since the old 2 drives you already have would essentially be useless since you cant use them in the 2 bay nas with the 2 new ones.
Then it also does not have any NVME SSD slots, which would mean if you run docker containers (which I highly recommend as there are tons of useful containers, including that navidrome music server). it would be stored on the HDD which would mean the HDDs are working 24/7 and thus be noisy all the time (not an issue if you are using SSDs in the NAS instead or if you have the NAS placed elsewhere).
As for that DS224+ in particular, it does have the same CPU and same ram slots (from what I can tell) as my DS423+ so performance is fine in it. They do say it only goes up to 6GB ram at max (same as the DS423+) but well you can likely go up to 18GB at least (which is what I have) if it is the same as the DS423+.
You can really go 2 ways, either go up to a 4 bay NAS (my rec, examples DS423+, Qnap TS-264, Terramaster F4-424/F4-423) OR you can go for a cheaper solution, which is to buy a raspberry pi 4b and pair it up with a HDD case so you can use internal 3.5inch HDDs https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006979292049.html https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32823248641.html
Which I believe has 4 USB slots so max 4 Bays with this setup. This is a bit cheaper I believe than buying a 2 Bay NAS (such as the DS223+, TerraMaster F2-223 and Qnap TS-223) while having more potential (more slots). The CPU in the Pi IS weaker than those though but if you are only using it for storage and perhaps a single docker container (Navidrome) then it should be fine. This way you can then upgrade later IF you want more power (CPU&Ram) for more docker containers and you might be able to find a better deal since Ugreen just joined the NAS war with some impressive hardware I just do not recommend them right now as they are too new to know how long they last and how their support/security is.
(do note that prices on NAS varies a lot on region so you always want to research what is available for you.)
I just checked my aunt aging Western Digital TB external and everything is readable and moveable(put some albums on my dap). But I’m researching a replacement now. I’d be crushed if I lost it all.
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Yeah, I was actually considering getting a 4 bay versus the 2 bay so I can run SHR or Raid 5. I really do like how Synology has developed their own raid versus just churning out hardware.
If you do not need access to the files get a new HDD (can be 3.5mm internal paired up with a HDD case or external HDD) and/or cloud (backblaze b2 or hetzner storage box are the cheapest).
If you want access to the files, get a NAS. See the big post above for my recs.
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I assume that means you would not run SHR/raid with a 2 bay then? That is kinda risky I feel since if one drive dies it is rip (without backups).
But yeah I love their SHR type which is adaptive and the HDDs dont need to be the same sizes. This is how i can use 2x16TB + 1x18TB HDDs, although I cant use the 2 TB that is left on the 18TB drive but if I either add another drive at 18 or bigger or replace one of the 16TB with 18 or bigger, I can use it all.
Yeah, I am going 4 bay instead for more options. Just saved the DS423+ to the wish list instead. The DS923+ is not that far off from price at ~$100 more (without drives) but don’t really need the scaling features that it offers.
I miss the DS1821+ I had sitting at my desk in the department I used to work for. It was nice and full of 4TB WD Gold drives donated by WD to us.
I would avoid that one since it has an AMD CPU without support for transcoding. (no IGPU in it)
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