I don't really buy into the "2 Years" limit. I've had CDs for over five years now and they still work. Sometimes they don't because of dust and grease... but wipe it off and it works just fine. On the other hand, some have scratches that once polished, works fine. I do have some that don't work or behave irratic which may relate to differnce with a newer drive. Perhaps the cheap CDs are the real culprit because of the cheap material used to build them but with falling prices, every CD is now CHEAP!!! I do like the idea with using a hard drive as a back up. It will last really really long (decades?) the less you use it. However, if you don't use it enough, will the motor seize up and die?