extras:the_cost_of_forever_disks
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Table of Contents
The Cost of Forever Disks
At present, 100% of the costs associated with the hardware, hosting, and overall upkeep of this site are the responsibility of HBM, the founder of Forever Disks. Below is a running table of all of the costs accrued so far:
Disks
| Item | Format | Date | Price | Retailer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philips 640 MB RW | 90 mm ODC | 2026-07-05 | $14.73 | eBay |
| LaserByte 230 MB RW | $13.06 | |||
| 10x Random MiniDiscs | MD | $35.83 | ||
| Tosoh & LaserByte 230 MB RW | 90 mm ODC | 2026-07-21 | $12.63 | |
| Maxell & Maxoptix 2.6 GB RW | 130 mm ODC | $12.64 | ||
| 2x Philips 1.3 GB RW | 2026-07-27 | $27.46 | ||
| Sony EDM-5200B 5.2 GB RW | $20.01 | |||
| 5x Plasmon 30 GB WORM | UDO1 | 2026-07-30 | $37.84 | |
| Maxell DRMS-V28R.1P 2.8 GB | 80 mm DVD-RAM | $19.98 | ||
| 3x Optodisc 9.4 GB | 120 mm DVD-RAM | 2026-07-31 | $26.00 | |
| 3x Plasmon P2600W 2.6 GB WORM | 130 mm ODC | 2026-08-07 | $16.13 | |
| Philips LM6000 LaserDrive 12 GB WORM | 300 mm ODC | $33.64 | ||
| Sony LVM-3AA0 CRV-Disc WO | $0.00 | |||
| IBM 62G1056 128 MB R | 90 mm ODC | 2026-08-09 | $20.28 | |
| Philips LM6000 LaserDrive 12 GB WORM | 300 mm ODC | 2026-08-14 | $31.59 | |
| 2x Sony WDM-6DL0 Writable Disks WORM | 2026-08-16 | $50.00 | ||
| $20.00 | Antique Store | |||
| Imation 1.3 GB RW | 130 mm ODC | 2026-08-18 | $11.58 | eBay |
| Pinnacle Micro DOT DR-512 4 GB RW | 2026-09-08 | $22.53 | ||
| Pinnacle Micro DOT OMDR 4.6 GB RW | $21.75 | |||
| IBM 23R2568 30 GB RW | UDO1 | 2026-09-12 | 26.33 | |
| HP C7983A 9.1 GB RW | 130 mm ODC | $15.80 | ||
| Plasmon 30 GB RW and Cleaning Disk | UDO1 | 2026-09-14 | $37.52 | |
| 78x DataPlay 500 MB | DataPlay | 2026-09-18 | $0.00 |
Drives
| Item | Form Factor | Format | Date | Price | Retailer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2x Sony Walkman MZ-N510 Players + 12 MDs | External | MD | 2026-07-26 | $125.04 | eBay |
| Sony SMO-F551 5.2 GB + Adaptec AHA-2930CU | 5.25 in | 130 mm ODC | $142.56 | ||
| Fujitsu (Gigamo) MCJ3230AP 2.3 GB | 3.5 in | 90 mm ODC | 2026-07-27 | $133.51 | |
| Matsushita LF-D311GK | 5.25 in | 120 mm DVD-RAM | 2026-07-31 | $29.48 | |
| Sony SMO-F561 9.1 GB | 130 mm ODC | 2026-09-10 | $167.24 | ||
| 6x Fujitsu (Gigamo) MCM3130AP 1.3 GB | 3.5 in | 90 mm ODC | 2026-09-11 | $117.30 | |
| Plasmon UDO30I 30 GB | 5.25 in | UDO1 | 2026-09-12 | $63.18 | |
| HP C1716-67911 1.3 GB | 130 mm ODC | 2026-09-21 | $28.35 | ||
| Matsushita LF-3002 128 MB | 3.5 in | 90 mm ODC | $31.96 |
Misc.
| Item | Format | Date | Price | Retailer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2x Bib CD-ROM Caddies | 120 mm OD | 2026-07-28 | $29.06 | eBay |
| Adaptec 29160N SCSI Card | PCI | 2026-09-11 | $31.54 | |
| IDC-68 24 in Cable | Cable | 2026-09-12 | $21.21 | |
| Sony WDC-610 Writable Disk Controller | 300 mm ODC | 2026-09-16 | $258.93 | |
| Promise ATA-100 IDE Controller Card | PCI | 2026-09-17 | $16.40 | |
| Generic SATA + IDE Controller Card | PCIe | 2026-09-18 | $12.00 | |
| 5x DataPlay Optical Engines | DataPlay | $47.49 |
- The acronym ODC (optical disk cartridge) below refers to the general form factor for 90, 130, and 300 mm disks. Not all disks are interchangeable or compatible with all drives. Similarly, the acronym OD (optical disc) is for all CDs and DVDs that are not enclosed in a cartridge. See the Compatibility page for more info.
- The Sony LVM-3AA0 CRV-Disc, while purchased from eBay, was received for free. Basically, the seller had lost the disk, refunded the purchase, then found the disk, and shipped it to me anyway.
- The two Sony WDM-6DL0 disks were an interesting find. The first was found on Facebook Marketplace and when I met up with the gentleman, he let me know that he purchased his disk from an antique shop about 90 minutes from my house. After I purchased his disk, I went to this antique shop and found a second disk tucked away in the back of the shop.
- The six Fujitsu (Gigamo) MCM3130AP drives were purchased as a group of five, but the seller sent a sixth as a gift. Two of the drives ended up being broken, so they were partially refunded.
- Regarding the free DataPlay disks; I purchased 21x 3-packs of disks and the seller sent me 26x packs as a bonus for a bulk order. When I received them from Italy, all of the paper inserts for the disks were quite moldy. I opened up a refund request since the listing did not show images of mold nor was that disclosed in the description. The seller was very rude about the situation, but I soon won my eBay dispute and received a no-return refund for the disks.
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