What is the shelf life of a Sony 128 MB memory stick? For instance,
when I record data onto it, how long may I store it before the data
becomes unreadable?

Hi  connah ,

I am assuming you mean how long can you store data on a Sony memory
stick. While I can find no precise statement from Sony, the general
consensus is around 10 years. This of course depends on the manner in
which the stick is stored: ambient temperatures and humidity,
proximity to electro-magnetic devices, etc. can affect the lifespan of
stored digital data. Being an answer that depends on many variables,
there may be no exact answer, only the general time frame of 10 years.

If the data is important, it is imperative that you back it up onto
another source. You would not want to lose valuable pictures or data
if the memory stick failed, for whatever reason. I personally, would
NOT leave data on any kind of memory stick, compact flash, or smart
card media for very long.

As I stated, I was unable to find any data specific to Sony, after
scouring several Sony sites. I have e-mailed Sony Tech support; if and
when I get a response, I will post it for you.

Here are references to digital storage in general:

See the chart here: The shelf life of a Sony memory Stick is 2 years.
(This is the life of an unused stick)
http://www.digitallivingtoday.com/yourdough/storage/


Kingston brand states a 10 year retention life for flash memory:
http://www.kingston.com/products/DMTechGuide.pdf
and
http://www.computers4sure.com/product.asp?productID=95760&info=More&tn=i


?With moderate care, most magnetic media will last for 10 years.?
http://www.npowerseattle.org/tools/digital+media+life+expectancy+and+care.pdf

??none of the existing storage media ? such as CDs, DVDs, minidisks ?
can be relied on to have a lifespan of more than 20 years.?
http://colossalstorage.net/colossal5.htm

I could include over 30 sites with information about the Sony memory
stick, none of which state data retention estimates! Here are some
examples of ?no information? informative sites:

No mention of data retention on this Sony/Sandisk fact sheet!
http://www.memorysuppliers.com/san12sonmems.html

http://www.memorystick.com/en/index.html

http://www.flash-memory-store.com/san12sonmems.html#Overview

I hope this helps! Please request an Answer Clarification, before
rating this answer, if any part of this answer is unclear. This will
enable me to assist you further, if possible.

Regards,
crabcakes

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I didn't really get the answer I needed, but this researcher found far
more than I could so I am pleased!

I recall Sony claimed in their catalog that Memorystick has an error
recovery mechanism based in its linear design that allows for
reconstruction of the whole from a portion of the stored data.
(Marketing bluff?)