Slightly OT - backup options

[Gordon]

I currently have an external USB CDRW drive attached to my desktop, and am
looking at backup options.
I'm not only looking at backup capacity, but also reliability and long-term
readability.
I have got a couple of options AFAICS.
1. Replace the CDRW drive with an external DVDRW drive
2. Keep the CDRW drive and purchase an external USB HDD

Now obviously the HDD would far exceed the DVDs in terms of storage space
and speed of access, but in terms of reliability and long-term readability,
how would the external HDD fare in comparison to data on DVD disks? If for
example the HDD failed - would it be possible to extract the data or not? Do
DVD disks deteriorate with time?

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

 

[Gordon]

The amount of data you need to archive/backup is crucial to the answer
here.

Less than 4GB....

USB drives are great for a huge amount of data that you need quick access
to. They are also very expensive compared to other means.

DVD's only hold about 5GB of data but are very cheap.

Do DVDs deteriorate over time, and if so what sort of time scale?

 

[Gordon]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gordon" <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2007 10:17 AM
Subject: Re: Slightly OT - backup options



Then DVD is the answer.

It never hurts to have more than one backup of your stuff so if you have a
USB drive, use that, too. 4GB is nothing to store on a multi-gig external
drive.

You may also wish to consider some of the free on-line backup services
such as www.mozy.com and www.xdrive.com. You get 2GB free with Mozy and
6GB free with Xdrive but Mozy is a lot simpler to setup and use. I
suggest these IN ADDITION to whatever hard-backup you do.

I also use the free Foldershare from Microsoft to syncronize my files
between my office and home so that if one disapperars, I ahve a copy at
the other.

THEN I have a external USB and Acronis for drive imaging.

I ain't losing my stuff again.




Yes, they do deteriorate ("oxidize" is the more accurate term). Cheap
medai will generally last at least a couple of years. Better media will
last much longer. There is no set "time scale" but if you Google around,
you will find an abundance of data that will help you make a decision.

With the forthcom,ing release of affordable BlueRay/HD media that will up
to hundreds of gigabytes, your DVD storage issue may be fairly
short-lived.

If you are planning to archive data for years, then I suggest purchasing
the best recordable media you can find. Price is a pretty good indicator.
You'll generally be safe if you avoid the "cheap" or no-name stuff.

Thanks for the info!