Backing Up HD

[c_hernandez32]

I was reading a thread about some guy who lost hundreds of gigs of videos, and I asked my self, is there a good permanent way to back up my HD? Or do I have to replace my HD every 2 or 3 years? I heard that optical is the best but don't they "rot" after a couple of months? Any help with back up ideas and methods?

[edsmith77]

c_hernandez32,
Hmmmmm. I am not certain I totally buy the idea that 'optical disks rot away after a couple of months.' I sure have a lot of dvds that will need replacement soon.

Backup is a matter of choice and economics. If you have access to a cd writer or dvd writer then there is your answer. I am reluctant to recommend tape backup due to personal bias and past experieces (both professional and personal). But to be fair tape is a fairly inexpensive back up media (outside of the initial outlay for the drive and tapes).
If you have alot of disposable income then by a second external HDD. The software used to make the backup are just about as varied and they all do the job. Each has its own bells a whistles. You can pick your own music here.

But you are on the right track. If you have data that you do not want to lose, you had better have a copy of it tucked away somewhere for that proverbial rainy day.

As far as replacing your HDD every 2 or 3 years, well hardware does break and most generally when you least want it to despite all good intentions from the manufacturer. That is why people back up important data. So pick your poison.

There is no such thing as an infallible backup. Remember you can always make anything fool proof, but you can never make anything damn foolproof.

[c_hernandez32]

Thanks for the help. I just heard that some people have had problems with year old DVD's, but then again I really only want to use it once. So maybe will improve its life span. I've been backing up on 2 GB Jaz discs, and its been ok, but I haven't saved any "must have" videos.

Are tapes delicate babies? What is a good environment, a tupperware box stored in my closet? I've never used them and they don't really teach this any where. How about optical disks? I've seen a few that are floppy sized optical discs that hold 4 GB or less, I think.

[ChrisX]

An external HD is a great way to save your videos at 160 GB. I saw an ad just before Xmas.

I don't have one like this and always a risk as I got close to losing the videos when a NTFS HD re-start bug appeared. It is alright now.

Check out: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=820888