[anku94]

Hmm. So we're basically stuck with no ideal backup solution.

[typeOnegative]

Has anyone used a tape drive for personal back ups? Aren't tapes the best way to carry out a backup?

[NOTORIOUS]

Originally Posted by anku94

Hmm. So we're basically stuck with no ideal backup solution.

No , with the help of all and specially Thad E Ginathom , i came to conclusion that a copy on hdd and a copy on DVD will last me 6-6 years or until a new and more reliable technology come for data archiving.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Glad to be of help --- although I had to admit that I do not, entirely, practice what I preach <Blush>.

There's another concept of backups and archiving which is worth thinking about: the only backup you can be 100% certain of is one that you have actually restored the data from. Now, even in the commercial world, how often does that happen?

Anybody who has been a systems manager knows the sinking feeling in the stomach as they wait to see if the the required restore actually works.

Notorious --- I think that is the best you can do. You spread the risk over different technologies and locations.

Further to my comments about backups to internet sites... I love the idea. In work, I always wanted to, but the combined cost of the service and fast-enough connection made it prohibitive. I would not trust free or promotional schemes as a long-term arrangement --- but an extra copy is never a bad thing. In that way, we can use sites such as Flickr and Piccassa, not only for sharing, but also as a backup, for our photographs. Not, of course, in their high-resolution high file sizes, but if all else failed, it would be a whole lot better than nothing.

[sanjayc]

Originally Posted by NOTORIOUS

....i came to conclusion that a copy on hdd and a copy on DVD will last me 6-6 years...

Are you sure about the DVD part? 600gigs will take appx 150 Dvds..each DVD will take appx 20-30 mins depending upon write speed..Add to that time required to split the data in such a way so as to fit in 4/8gb DVDs...then comes labeling properly of each DVD for retrieval purposes. For long term storage, you need to store the DVDs in inidividiul good quality plastic case (DVD pouches are not recommended) - huge storage space requirement. Man! This will surely keep you occupied on a regular basis! By that time you compile this initial set, another 600 gb (HD content, as is the norm now) will get added to the collection! It surely carries the risk of losing data among the sheer clutter of DVDs, if not the dvd disc quality itself.

IMO, your best bet would be as follows:

1. 1 TB 3.5 inch HDD with external casing - Store all raw data here in its original format - costs about 5/6K - should be used only for storage and not for regular viewing/retrieval purpose.

2. Couple of 2.6 inch 500 or 640 GB external portable HDD - Since these hdds are designed for laptops, they are supposed to be more rugged that 3.5 inch ones and can withstand certain amount of mild abuse. Content can be divided among music/video/photo etc. across disks. Should cost <4K/hdd.

3. Most critical contents (old content, particularly video/photo - mp3s, even if lost can be arranged from from various sources) can go into another portable hdd or one of the 2 hdds as above...depends on how much content you have.

In case you opt for Hdd solution, ensure you give a fixed drive letter to each of them, and disable indexing/autoscan/recycle bin feature in windows for each of them..to reduce the activity load when they are connected to the pc.

One good thing about HDD is even if they fail, data can be recovered using Professional services like Stellar-Phoenix (last year in Jan, recovered 120 GB worth of data from HP server scsi hdd @25K - all 4 hdds in the server were toast due to faulty wiring by the generator guys)..even though it costs bit high, still you have the option to recover in worst case scenario. There are plenty of freeware/commercial software also avlbl to recover seemingly lost data from hdds which may not be readable by the OS directly.

[Thad E Ginathom]

The only thing I disagree with is relying on the possibility of hdd recovery. If we do that, we needn't back up in the first place!

But the sheer quantity of data is, as you say, quite daunting.

How about skipping the current DVD-generation technology and going direct to BlueRay?

Just one quick google shows that tape backup systems (and the tapes) are still very expensive. I recall three generations of cartridge that we used: latterly, Exabyte, before that, DLT, and before that, a cartridge that looked a bit like a giant cassette tape with a solid metal mack --- I forget the name.

If one could raise the cash to go for tape...

But still, although in all probability it lasts a lot longer, we were advised not to rely on backups more than two years old.

[sanjayc]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

The only thing I disagree with is relying on the possibility of hdd recovery. If we do that, we needn't back up in the first place!

It is not a question of relying...the point is, in case, one is desperate enough and as a worst case scenario, the recovery option is available. Just in case. That does not mean, backup should not be taken at all.

If this is supposed to be a backup requirement in a commercial environment like office etc, where cost/time is not much of a factor...lot of exotic options are avlbl..Coming to personal backup options, hdds are still the best option given the cost/gb & and hassle free nature. For the cost of a Blue-ray writer/discs, I think one can purchase some 4 1tb hdds.

The fact is, theoretically, the hdd media mostly gets damaged and beyond recovery, if the platters are physically damaged. Otherwise, most of these issue of unreadibilty is due to sector corruption, thus not readable by OS. This can be corrected by specialised software created for the purpose or in some expert hands.

Yes, hdds cannot be thrown around like dvds etc and should be handled with care, but given the convenience, I would anyday opt for hdd based backup.

To ensure data is not corrupted easily, ensure to:
1. Always eject properly using the right options instead of disconnecting the usb/power cord
2. Allow some time for the heads to be parked/come to a rest, before carrying/moving the portable hdd
3. In case external hdd is powered by its own adaptor, it should be connected to a ups.

Personally, I have an array of portable HDDs: Whenever I purchase a laptop/desktop, normally the hdds which come with the configuration are meagre in capacity - I take those out and replace the same with higher capacity hdds - the lower capacity ones goes into a hdd case and act as MWF/TTS backup schedule, rotated quarterly. Over the last 10 yrs, like this I am having some 15 hdds ranging from 60gb to 500gb with a couple of 1TB 3.5 ones.

In case Notorius@ is too paranoid about loss of data, just add another hdd to the collection..the risk decreases exponentially with each such addition and keeping in multiple locations.

[Gilead]

Originally Posted by sanjayc

Over the last 10 yrs, like this I am having some 15 hdds ranging from 60gb to 500gb with a couple of 1TB 3.5 ones.

In case Notorius@ is too paranoid about loss of data, just add another hdd to the collection..the risk decreases exponentially with each such addition and keeping in multiple locations.

Are you running a data center or something in your house?

[joslicx]

Agree with the HDD solution. I have about 4 external HDDs (from 120 GB to 1TB, all of them 2.5") and none have failed me so far (touchwood). The oldest one is about 5 years now. Newest one (1TB) is just few days old. Theres nothing like convinience of a HDD when you want to store data (be it anything). And yes one can theoretically (and even practically) retrieve most (or all) of the data in a HDD. I successfully did it once from my ex-laptop HDD when it failed. Just needed to buy an external casing and google threw up options of softwares to help me. Had to try a bit (little bit more than a bit) but managed to recover everything!

The best solution IMO to your needs is 2.5" HDDs. They are not expensive at all and are very handy. If you want sturdy ones, you can always look at Transcend ones (those are used by Army as per the company).

[sanjayc]

Originally Posted by Gilead

Are you running a data center or something in your house?

LOL..Kind of..well I upgrade by laptop every 2 yrs, desktop every 3 yrs...add to that around 30 office PCs update cycle every 4-5 yrs. Now you know why my car is running on sort of free fuel for past 7-8 yrs or so - via IOC petro vouchers, since all these purchases are on card.

[NOTORIOUS]

i Am writing on dvd because it is the only cheap option to have a copy of all my data in mearly 1500 rupees.And yes , You all are right , i need one or more hdd's to have a two to three sets of important backups.

I agree that mp3's or movies can be rearranged but not my childhood videos and pictures.

[anku94]

Does anyone know of the relative delicacy of blu-rays compared to DVDs ? It might just be my perception, but IMO, when an optical disk is newly released, even minor rough handling can prove to be fatal, but in a few years' time, the drives grow more adept at handling scratched disks.

[Thad E Ginathom]

So far, I've never even handled one!

[vivekiny2k]

From what I am reading, blue ray discs are losing the data in an year or two.

I am backing up my data on external HDDs. Another thing I have started doing is easing and rewriting the whole data once a year.

[Ford_madhan]

You guys backing up data in hdd are lucky. In my case, both my 3.5" 1TB external and 2.5" 250GB laptop drives failed and unable to retrieve the data. Looking for another good option. Seems hard drives with higher capacity tend to fail quite often and in short time.. My 40GB hdd bought almost 8 years ago still works perfect..

Anyone tried SSD drives? Any review on that?..