KVR Audio

metamorphosis · Post by **metamorphosis** » Sat Dec 25, 2010 9:47 am

Yeah, CDrs are fine - mostly- but they hold very little.
DVDrs are far more vulnerable - even a spec of dust creates CRC errors. And a finger smudge? Forget your data.
Hard drives are better, but not foolproof, and beyond five years, even with careful storage, you'd better have a raid 1 array.
The best long-term solution, cost-wise, when dealing with larges amounts of data is tape. But we're talking 20-40 years storage - by which point many of us will be dead.
Dual-DVD backup + HDD backup is my current solution.

deleted · Post by **deleted** » Sat Dec 25, 2010 7:56 pm

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deleted · Post by **deleted** » Sun Jan 02, 2011 11:12 pm

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BITWORD · Post by **BITWORD** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:48 pm

Any new opinions on BluRay for data backup are welcome

Thanks to all who have contributed!

Vintage73 · Post by **Vintage73** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:00 pm

I use CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays for backup, depending on what I'm backing up and how much information there is.

For important individual files I use CDs (if they're small enough). For directories I'll use either DVDs or Blu-rays.

I have one HDD for backup, but it became corrupted a couple of years ago and now some of that information is unreadable, so it can happen to any backup media. Most of my school work on that disc is gone, whereas, the backups I made on CD for school are just fine.

I school eneded in late 2002.

koolkeys · Post by **koolkeys** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:38 pm

metamorphosis wrote:
Bluray just isn't at the same price-point per GB at the moment - not even close - so it's not an attractive option for most people -

I have been considering the use of Bluray for backup purposes, so I went looking at prices, and in general, they were indeed expensive.

However, I did find some Bluray disks on sale once that equaled how much I was paying for dual layer DVDs at that time(but they were only the 25GB disks, 10 pack for like $15- not the 50GB or rewritable), so maybe we'll start seeing better prices soon. I hope so, because I saw that some spindles of disks were HUNREDS of dollars, and even more for rewritable 50GB disks(over $1,000 for a spindle!).

At this time, I buy a mix of single and dual layer DVDs. I only buy the latter when they are on sale, as even they are too expensive. Usually get a 15 pack for $10 on sale. Otherwise, a big spindle of single layer disks goes a long way.

I typically have everything on at least one HD as well. But every couple years, I go through lots of my disks and I will make new backups of anything that is still the current versions. So if software has been updated, I don't keep old versions, but just the new. It's tedious, but I don't know a better solution at the time?

Brent

camsr · Post by **camsr** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 10:44 pm

Tape or Hard Drive are the best options for long-term dependable stationary backup. If you want anything better, you might as well forge your own iron

Magnetic media is interference prone though. In most hard drives, this should not be a problem because the case acts as a shield to magnetic interference, and the magnetic strength required to change the data is high. Tape on the other hand is very sensitive, and a small pocket magnet in close proximity could screw it up. Although there are ways to retrieve this magnetic data, it is a special procedure and requires sensitive equipment in low EM environment. Hard drives have been recovered after fires have warped the platter. That would be costly for most of us, so it's better to keep them safe.

While EM interference might not be a big issue for hard drives, keep in mind the smaller the sectors, the more easily they respond to change. Given the choice for a long term backup, I might want to go with a lower capacity and more drives. Less prone to bit fade while unplugged I think.

dalor · Post by **dalor** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:02 pm

If the north/south poles are really gonna switch, optical media will be the best option. We won't have any electricity, computer or any electronic gadget but in theory, you have the best backup media possible

aMUSEd · Post by **aMUSEd** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:05 pm

Having just had what I thought was a reliable HD fail on me I'm starting to think the best long term solution might be to rent some space in The Cloud. Cloud based storage on a large scale seems to be becoming more affordable and potentially offers more secure backup facilities eg:

http://www.bitcasa.com/

https://www.gobbler.com/

http://aws.amazon.com/s3/

camsr · Post by **camsr** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 11:24 pm

Even if the electronics fail, the data remains! With discs, any scratch on the print ruins it. It's all a matter of necessity.

BluRay Burners for backup Qs