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General discussion

Are memory cards a good media to back up your data on?

Jun 15, 2012 8:32AM PDT
Question:
Are memory cards a good media to back up your data on?

A question about "backup media"...I've been pretty diligent about
making regular backups of all data files on my computers for
years. Years ago, I used tape, then zip drives, and for quite
awhile now I've been backing up onto DVDs. Lately I've begun a new
trend (at least new for me). Since the price of SDHC memory cards
seems to be reasonable and both my computers have slots for these
cards, I've been backing up onto them for a while now. A 16G card
can hold a lot more data than the DVDs.

My question is this: are these memory cards more vulnerable to
damage or data loss than DVDs? Is there anything I've missed, or
is this an OK process? Also are there any pros and cons to using
memory cards as backup media? Your advice will be greatly
appreciated. Thanks.

--Submitted by: Cecil B.

Discussion is locked

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Back Ups are very important
Jun 23, 2012 2:41AM PDT

Well there seems to be many ways people do back up and as well as they should - and most will work - cloud backs up are flaky - several people I know have had problems - now local back up are the best in my eye but having an off site for a back-up to the back-ups is not a bad idea - now as far as the media they all have there good points - I never just back up just one way - I have a C drive clone on an ext drive bay - a data Back Up via a byte by byte with no commpression - I all also make a Acrons disk BU (with commpression turned off) and I use Microsoft Synctoy to ext SSD via a plug in ext drive bay - (I got a 60 gig Intel SSD for belive it or not for 50$ on sale) - for Outlook which changes daily (I do a lot of businees via Outlook) - the main point here is to have more back ups than just one and maybe to have one some where else off site - the last words are back back and back up - now back programs can be a pain - if the C drive fails you have to have that program loaded to get your data back and you may not be able to move it to another computer - and don't forget a CD or DVD boot disk made to help you come back up and recover - now for a USB thumb drive they work great but have more than one - and they can be slow on big back ups

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Reliability
Jun 23, 2012 2:21AM PDT

Actually, what is more important than the reliability of the media is the accuracy of the backup. You have to make sure what you THINK you had backup is what you NEEDED to backup. If you create new locations (folders/directories) to store new data, you have to make sure they are included. I presume you are automating your backup. A lot of programs that backup data has a bunch of presets of what/where it will backup. And it may not include what you need to backup. I use Microsoft's Sync Toy to backup my data locally. It isn't the most user friendly system but it is FREE and most importantly, I can check the backup data without having to first restore it. I can directly open the backup data to check it is good. For off site backup, I use Carbonite. It is inexpensive and the user interface is pretty good.

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In case of fire or theft how do your retrieve your backup.
Jun 23, 2012 5:12AM PDT

Whatever media you choose for backups, consider where you store that backup media. The backup media is only of use if you can get to it.

If your house or apartment burns down or if your equipment is stolen, what's the alternative?. The easy answers are store a copy of your backup data at,

1. A relative or friend's house.
2. A fire safe. They are relatively inexpensive. But please bolt it down with the included hardware.
3. A save deposit box at your bank or credit union.
4. A waterproof can buried in your back yard. Of course you'd have to dig it up everytime you needed to backup. Maybe not a good idea.

Whatever way you choose, insure that you can easily retrieve the media for your daily/weekly/monthly backups.

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what I do....
Jun 23, 2012 3:38PM PDT

I've gone back to CD-Rs from 7 to 10 years ago with data and music still intact (I do keep them in them zippered up in CD case holders). burned DVDs of data and movies still there after 5 years (again, I take store them, but these in spindles). I've also been using USB flash memory for "quickies" considering how cheap they've gotten, and 500+ GB ext hd for the mass of junk I'd like to keep around. I also have a redundancy in case one medium fails. If your data is that important, I'd recommend that. If your data is CRUCIAL, consider off site storage in case of fire, other natural disasters, or theft.

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Storage of Backup Media
Jun 24, 2012 8:38AM PDT

A lot of responses recommend "external hard drive" as the backup medium of choice. I have that and use it, but my external drive is permanently attached to my system (i.e. to my home router). I still want my data backed up on media that I can store safely outside of my home or in a fireproof, waterproof safe within my home. Some portable external drives could be used in this way, but more modular media (discs, flashdrives, SDcards, etc.) fit the bill better.
And I DO want redundancy and periodically (every couple of years) check that both (or all) copies are readable..

Today there is a lot of talk and advertising of facilities for backup storage "on the cloud." Sounds like a good idea, though I have not used it, and am a bit skeptical about security out there.

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ensure readable?
Jun 24, 2012 12:14PM PDT

Side11932, I don't know exactly how you operate, but I always have a data varification after writing when doing my backups. If you are saying that you are keeping data on the original copy for 2 or more years, I think I would check more often than that if it was critical data.

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No!
Jun 24, 2012 10:10PM PDT

The cheaper memory chips are not to be trusted and the more expensive ones, in the size you would need, are just too expensive. Get yourself a 1 or 2 T hard drive with a SATA to USB3 adaptor (they are about 25$ but make sure you have a USB3). There are also other types of adaptors. Why not just an external drive,no reason except this is more flexable, you can use one adaptor for several drives and save some money.

If you really want to do it correctly you should store your backups onto more permanant media, like DVD or Blueray. It takes longer and will cost more but that is whe way to go.

If you are lazy and don't care that you are placing your trust in others you can use an online service and backup to the cloud.

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one more item
Jun 24, 2012 10:15PM PDT

Don't backup to bargin brand anything, cheap DVDs and Blueray are cheap for a reason. They will go bad sometime during the useful life of the data they hold, tests on more expensive media show that the media should outlast your need to use the media. That's not so say you will never experience a failure but chances are good you won't.

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Not so much the medium as the strategy
Jun 24, 2012 11:50PM PDT

Memory cards, like all media, are not immune to failure. No matter what you do, it's not inconceivable you could end up without your data and without a working backup. You want to make that as unlikely as possible, balanced against how valuable your data is to you and how big a hassle it is to achieve the level of redundancy you need. Do you run a business from home and have data that would result in major revenue loss if lost? If so, off-site backup is essential.

Regardless of what media I have used, my usual strategy is to have two or three backup media and rotate through them, say weekly. If last week's backup failed I could go to one two weeks old. The chances of all 3 failing are pretty small. In my case, if my house burned down the stuff on my computer would be among the least of my worries.

For my photos, I periodically download files from my cameras' memory cards onto both my computer (which gets backed up) and my NAS. When the card fills up, I simply replace it, and keep the card with the original photos. That makes it pretty unlikely to lose all my photos while my house is standing. If it did burn down I'd also lose prints and negatives from about 40 years of photography. I could make electronic copies and store them off-site (I have a very good Nikon film scanner) which would be a major project, or I could simply store the photos off-site and probably never look at them again. Backup strategies are always a balancing act.

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Flash May Not be Suitable for Long Term Storage
Jun 25, 2012 12:36AM PDT

If you put precious data onto a flash stick and expect it to be there in 10, 5 or maybe even 1 year, you may be surprised! Over time the charges drains from the electronic gates that represent your data and all the bits will eventually reset to digital 1's. Your data may simply EVAPORATE!

For more information, check your device manufacture's advertised retention times, or read this article for more insight http://www.memofixdatarecovery.com/blog/index.php/hard-drive-substitutes-or-data-losers/

DF

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online backup
Jul 5, 2012 1:59PM PDT

I prefer to use online backup, as well as, other media for storage. There are a lot of cloud storage providers available to choose from. In fact, there are so many you may have a difficult time choosing. You can check out some good reviews on what is available at Top10CloudStorage.com.

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memory card is not good choice
Jun 12, 2015 2:01AM PDT

it seems to me that memory cards such as SD card, pen stick, CF card, SDHC card, etc. are easier to get damaged. I used to stored data to USB flash drives as backup, but 2 of them get damaged even though I took good care of them. Then files got lost. what's worse, I failed to recovered lost data. My friend told me, flash drive and memory card are not stable and reliable enough compared with HDDs. for the moment, I backup all important files to two 500GB external hard drives. external hdd is inexpensive and comes with small shape, and meets my need well.

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not good idea
Jun 15, 2015 7:55PM PDT

USB flash drive and memory cards like SD card are not as reliable as you expect. besides, they can't provide enough space