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General discussion

Best way to backup Digital Pictures??

by northviper May 22, 2007 1:48AM PDT

I'm wondering what is the best way to backup digial pictures? I already have a CD/DVD burner, but am considering purchasing an External Hard drive. The company I work for has tens of thousands of high resolution pictures that they would like to keep archived for as long as possible. I know CD's & DVD's dont last forever... Would a hard drive last longer than a CD/DVD? Are there particular CD/DVD's that are better or would last longer?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Discussion is locked

3 Posts
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The trap I see is...
by r. proffitt Forum moderator May 22, 2007 1:52AM PDT

Any company or person that has a "backup" that is only a single copy in one place. Theft, flood, fire or human error wipes these out with ease.

The real backup strategy is widely documented so I won't bother to duplicate ready web pages about such. I'll give the short short version.

1. Multiple copies.
2. Multiple locations.
3. Secure and enviro controlled locations.

You noted DVD life so here's an article about such -> http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/technology/a/cdcaretips.htm

Bob

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The last I heard, hard drives have an expected life of about
by Kiddpeat May 22, 2007 3:16AM PDT

5 years. That's far less than a good quality CD or DVD.

Hard drives back up to other hard drives. That helps the longevity a great deal.

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Long debate follows when I note that but...
by r. proffitt Forum moderator May 22, 2007 5:24AM PDT

That's the expected life and if it's double that it's still far shorter than what DVD with proper care is.

Plus I rarely see anyone keep 3 copies at more locations, etc.

Bob

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