New Wave Outpost Forum

Hearing about hutter losing files made me think , I got to have back ups . What's a easy , fast way (if any) to back up my music files? I have blank CD-RW's . Will that work or are there better ways of doing this.

I have found an external hard drive is the cheapest and easiest way and it's obviously portable which has many advantages. [:)]

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Definitely get yourself an external backup drive ... just don't leave it on 24/7, otherwise the likelihood of it failing is just as high as your primary media drive.

Thanks coop41 , that's not a bad idea .

You'll burn hundreds of disks with the CD way and never be disciplined enough to actually keep up. It's negligent not to have at least one additional external hard drive at today's prices (http://www.nwoutpost.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13383). This way you can mirror what's in your music folder in almost real time, and therefore also keep tags and everything updated. I also archive a 2nd time to DVDs (4.5gigs at a time rather than 700megs at a time). The downside to that method is that it's a static backup that doesn't reflect updated tags or replacement tracks.

My current setup is this:
- 2x250GB HDDs for my music, video, and sound files only, one periodically updated to mirror the other, only one always on like Mike said.
- 1x160GB HDD that mirrors my internal drive and contains an up-to-date bootable OS and all its files, especially all my 20,000 cataloged photos.
- 1x80GB HDD for backing up my work laptop
- 1x80GB HDD for backing up the kids' and wife's computers
- DVD backups for every new 4.5gigs worth of Music and Photos (don't forget those photos all you digicam people - all those memories can and will go pift!)

[quote][i]Originally posted by MikeP[/i]
<br>Definitely get yourself an external backup drive ... just don't leave it on 24/7, otherwise the likelihood of it failing is just as high as your primary media drive.
[/quote]
Thanks also to you to MikeP . I'll have to get one and learn more about it.

[quote][i]Originally posted by Blir[/i]
<br>You'll burn hundreds of disks with the CD way and never be disciplined enough to actually keep up. It's negligent not to have at least one additional external hard drive at today's prices (http://www.nwoutpost.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13383). This way you can mirror what's in your music folder in almost real time, and therefore also keep tags and everything updated. I also archive a 2nd time to DVDs (4.5gigs at a time rather than 700megs at a time). The downside to that method is that it's a static backup that doesn't reflect updated tags or replacement tracks.

My current setup is this:
- 2x250GB HDDs for my music, video, and sound files only, one periodically updated to mirror the other, only one always on like Mike said.
- 1x160GB HDD that mirrors my internal drive and contains an up-to-date bootable OS and all its files, especially all my 20,000 cataloged photos.
- 1x80GB HDD for backing up my work laptop
- 1x80GB HDD for backing up the kids' and wife's computers
- DVD backups for every new 4.5gigs worth of Music and Photos (don't forget those photos all you digicam people - all those memories can and will go pift!)
[/quote]

Wow , yeah , I think you got it covered Blir. Wow.

[quote][i]Originally posted by Tom D.[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by MikeP[/i]
<br>Definitely get yourself an external backup drive ... just don't leave it on 24/7, otherwise the likelihood of it failing is just as high as your primary media drive.
[/quote]
Thanks also to you to MikeP . I'll have to get one and learn more about it.
[/quote]

the good thing is there is really nothing to learn, it's plug and play and as simple as it gets really, take it from someone who is not that technologically advanced!

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[quote][i]Originally posted by coop41[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by Tom D.[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by MikeP[/i]
<br>Definitely get yourself an external backup drive ... just don't leave it on 24/7, otherwise the likelihood of it failing is just as high as your primary media drive.
[/quote]
Thanks also to you to MikeP . I'll have to get one and learn more about it.



[/quote take it from someone who is not that technologically advanced!

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[/quote]
I hear that brother .

[quote][i]Originally posted by Blir[/i]
<br>- DVD backups for...Photos ([b]don't forget those photos all you digicam people - all those memories can and will go pift![/b])
[/quote]
That is such a good point. We've lost pix before in the big Trojan Horse of 2004. Last week I finally burned all our pix up to now. That felt swell.

I have two 250 GB drives. The internal one holds all my music and the external one holds the back up which I update every couple of days. I do keep it on though...all the time...I'm turing it off right now [|)]

I also have another 100 GB external drive which I use to backup all the various files from my 2nd internal hard drive. I'm a graphic designer plus I dabble in video work and when I wrap up a project, I burn it to DVD and put it away.

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">I dig whales.</a>

[i]I have found an external hard drive is the cheapest and easiest way[/i]

DVD Rs are cheaper [:)].

Given all the talk about backups, I just grabbed a <a href="http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=CAXM37300&cat=HDD" target="blank">Cavalry 300GB USB 2.0/eSATA 3.5" ext HDD</a> for $129.00 no tax & $2.95 shipping (PROMO CODE: SHIP295) from my favorite e-store geeks.com
<IMG SRC="http://www.geeks.com/imageshare/C/300x300/CAXM37300-soft.jpg">

I already have a <a href="http://www.eagepc.com/product_details.php?dpid=8&catid=308&id=4614" target="blank">250GB Nexstar3 USB 2.0/eSATA 3.5" ext HDD</a> which saved my whole music and digital image collection just days before my nx9010 lappy took a shite on me back in March (cost me $10 more than the 300GB one I just got- although I shouldn't complain[|)]).

I also have a 60GB 2.5" ext notebook HDD which I have mirrored to my lappy's internal (60GB) drive.

For additional backup I have a <a href="http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=DW1620-BULK-N" target="blank">BenQ Double Layer 16x4x4 DVD±RW IDE Drive</a> (set up in an external drive case) I really need to use it more.[:I]





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"Talking With People That Agree With You Is Like Jogging In A Cul-de-sac" - Bill Moyers

Hmm, I picked up a USB2/1394 enclosure a couple of months ago and now I'm thinking I should have gotten a USB2/SATA one instead [:(].

I guess I'm old-fashioned (or perhaps cheap-fashioned). I use the double-sided DVD-RAM carts. They hold 9.4 gigs each.

Also guess I've been lucky because in 15 years, I only ever had one hard drive bite it, and it was from a used computer that I paid next to nothing for and figured wasn't in good enough shape to store anything all that important on in the first place. This is good for me, since I'm kind of lax when it comes to backing things up...