Backing up whole computer

I've also read that using the stick-on labels can degrade a CD, not sure about a DVD.

drsteve wrote:

1492 wrote:
It mentions nothing about recent accelerated testing of modern consumer optical recordables? Which shown to last 10, 20, 40+ years based on type of recordable and brand, and proper storage.

Do you have a link to that testing? It sounds interesting. But, will there be any functioning optical drives around in 10 or 20 years? There's already speculation on how long before, not if, optical storage becomes obsolete.

I have direct experience with writeable discs failing after several years of storage--in cases, upright, in a drawer. I'm just saying, IMHO, home-burned discs are not a reliable long term option for archiving important stuff.

You should be able to find testing data from the National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) and the Optical Storage Technology Association(OSTA). From NIST/Library of Congress Optical Disc Longevity Study: Final Report:

Source: NIST




Source: NIST




Source: NIST

I don't doubt that some manufactured CD/DVD recordables are of sub standard quality, and can be an unreliable storage medium. Even tests have shown lifespans of less than 2 years using some questionable manufactured brands. One needs to do some research on the particular recordable to find out who and where it was actually manufactured. I would not rely on the retail brand name on the disc, as these can be made from different manufacturers. I'd go by the embedded manufacturer codes on the disc.

Contributing to reduced lifespans is that users likely don't store and handle discs in a recommended fashion. See Guide for Care and Handling.

Even if true, I'm not sure that the argument not to use optical recordables today as they will be obsolete in 10-20 years is really that relevant for a typical user? Technology is ever changing, and I don't doubt that a better and more reliable storage medium will be developed. Which may necessitate upgrading backups to that technology. But whatever alternative is used today, it will likely become outdated at some point anyway?

soos wrote:
Many newer computers don't even have a DVD drive any more. Our new Acer doesn't.

Sue

Laptops don't, but desk tops do. For the laptop, it is necessary to buy a portable USB DVD reader/writer which is very inexpensive. Or to install a DVD or CD software package you must connect the laptop to a network and share the DVD on another computer on the network with the laptop.

drsteve wrote:

1492 wrote:
It mentions nothing about recent accelerated testing of modern consumer optical recordables? Which shown to last 10, 20, 40+ years based on type of recordable and brand, and proper storage.

Do you have a link to that testing? It sounds interesting. But, will there be any functioning optical drives around in 10 or 20 years? There's already speculation on how long before, not if, optical storage becomes obsolete.

I have direct experience with writeable discs failing after several years of storage--in cases, upright, in a drawer. I'm just saying, IMHO, home-burned discs are not a reliable long term option for archiving important stuff.

Wow - you must not use Verbatim then. ;)

1492 wrote:
It mentions nothing about recent accelerated testing of modern consumer optical recordables? Which shown to last 10, 20, 40+ years based on type of recordable and brand, and proper storage.

Do you have a link to that testing? It sounds interesting. But, will there be any functioning optical drives around in 10 or 20 years? There's already speculation on how long before, not if, optical storage becomes obsolete.

I have direct experience with writeable discs failing after several years of storage--in cases, upright, in a drawer. I'm just saying, IMHO, home-burned discs are not a reliable long term option for archiving important stuff.

drsteve wrote:

1492 wrote:
But if Bluray/DVD were that volatile a medium, then museums would not archive using them.

The discs used for archival storage are different. From Wiki:

There's a notice on this Wiki "This article is outdated. (October 2010)". It mentions nothing about recent accelerated testing of modern consumer optical recordables? Which shown to last 10, 20, 40+ years based on type of recordable and brand, and proper storage. Not including specialized archival optical mediums which can have significantly longer lifespans.

An external USB HDD is the easy way to backup your personal data and for $59.99 you could get a 1TB version or go up to 4TB if you plan on backing up many HD videos on a regular basis.
ext USB HDDs

1492 wrote:
But if Bluray/DVD were that volatile a medium, then museums would not archive using them.

The discs used for archival storage are different. From Wiki:

...it is believed that the life of an archival-quality CD-R or DVD-R can be as long as 100 years, compared to the typical five to ten years for non-archival quality optical discs.

They run $2-$5 each, compared to 25 cents apiece for standard DVD-Rs in a hundred pack. Note too, that they say "it is believed" because they really don't know. But yeah, you can do it, just not with the typical cheap DVD-Rs you buy in a hundred pack.

drsteve wrote:
Everyone needs to realize that CDs and DVDs do not last forever--the ones you burn in a DVD-RW drive are not the same as commercially pressed disks. I have a few backups from 5 years ago that are unreadable, even by the drive that created them. So, if you're archiving important docs or valued pics, optical media is not the way to go.

No they don't last forever. Nor do any digital storage method. But if Bluray/DVD were that volatile a medium, then museums would not archive using them.

There are a number of factors that go into the life span of Bluray/DVD recordables including type of medium and brand quality. How they are stored, should be upright in low humidity, moderate temps, and protected from constant light exposure.

I still believe that optical disc recordables are the best archiving solution for the average end user. Hard drives are the worst due to their relative unpredictability, and would avoid using them if only one copy exists.

However, hard drives are the most convenient solution for backups when two or more copies exists, where files can be restored from either the backup drive or source should either fail. This is what most are using, including myself for daily backups.

Though redundant raids protect against drive failures, they don't necessarily protect against data corruption. So need to back up raid images also.

Personally, I would consider cloud storage as secondary backup to a local solution. You don't have control on how your data is being stored, nor whether the company will even be in business when you need your backups. Plus, I would not store personal data without encrypting it locally so that the user has full control of the keys. Regardless of what encryption is being used by the cloud storage company.

The best solution is to use a combination of methods, depending on how valuable the backup files are to the end user.

There is a new optical storage technology emerging called M-Disc that sounds promising for archival storage. Here's a link:
http://www.mdisc.com/what-is-mdisc/