OT: how do you protect/backup your works?

[eky]

This is kind of off-topic as it applies to people in all forums but I thought I'd post it here.

What method do you use to back up your graphic work? After a hard disk failure I now back up all work regularly. I used to use a Zip drive but then started using my CD-RW drive because it's possible to format a cd to act like another drive using Adaptec directcd software (which is now called Roxio), which I thought was great. I now discover that using a cd as a disk drive has risks. For example, if you're saving a big file and your computer freezes or stops, you can lose all data on the cd and the disk becomes completely unreadable. What backup methods do you use that you are happy with/confident in?

[traceyp]

Eky

There are two of us here who have CD-RW drives but quite frankly we're not 100% happy with them.

With all due respect to Oystein, I don't really think he has answered your question. Essentialy, I don't think I would EVER entrust saving a large file to CD straight from any program - we've had too many problems trying that - we save to hard disk and then copy to a CD once we've finished for the day. With the cost of hard drives these days you would be much better off getting another, larger, hard disk and saving directly to that. Then, once you have it on hard disk and you've finished your editing for the day/session, you can copy it to your CD writer in the knowledge that you have it safe on your hard disk should the disk copy process crash.

I don't know what sort of PC you have or how PC savvy you are but current ATX motherboards normally have a means of fitting up to eight hard disks/IDE devices. Currently I have three hard disks on my PC as well as two CD drives and you may be able to do likewise.

Hope this has been helpful

Tracey

[Oystein]

I use CD to backup for external use - that is cheap. I have one folder with "important files". Remember to take a copy of fonts. Remember to write the date and what´s on the CD - you know why? Ask your mother to keep a copy of a disk or two.

I also use a slavedisk, and both disks are partioned. Make a copy of importent files to each physichal disks. Use winzip as an archive - and drop new files into the zipfile. Clever and compressed.

If you have money, you can buy a real backupsystem.

[traceyp]

Juergen

I've been browsing the web starting at the address you give above and it looks like I will be using hard drives for the foreseeable future. There's no way I can afford to get an MO disk.

I had a feeling it was something to do with magneto-optical drives but wasn't at all sure. I've also had a look to see where the disks can be obtained in the UK but so far haven't found any at all so don't know how much they cost. MO drives may be very good and very reliable but due to costs and other considerations I'll bow out here and stick with hard disks. Nevertheless, thanks for the information.

Tracey

[eky]

the website has a suggested price of 60,000 yen, which comes to $505.26 U.S. for the drive. Do you know how much the disks themselves cost?

[IKraus]

I've read thru most of these posts with great interest. See many of you have shared my own experiences with CD-RW's. When I got my first CD-R 3 or so years ago, I thought that was the way to go for doing daily backups. (Yes, I was using Easy CD Creator too!) Guess about the only thing I did right at first was to save things to HD first before trying to write to CD. Boy, if ever there was an award for turning out useless CDs!

In my own case, not all of the problems were due to the software. Eventually had to replace drive as I guess they aren't designed to last very long. (Died after just over a year 1/2 of use.) I did find that the Direct CD thingie was causing a lot of interference with other software I used, so I was always disabling it while I worked. Then, I'd have to reset the machine to load those drivers back up if I wanted to use those.

Earlier this year, someone talked me into trying Nero, and I've been pretty pleased with that. Oh, I still make a few coasters but not nearly as many as before.

Speaking of CD media, was anyone else amazed to learn how many different types there are? Had read some other write ups, but I think Fred Langa's on Information Week was one of the best - http://www.informationweek.com/thisw...ection=opinion. Still not sure which kind I've got sitting around here, as Fred didn't include any color keys to help you identify the different dye & recording media combinations. Bet it's some of the cheaper stuff and not rated for long term storage.

One more thing for the shopping list!

Push yourself to notice the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Irene M. Kraus
www.design-comp.com

[Wolfgang]

My work is precious, so I believe in Saver Saves.

I wrote a simple batchfile, that copies the content of my "work" folder onto another physical drive every 24 hours, silently and automatically.

With another batchfile, I copy the same folder to my notebook as well (over network). This also allows me to continue working, even if the desktop machine goes bust.

Third of all, like almost everybody here, I make backups on CD-R.
I have a dedicated machine for burning CDs (always the predecessor of my current machine), so it is saved there as well.

The current size of the "work" folder is 3.3 Gigs, this makes CD-R backup a real pain down there where it's dark. I hope, DVD-R gets affordable soon.

Most important for me is, to have the backup as simple copy, no fancy compressed backup file.
This way I can pick a single older file if needed.

Wolfgang

[jpresley]

I use a program called Second Copy 2000,
www.centered.com
This program makes a backup of your program
in the background. I believe there is a
trialware version.
I use a second and third hard drive with this
program.
Then as an archive I burn a CDR or CDRW.

Jon

[Ross Macintosh]

Judi - Eky is saying the first.

[traceyp]

Juergen

I don't THINK I'm thick, dense or whatever since I always do my own upgrades and repairs to my PC including a week ago, the replacement of my motherboard. However, I just don't know what you mean by MO drives and disks. Would these have anything to do with Optical drives and disks? I'm afraid its a term I can't remember coming across so far, at least not in my reading, anyway.

Tracey