Backup: Discs, External Storage, Online, or Other?

[aimeeandbeatles]

For backup, what do you use: Disks (CD/DVDs), external storage (such as external HDDs or USB drives), the internet, or something else?

Here's a few advantages and disadvantages I can think of:

Discs
Advantages
Works on nearly any OS
Extremely portable
Disadvantages
Scratch easily
Some of them you can only write to once.

External storage
Advantages
Can write to it almost limitless times
Portable
If it's a solid-state memory device, no physical damage. Unless you hurl it to the ground off a third-story balcony or something.
Disadvantages
Can get lost (except maybe a huge external HDD)
If it's plugged in when there's a power surge or something, it can get fried
Depending on the filesystem, may not work on all OSes. (I think FAT32 is the most compatible.)

Internet
Advantages:
If your house burns down or something, you don't lose anything
Disadvantages:
Requires internet access
If you're banned, or the site goes down, or something like that happens, you're screwed.
Download times.
Security issues

And of course, you can do redundant backups -- backing them up in more than one location.

 

[PeteAtoms]

U use an external HDD, and it was the best investment I have ever made (tech wise). I even put my music library on it and run my music from there. The only down side to that, is that I have to keep it on when I want to play music.

 

[Cutlass]

I have 2 internal HDDs. One had in use files and one has backup. Occasionally I even back up this PC to another PC.

 

[GoodGame]

External HDDs are also expensive relative to CDROM disks. Thumb USB drives are getting spacious enough that they may circumvent needing an external HDD for some file archival. Solid State drives are still very expensive.

CDROM disks may sometimes have compatibility issues if you change drives.

Internet---don't share anything unless you potentially want anybody to see it.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

External HDDs are also expensive relative to CDROM disks. Thumb USB drives are getting spacious enough that they may circumvent needing an external HDD for some file archival. Solid State drives are still very expensive.

CDROM disks may sometimes have compatibility issues if you change drives.

Internet---don't share anything unless you potentially want anybody to see it.

Rar your files beforehand and use a password. Still crackable, but now it would take a dedicated effort to see your files.

 

[Aramazd]

External HDD. Keeping it off-site would be optimal.

 

[mrt144]

Iron Mountain

 

[lndm]

In the instance of long term data storage, I'd like to give a thumbs down to HDDs. They are magnetically, electrostatically and physically susceptible, just to name the basics. Solid state drives are interesting but a CD, (recorded slowly BTW) is easy to stash in a cool dry and dark place and will probably outlast the HDD.