Reliable storage? USB, bluray or external hard drive?

NeilF

NeilF

NeilF

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Need to back up a load of old family videos (30-40GB)...

What would be a reliable (cheap) long term backup method?

ie: So the data could still be trusted to be there in over 10yrs for example!?
 
I am watching this with interest as I face the same dilema. I have been told that

- flash drives are not reliable in the long term (not sure why though)
- hard drives must be spun every few months or the oil dries up so no good for sticking in a cupboard
- Bluray (if you get the archive quality stuff) is your best bet, although it too has a shelf life it is better than the above..

Don't quote me on this though - which is why I am following this with interest.
 
actually - i went with backblaze for offsite storage (but there are many), and then wrote to a NAS with Raid 5 for local storage...
 
TommyV said:
One set on each of the proposed medias, and a set on dropbox is what I'd do!
Click to expand...

30-40GB on dropbox?

Plus that means you need to have the files on your PC... I don't want them on my PC. These are videos which I've burned to DVD and simply want to have a copy of just incase...
 
I would burn the files to dvd-r but I would definitely make sure the disc was finalised.
If I id have a blu-ray burner I would use that media instead,finalising the disc just the same.

Then if your wanting to keep these discs safe I would suggest using hard disc cases and not paper or thin plastic sleeves.
 
What if Dropbox closed down, does that guarantee the saftey of your data? No..

Hard Drives and Flash drives are prone to failure over long periods of time. A good quality Blue Ray disc will be your safe bet. For the simple reason there are less things to go wrong on a simple piece of media!
 
al4x said:
How valuable are the photos? :-)

I'd get a pair of cheap Usb sticks and some blu ray disks. Have to have more than 1 solution
Click to expand...

30-40GB of home videos...

From what I've read life time of blurays maybe as short as 5-6yrs :eek:
 
So is the only serious (cheapish) answer then a pair of big USB hard drives, which periodically (eg: each year) you mirror one to the other, and ensure both work?
 
I would also get a cheap mechanical and check it every so often. They are dirty cheap at those prices.
 
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