Backing up data: Double Layer disks VS Hard Disks

sunama

sunama

sunama

Soldato
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Normally, I tend to buy Double Layer Verbatim disks for back up purposes. A 25-pack of these costs about £27. Using this as a calculation, to backup a 500GB hard disk, it would cost around £65.

Now, given that 500GB hard disks, cost less than that, is it even worth using double layer disks for back up purposes? I am seriously thinking about copying all my data onto a hard disk and keeping that as the back up, should my main hard disk fail. This second hard disk(s), is on a separate PC, connected to the main PC, by Cat5e cable.

In the event of a failure, I shall simply copy the data from the backup hard disk, onto the new (replacement) hard disk.

This method is not only easier (ie. I dont have to waste time copying all the data onto each double layer disk - I can simply copy all the data, in one hit, from one disk to another), but cheaper.

Of course, if both disks fail at the same time (highly unlikely, but possible), then and only then, will I have lost the data.

What are you opinions on this?
 
Backing up your data on a HDD is a much better idea, you've already pointed out all the pros and the few cons, I think you should just go for it.

All my data is backed up on a 500GB HDD inside my current PC, I really do want to get a small storage machine set up and use it to back up my photography and graphical word, little skint at the moment though. I've only ever backed up my data with discs once a few years back, that disc broke I believe :(
 
Gotta do it to the HDD, its the only logical way!

I have a NAS that I back up to, and a hard drive at my mums place which i swap periodicly incase the house burns down.
 
I'm glad to hear that I havent been told that my thought process is rubbish.

Reading a lot of comments in other threads, many people believe that backing up to hard disks is not the even a "back-up" and that optical disks are a better way, but I think we have reached the point where optical disks are no longer the cheapest, most effective way to back data up.

It might work out cheaper, if we used single sided DVDs for backups, however, this route would be EXTREMELY tedious and time consuming.
 
There is also the possibility of the dyes on the DVDRs failing on you, although the DVD manufacturers say their dyes last for 30+ years (ie. that they will securely store data), I certainly wouldn't want to put any faith in their claims, dyes, definitely the cheaper ones (which I realise Verbatim do NOT use), can fail after 2-3 years, and certainly for valuable data, I would look to putting it on HDDs....
 
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