cd/dvds

[shankle]

Think I have already answered my question but thought I would submitit  to the experts
to see what you all would say.
My usual modus operandi is to quick format a cd or dvd. Most of the time this seems
to work just fine.
Yesterday I got errors when backing up the MASM partition to a dvd. Instead of throwing
the dvd away I decided to try a full format.
Whala, the dvd backed up the partition with NO errors.
Your thoughts......

[dedndave]

"Whala" is spelled "voilà", a French word meaning "here it is" or something to that effect

[shankle]

I stand corrected.
You mean I have to get up and go get a dictionary to spell voila?
Tribulations of not having a spell checker here

[dedndave]

you asked for my thoughts - lol

as far as the DVD thing, i was drawing a blank
so, that's all i had   :P

i might mention that, from what i've read, CD's may retain data longer than the R/W DVD's
so - i have only used R/W DVD's a couple times - lot's of data - short term backup

[CommonTater]

Think I have already answered my question but thought I would submitit  to the experts
to see what you all would say.
My usual modus operandi is to quick format a cd or dvd. Most of the time this seems
to work just fine.
Yesterday I got errors when backing up the MASM partition to a dvd. Instead of throwing
the dvd away I decided to try a full format.
Whala, the dvd backed up the partition with NO errors.
Your thoughts......

If by "quick format" you actually mean "quick erase" yes, you're correct, every so often you should fully erase a rewritable disk.

However if you're looking for the best backup scheme, external hard drives are the way to go... Don't buy one of those silly pre-ruined things with cheapo drives in them, get your own hard disk (I use Western Digital terrabyte laptop drives) and your own case ( Vantec are nice and come with a padded carry case.)  Simply drag and drop files back and forth like a regular hard disk, or you can use batch files to automate repeated copy tasks... Trust me, it's well worth the investment.

[dedndave]

not a big fan of WD, since i lost many Gb of data to a crashed one - lol
Hitachi is my current fave

[Vortex]

I prefer external hard drives too.

[shankle]

Yes, I backup to an external HD using a black X box. As paranoid as I am I also
back up the Masm32 partition to a dvd. Reason 2 is better than 1. Also HD backups might
not be transferable to a smaller HD and if one fails you have the other.
As to WD HDs I'll never own another one. Try taking the 1G or so of junk off
of it somtime.
Yes I meant quick erase not quick format.
To Save I hope I have everything spelled right. To lazy to get out of my chair

[CommonTater]

Hmmmm... on the other hand I've never yet had a problem with WD drives, except for wearing them out every 10 years or so.

If you're a Hitachi fan, you may want to check this...
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/western-digital-buys-hitachis-storage-unit-for-4-3-billion-eyes-enterprise/45737

So, yes, you're using Western Digital ... LOL

[shankle]

Hi CommonTater,
What I meant is a 1 terrabyte WD is not truly 1T but rather 999g that you can use
and 1G for WD junk. Try to get rid of it GL.

[CommonTater]

Hi CommonTater,
What I meant is a 1 terrabyte WD is not truly 1T but rather 999g that you can use
and 1G for WD junk. Try to get rid of it GL.

This is why I don't buy external drives already in sleeves...
I buy a replacement laptop drive and put it into the sleeve myself.

It's not like it's hard to do...

[dedndave]

i bought these drives before the merger
dang - now i have to find another brand   :(

[MichaelW]

Dave,

When did this WD drive failure happen?

[sinsi]

Don't use CD/DVD to backup anything. I left a DVD on a window ledge for 2 days, couldn't read it.
Tried different computers, win, linux, even a mac.

Backup to USB3 flash drives, you can get a 64GB one for $50 here now.
More expensive than an external drive but I have seen lots of externals die in my job.
Might even be worth getting a USB3<>SATA3 adapter with an SSD, no moving parts.

Of course, RAID6 with 5 HDDs is the way to go

[CommonTater]

Don't use CD/DVD to backup anything. I left a DVD on a window ledge for 2 days, couldn't read it.
Tried different computers, win, linux, even a mac.

Backup to USB3 flash drives, you can get a 64GB one for $50 here now.
More expensive than an external drive but I have seen lots of externals die in my job.
Might even be worth getting a USB3<>SATA3 adapter with an SSD, no moving parts.

Of course, RAID6 with 5 HDDs is the way to go

Check the Vantec link in my earlier message ... 100% ssd compatible.   These are ruggedized drive sleeves, made of aluminum to help keep things cooler with a usb<->sata chip inside.  Just plug in a regular laptop drive or ssd, tighten up 2 screws on the drive, 2 on the sleeve and you are in business.  They're about $39cdn and include a cable and a nice padded nylon carry case that holds the drive and cable.

Just don't make the mistake one of my customers did... get these little guys and leave them hooked up all the time.  The minute it's connected to the computer it's no longer a backup... now it's a drive, subject to whatever calamities might befall the rest of the system.  Plug them in, run your backup, then put the thing back in the drawer....

I'm attaching a self-written backup proggy you can use.  Type the filename without parameters to get the help screen.