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To be fair I have not used a CD or DVD since 2006! I use Windows which I installed from a USB flash memory drive which I made after downloading the Windows 7 (a

by ditoa 16y ago

To be fair I have not used a CD or DVD since 2006! I use Windows which I installed from a USB flash memory drive which I made after downloading the Windows 7 (and before that Vista) ISO from MSDN. All software I need I download (Office, Visual Studio, etc.). I have not even burnt a disc since back then either. Like the floppy it just sort of became unneeded as there were easier ways to access the data (faster, greater capactity, easier to reuse). I used to backup to DVD every week but I bought two external HDD to backup too now. I keep one in a small fireproof safe and the other next to my computer. Easier than burning a DVD and gives about the same level of protection. My backups only ever get bigger as I add to them (holiday pictures, video, etc.) and HDD increase in size quicker than optical media, it may cost more actual cash (I have never worked it out) but it costs a lot less in time. Optical media has been dead to me for a long time.

subsection1h 16y ago
> I keep one in a small fireproof safe and the other next to my computer. No off-site backups?
- ditoa 16y ago
  I have off-site backups of the very important things (personal documents, wedding pictures, etc.) at my mothers house (in their safe) and my safety deposit box with my bank. My bank is only 15 minutes away so adding to it isn't a problem at all, my mothers is a couple hundred miles away so whenever I go to visit (normally every other month) I take a backup. Again I use an external HDD (although a smaller 2.5" drive) for both my mothers and my SDB with photocopies of original documents, etc. It all comes down to evaluating the risk and value of loss verses the effort. Would I be upset if my house burned down and my safe didn't protect my HDD well enough that I list my family holiday photos to Disney World in 2003? Sure but it wouldn't be the end of the world. People still lose everything when their house burns down who do not store things digitally/offsite which is probably >99% of people in the real world. However if my house burns down and my safe fails I have all of my really important things in two off-site locations a fair distance apart. Is it perfect? No, but it is as close as I can be bothered to make the effort for. With services like Flickr and Picasa Web things like pictures and video are easier to "backup" online, Google Docs for important documents, etc. Archiving things via Gmail/Hotmail, etc. This gives me a way to store copies of those holiday pictures at Disneyworld (albeit in a lower quality than I have backed up) as well as share them with family more easily.

by ditoa 16y ago

subsection1h 16y ago

> I keep one in a small fireproof safe and the other next to my computer. No off-site backups?

ditoa 16y ago
I have off-site backups of the very important things (personal documents, wedding pictures, etc.) at my mothers house (in their safe) and my safety deposit box with my bank. My bank is only 15 minutes away so adding to it isn't a problem at all, my mothers is a couple hundred miles away so whenever I go to visit (normally every other month) I take a backup. Again I use an external HDD (although a smaller 2.5" drive) for both my mothers and my SDB with photocopies of original documents, etc. It all comes down to evaluating the risk and value of loss verses the effort. Would I be upset if my house burned down and my safe didn't protect my HDD well enough that I list my family holiday photos to Disney World in 2003? Sure but it wouldn't be the end of the world. People still lose everything when their house burns down who do not store things digitally/offsite which is probably >99% of people in the real world. However if my house burns down and my safe fails I have all of my really important things in two off-site locations a fair distance apart. Is it perfect? No, but it is as close as I can be bothered to make the effort for. With services like Flickr and Picasa Web things like pictures and video are easier to "backup" online, Google Docs for important documents, etc. Archiving things via Gmail/Hotmail, etc. This gives me a way to store copies of those holiday pictures at Disneyworld (albeit in a lower quality than I have backed up) as well as share them with family more easily.