Is CD safe for photo archive ?

[panda]

Hi all,
Just want your view on this issue.
Is CD safe for photo archive for the next 20 to 30 years...
If not, what is the best method ?

 

[gha]

no...
got a benq brand data guard cd-r
the writeable medium peel off by itself in less than six months
now got myself two ext hdd as a backup
one 2.5" 40gb and 3.5" 160gb
with the smaller 2.5 as my portable storage

 

[panda]

no...
got a benq brand data guard cd-r
the writeable medium peel off by itself in less than six months
now got myself two ext hdd as a backup
one 2.5" 40gb and 3.5" 160gb
with the smaller 2.5 as my portable storage

Kapuk at 6 month ? Scary :sweat:
But harddisk also has the tendency to fail at around 4 to 5 years...
how about thumb drive ? any good?

 

[RockPopCorns]

any media will fail when the time comes..

my method is to achieve on dvd, and ext hdd.

always double copies, one of it gone case, still got another one,
and best of all, still can make copy again.

a bit more ex way lah..

 

[gha]

I do triplicate backup.
2.5" regulary
3.5" weekly
cd-r only for those i need to carry around.
Do at least a double backup.
The peel off cd-r is too much for me to bear
The money i spent is nothing compare to the heartache
to the loss of the cdr which i kept my valuable data

 

[kegler]

Hmm... how about DVD?

anyone with any bad experience? good brand vs cheapskate brand.... does it mean more expensive the longer it last? hee

 

[gha]

No guarantee
my cheapo cdr(no brand)last longer than the benq dataguard
but then it could be just my bad luck...

 

[Virgo]

My archive: 2 x 200GB hard disk. Will add in pairs when these 2 filles up. When one fails, still got the other one.

 

[tunster]

I do DVD -> 2 x HD method...3 copies and delete one set upon memory low.

 

[nyxx88]

I use 2 copies (currently on CDs only, no DVD burner yet), but on different brands of CD. Dun put all ur eggs in one basket -- just in case that batch all rotten.

 

[user111]

use two HDD

 

[Ah Pao]

The most fail-safe method (well, not actually, since everything is subjected to the acts of God) would be to print them out and store them somewhere. Preferably an off-site safe--a bank deposit box, maybe?

Get archival-quality CDs and a good CD writer; a good disc + a bad writer = bad archive.

Personally, I get blown over-the-top with some of the methods used by some fellow CSers...unless you are a professional, it's (mentally & financially) difficult to pour in so much capital to get a pair of HDDs and to use them archivally. Anyway, how many of us view photos that are more than 1 year old? 3 years old? 5 years old?

I think it's good practice to discriminate which photos are the ones that deserves the highest degree data perservation. Then again, it's just me.

 

[kwattivy]

For me, I use web server album like pbase, CDs, HDDs.
Do not fill up all space in a single CD or HDD, split them up, also store them in dry dark places free from moulds, should be able to keep for a couple of years, then backup again when storage technology advances and becomes cheaper.

 

[reachme2003]

the technologies are evolving all the time. tough question. no one can read into the future as far as 20 to 30 years.

Hi all,
Just want your view on this issue.
Is CD safe for photo archive for the next 20 to 30 years...
If not, what is the best method ?

 

[gha]

it not that expensive actually
the cost of the cameras gears nowaday already cost more than a high capacity hdd nowaday which is less than $150. and it also serve as a data backup for yr pc not just for the pictures.
i had laughed at the abv measure last time
but having a sleepless night when the hdd was acting funny recently and the prospect of archiving gb worth of data on cd alone is too tiring
pro i'm not but just a amateur who hit my shutter count at
more than 20k since take up this hobby last yr
Bad and good pics never mind..it better than no pics at all

 

[billpepsi]

Two HDD. Unlikely both will fail on the same day. The best thing about HDD is, backup is super fast.

 

[Virgo]

it not that expensive actually
the cost of the cameras gears nowaday already cost more than a high capacity hdd nowaday which is less than $150. and it also serve as a data backup for yr pc not just for the pictures.
i had laughed at the abv measure last time
but having a sleepless night when the hdd was acting funny recently and the prospect of archiving gb worth of data on cd alone is too tiring
pro i'm not but just a amateur who hit my shutter count at
more than 20k since take up this hobby last yr
Bad and good pics never mind..it better than no pics at all

Agree with gha. HDDs are pretty affordable in pricing nowadays, compared to 5 yrs ago. It's also very fast in copying files.

 

[kitkat]

Hi all,
Just want your view on this issue.
Is CD safe for photo archive for the next 20 to 30 years...
If not, what is the best method ?

No, not safe... better to duplicate to mulitiple sources... i archive it on multiple DVDs , then backup to tape as i dun trust my 1.2T backup stack HDs. (And repeat this process annually (on all backup as no media last))


Again ... see if data is worth the worth the cost n time.

 

[idor]

:think: If CD is safe, cooperatoins will not be using tape backup already... You can try using tape backup... Currently I am using rev drive made by iomega That is pretty good... Only problem I have with using HDD to backup is that if your machine die big time, i.e. casing kena burnt(exraggerated) or there is a break in(choy) all data is gone. for me I use rev drive and I keep the backup in my office at work...

 

[gha]

The best thing is u can rest assure even if ur primary Hdd failed/bonk out
yr backup is still around
Out of curosity what software u guys used to backup to yr secondary/external hdd without copying/duplicate the same file?
i used the microsoft 'My BriefCase' to back up