want to save something so that it keeps it's data permanent, use CD-R. A
crash on the hard drive and everything is gone.
A: In the investment world there is only one word for safety: diversification. Back in the bad old days, I used to wonder that the bureau of standards is really picky about storage and has traditionally required microfilm. I used to think that was a silly idea. I no longer think so. I now think that there is only one way to backup: check out your files every years or two and just back 'em all up. Over the last 15 years I have seen no medium that lasts 10 years reliably--including floppies. This is partly because of hardware obsolescence. ( my reel to reel tape deck produces a product that easily lasts 30 years, but what happens when the 25 year old machine quits and I can't get parts?). For example, every single file I accumulated prior to 1992 would fit in less than 100 megs (and I really accumulate them). Not including stuff acquired on CDs, every single file I had prior to 2000 would easily fit on 1 Gig. Today, CDs and DVDs cost about as much as hard drives. Based upon the terrible history of factory stamped music CDs from the 80s (remember how CDs would never wear out and could not be scratched?) and based upon what I have read about the ever-changing nature of CD-R dyes, I have serious doubts that burn-your-own-CDs will last more than 5 years. (The exception to this are the DV format videos prior to rendering. You cannot store those on DVD's anyway because they are too large. So you have to store them on tape. Just remember your hardware will be dead in 5 years).
Because I have to dump my files to something new every 2-3 years anyway, I might as well dump them to a cheap HD.
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