Just my experience: I have had multiple experiences of data loss, computer death, etc., before I even started doing genealogy. Now not only do I have genealogy information on my computer but also financial data, doing pretty much everything via computer/online banking.
Therefore, after much heartbreak, I decided the only way to go (for me) was with an online backup service. I have done so and so far have not needed to access it (knock on wood) but I feel much better knowing my data is stored elsewhere, safely, and is retrievable should the worst ever happen again. Good luck with the data retrieval. Toni -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2008 10:40 AM To: LegacyUserGroup Cc: DianeLeMasson Subject: Re: [LegacyUG] Warning, Storage Disks This sad event brings up the importance of having duplicate backups. I personally keep my working data files on my PC but then make backups to an external drive. Sending copies to family members (in my case my children) also assures further redundancy. Having just one copy of anything is always risky. But there are several problems inherent with electronic storage including the often ignores problem of obsolesce. Remember 5 inch and 3.5 inch diskettes? People will always be able to read paper prints. But can we really be sure that CDs, DVD, even external drives will still be easily readable 20 years from now without esoteric equipment? If kept in some program format (Legacy, or other genealogy program) will someone 50 years from now be able to find a copy of the program (or even Windows) to open these files? That is why I believe having multiple paper prints and/or publications are best for the long term. Yes, paper can deteriorate, burn up, etc. - just like electronic storage - but books and manuscripts written centuries ago are still readable using nothing more than human eyes and knowledge of the language. I think genealogy programs are excellent tools to organize and work with data but they may not be the best as a final repository of the data. IMHO disseminated printed reports (or published books) are better. Just my 2 cents. Finally, do not give up hope Diane. The data may still be there on the external drive but just not visible to you and if so, there are ways to recover it. Just do NOT write anything further to that external drive as it may damage recover efforts and keep the drive far from magnets that can erase data on drives. Did you by chance send a copy of your data to someone else? Jeff DianeLeMasson wrote: > Hi > > I apologize, this is nothing to do with Legacy but there has been > discussions several times on safe places to store your Legacy files. > > What I am about to tell you is what I just experience with my external > hard drive that I thought was safe enough for all my genealogy files. > After reading many messages about the storing of our genie stuff here > on this list I went & bought one, some time ago. > I stored some folders & files. Have not been in it since, either to > add or to delete. It had been plugged in all this time, never > disconnected,otherwards > have not touch it. > I decided to do some housecleaning on my computer, rearrange stuff, > delete old files, etc. I went to look into this external hard drive > to see what I had put there & to my shock... saw absolutely NOTHING! > It was totally empty! Somehow,someway this machine deleted itself > of everything I put on it. I do not know how it did this but it did > on its own. > I am proof it can happen with an external hard drive so be aware. > I am so sick over this for I have no idea what I did put in it, I > trusted it to > do it's job & did not make a note of what I put in it. > > Off list, if anyone has any insight of what could of caused this I > would very > much like to hear from you. I know I can never recover what I lost, I > still like > to learn why it did happen, if possible. > > Diane/NJ > > > > > > Legacy User Group guidelines: > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp > Archived messages: > http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup@legacyfamilytree.com/ > Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp > To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp Legacy User Group guidelines: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp Archived messages: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup@legacyfamilytree.com/ Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp Legacy User Group guidelines: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp Archived messages: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup@legacyfamilytree.com/ Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp
