Memory stick

[jd_here]

I want to transfer all my documents, music and photographs on to memory sticks as back-up, I would appreciate any comments on which one might be best for me taking into account that 1) I'm old and 2) I'm a bit of a technophobe! Or would I be better looking at a different method? TIA, JD

[vehelpfulguy]

Well I dont think putting things on a memory stick is "back up".

While having a second copy of a file in another place is useful in case the first is lost or deleted, a memory stick can also be very easily lost or stolen so is not that safe.

For most "home" users the best option is to back up on CD or DVD, if possible on to TWO disks in case one is stolen or lost or becomes damaged.

If your PC has a CD or DVD writer (most modern ones do) then copying files from a hard disk to a CD or DVD is easy.

You can use Windows Media Player to "burn" a CD or DVD, or use a product like Nero to create a CD or DVD.

I have about 50 CDs and DVDs at home which are my backups from the last 7 or 8 years.

I can easily find anything that has been created on one of my family PCs in minutes.

If my wife, or one of my children, asks for a letter they wrote 2 years ago, or a copy of their CV they wrote 3 years ago, I can dig it out in minutes.

[Postdog]

Providing your files are not (individually) bigger than your memory stick, there is nothing wrong with this idea. Trouble is, it might be a bit labourious going from one to the other time after time.

You could also get an external hard drive with greater capacity and do it that way (reasonably cheap now). On that, I have such a drive, and use it as back up storage should anything happen to my PC making stuff irrecoverable.

[vehelpfulguy]

Years of making backups has taught me a few things, so if you are going to start taking backups then here are a few suggestions.

DONT just backup everything to one CD or DVD, then do another CD or DVD a few months later. After a while you finish up with a load of CDs, and finding anything afterwards is a nightmare.

So for example, have a set of CDs or DVDs JUST for digital photos. Call the disks DP1, DP2, DP3 and so on. DP stands for Digital Picture.

Try to put the photos in folders for each event BEFORE you back them up. So have a folder called "Holiday France 07", and other "Trip to London 08".

That makes them easier to find afterwards.

Same with music, have disks called MUSIC01, MUSIC02 and so on,JUST for music, this makes it easier to find your music afterwards.

Once you take out your photos and music that mostly leaves personal files like word documents, spreadsheets and so on.

Put them in folders by subject (Bank, Holdiday, Car etc) then just before you make a backup put them all in a folder of the days date.

So call the folder BU20_08_2008 (BU for Back Up).

Next month call the folder BU30_09_2008

Then when you put them on CD or DVD it is much easier to locate a folder for a particular date afterwards.

This sounds like a lot of work, but if you make backups for 4 or 5 years then you will start to reap the benefit when you look for a photograph from 2006, or a document you wrote in 2005.

[vehelpfulguy]

While postdogs idea of an external hard drive is a good one, to me it is not really a back up.

If we look at a worst case scenario. You are working on your PC and the external hard drive is plugged in.

You shut your PC down, and go to the pictures or the pub.

Someone burgles your house, steals the PC or laptop, and they are probably going to steal the external hard drive as well.

So you have lost the master copy of your files, and the "back ups".

Wheras if the files are backed up on CD or DVD and in a cupboard the thief is hardly going to go through your cupboard to steal your backup CDs.

It should also be remembered that a hard disk has many moving parts that spin at a very high speed. A hard disk can crash at any moment.

While having a "back up" on an external hard drive is better than nothing it can still crash leaving you without ANY backups.

[Unsureme]

4Gb Memory Stick on sale at Morrisons for �10.

[ACtheTROLL]

trouble with memory sticks is that present flash nand technology will only store files for 5 or so years .... after that they start to forget
CD/DVD will store files <20 years .... so are almost permanent and cost about 15-17p for 4.7Gb

memory sticks are brilliant for short term backups ... or for transporting fies
but as backup devices ... not a good idea.

a seperate copy of a file is a backup - duration isn't in the definition ...
mammy daddy backups are done daily (generally over a week) ... they are done in a circle ... so no backup lives for more than 8 days ....

long term backups are actually called archives .... and durability and longevity is the sole aim ...

�10 for a 4Gb drive ... sounds good
but at 17p per disk that's 58 DVDs or 225Gb
you chose!

[JCo2009]

only use memory stick to transfare data between work pc and home pc and i make it data safe so if loss no one can read whats on it.
keep anything safe it has to be a good old disk, as above 2 copys to be safe.