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backing up files

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by vf2002

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hi. i need to backup some files on my hard drive and need to know what should i use for this. i need something that will backup at least 10 GB of space. i've heard of the CD/RW drives but i need to know more about them for example can u purchase these drives without having to install them inside your computer(sort of like an external modem). i would be most greatful to anyone who can tell me more information about this. thank you.

8 replies

by fred07

Yes, USB external CDRW are available. EZ-CD by roxio is my favorite RW program. Most new external RW should come with the software and any needed drivers. You will get 600 to 700 MB's per disk. You should also consider adding a second hard drive as a mirror copy of your first unless you are just transfering data to a different computer.

by thechas

Almost all external CD-RW drives use USB connections.
If you are running Windows 95 or NT, you may not be able to access an external drive connected to the USB port.

DO NOT use CD-RW disks for backup of CRITICAL files. They are not archival in nature.

Use good quality CD-R disks.
Best practice for files you will be removing from your hard drive is to make 3 CD-R copies of the files.
1 copy to use, and 2 as backup.

Another caveat, is the speed of your PC, amount of installed RAM, and free hard drive space.

Many CD software packages require 350MHz or faster CPUs.
Then, you should have 256MB of RAM, and 1GB of free hard drive space.

If this 10GB backup is a one time deal, CD-R is the way to go.

If however, you need to backup 10GB on a weekly basis, you might want to consider a tape drive.

Chas

by paulp

First of all, decide exactly what you need to backup. You really only want to backup your data files such as documents, databases, photos and maybe email. If this is a home computer, I suspect you will then realize you need far less than 10gb of backups.
You don't need to backup program files because you can't restore program files from a backup. You should already have all program software on CD just in case you ever need to reload it.

If the backups are going to be considered critical, you must also make sure you're going to be able to restore them reliably if you ever need to. So if a tape drive breaks down, will you be able to find another that will read your tapes?

10gb is a lot of info to backup and any option you choosewill take a considerable amount of time to perform a backup.

Once again, assuming this is a home PC may I suggest you consider buying a second hard drive to plug in whenever you want to make a backup? You can do a direct file copy pretty quickly, and it's a relatively safe bet that in a couple years if you ever need to pull any info from the drive you'll be able to find a system that will read your drive.
This is not a true backup solution, but it's a relatively inexpensive and quick solution.

by c.mcfadden

Totally agree with paulp answer 3,I would also use a harddrive to backup 10gig as a time factor,u can purchase and external hard drive and backup as often as u please and the backup drive can be taken of site if needed.As for a burner u can use for other purposes like oh lets say burning music cd or backup of ur software it a user issue but a backup of data is a safe bet either way.

by wlbowers

You can buy an external 20 gig usb drive for $88.00, a firewire 20 gig for $91.00. (This will require a firewire card. $13.00.

Prices are from www.pricewatch.com

To back up 10 gig to a usb cd-rw will take forever.

An external usb hard drive is not bad.
An external firewire hard drive is the fastest.

Good Luck Lee

by boneyfish

Another possibility to consider, A dvd burner holds 4.7 gigs per disc and is available as internal or external like the other drives that have been suggested. In actuality, it's your personal choice as to which way would benefit you most. With DVD, you also have the option of data, music, and full length movies!

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