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Windows backup to DVD-RW

E

Emrys Davies

Flightless Bird
I have Win7 Home Premium 64 bit and WLM

Recently I asked a question about backup to an external drive with 'Let
Windows Choose'. Before I decide I am wondering what will happen in
practice if I use a DVD-RW. Would I be able to use the same disk each week,
while there is room, and sort of have it updated or overwritten. Having
used floppy disks for ten years all of this is new to me and hopefully
someone will explain the merits of a DVD or an external drive in such
circumstances. Simply, I just need to know how they will perform from week
to week. I don't want a pile of DVD's bearing suitably marked sticky
labels. My backups will be quite small in content.
 
J

Joel

Flightless Bird
"Emrys Davies" <me@privacy.net> wrote:

>I have Win7 Home Premium 64 bit and WLM
>
>Recently I asked a question about backup to an external drive with 'Let
>Windows Choose'. Before I decide I am wondering what will happen in
>practice if I use a DVD-RW. Would I be able to use the same disk each week,
>while there is room, and sort of have it updated or overwritten. Having
>used floppy disks for ten years all of this is new to me and hopefully
>someone will explain the merits of a DVD or an external drive in such
>circumstances. Simply, I just need to know how they will perform from week
>to week. I don't want a pile of DVD's bearing suitably marked sticky
>labels. My backups will be quite small in content.



Using RWs for frequent backups is a pretty good plan - I would use two
or three (rotating through them each week, so that you will always
have the previous one or two backups when you make a new one) CD- or
DVD-RWs (depending how much space you need for the backups). When the
disks wear out, just replace them.

--
Joel Crump
 
G

Gene E. Bloch

Flightless Bird
On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:43:36 -0400, Joel wrote:

> "Emrys Davies" <me@privacy.net> wrote:
>
>>I have Win7 Home Premium 64 bit and WLM
>>
>>Recently I asked a question about backup to an external drive with 'Let
>>Windows Choose'. Before I decide I am wondering what will happen in
>>practice if I use a DVD-RW. Would I be able to use the same disk each week,
>>while there is room, and sort of have it updated or overwritten. Having
>>used floppy disks for ten years all of this is new to me and hopefully
>>someone will explain the merits of a DVD or an external drive in such
>>circumstances. Simply, I just need to know how they will perform from week
>>to week. I don't want a pile of DVD's bearing suitably marked sticky
>>labels. My backups will be quite small in content.

>
>
> Using RWs for frequent backups is a pretty good plan - I would use two
> or three (rotating through them each week, so that you will always
> have the previous one or two backups when you make a new one) CD- or
> DVD-RWs (depending how much space you need for the backups). When the
> disks wear out, just replace them.


In my experience, "the disks wear out" happens pretty often with RWs. With
the prices of external drives these days, I'd say stick to them for
backup...

My experience is pretty old & may be outdated, though, since after a few
short-lived DVD RWs I abandoned them.

--
Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom
 
K

Ken Blake, MVP

Flightless Bird
On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:16:07 -0700, "Gene E. Bloch"
<not-me@other.invalid> wrote:

> On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:43:36 -0400, Joel wrote:
>
> > "Emrys Davies" <me@privacy.net> wrote:
> >
> >>I have Win7 Home Premium 64 bit and WLM
> >>
> >>Recently I asked a question about backup to an external drive with 'Let
> >>Windows Choose'. Before I decide I am wondering what will happen in
> >>practice if I use a DVD-RW. Would I be able to use the same disk each week,
> >>while there is room, and sort of have it updated or overwritten. Having
> >>used floppy disks for ten years all of this is new to me and hopefully
> >>someone will explain the merits of a DVD or an external drive in such
> >>circumstances. Simply, I just need to know how they will perform from week
> >>to week. I don't want a pile of DVD's bearing suitably marked sticky
> >>labels. My backups will be quite small in content.

> >
> >
> > Using RWs for frequent backups is a pretty good plan - I would use two
> > or three (rotating through them each week, so that you will always
> > have the previous one or two backups when you make a new one) CD- or
> > DVD-RWs (depending how much space you need for the backups). When the
> > disks wear out, just replace them.

>
> In my experience, "the disks wear out" happens pretty often with RWs.



Not only that, but if they wear out after writing, but before you want
to restore from them, you're up the creek.


> With
> the prices of external drives these days, I'd say stick to them for
> backup...



I'm with you entirely!

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
 
T

Trev

Flightless Bird
"Emrys Davies" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:80qgboFfanU1@mid.individual.net...
> I have Win7 Home Premium 64 bit and WLM
>
> Recently I asked a question about backup to an external drive with 'Let
> Windows Choose'. Before I decide I am wondering what will happen in
> practice if I use a DVD-RW. Would I be able to use the same disk each
> week, while there is room, and sort of have it updated or overwritten.
> Having used floppy disks for ten years all of this is new to me and
> hopefully someone will explain the merits of a DVD or an external drive in
> such circumstances. Simply, I just need to know how they will perform
> from week to week. I don't want a pile of DVD's bearing suitably marked
> sticky labels. My backups will be quite small in content.


RW discs do not overwrite or remove previous recordings, The add new and
write a new TOC. So you will still finish with a pile of disc's. Ram discs
Do and work in a similar way to a Hard disc The same with Usb memory sticks.
An External HDD drive would be best.
 
E

Emrys Davies

Flightless Bird
"Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
news:hj7gq5l265rbeleffhlhg1snj1sgfer2u2@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:16:07 -0700, "Gene E. Bloch"
> <not-me@other.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:43:36 -0400, Joel wrote:
>>
>> > "Emrys Davies" <me@privacy.net> wrote:
>> >
>> >>I have Win7 Home Premium 64 bit and WLM
>> >>
>> >>Recently I asked a question about backup to an external drive with 'Let
>> >>Windows Choose'. Before I decide I am wondering what will happen in
>> >>practice if I use a DVD-RW. Would I be able to use the same disk each
>> >>week,
>> >>while there is room, and sort of have it updated or overwritten.
>> >>Having
>> >>used floppy disks for ten years all of this is new to me and hopefully
>> >>someone will explain the merits of a DVD or an external drive in such
>> >>circumstances. Simply, I just need to know how they will perform from
>> >>week
>> >>to week. I don't want a pile of DVD's bearing suitably marked sticky
>> >>labels. My backups will be quite small in content.
>> >
>> >
>> > Using RWs for frequent backups is a pretty good plan - I would use two
>> > or three (rotating through them each week, so that you will always
>> > have the previous one or two backups when you make a new one) CD- or
>> > DVD-RWs (depending how much space you need for the backups). When the
>> > disks wear out, just replace them.

>>
>> In my experience, "the disks wear out" happens pretty often with RWs.

>
>
> Not only that, but if they wear out after writing, but before you want
> to restore from them, you're up the creek.
>
>
>> With
>> the prices of external drives these days, I'd say stick to them for
>> backup...

>
>
> I'm with you entirely!
>
> --
> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup


What a forum. Where else would you get such good advice from experts in a
language which is easily understood and makes real sense? An external drive
it will be.
 
O

olfart

Flightless Bird
"Trev" <trev_uk@hotmail.com invalid> wrote in message
news:qIKdnfrF1r9SOzXWnZ2dnUVZ8u2dnZ2d@pipex.net...
>
> "Emrys Davies" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
> news:80qgboFfanU1@mid.individual.net...
>> I have Win7 Home Premium 64 bit and WLM
>>
>> Recently I asked a question about backup to an external drive with 'Let
>> Windows Choose'. Before I decide I am wondering what will happen in
>> practice if I use a DVD-RW. Would I be able to use the same disk each
>> week, while there is room, and sort of have it updated or overwritten.
>> Having used floppy disks for ten years all of this is new to me and
>> hopefully someone will explain the merits of a DVD or an external drive
>> in such circumstances. Simply, I just need to know how they will perform
>> from week to week. I don't want a pile of DVD's bearing suitably marked
>> sticky labels. My backups will be quite small in content.

>
> RW discs do not overwrite or remove previous recordings, The add new and
> write a new TOC. So you will still finish with a pile of disc's. Ram discs
> Do and work in a similar way to a Hard disc The same with Usb memory
> sticks. An External HDD drive would be best.


and RW's have a nasty habit of going tits up and losing their data when you
least expect it. Been There
 
G

GlowingBlueMist

Flightless Bird
Emrys Davies wrote:
> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
> news:hj7gq5l265rbeleffhlhg1snj1sgfer2u2@4ax.com...
>> On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:16:07 -0700, "Gene E. Bloch"
>> <not-me@other.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:43:36 -0400, Joel wrote:
>>>
>>>> "Emrys Davies" <me@privacy.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I have Win7 Home Premium 64 bit and WLM
>>>>>
>>>>> Recently I asked a question about backup to an external drive
>>>>> with 'Let Windows Choose'. Before I decide I am wondering what
>>>>> will happen in practice if I use a DVD-RW. Would I be able to
>>>>> use the same disk each week,
>>>>> while there is room, and sort of have it updated or overwritten.
>>>>> Having
>>>>> used floppy disks for ten years all of this is new to me and
>>>>> hopefully someone will explain the merits of a DVD or an external
>>>>> drive in such circumstances. Simply, I just need to know how
>>>>> they will perform from week
>>>>> to week. I don't want a pile of DVD's bearing suitably marked
>>>>> sticky labels. My backups will be quite small in content.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Using RWs for frequent backups is a pretty good plan - I would use
>>>> two or three (rotating through them each week, so that you will
>>>> always have the previous one or two backups when you make a new
>>>> one) CD- or DVD-RWs (depending how much space you need for the
>>>> backups). When the disks wear out, just replace them.
>>>
>>> In my experience, "the disks wear out" happens pretty often with
>>> RWs.

>>
>>
>> Not only that, but if they wear out after writing, but before you
>> want to restore from them, you're up the creek.
>>
>>
>>> With
>>> the prices of external drives these days, I'd say stick to them for
>>> backup...

>>
>>
>> I'm with you entirely!
>>
>> --
>> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
>> Please Reply to the Newsgroup

>
> What a forum. Where else would you get such good advice from experts
> in a language which is easily understood and makes real sense? An
> external drive it will be.


One other thing you might consider is using a USB "Toaster" drive system for
your backups rather than a single external USB drive. It gets it's name
from the way you plug your drive vertically into a slot of the base unit.

I use a Thermaltake BlacX drive that allows me to plug in either a standard
3.5 SATA or a small one from a laptop. A link to the system can be found
at: http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1268&ID=1642 It will give
you a better explanation of the system as well as show you what it looks
like.

I use three 500Gb drives on a rotating basis so that I can keep a backup
copy off site, just in case of a fire or other disaster at home. I could
use quite smaller drives but these were available at about the same price as
a smaller drive from one of TigerDirect's specials.

Having the toaster system really comes in handy when a friends system gets
trashed. I plug in their drive and usually can recover most of their data
for them since I don't need, or want, to boot from it.

What ever you decide to use don't put all your trust in just one backup copy
of your system.
 
S

Seth

Flightless Bird
"GlowingBlueMist" <GlowingBlueMist@truely.invalid> wrote in message
news:4ba8bcfe$1@news.x-privat.org...
> Emrys Davies wrote:
>> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
>> news:hj7gq5l265rbeleffhlhg1snj1sgfer2u2@4ax.com...
>>> On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:16:07 -0700, "Gene E. Bloch"
>>> <not-me@other.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:43:36 -0400, Joel wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> "Emrys Davies" <me@privacy.net> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I have Win7 Home Premium 64 bit and WLM
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Recently I asked a question about backup to an external drive
>>>>>> with 'Let Windows Choose'. Before I decide I am wondering what
>>>>>> will happen in practice if I use a DVD-RW. Would I be able to
>>>>>> use the same disk each week,
>>>>>> while there is room, and sort of have it updated or overwritten.
>>>>>> Having
>>>>>> used floppy disks for ten years all of this is new to me and
>>>>>> hopefully someone will explain the merits of a DVD or an external
>>>>>> drive in such circumstances. Simply, I just need to know how
>>>>>> they will perform from week
>>>>>> to week. I don't want a pile of DVD's bearing suitably marked
>>>>>> sticky labels. My backups will be quite small in content.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Using RWs for frequent backups is a pretty good plan - I would use
>>>>> two or three (rotating through them each week, so that you will
>>>>> always have the previous one or two backups when you make a new
>>>>> one) CD- or DVD-RWs (depending how much space you need for the
>>>>> backups). When the disks wear out, just replace them.
>>>>
>>>> In my experience, "the disks wear out" happens pretty often with
>>>> RWs.
>>>
>>>
>>> Not only that, but if they wear out after writing, but before you
>>> want to restore from them, you're up the creek.
>>>
>>>
>>>> With
>>>> the prices of external drives these days, I'd say stick to them for
>>>> backup...
>>>
>>>
>>> I'm with you entirely!
>>>
>>> --
>>> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
>>> Please Reply to the Newsgroup

>>
>> What a forum. Where else would you get such good advice from experts
>> in a language which is easily understood and makes real sense? An
>> external drive it will be.

>
> One other thing you might consider is using a USB "Toaster" drive system
> for your backups rather than a single external USB drive. It gets it's
> name from the way you plug your drive vertically into a slot of the base
> unit.
>
> I use a Thermaltake BlacX drive that allows me to plug in either a
> standard 3.5 SATA or a small one from a laptop. A link to the system can
> be found at: http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1268&ID=1642 It
> will give you a better explanation of the system as well as show you what
> it looks like.


I bought that same puppy a few weeks ago in a bundle from www.newegg.com for
$79 including a 1TB SATA drive. Found the combo when I was shopping for a
new drive to upgrade my TiVo with. Much better than the old USB cable based
hard drive adapter I had been using previously for customer data recovery.

> Having the toaster system really comes in handy when a friends system gets
> trashed. I plug in their drive and usually can recover most of their data
> for them since I don't need, or want, to boot from it.
 
E

Emrys Davies

Flightless Bird
"olfart" <olfart65@excite.com> wrote in message
news:hoabpn$kru$1@speranza.aioe.org...
>
> "Trev" <trev_uk@hotmail.com invalid> wrote in message
> news:qIKdnfrF1r9SOzXWnZ2dnUVZ8u2dnZ2d@pipex.net...
>>
>> "Emrys Davies" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
>> news:80qgboFfanU1@mid.individual.net...
>>> I have Win7 Home Premium 64 bit and WLM
>>>
>>> Recently I asked a question about backup to an external drive with 'Let
>>> Windows Choose'. Before I decide I am wondering what will happen in
>>> practice if I use a DVD-RW. Would I be able to use the same disk each
>>> week, while there is room, and sort of have it updated or overwritten.
>>> Having used floppy disks for ten years all of this is new to me and
>>> hopefully someone will explain the merits of a DVD or an external drive
>>> in such circumstances. Simply, I just need to know how they will
>>> perform from week to week. I don't want a pile of DVD's bearing
>>> suitably marked sticky labels. My backups will be quite small in
>>> content.

>>
>> RW discs do not overwrite or remove previous recordings, The add new and
>> write a new TOC. So you will still finish with a pile of disc's. Ram
>> discs Do and work in a similar way to a Hard disc The same with Usb
>> memory sticks. An External HDD drive would be best.

>
> and RW's have a nasty habit of going tits up and losing their data when
> you least expect it. Been There


Thanks everyone for your contributions so far. Just one more point about
which I am unsure: If I get an external hard-drive and Windows reminds me
on a Sunday to insert it ready for the backup does Windows do the
appropriate 'Let Windows Decide' backup and then the following week
overwrite what it did the previous week. I am just trying to get a picture
of the exact steps Windows takes week by week and at the same time get an
idea as to the minimum size of the external hard-drive which I will need.
 
D

Dave

Flightless Bird
"GlowingBlueMist" <GlowingBlueMist@truely.invalid> wrote in message
news:4ba8bcfe$1@news.x-privat.org...
snip
> One other thing you might consider is using a USB "Toaster" drive system
> for your backups rather than a single external USB drive. It gets it's
> name from the way you plug your drive vertically into a slot of the base
> unit.
>
> I use a Thermaltake BlacX drive that allows me to plug in either a
> standard 3.5 SATA or a small one from a laptop. A link to the system can
> be found at: http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1268&ID=1642 It
> will give you a better explanation of the system as well as show you what
> it looks like.
>
> I use three 500Gb drives on a rotating basis so that I can keep a backup
> copy off site, just in case of a fire or other disaster at home. I could
> use quite smaller drives but these were available at about the same price
> as a smaller drive from one of TigerDirect's specials.
>
> Having the toaster system really comes in handy when a friends system gets
> trashed. I plug in their drive and usually can recover most of their data
> for them since I don't need, or want, to boot from it.
>
> What ever you decide to use don't put all your trust in just one backup
> copy of your system.


That looks interesting. What do you use to store the HD's in while they are
not in the toaster?
Dave
 
C

Char Jackson

Flightless Bird
On Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:07:06 -0500, "GlowingBlueMist"
<GlowingBlueMist@truely.invalid> wrote:

>One other thing you might consider is using a USB "Toaster" drive system for
>your backups rather than a single external USB drive. It gets it's name
>from the way you plug your drive vertically into a slot of the base unit.
>
>I use a Thermaltake BlacX drive that allows me to plug in either a standard
>3.5 SATA or a small one from a laptop. A link to the system can be found
>at: http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1268&ID=1642 It will give
>you a better explanation of the system as well as show you what it looks
>like.


The only problem I see on that specific model is a lack of eSATA, (I
wouldn't buy it without eSATA, but everyone's needs can be different).
However, wandering around at that site a little I see that they do
make similar units that include eSATA, so all is good. Maybe if I keep
looking I'll find a model with USB, eSATA, and Gigabit Ethernet, the
best of all worlds.

>Having the toaster system really comes in handy when a friends system gets
>trashed. I plug in their drive and usually can recover most of their data
>for them since I don't need, or want, to boot from it.


I'm still using one of those semi-awkward adapter cables for that. :(
 
J

Joel

Flightless Bird
"Trev" <trev_uk@hotmail.com invalid> wrote:

>RW discs do not overwrite or remove previous recordings, The add new and
>write a new TOC. So you will still finish with a pile of disc's.



RW discs can be overwritten each time, although they are commonly used
as you describe. For backups, I would overwrite the entire disc each
time (but again, rotating through at least two or three, with each
backup).

--
Joel Crump
 
G

GlowingBlueMist

Flightless Bird
Dave wrote:
> "GlowingBlueMist" <GlowingBlueMist@truely.invalid> wrote in message
> news:4ba8bcfe$1@news.x-privat.org...
> snip
>> One other thing you might consider is using a USB "Toaster" drive
>> system for your backups rather than a single external USB drive. It
>> gets it's name from the way you plug your drive vertically into a
>> slot of the base unit.
>>
>> I use a Thermaltake BlacX drive that allows me to plug in either a
>> standard 3.5 SATA or a small one from a laptop. A link to the
>> system can be found at:
>> http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1268&ID=1642 It will
>> give you a better explanation of the system as well as show you what
>> it looks like. I use three 500Gb drives on a rotating basis so that I can
>> keep a
>> backup copy off site, just in case of a fire or other disaster at
>> home. I could use quite smaller drives but these were available at
>> about the same price as a smaller drive from one of TigerDirect's
>> specials. Having the toaster system really comes in handy when a friends
>> system gets trashed. I plug in their drive and usually can recover
>> most of their data for them since I don't need, or want, to boot
>> from it. What ever you decide to use don't put all your trust in just one
>> backup copy of your system.

>
> That looks interesting. What do you use to store the HD's in while
> they are not in the toaster?
> Dave


Dave,
I usually use older hard camera cases, foam lined. Many of the older ones
were non-static as they might have messed up the electronics in the old 35mm
cameras. The one's I like best are the aluminum cases with the foam lining.
The foam helps protect the drive from minor shocks as well as rapid
temperature swings, should one get stored in a protected area of a car trunk
during transfer. When in doubt about the type of foam in the case, a
plastic anti-static bag can be used for added protection. The sturdy handle
makes the thing easier to carry as well. I usually find them at thrift
stores or pawn shops for next to nothing.

For what it's worth I also encrypt the data on my drives using Truecrypt in
case one is misplaced or borrowed...
 
D

Dave

Flightless Bird
"GlowingBlueMist" <GlowingBlueMist@truely.invalid> wrote in message
news:4ba920e8$1@news.x-privat.org...
> Dave wrote:
>> "GlowingBlueMist" <GlowingBlueMist@truely.invalid> wrote in message
>> news:4ba8bcfe$1@news.x-privat.org...
>> snip
>>> One other thing you might consider is using a USB "Toaster" drive
>>> system for your backups rather than a single external USB drive. It
>>> gets it's name from the way you plug your drive vertically into a
>>> slot of the base unit.
>>>
>>> I use a Thermaltake BlacX drive that allows me to plug in either a
>>> standard 3.5 SATA or a small one from a laptop. A link to the
>>> system can be found at:
>>> http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1268&ID=1642 It will
>>> give you a better explanation of the system as well as show you what
>>> it looks like. I use three 500Gb drives on a rotating basis so that I
>>> can keep a
>>> backup copy off site, just in case of a fire or other disaster at
>>> home. I could use quite smaller drives but these were available at
>>> about the same price as a smaller drive from one of TigerDirect's
>>> specials. Having the toaster system really comes in handy when a friends
>>> system gets trashed. I plug in their drive and usually can recover
>>> most of their data for them since I don't need, or want, to boot
>>> from it. What ever you decide to use don't put all your trust in just
>>> one
>>> backup copy of your system.

>>
>> That looks interesting. What do you use to store the HD's in while
>> they are not in the toaster?
>> Dave

>
> Dave,
> I usually use older hard camera cases, foam lined. Many of the older ones
> were non-static as they might have messed up the electronics in the old
> 35mm cameras. The one's I like best are the aluminum cases with the foam
> lining. The foam helps protect the drive from minor shocks as well as
> rapid temperature swings, should one get stored in a protected area of a
> car trunk during transfer. When in doubt about the type of foam in the
> case, a plastic anti-static bag can be used for added protection. The
> sturdy handle makes the thing easier to carry as well. I usually find
> them at thrift stores or pawn shops for next to nothing.
>
> For what it's worth I also encrypt the data on my drives using Truecrypt
> in case one is misplaced or borrowed...
>

Thanks for the info, I'm going to switch to this instead of the backup book
I have now.
Dave
 
A

Al Dykes

Flightless Bird
In article <0trhq5lgo6jq1f0odq7tef0hcjfpl841ou@4ax.com>,
Char Jackson <none@none.invalid> wrote:
>On Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:07:06 -0500, "GlowingBlueMist"
><GlowingBlueMist@truely.invalid> wrote:
>
>>One other thing you might consider is using a USB "Toaster" drive system for
>>your backups rather than a single external USB drive. It gets it's name
>>from the way you plug your drive vertically into a slot of the base unit.
>>
>>I use a Thermaltake BlacX drive that allows me to plug in either a standard
>>3.5 SATA or a small one from a laptop. A link to the system can be found
>>at: http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1268&ID=1642 It will give
>>you a better explanation of the system as well as show you what it looks
>>like.

>
>The only problem I see on that specific model is a lack of eSATA, (I




Thermaltake makes an eSATA model.

--
Al Dykes
News is something someone wants to suppress, everything else is advertising.
- Lord Northcliffe, publisher of the Daily Mail
 
C

Char Jackson

Flightless Bird
On 23 Mar 2010 18:12:58 -0400, adykes@panix.com (Al Dykes) wrote:

>In article <0trhq5lgo6jq1f0odq7tef0hcjfpl841ou@4ax.com>,
>Char Jackson <none@none.invalid> wrote:
>>On Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:07:06 -0500, "GlowingBlueMist"
>><GlowingBlueMist@truely.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>>One other thing you might consider is using a USB "Toaster" drive system for
>>>your backups rather than a single external USB drive. It gets it's name
>>>from the way you plug your drive vertically into a slot of the base unit.
>>>
>>>I use a Thermaltake BlacX drive that allows me to plug in either a standard
>>>3.5 SATA or a small one from a laptop. A link to the system can be found
>>>at: http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1268&ID=1642 It will give
>>>you a better explanation of the system as well as show you what it looks
>>>like.

>>
>>The only problem I see on that specific model is a lack of eSATA, (I

>
>
>
>Thermaltake makes an eSATA model.


Yes, I mentioned that in my reply. It was in the part you snipped. ;-)
 
G

Gene E. Bloch

Flightless Bird
On Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:45:56 -0500, Dave wrote:

> "GlowingBlueMist" <GlowingBlueMist@truely.invalid> wrote in message
> news:4ba8bcfe$1@news.x-privat.org...
> snip
>> One other thing you might consider is using a USB "Toaster" drive system
>> for your backups rather than a single external USB drive. It gets it's
>> name from the way you plug your drive vertically into a slot of the base
>> unit.
>>
>> I use a Thermaltake BlacX drive that allows me to plug in either a
>> standard 3.5 SATA or a small one from a laptop. A link to the system can
>> be found at: http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?S=1268&ID=1642 It
>> will give you a better explanation of the system as well as show you what
>> it looks like.
>>
>> I use three 500Gb drives on a rotating basis so that I can keep a backup
>> copy off site, just in case of a fire or other disaster at home. I could
>> use quite smaller drives but these were available at about the same price
>> as a smaller drive from one of TigerDirect's specials.
>>
>> Having the toaster system really comes in handy when a friends system gets
>> trashed. I plug in their drive and usually can recover most of their data
>> for them since I don't need, or want, to boot from it.
>>
>> What ever you decide to use don't put all your trust in just one backup
>> copy of your system.

>
> That looks interesting. What do you use to store the HD's in while they are
> not in the toaster?
> Dave


http://www.wiebetech.com/products/cases.php

Someone in a newsgroup recommended these, and I tried and liked them. I put
tape labels on the drives and corresponding labels on the boxes. I made a
spreadsheet describing the contents of the drives, using the same names (as
well as the actual partition labels, when they are different from what the
tape label says). With three computers and a handful of drives, the
spreadsheet helps a lot.

I don't remember the original source person, for which I apologize (bows
head in mild shame).

--
Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom
 
C

Char Jackson

Flightless Bird
On Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:45:56 -0500, "Dave" <davidj92@wowway.com>
wrote:

>That looks interesting. What do you use to store the HD's in while they are
>not in the toaster?
>Dave


I have a few bare hard drives setting on a shelf above my desk. When
I'm ready to do a backup, I grab the nearest one. When I put it back
on the shelf, I slide the drives over and put the latest drive at the
far end of the row. It never occurred to me to put the drives into
some kind of case for storage. It doesn't seem to be necessary, in my
case.
 
G

Gene E. Bloch

Flightless Bird
On Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:26:50 -0400, Joel wrote:

> "Trev" <trev_uk@hotmail.com invalid> wrote:
>
>>RW discs do not overwrite or remove previous recordings, The add new and
>>write a new TOC. So you will still finish with a pile of disc's.

>
>
> RW discs can be overwritten each time, although they are commonly used
> as you describe. For backups, I would overwrite the entire disc each
> time (but again, rotating through at least two or three, with each
> backup).


IIRC, you do that by first explicitly erasing the whole RW disc and then
writing the new backup - but it's been a few years since I switched to hard
drives, so don't necessarily trust what I say.

--
Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom
 
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