07-04-2007, 04:22 PM
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#1
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,110
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External Hardrive
Cd-R/Cd-RW's don't seem to be a longterm option anymore for my baby pictures. So, I need some expert advice w/o all the expert talk and speculation. I am computer savy to a certain point but there are so many options out there. My needs are:
1) I just need to back up the pictures/videos (every once in awhile) of my kid and throw the drive in a firesafe box which I will also be purchasing. In other words, I don't need it to be running and backing up everything I do.
2) Price range is $100 - $200
3) Obviously, long term durability
4) 250 - 500 GB is a good start.
I appreciate any advice.
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07-04-2007, 09:38 PM
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#2
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Guru
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 40,410
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nemesis
Cd-R/Cd-RW's don't seem to be a longterm option anymore for my baby pictures. So, I need some expert advice w/o all the expert talk and speculation. I am computer savy to a certain point but there are so many options out there. My needs are:
1) I just need to back up the pictures/videos (every once in awhile) of my kid and throw the drive in a firesafe box which I will also be purchasing. In other words, I don't need it to be running and backing up everything I do.
2) Price range is $100 - $200
3) Obviously, long term durability
4) 250 - 500 GB is a good start.
I appreciate any advice.
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I can't give you any on HDs, but I must admit I'm too scared to keep my photos JUST on my external HDD. I'm too paranoid about them going.
I have to put them on HDD and also back em up on DVD
__________________
"Yankees fans who say “flags fly forever’’ are right, you never lose that. It reinforces all the good things about being a fan. ... It’s black and white. You (the Mavs) won a title. That’s it and no one can say s--- about it.’’
Last edited by dude1394; 07-04-2007 at 09:38 PM.
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07-04-2007, 10:55 PM
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#3
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 4,629
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__________________
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07-05-2007, 09:46 AM
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#4
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Plano, Tx
Posts: 2,227
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external hard drive should be a safer place than a dvd... just dont put it in the microwave or near high powered magnents and it'll be safe.
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07-05-2007, 10:02 AM
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#5
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Golden Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 1,648
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I've been very happy with my 250GB external firewire purchased from www.macsales.com. For important, irreplaceable things like pictures of your kids, I'd also suggest online storage--it's pretty dang cheap, and that way, even if your entire house were (a) burned to the ground, or (b) everything stolen, you can still retrieve your precious photos.
My (overly paranoid) solution: photos on internal hard drives on both machines, and on two external hard drives; also backed up onto DVD-Rs which I store at my office at work.
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07-05-2007, 11:05 AM
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#6
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 7,031
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i have an external drive as well 250 gig, western digital. I've had it for a year or so. Its not bad, but i would have to agree with the dude on this one, i'd be a little too paranoid to just have a 1 backup. I might have to burn dvd's as well of the really important pics of my kids.
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07-05-2007, 11:14 AM
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#7
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Guru
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 40,410
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ninkobei
external hard drive should be a safer place than a dvd... just dont put it in the microwave or near high powered magnents and it'll be safe.
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Really?? What makes you say that? I've never heard of a DVD head crash before?
__________________
"Yankees fans who say “flags fly forever’’ are right, you never lose that. It reinforces all the good things about being a fan. ... It’s black and white. You (the Mavs) won a title. That’s it and no one can say s--- about it.’’
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07-05-2007, 11:15 AM
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#8
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Guru
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 40,410
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobatundi
I've been very happy with my 250GB external firewire purchased from www.macsales.com. For important, irreplaceable things like pictures of your kids, I'd also suggest online storage--it's pretty dang cheap, and that way, even if your entire house were (a) burned to the ground, or (b) everything stolen, you can still retrieve your precious photos.
My (overly paranoid) solution: photos on internal hard drives on both machines, and on two external hard drives; also backed up onto DVD-Rs which I store at my office at work.
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Yea I think online photo storage is an untapped market. There will be some folks losing some prescious photos inadvertantly I'm sure.
__________________
"Yankees fans who say “flags fly forever’’ are right, you never lose that. It reinforces all the good things about being a fan. ... It’s black and white. You (the Mavs) won a title. That’s it and no one can say s--- about it.’’
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07-05-2007, 01:02 PM
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#9
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Plano, Tx
Posts: 2,227
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dude1394
Really?? What makes you say that? I've never heard of a DVD head crash before?
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well DVDs are easily broken/lost. obviously you would pay more attention to a 100$ hard drive. and I'm not sure on the exact longevity of DVDs, but I think CDs are only meant to last 15 years or so. come to think of it, that is a pretty long time. i guess you could keep two copies of your pictures, one on dvd one on your hard drive.
the internet hard drive might be a good place too. I think yahoo! gives out 1gig or so free.
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Last edited by Ninkobei; 07-05-2007 at 01:04 PM.
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07-05-2007, 01:10 PM
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#10
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Troll Hunter
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Sports Heaven!
Posts: 9,898
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I have a Western Digital 500GB - I haven't had any problems with it.
__________________
"I don't know what went wrong," said guard Thabo Sefolosha. "It's hard to talk about it."
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07-05-2007, 01:34 PM
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#11
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Golden Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 1,648
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http://www.xdrive.com/
Supposedly you get 5 GB of online storage free. Don't know what the catch is.
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07-05-2007, 01:41 PM
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#12
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,110
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My primary concern is: Is it ok to have it turned off for a majority of the time?
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07-05-2007, 01:51 PM
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#13
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Troll Hunter
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Sports Heaven!
Posts: 9,898
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nemesis
My primary concern is: Is it ok to have it turned off for a majority of the time?
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I keep mine plugged in mostly, but I've always assumed it would be okay to keep it disconnected.
I will likely buy another one so I can backup the external drive and keep the second one in a seperate location from my computer.
__________________
"I don't know what went wrong," said guard Thabo Sefolosha. "It's hard to talk about it."
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07-05-2007, 02:06 PM
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#14
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Guru
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 40,410
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mary
I keep mine plugged in mostly, but I've always assumed it would be okay to keep it disconnected.
I will likely buy another one so I can backup the external drive and keep the second one in a seperate location from my computer.
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Now that's an idea. I could just mirror it on two seperate USB drives and then not have to worry about the DVD copies (which are a pain).
I would have complete faith that the liklehood of two HDD failures is astronomic.
__________________
"Yankees fans who say “flags fly forever’’ are right, you never lose that. It reinforces all the good things about being a fan. ... It’s black and white. You (the Mavs) won a title. That’s it and no one can say s--- about it.’’
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07-05-2007, 02:22 PM
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#15
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moderately impressed
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Home of the thirteenth colony
Posts: 17,705
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dude1394
Now that's an idea. I could just mirror it on two seperate USB drives and then not have to worry about the DVD copies (which are a pain).
I would have complete faith that the liklehood of two HDD failures is astronomic.
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what if both of those HDD's get zapped by some electromagnetic pulse?
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07-05-2007, 02:34 PM
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#16
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Guru
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 40,410
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Quote:
Originally Posted by u2sarajevo
what if both of those HDD's get zapped by some electromagnetic pulse?
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You mean like a nuke? At that point, I'm not sure anything, anywhere is going to work again.
Or you just talking about a surge.
But to answer the question. In the even of a double hdd crash, I would expect I could take both to them to a data recovery place and between the two get all of my stuff back.
__________________
"Yankees fans who say “flags fly forever’’ are right, you never lose that. It reinforces all the good things about being a fan. ... It’s black and white. You (the Mavs) won a title. That’s it and no one can say s--- about it.’’
Last edited by dude1394; 07-05-2007 at 02:35 PM.
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07-05-2007, 02:36 PM
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#17
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Rooting for the laundry
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 21,342
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sike
I keep all of my porn on my external hard drive.
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Stop comparing your porn to his photos of his kids.
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07-05-2007, 02:54 PM
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#18
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,110
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what was the over on the number of posts until "cussing" thread?
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07-05-2007, 03:31 PM
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#19
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 7,673
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nemesis
Cd-R/Cd-RW's don't seem to be a longterm option anymore for my baby pictures. So, I need some expert advice w/o all the expert talk and speculation. I am computer savy to a certain point but there are so many options out there. My needs are:
1) I just need to back up the pictures/videos (every once in awhile) of my kid and throw the drive in a firesafe box which I will also be purchasing. In other words, I don't need it to be running and backing up everything I do.
2) Price range is $100 - $200
3) Obviously, long term durability
4) 250 - 500 GB is a good start.
I appreciate any advice.
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This is EXACTLY my situation.
I bought a Western Digital MyBook, 250 GB. I forget how much I paid (i had Best Buy GCs), but those are constantly on sale at Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. for about 60-90 bucks. It doesn't do automatic backups, but I'm in the same boat as you, I just wanted to do manual backups every once in a while. And then the hard drive goes back into the fire safe. I would definitely recommend it.
A little off topic, but what photo software do you use? The Western Digital hard drive came with a copy of Picasa (which you can also get for free online). not that it affects anything, i would just recommend that software as well - great software.
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Last edited by Big Boy Laroux; 07-05-2007 at 03:32 PM.
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07-05-2007, 03:37 PM
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#20
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,110
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I will send you a PM bigBL, later.
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07-05-2007, 03:37 PM
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#21
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Like you'd care
Posts: 3,013
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Why not get an internal hard drive and put it in an enclosure? It's a cheaper option.
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07-05-2007, 03:51 PM
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#22
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,110
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what do you mean by enclosure? How can it be firesafe with a connection at the same time?
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07-05-2007, 04:34 PM
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#23
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Like you'd care
Posts: 3,013
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Nemesis: An enclosure is a device that allows you to convert an internal hard drive into an external hard drive. An enclosure usually runs about $10-$30 and since internal hard drives are normally cheaper than external ones. Plus, if you can convert the internal hard drive of an old pc you no longer use into an external drive.
I don't think there's any enclosures out there that are fire resistant though. I guess the only way around it is to lock it away in your firesafe when you're not using it.
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07-06-2007, 07:14 PM
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#24
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,110
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We purchased the 320 GB Western Digital from Best Buy for $99.99. Thanks for the direction and advice.
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07-06-2007, 08:06 PM
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#25
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Lazy Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Lazytown
Posts: 18,721
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Internals with enclosures are the way to go, imo.
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07-06-2007, 08:22 PM
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#26
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Old School Balla
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 13,097
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jthig32
Internals with enclosures are the way to go, imo.
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That's what I did, and it worked great.
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07-06-2007, 09:17 PM
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#27
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Lazy Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Lazytown
Posts: 18,721
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kg_veteran
That's what I did, and it worked great.
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Before firewire, enclosures that paired with a slot on your case and hooked into an ide cable were ABSOLUTELY the way to go, because of the incredible difference in speed.
But with Firewire and USB2, the speeds aren't as bad, but it's still a lot cheaper to go the enclosure route that uses usb2. Plus if you decide you no longer need an external drive, you can pop the thing inside.
Last edited by jthig32; 07-06-2007 at 09:18 PM.
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07-07-2007, 01:14 AM
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#28
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,181
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I will say this. Working for a photography studio in Dallas that's been around 50 years or so, we back up our photos by putting them on an external HD and burn our sessions on to DVDs/CDs. Personally, I have everything on one HD, but I have heard stories of a HD going to the shitter. I do keep 2 copies of my music library, along with having it on my iPod (so technically 3 since I can rip songs back to my computer).
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