Cheese

I have several (non-photographic) documents such as passports, insurance policies, car titles, mortgage documents, and legal papers that I scan and keep offsite on a CD-RW. Unfortunately I now have only one very old computer that still has an optical drive so I was thinking of changing the storage media. All the docs fit on one CD, so I'm not looking for a ton of space. Additionally, updates are minimal, or about once or twice a year. I keep the originals in the bank, so a catastrophic failure is a nuisance, but not the end of the world.

As I see it, my options are to either buy an external optical drive and continue to use CDs; or to switch to a USB drive, an SD card, or an external HDD. Over the years I have had many USB drives and external HDDs fail, so I'm somewhat reluctant to go down that path. I've also heard that these don't do well in long-term storage. I definitely do not wish to use cloud storage.

Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks.

revhen Loc: By the beautiful Hudson

I use Carbonite to back everything up offsite.

fjdarling Loc: Mesa, Arizona, USA

Having dealt with Business Continuity Requirements for many years, I suggest: **Dedicated** new thumb drives are still your best bet. Two separate thumb drives and another copy on your computer or tablet and/or a dedicated SSD. I suggest you include a small text document on each device that lists where the other devices are stored. I also recommend you check the files contained on the thumb drives and SSD periodically to ensure they are still viable, and plan to replace the devices with new ones every 3-5 years as well. Store them in waterproof, crush-resistant anti-static wrappings if possible, and at least one device (the SSD?) in a fireproof and waterproof container such as a safe, or in a safe deposit box. Think of all the ways your files could be destroyed or lost, and figure out ways to prevent them from succeeding.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Do you have a <local> backup process now?
Are you backing up your photos? (If so, just add the documents directory (or whatever other directories you want).

I backup regularly to external hard drives. For my disaster recovery backup I use Carbonite. It automatically backs up certain directories normally, but one can add additional directories as desired.

Hal81 Loc: Bucks County, Pa.

The only import paper in my house is on a roll in the bathroom.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

I make hard copies, or get actual official duplicates.
I am not sure what good a scanned passport would be except to look at for where you went. Once lost or destroyed or outdated it would need to be replaced.
Keep them in a safe deposit box at the bank.
Originals in a fire safe in the house.
That way for at least the rest of my life there will be no obsolescence in the media failing or not being able to be read.

rplain1 Loc: Dayton, Oh.

Flash drives are cheap and rarely fail. Buy three (or as many as it takes to ease your mind) and store them in different places. The odds of all of them failing are greater than you getting hit by a meteor. Also, as Architect pointed out, the copy of the passport is worthless. Of the others you listed - the bank has you mortgage papers, the insurance company has your insurance policy, and the state has your title (that's where you got them from originally) so they are recoverable. Don't know about the other legal documents, but often times they have to be originals or certified copies - not scanned copies. I keep mine (birth certificate, discharge papers, etc.) in a safe deposit box. The odds of my bank burning down are miniscule.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

I know our marriage certificate and my DD-214 has been requested and a copy has always been just fine. We keep about 5-8 copies of these on hand all the time.

rplain1 Loc: Dayton, Oh.

Agree with the DD-214 - a copy has always worked. Never needed marriage certificate for anything I can remember. Just got a new passport and needed certified copies of birth certificate for that. Drivers license also required certified copies.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

You missed the sentence "I do not want to use cloud storage".

rck281 Loc: Overland Park, KS

External cd/DVD burners are only $25. Just be sure and use "M" disks. Regular CDs won't last.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

Good luck finding an M Disk-compatible burner. They are specialized. An ordinary DVD burner won't do them. And one will cost a lot more than $25.00.

And the future compatibility leaves question about whether it is a good choice.

rck281 Loc: Overland Park, KS

You are correct - they are $29.99 for an LG 8X with M-disc at Microcenter. They aren't "specialized" but your are correct the burner does have to have a higher powered laser. They burn in a standard format so I don't see how future compatibility of M-Disc is an issue unless you mean the CD format.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

It sounds like you have digitized these documents so that they are now computer files. While there is a lot of discussion about backing up your photos (after all, this is a photographic forum) there is nothing that requires you to back up only photographic files. You should be backing up everything in your computer that has any importance. That includes documents, PDF files, word processing files, emails, application profiles and options (whenever they are available as files), and even photos.

The most convenient form of backup is external hard drives. They can hold pretty much all your stuff in one place. They can be carried to a "safe" place (if there is such a thing). They are easily duplicated for safety by redundancy. They are readily available at reasonable prices.

The safest form of storage is the cloud. That assumes you pick the right cloud provider. The cloud distributes things it stores, so local or even regional disasters are unlikely to affect your data. The cloud storage media are maintained by professionals, while local storage is maintained (if it is maintained at all) by amateurs. Local storage can be wiped out by a disaster. Even the items in your bank are not immune. Think about the Paradise fire, which destroyed pretty much everything in the town. The cloud is probably duplicated across continents and hemispheres.

Yes, the cloud costs something. Yes, the cloud is inconvenient since it takes significant bandwidth for large quantities of data. So you don't really want to use the cloud for backup. You want to use it for archives. The difference is that backup is for stuff you might want to use in the next [insert period of time here]. Archives are for things you don't expect to use in the immediate future, but want them available if the need arises. That period of time is up to the user. It might be 6 months. It might be 6 decades. YMMV.

(Personally I don't expect to have 6 more decades to think about my archives but it would be nice if some of it were available to my descendants).

Jesu S

Those who say a scanned copy of a passport is useless have never had a passport lost or stolen while overseas.

If all the documents you want to archive fit on one CD, then an external hard drive seems to be overkill. You may want to use one or more USB flash drives, or SD cards.

If you want to reconsider not using the cloud, I’d suggest getting a dedicated travel email address and emailing the files to that address. The advantage is that you can create folders to sort and organize the files, and access them from anywhere in the world. There is no cost, maintenance, or risk of obsolescence; and updating your files is a breeze.

Whenever I travel, I make sure my travel email account has copies of my itinerary, hotel confirmations, passport (including current visa pages), insurance card, driver’s license, and any other documentation I may need for the trip. Some years ago my passport, along with some other items, was stolen from my hotel room in Amsterdam. Because I was able to show the consulate a copy of my passport and other ID, they were able to issue me a replacement the very next day.